Partnerships, Strategic Focus Enhance Quality of Life
WASHINGTON, DC – The Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID) has released its Annual Report, which shows the organization relied on its strengths—visioning, stimulating discussions, building coalitions and building consensus—to support endeavors that improved street vitality and rejuvenated and spurred economic activity.
“Although this past year was tough, it was productive,” said Richard H. Bradley, executive director of the Downtown BID. “The Downtown BID worked to get short-term federal assistance for stimulus projects and leveraged partner relationships to encourage plans for long-term projects that would enhance the quality of life. Our overall goal was simple—to continue creating new jobs and opportunities for businesses and residents and enhancing Downtown’s unique identity through exceptional placemaking.”
The report highlights the BID’s achievements and goals in key areas, including safety, hospitality and maintenance, economic development, transportation, physical improvements, homeless services, planning, marketing and special events.
Among the highlights:
- Safety/Hospitality and Maintenance workers, known as SAMs, continued to perform critical roles, with maintenance teams collecting, on average, 16,579 bags of litter and trash monthly and safety/hospitality teams assisting 345,105 citizens.
- The Downtown BID helped develop a comprehensive $5.5 million streetscape plan that is being implemented in 2010.
- The Downtown BID partnered with the National Museum of Women in the Arts (www.nmwa.org/sculptureproject) to produce the New York Avenue Sculpture Project.
- The Downtown BID worked with the District Department of Transportation (www.ddot.dc.gov) to garner public support for a city streetcar network.
- Working through the District of Columbia Surface Transit, Inc. (DCST), the Downtown BID helped coordinate the DC Circulator’s expansion into more neighborhoods and improve connections to Downtown.
- The Downtown BID identified more than 150 homeless individuals for immediate placement into permanent housing.
- On Inauguration Day, the Downtown SAMs helped greet and guide nearly 2 million visitors; then returned the area to normalcy after the festivities.
- In partnership with the DC Office of Planning (OP) and other stakeholders, the Downtown BID initiated the planning process for the Mount Vernon Square District Project, which will consist of parks, open spaces and a transit hub.
Recognizing that parks impact Downtown’s economic, environmental, social, cultural and aesthetic well-being, the Downtown BID also continued efforts with the National Park Service (NPS) and the OP to effect major change in designing, managing and maintaining these public gathering places.
“Compared to other downtowns, the Downtown BID area closed 2009 on a stable note,” said Bradley. “We experienced somewhat stronger economic activity than most of our US and global competitors and had one of the most successful and expensive office markets in the region, nation and the world.”
To keep the momentum going, Bradley said the Downtown BID will continue to stand ready for change and growth fashioned on innovation and creative solutions and engage actively to provide leadership on jobs and new economic strategy. In addition, the organization will assist the business community in working with the city on various issues, from taxes to business retention and attraction.
For more details and insights, the Downtown BID’s Annual Report is available at www.downtowndc.org/annualreport.