Wed. July 9, 2008
DOWNTOWN DC BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
CHRONICLES SUCCESSFUL YEAR
Strong Partnerships, Innovative Programming Fuel Achievements
WASHINGTON, DC – The Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID) has released its 2007 Annual Report, which highlights the organization’s accomplishments and goals in key areas, including safety, hospitality and maintenance, economic development, transportation, physical improvements and marketing and special events. Because of these activities and programs, the Downtown BID continued to improve Downtown’s economic growth and image, provide premier business services to enhance the public environment, promote business development and market the area to new investors.
“It has always been our goal to create a vibrant, inviting and smart place where people from all walks of life can create and share remarkable experiences,” says Richard Bradley, executive director of the Downtown BID. “No longer perceived as ‘dull, dirty and dangerous,’ the Downtown BID area now provides a remarkable urban experience as the cultural and entertainment epicenter of the region. We aim to build on the momentum gained thus far to continue to develop a successful framework for the future.”
In 2007, the Downtown BID successfully renewed its legislative charter for another five years through fiscal year 2012 and planned for its 10th anniversary and a decade of great public and private cooperation that helped position Downtown DC as an international model of urban ingenuity. In addition, the Downtown BID embarked on a new set of values and attributes to extend the legacy of the past into the future, established firm partnerships with the federal and municipal governments and launched successful initiatives to address ongoing problems such as traffic congestion and homelessness.
Some report highlights are as follows:
- The Downtown BID played a major role in the National Park Service’s National Mall Plan and the National Capital Planning Commission’s CapitalSpace Plan, all geared toward recognizing Washington, DC, as one of the world’s greatest cities.
- Safety, hospitality and maintenance workers, known as SAMs, continued to perform critical roles, with SAM maintenance teams keeping Downtown streets clean and inviting by collecting more than 7,500 bags of litter and trash monthly.
- The Downtown BID installed 25 additional bicycle racks at popular destinations, making it easier for patrons to choose environmentally sound transportation.
- The 95th anniversary of the National Cherry Blossom Festival®, managed by Downtown BID staff and celebrated in grand style, generating an estimated $50 million in visitor spending during the two-week long event.
- In conjunction with Cool Capital Challenge, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing regional greenhouse gas emissions and fighting global warming, the Downtown BID focused on helping Downtown businesses become environmentally sustainable and launched a new four-part green economic development program.
The Downtown BID area continued to serve as a significant contributor to DC’s fiscal resurgence with a net fiscal impact estimated at more than $644 million for fiscal year 2007, or 58% of DC public school’s locally funded budget. In addition, the Downtown BID area added two million square feet of office space and 481 new residential units last year. Meanwhile, several exciting development projects also made their way onto the Downtown landscape, including the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Harman Center for the Performing Arts and the new Kogod Courtyard shared by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery.
“Downtown’s remarkable renaissance from 1997 through 2007,” according to Mayor Adrian Fenty, “has made it the economic and fiscal engine of the city, responsible for more than 90% of the net new jobs in DC and a net fiscal impact” in excess of $600 million in fiscal 2007, “thus, making it clear that the prosperity of Downtown and the prosperity of all other DC neighborhoods go hand-in-hand.”
The report pinpoints several Downtown BID goals, including the following:
- Continue intensive SAM training on issues such as crime prevention and reporting, first aid and first-responder training, homeless outreach and communication skills.
- Work with property owners and managers to reduce energy consumption Downtown by 15% over the next three years.
- Plan and prioritize streetscape, park and public space improvements and upgrade the GIS-based rating system, which will lead to faster and more accurate defect reporting to city agencies and, ultimately, faster repairs.
Publish a series of reports and issue briefs on topics such as transportation financing, smart parking and green building transportation. - Continue to work with more than 20 partner providers to move Downtown’s homeless into services.
- Work to turn the framework provided by the Center City Action Agenda, Mayor Fenty’s economic and place-making initiative for Central Washington, into concrete plans and programs to maintain the momentum of the last 10 years in the Downtown economy.
For more details and insights, the annual report is available at www.downtowndc.org/annualreport.
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