2017 Annual Report
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Mpls2017 Downtown AnnualImprovement District Report & Vibrant and Safe Downtown MplsDID.com Facebook: @MplsDID Twitter @MplsDID Instagram @MplsDID We had an incredible year in downtown Minneapolis! As our city’s core continues to thrive, so too does the work the Mpls Downtown Improvement District performs to provide a greener, cleaner, safer and vibrant community. Looking back on 2017, we see great progress. We celebrated the “Substantially Spectacular” completion of Nicollet in November, concluding a multi-year downtown project that is already paying dividends for our community as a gathering place for those who live, work, play and explore in our city. DID also experimented with new ways to program Nicollet as several pilot projects demonstrated how we can best keep this vital corridor full of activity in the years to come. But that’s just the beginning. The DID Livability Team continued to grow, and DID’s new incident management system helped us accurately track outreach trends. We engaged a residential task force, as part of our strategic plan, to help better connect with those living in the District’s boundaries. Our DID Ambassadors continued to not only assist the public and provide greening and cleaning services, but they also were part of enhanced safety initiatives like the rush hour-based Commuter Block Post on Hennepin Avenue. And DID also worked to better communicate with our stakeholders, not only through launching a quarterly newsletter but also undergoing a branding exercise to better highlight the DID and Vibrant and Safe Downtown—formerly Minneapolis SafeZone Collaborative—to help with our mission. But there is more work to be done. In 2018, we look forward to our role on the new Nicollet—which includes Ambassadors’ green, clean and safe initiatives, our DID Livability Team’s presence, overseeing lighting and adding new programming and activations. We will continue to work with our law enforcement, public officials and downtown businesses to enhance safety in our city’s core and help people feel safer in our community. And with Dear future construction projects like Hennepin Avenue coming in the next few years, we’ll be at the table discussing how these projects can be executed well and leave us with incredible public realm Downtown space along these corridors. We are excited about the work done over the past year and what Stakeholder lies ahead in 2018. We appreciate your continued efforts and commitments in creating an extraordinary downtown. Respectfully yours, Phillip Trier Steve Cramer Chair, Board of Directors President & CEO Twin Cities Market President mpls downtown council U.S. Bank Mpls Downtown Improvement District Working Together Vibrant & Safe Downtown The DID again worked closely with law enforcement, city The DID has a wholly-controlled officials, the business community and street outreach 501c3 whose mission is “to bring organizations to help provide enhanced safety initiatives the public and private sectors in 2017. One of those programs, the Commuter Block Post, together by collaborative safety, offered added law enforcement and DID Ambassador greening and other initiatives presence along Hennepin Avenue from 5th to 10th Streets and projects that enhance during peak commuter times—weekdays from 6:30-9:30 downtown and improve the safety of the area, making the am and 3-6 pm. heart of downtown Minneapolis safe and welcoming for those who work, live or play downtown.” DID Livability Team & Outreach Tracking The DID Livability Team conducts proactive street-level In 2017, this organization, formerly known as Minneapolis outreach in the District to promote a healthy and safe SafeZone Collaborative, was renamed Vibrant and Safe downtown for everyone. They respond to calls regarding Downtown to communicate our more comprehensive livability and public safety concerns, and determine the mission. appropriate intervention. Their work helps our downtown community with public health and overall safety concerns. In addition, the SafeZone Advisory Committee—which is made up of public and private leaders—was renamed the Coupled with the new 24/7 incident management system Downtown Safety Collaborative. This group reviews and implemented in 2017, the DID Livability Team is able to discusses safety concerns, strategies and tactics to make accurately track and manage how they interact with the downtown more safe and vibrant. community. In 2017, the DID Livability Team logged a total of 5,634 interactions within the District while providing 350 social service referrals and 296 hospitality resources. #OnNicollet The new Nicollet wrapped up construction in November 2017 with a “Substantially Spectacular” celebration. Nicollet’s new look includes an upgraded pedestrian experience, a remarkable collection of public art, more than 240 new trees, added plants and landscaping, and more. DID operates the new lighting system on Nicollet, including more than 1,500 energy efficient LED lights. The system’s color-programmable features include 12 blocks of street light tops, as well as the Nicollet Lanterns and Light Walk between 6th and 8th streets. These features can be customized to add color and interest during special events and throughout the year. During the Nicollet Project, DID communicated with stakeholders directly and participated in weekly Nicollet construction meetings. With construction now wrapped up, DID has resumed normal greening, cleaning and safety operations on Nicollet. Share your story on social media. Tag your posts #OnNicollet. “ I work in the IDS Center & the newly remodeled Nicollet Mall area, that I see every day, is beautiful! I love the LED Color Changing Lights on 7th. I can't wait to see it in the summer & enjoy spending time outside with all the new trees & greenery.” – Downtown Employee Activation With Nicollet complete, the DID is focusing on programming to provide more vibrancy for our city’s core. In 2017, DID spoke to Nicollet workers, residents and visitors about what kinds of activities they would like to see on the street. DID developed and tested these activities with partners and stakeholders as the construction wound down in the summer and fall. Building on these efforts, DID will continue to attract, amplify, incubate and create activities in 2018 and beyond. 2017 Programming • Nicollet Makers Market: Local, handmade, craft goods for sale outside on Nicollet beginning in July • 2 | 4 Tuesdays: A collaborative effort with Nicollet restaurants offering uniform happy hour times along with games, music and fitness along Nicollet’s public realm • Street Show: Street performance collaborations offering local musicians performing during lunches, happy hours and special events • Winter Open Streets: The first Winter Open Streets in December welcomed people to explore Nicollet from 5th to Grant Street Plus, don’t miss these great features #OnNicollet • Theater in the Round outside Minneapolis Central Library • Nicollet Reading Room outside YWCA Downtown Minneapolis • The second largest collection of public art in Minneapolis For more information, visit OnNicollet.com Minneapolis has been in the middle of a building boom over the last few years. The Big Build, launched by DID in partnership with mpls downtown council and Meet Minneapolis, highlights over $2 billion worth of investment in downtown, including the renovation of Target Center, Washington Avenue, large residential and commercial buildings and the redesign of Nicollet. DID led efforts to create directional and project update presentations and signage, and it unveiled a new creative messaging campaign developed by Gabriel deGrood Bendt (GdB) to highlight some of the features of the new Nicollet. It started with a nod toward the ongoing construction and tongue-in-cheek slogans alluding to the community’s “patience” for the project. The Mary Tyler Moore statue edition offers the message, “We’re going to make it after all.” Other versions highlight features of the new Nicollet, including lighting, seating and public art. To celebrate the planting of the first trees in June, the DID team handed out 300 birch and serviceberry seedlings on Nicollet donated by Bailey Nurseries. “We’re not out of the woods yet, we still have 244 trees to put in,” was the coordinated campaign message. For more info, visit MplsBuild.com. “ Mpls has done an excellent job in becoming an attractive place to live as well as to work. It is much more vibrant area than it was several years ago. Well done." – Downtown Resident Tactical Urbanism Tactical Urbanism is a Mpls Downtown Improvement District program that works to help improve real and perceived safety throughout downtown by enhancing areas through low-cost environmental changes. Tactical Urbanism is built around the idea that experiences people have in downtown public spaces—and how safe they feel— are shaped by how they are designed and programmed. In 2017, one of DID’s key Tactical Urbanism Initiatives was Street Show, which brought talented local musicians and performers onto downtown sidewalks during lunches, happy hours and special events. Look for Street Show again in 2018. To learn more about TUI, visit MplsDID.com/tui 2017 Street Show Statistics (On Nicollet, Hennepin Avenue and at 7th & Chicago) Number of Number of Number 48 performers/groups 94 performances 188 of hours 2017 Perception Survey 16% oiteing 7% ac o ecuit peence 56% 14% No Cleanline pit, oit, Concen % ine 9 33% anhandling No aet Concen 6% % oup 8 o eople ite 5% eal 7% Haaent % Contuction 3% 6 % % 2 aic Othe % 3 15% % 3 acanc ac o 3 Othe Othe eople pill o Odo oen ideal Top Cleanliness Concerns Top Safety Concerns Added in 2017 The DID patroller vehicles were added this year to help provide DID Ambassadors with another resource to help keep our downtown streets greener, cleaner, safer and more vibrant. Ambassadors The DID Ambassadors continue to be friendly faces downtown. Each day, you’ll find the DID Ambassadors Ambassadors are on the street: providing assistance to those in need, offering Cleaning Services Safety Services suggestions about things to do, helping with directions Monday-Friday: Monday-Friday: and more.