DEPARTMENT: Center City Development & Operations
DEPARTMENT HEAD: John Jacks
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Council District 1
SUBJECT:
Centro San Antonio Update
SUMMARY:
Centro San Antonio will provide an update on the organization’s structure, mission, urban agenda and focus areas, as well as an overview of collaborations with various City departments.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Evolution of the Organization
Centro Partnership San Antonio was formed in July of 2010 to bring together the energy and resources of San Antonio’s public and private sector leaders for revitalizing downtown and the center city, and to provide ongoing leadership and a consistent focus on critical downtown issues.
During 2011-2012, the City and Centro Partnership jointly developed a Strategic Framework Plan and a related Implementation Plan for the Center City. As a starting point, the plan recommended:
• Restructuring the existing Downtown Alliance, a 501(c)(6) membership organization established in 1982, and the Public Improvement District (PID), a 501(c)(4) established in 1999, to align them under Centro Partnership, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation
• Hiring a President and CEO to lead the reorganization and ongoing business operations
• Reauthorizing the PID and expanding its geographic boundaries.
In September of 2013, the Downtown Alliance, PID and Centro Partnership boards voted to establish Centro San Antonio as the management entity for the aligned organizations through contractual agreements, and to create the Centro San Antonio brand. Centro San Antonio began operations on October 1, 2013 and launched its new brand on November 4, 2013.
Centro San Antonio is led by President & CEO Pat DiGiovanni and an 18 member Board consisting of leaders from the business, non-profit, and public sector community, plus officers from the Downtown Alliance and PID boards. The mission of the organization is to serve as an advocate for downtown businesses and property owners, a catalyst for economic improvement in the urban core, and a thought leader on important community issues.
Activities
Centro San Antonio, through its affiliation with Centro Alliance, provides services and benefits to Alliance members (primarily downtown businesses and property owners), including advocacy on key issues, educational programs and events, and networking activities.
Centro San Antonio, through its affiliation with the Centro Public Improvement District, provides its core maintenance, beautification and ambassador services in its expanded boundaries. These services are funded through voluntary assessments on property owners in the district based on appraised property values. As a result of the PID reauthorization, several important programs have been added to the PID Service Plan:
• Downtown branding and marketing, and the programming of open spaces through events designed to enhance vibrancy and attract more local visitors to downtown
• Business recruitment and retention with an initial focus on retail along the Houston Street Corridor, and a future focus on commercial office
• Capital project plans and investments within defined geographic areas
• Planning support on key initiatives and policy matters that affect downtown
• Research, analysis and reporting on important trends, measurements and best practices for urban development and revitalization.
ISSUE:
As a key component of the implementation of the Strategic Framework Plan, Centro San Antonio has developed an “Urban Action Agenda” that highlights critical areas of focus as well as private and public sector partners. Centro San Antonio is leading or actively engaged in a number of projects that are within the scope of the Urban Action Agenda, many of them in collaboration with various City departments.
ALTERNATIVES:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
RECOMMENDATION:
This item is for briefing purposes only.