2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT Downtown Vision | Downtown Jacksonville, FL Annual Report • 1 LETTER from DOWNTOWN VISION BOARD CHAIR & CEO a DOWNTOWN for EVERYONE
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2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT Downtown Vision | Downtown Jacksonville, FL Annual Report • 1 LETTER FROM DOWNTOWN VISION BOARD CHAIR & CEO A DOWNTOWN FOR EVERYONE Downtown Jacksonville is brimming with history, natural amenities, passionate people and unmatched opportunity. It’s the one place that belongs to the whole Northeast Florida community. As Jacksonville’s only Business Improvement District, we’re proud of the work we do to create and support a vibrant Downtown. This Annual Report summarizes our areas of focus and showcases the value we provide to our stakeholders: from property and business owners, to residents and visitors, to interested investors, to City leaders and civic organizations. ABOUT DOWNTOWN VISION Over the past year, we’ve continued to add specialized services to our Ambassador program, DTJAX’S BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (BID) Downtown Vision is the Business Improvement District (BID) for Downtown Jacksonville, helping not only to keep Downtown clean and safe, but actively creating a better place by making a not-for-profit organization funded mainly by Downtown’s commercial property owners needed repairs and connecting needy individuals to services. Thanks to another successful year of through a self-assessment. We’re governed by a large board of directors representing diverse fundraising, our Lively and Beautiful Sidewalks (LABS) program is growing, allowing us to create Downtown stakeholders. Downtown Vision has a corporate structure with both a 501(c)6 non- unique, memorable experiences in Downtown’s public realm. This report also provides a first look profit business association and a 501(c)3 charitable corporation, providing our members and at our work to create a distinctive new brand for Downtown Jacksonville. Set to launch with our new supporters with a wide range of support and benefits. website soon, we will be able to better market Downtown to the region and the world. As the keeper of Downtown’s information, we’re able to provide specialized maps and tailored data summaries to Our work is tightly aligned to the vision, mission and priorities of the City of Jacksonville’s support stakeholders and investors looking to grow Downtown. Our State of Downtown Report was Downtown Investment Authority (DIA). This collaboration facilitates private sector integration in so popular this year, we had to print double the copies. the execution of the DIA’s Community Revitalization Area (CRA) plans and benefits Downtown property owners, residents, businesses and their employees. Let us help you discover Downtown. Sign up for our #DTJax Weekly e-Newsletter at DTJax.com to stay in-the-know on Downtown’s news and events. Come to a First Wednesday Art Walk and support our local businesses. Attend our quarterly stakeholder meetings to hear from our Downtown OUR MISSION partners. It’s our Downtown – come explore it. Create and support a vibrant Downtown and promote Downtown as an exciting place to live, work, visit and invest. OUR VISION A dynamic, 24-hour, pedestrian-friendly Downtown Jacksonville that serves as the premier center for the arts, dining, retail, entertainment, business and urban living in Northeast Florida. WHAT IS A BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (BID)? In a BID, property owners within a geographically defined area pay a self-assessed, non ad- valorem tax based on property values to fund revitalization services and improvements within the district’s boundaries. BIDs tailor their services to fit the needs of their districts, usually through a non-profit organization governed by a board of directors composed of stakeholders. Most BIDs work in partnership with the public sector to make their organizations even stronger and to benefit their members. For more about BIDs, visit downtown.org. Teresa Durand-Stuebben Jacob A. Gordon, Esq., Board Chair, Downtown Resident & CEO Vice President, Northeast Florida Market, Downtown Vision Foresight Construction Group 2 DOWNTOWN VISION Annual Report • 3 First Wednesday Art Walk DOWNTOWN ON THE MAP OUR STRATEGIC PILLARS Georgia Fernandina Beach Jacksonville & Amelia Island Int’l Airport We’ve created four strategic pillars of focus with the goal to maximize the return on investment and make Downtown better. I-95 Atlantic Ocean I-295 Downtown Jacksonville District Experience Marketing & Information I-10 St. Johns Atlantic, Services Creation Events Management River Neptune & Ambassadors Placemaking Marketing, Research, Jax Beaches & Stakeholder & Public Realm PR, Events & Reports & Support Promotions Surveys Durkeeville, I-95 New Town and Springfield Mixon Town Ponte Vedra, St. Augustine & LaVilla St. Johns County Orlando District Services Experience Creation Marketing & Events Information I-95 The cornerstone of a great Public space beautification, We market Downtown as Management Eastside Downtown is a clean and safe activation and management the unique epicenter for As the primary source for environment, which is why we plays a fundamental role business, history, culture, information on Downtown, Northbank focus on it seven days a week. in creating exceptional education and entertainment we collect data and analyze We also partner with the experiences. We focus on for our region. Our events trends including: investment, City, Sheriff’s Office, property improving the public realm showcase all DTJax offers, office market and residential Sports owners and others to support experience to create reasons serve as economic drivers growth. By benchmarking Complex economic growth and the for people to linger, explore for businesses and create and issuing reports, we tell live/work/visit experience. and return Downtown. comfortable settings for the story of Downtown’s Brooklyn revitalization. people to explore Downtown. Southbank A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP FOR DOWNTOWN KEY: Riverside/ DOWNTOWN BOUNDARY Avondale DIA’s Community Redevelopment Area BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT I-95 St. Nicholas DISTRICT BOUNDARY The City of Board of Directors Downtown Downtown Board of Directors Downtown San Marco of Downtown Vision Jacksonville Appointed by the Mayor’s Investment Vision Diverse Downtown Property Owners Office & City Council Authority Stakeholders Tenants & Owners 4 DOWNTOWN VISION Annual Report • 5 SAFETY & HOSPITALITY DIVISION The team acts as a “force multiplier” reporting nuisance and criminal activity to the Sheriff’s Office, and safety violations and broken street lights to appropriate entities. They work with local businesses, attractions and Visit Jacksonville to make DTJax a safe and welcoming place. CLEAN DIVISION The team cleans and maintains the public realm, removing litter, clearing fallen debris, pressure washing sidewalks and removing graffiti. SOCIAL SERVICES OUTREACH DIVISION A specialist works with homeless and transient individuals within our district to connect these individuals with local social services to help them KEEPING DTJAX off the streets of Downtown. PROPERTY MAINTENANCE DIVISION CLEAN & SAFE A specialist provides essential maintenance of the streetscape and SEVEN DAYS IN THE PAST 5 YEARS properties, fixing building facades, kiosks, trash cans and more. A WEEK NEW: PLACE MANAGEMENT DIVISION INCREASE IN INCREASE IN INCREASE IN Specialists monitor and maintain each of our placemaking projects ensuring these public places are well cared for and attractive to visitors. Sixteen years into the program, we continue to AMBASSADOR ANNUAL HOURS TONS OF LITTER expand our main focus in making Downtown’s public STAFFING LOGGED REMOVED realm clean, safe and hospitable. Our team of 18 SPOTLIGHT: FY 18-19 Social Service Outreach Stats Downtown Ambassadors works seven days a week FY 18-19 Clean & Safe Stats SOCIAL SERVICES across five divisions. They patrol the 90-block BID OUTREACH to provide extra eyes and ears on the street, clean Modeled after successful outreach 675 sidewalks and mend building façades, reach out to initiatives around the country, CLIENTS those in need and activate shared spaces. 11.7K our Outreach Specialist operates SERVED HOSPITALITY ASSISTS throughout our district to develop This year, we created a Place Management Division HOURS PROVIDING DIRECTIONS, LOCATING LOST relationships with homeless ASSISTS TO ACCESS to support our growing Lively and Beautiful 32K LOGGED VEHICLES & OTHER ASSISTANCE individuals, assess their needs, DOCUMENTATION HOMELESSNESS VERIFICATION, Sidewalks (LABS) placemaking program. During the provide basic case-management BACKGROUND CHECKS holidays, Ambassadors installed more than 40,000 services and connect them with 285 & REPLACING VITAL RECORDS LED lights on the trees along Laura Street. And, due 1,100 16.7K service providers who can provide to the success of the The Corkscrew outdoor gym, HOSPITALITY AND BIKE & SEGWAY appropriate, long-term assistance. we have a new, dedicated Ambassador stationed UMBRELLA ESCORTS HOURS LOGGED there providing hospitality, maintenance, activation 649 She collects and manages large and general place management services five quantities of observed and self- TRANSPORTATION FACILITATIONS: DIRECT TRANSPORT days a week. Through our collaboration with the 40.5 reported data and coordinates a & BUS PASSES PROVIDED Jacksonville Transportation Authority, we provide 2.8K quarterly “Homelessness Census” Ambassador services on the Skyway during peak NUISANCE by the 18-member Ambassador Team to record the number and location of all hours, and beginning this year, we also offer free WARNINGS 370 homeless individuals in the BID. Demographics and behaviors are then analyzed FOR PANHANDLING, 244