Downtown Development Corporation

THE LOUISVILLE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (DDC) IS A PRIVATE, NON-PROFIT 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO THE LONG TERM ECONOMIC HEALTH OF DOWNTOWN LOUISVILLE AND REPRESENTS THE COMMUNITY'S CIVIC AND BUSINESS LEADERSHIP. SINCE 1988, DDC HAS PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE IN BRINGING TOGETHER BOTH THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS AS PARTNERS IN DOWNTOWN LOUISVILLE'S REDEVELOPMENT AND LONG TERM PLANNING, WITH DDC SERVING AS THE LEAD ENTITY IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: IN SUPPORT OF THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT PLAN, DDC'S CORE MISSION IS TO PROMOTE THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF DOWNTOWN LOUISVILLE IN COLLABORATION WITH PRIVATE AND PUBLIC PARTNERS, THEREBY MAKING THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT (CBD) A DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT FOR BUSINESSES, VISITORS AND RESIDENTS. IN 2021, DDC DEVOTED SIGNIFICANT TIME AND RESOURCES IN SUPPORT OF OUR DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES AND STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING:- REVITALIZATION ACTION PLAN: DDC WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE CREATION, COORDINATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF THE "DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION TEAM", MORE THAN 100 CIVIC, BUSINESS AND CULTURAL PARTNERS DEDICATED TO REIMAGINING, REVITALIZING AND RESTORING DOWNTOWN TO A THRIVING AND INCLUSIVE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY. DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION GOALS WERE CRITICAL TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FINAL ACTION PLAN, UNVEILED IN JUNE. WORKING WITH AN ADVISORY GROUP DRAWN FROM CORE MEMBERS OF THE TASK FORCE, OVER THE NEXT SIX MONTHS DDC LED THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION PLAN'S 88 RECOMMENDATIONS. BY YEAR'S END, 39 HAD BEEN IMPLEMENTED, 26 WERE IN PROGRESS, AND 25 WERE PENDING BASED ON AVAILBLE LOUISVILLE METRO AND COMMUNITY FUNDING.- AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN (ARP) PROPOSALS: FOLLOWING THE AWARD OF $388 MILLION IN ARP FUNDING FOR LOUISVILLE METRO, DDC DEVELOPED A NUMBER OF PROPOSALS DEDICATED TO THE REVITALIZATION OF DOWNTOWN, INCLUDING RESOURCES FOR MANY OF THE REVITALIZATION TASK FORCE'S RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE ACTION PLAN. SIGNIFICANT TIME AND RESOURCES WENT INTO ADVOCATING FOR DOWNTOWN AND MODIFYING THE PROPOSALS BASED ON THE PRIORITIES ESTABLISHED BY LOUISVILLE METRO COUNCIL. AT THE END OF THE YEAR, DDC HAD FINALIZED THREE PROPOSALS TOTALING $16 MILLION TO SUPPORT, ATTRACT AND RETAIN DOWNTOWN'S SMALL BUSINESSES AND FOR THE ADAPTATION OF UNDERUTILIZED SPACES INTO MORE PRODUCTIVE USES, PARTICULARLY WORKFORCE HOUSING OPTIONS.- DOWNTOWN ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT: IN SUPPORT OF ITS ARP PROPOSALS AND THE REVITALIZATION ACTION PLAN, DDC COMMISSIONED AN INDEPENDENT STUDY TO EMPIRICALLY SHOW THE CRITICAL ROLE A STRONG DOWNTOWN PROVIDES TO THE HEALTH AND VIBRANCY OF THE ENTIRE COUNTY AND GREATER METROPOLITAN AREA. WHILE THE CBD IS LESS THAN 0.5% OF THE COUNTY'S LAND AREA, IT PROVIDES MORE THAN 13% OF THE TOTAL JOBS IN THE COUNTY ACCORDING TO 2019 CENSUS DATA, WITH DOWNTOWN WORKERS EARNING AN AVERAGE OF 25% MORE THAN WORKERS IN THE REST OF THE COUNTY.- LOUMED: DDC STAFF PROVIDED GUIDANCE AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR THE CREATION OF THE "LOUISVILLE MEDICAL & EDUCATION DISTRICT" (LOUMED), A PARTNERSHIP OF NORTON HEALTHCARE, UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE, UOFL HEALTH, AND JEFFERSON COLLEGE. THE NEW COLLABORATION WILL FOCUS ON IMPROVING THE SAFETY, ENVIRONMENTAL LANDSCAPE, AND EXPERIENCE FOR THE PARTNERS' PATIENTS, WORKERS, AND VISITORS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT'S 20 BLOCKS IN THE CBD.- BUSINESS SUPPORT: IN SUPPORT OF LOUISVILLE TOURISM AND OUR DOWNTOWN RESTAURANTS, DDC TRACKED THE HOURS OF OPERATION OF RESTAURANTS IN THE CBD TO PROVIDE CURRENT INFORMATION TO OUR GUESTS, WORKERS, AND RESIDENTS ABOUT DINING OPTIONS AVAILABLE DURING THE PANDEMIC. IN COOPERATION WITH THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (BID), DDC CREATED A BUSINESS WELCOME PACKAGE WITH AVAILABLE RESOURCES TO HELP NEW BUSINESSES OPENING IN DOWNTOWN.- DOWNTOWN HOUSING: AS ADMINISTRATOR OF THE DOWNTOWN HOUSING ASSISTANCE LOAN FUND (DHA), DDC COORDINATED THE APPROVAL OF TWO NEW LOANS TOTALING $1.92 MILLION WHICH WILL BRING MORE THAN 100 NEW HOUSING UNITS TO DOWNTOWN. BOTH LOANS ARE EXPECTED TO CLOSE IN MID 2022.- MASTER PLANNING: DDC BEGAN WORK ON ITS FOURTH DECADAL DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT PLAN, WHICH WILL SERVE AS THE VISION AND BLUEPRINT FOR DOWNTOWN'S SUSTAINED DEVELOPMENT AS THE ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL HEART OF THE METRO AREA AND A NEIGHBORHOOD FOR EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY.- PUBLIC SAFETY: IN ORDER TO ENHANCE THE SAFETY OF DOWNTOWN AND TO ADDRESS PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS ABOUT THE SAME, DDC EMBARKED ON SEVERAL NEW INITIATIVES TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION AND TO BETTER COORDINATE WITH THE LOUISVILLE METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT (LMPD): 1) PARTICIPATION IN THE LMPD FIRST DISTRICT ADVISORY COUNCIL, 2) THE LAUNCH OF A NEW COMMUNICATION TOOL TO DIRECTLY LINK KEY PROPERTY OWNERS WITH LMPD TO RESOLVE REAL-TIME ISSUES, AND 3) THE SHARING OF WEEKLY DOWNTOWN CRIME REPORTS WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS TO ADDRESS PERCEPTIONS OF DOWNTOWN SAFETY.- DEVELOPMENT FACILITATION: DDC IS THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF MARKET AND DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH DATA WHICH HELPS DEVELOPERS MAKE SOUND INVESTMENT DECISIONS IN THE CBD AND EDGE NEIGHBORHOODS. IN 2021, DOWNTOWN SHOWED A REBOUND IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY WITH 27 PROJECTS ANNOUNCED IN THE GREATER DOWNTOWN AREA HAVING A PROJECTED VALUE OF $719 MILLION. DDC ALSO MANAGES THE DOWNTOWN COMMERCIAL LOAN FUND (DCLF), WHICH PROVIDES CRITICAL GAP FINANCING FOR COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN DOWNTOWN AND ITS CORE NEIGHBORHOODS.- PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION: DDC WORKS CLOSELY WITH A VARIETY OF PARTNERS TO SHARE BEST PRACTICES AND SEEK UNIQUE SOLUTIONS TO THE COMPLEX ISSUES ENCOUNTERED BY DOWNTOWNS ACROSS THE NATION. THIS INCLUDES FOSTERING DEEP RELATIONSHIPS WITH ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS METRO GOVERNMENT'S LOUISVILLE FORWARD AND OFFICE OF RESILIENCE AND COMMUNITY SERVICES, GREATER LOUISVILLE INC (GLI) THE METRO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, LOUISVILLE TOURISM, LEADERSHIP LOUISVILLE, THE KENTUCKY DERBY FESTIVAL, THE INTERNATIONAL DOWNTOWN ASSOCATION (IDA), THE HEALTH ENTERPRISE NETWORK (HEN), THE NATIONAL MAIN STREET ASSOCIATION, THE URBAN LAND INSTITUTE, THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF SHOPPING CENTERS (ICSC), THE CONGRESS FOR THE NEW URBANISM (CNU), THE KENTUCKY CHAMBER, AND MANY OTHERS. IN 2021, THIS INCLUDED NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE, INCLUDING THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS FOR AN MBA CONSULTANCY PROJECT REGARDING DOWNTOWN'S REVITALIZATION, AND THE SPEED SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING FOR UNIQUE SOLUTIONS FOR PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE CHALLENGES.- 2021 GRANTS/ALLOCATIONS TO OTHERS: $3,000 TO THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE SPEED SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING FOR THE "CAPSTONE" PROJECT.

SUPPORT SERVICES: DDC SUPPORTS A VARIETY OF PROJECTS IN COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT AS WELL AS PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERS. ADDITIONALLY, DDC PROVIDES FISCAL SUPPORT TO A VARIETY OF NON-PROFITS AND DOWNTOWN ORGANIZATIONS TO FACILITATE UNIQUE EVENTS AND PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE CBD.- BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (BID) MANAGEMENT: THROUGH AN AGREEMENT WITH THE LOUISVILLE DOWNTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT (LDMD), DDC ADMINISTERS AND OPERATES THE DOWNTOWN LOUISVILLE BID WHICH PROVIDES SERVICES SUPPLEMENTAL TO THOSE PROVIDED BY LOUISVILLE METRO WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE DISTRICT. ROUTINELY, THESE SERVICES INCLUDE DAILY CLEANING OF THE DOWNTOWN RIGHT OF WAY, SAFETY AND HOSPITALITY PATROLS, GRAFFITI ABATEMENT, BEAUTIFICATION PROGRAMS AND PUBLIC ART PROJECTS. IN 2021, THE AMBASSADOR TEAM CLEARED APPROX. 123,500 POUNDS OF LITTER AND DEBRIS FROM THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAYS, CLEANED UP 709 BIOHAZARDOUS MATERIALS, ABATED MORE THAN 1,300 GRAFFITI TAGS AND STICKERS, AND HAD APPROX. 6,000 INTERACTIONS WITH GUESTS AND VISITORS AS A RESULT OF ENHANCED HOSPITALITY ENGAGEMENT.- CLEAN COLLABORATIVE: IN EARLY 2021, DDC PARTERNED WITH LOUISVILLE METRO GOVERNMENT IN THE "CLEAN COLLABORATIVE" INITIATIVE TO IMPROVE THE COMMUNITY'S CLEANLINESS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. TO HELP WITH AREAS OF DOWNTOWN OUTSIDE OF THE BID, METRO CONTRACTED WITH DDC TO PROVIDE CLEANING AMBASSADOR SERVICES IN OFTEN NEGLECTED PARTS OF THE GREATER DOWNTOWN AREA. AS PART OF THIS PROGRAM, DDC'S CLEAN COLLABORATIVE TEAM CLEARED APPROX. 19,000 POUNDS OF LITTER AND DEBRIS AND ACQUIRED 43 NEW TRASH CANS FOR DOWNTOWN.- SIP & SWEEP: IN PARTNERSHIP WITH METRO'S "BRIGHTSIDE" NONPROFIT CLEANLINESS INITIATIVE AND OUR DOWNTOWN BREWERIES, DDC CO-HOSTED SIX "SIP & SWEEP" EVENTS IN THE FALL OF 2021 WHERE COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS SPENT THE MORNING DETAILING VARIOUS NEIGHBORHOODS IN AND AROUND DOWNTOWN, COLLECTING MORE THAN 2,500 POUNDS OF TRASH.- DOWNTOWN TREE CANOPY: WORKING WITH LOUISVILLE METRO AND VOLUNTEER ARBORISTS, DDC HELPED COORDINATE THE PRUNING AND MAINTENANCE OF 200 LONG-NEGLECTED TREES IN THE CBD, IMPROVING THE SAFETY AND APPEARANCE OF OUR DOWNTOWN TREE CANOPY.- HOMELESSNESS AND PANHANDLING ENGAGEMENT: ONE OF THE TRAGIC, LINGERING CONSEQUENCES OF THE PANDEMIC WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS THROUGHOUT LOUISVILLE. DDC REMAINED ENGAGED WITH OUR PUBLIC, NON-PROFIT AND PRIVATE PARTNERS TO DEVELOP NEW STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS THE COMPLEX ISSUES SURROUNDING HOMELESSNESS AND PANHANDLING IN THE URBAN CORE. - FISCAL SUPPORT: THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, DDC PROVIDED OPERATIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT FOR A NUMBER OF ORGANIZATIONS ACTIVE IN DOWNTOWN LOUISVILLE, INCLUDING THE ANNUAL VETERAN'S DAY PARADE, THE SOUTH FOURTH STREET DISTRICT ASSOCIATION, AND THE LOUISVILLE DOWNTOWN RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION. DDC IS ALSO ACTIVE IN THE PRESERVATION OF THE HISTORIC DERBY CLOCK PENDING IDENTIFICATION OF A NEW LOCATION FOR THE LANDMARK ARTWORK.- 2021 GRANTS/ALLOCATIONS TO OTHERS: $36,500 IN SUPPORT OF LOUISVILLE'S VETERANS' DAY PARADE, $2,500 TO THE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS ASSOCATION OF LOUISVILLE, AND $540 IN SUPPORT OF THE LOUISVILLE DOWNTOWN RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION.

MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS & EVENTS: A VITAL ROLE OF DDC IS TO PROMOTE THE VIBRANCY OF DOWNTOWN LOUISVILLE THROUGH EFFECTIVE MARKETING OF DOWNTOWN AND ITS ATTRACTIONS AND EVENTS, OFTEN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LOUISVILLE TOURISM, METRO GOVERNMENT AND MANY GENEROUS COMMUNITY SPONSORS.- DOWNTOWN STRONG CAMPAIGN: IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LOUISVILLE METRO, LOUISVILLE TOURISM AND GLI, DDC CREATED A "DOWNTOWN STRONG" CAMPAIGN TO CHAMPION THE RESILIENCY OF DOWNTOWN DURING THE DEPTHS OF THE COVID PANDEMIC. LAUNCHED IN EARLY 2021, THE DOWNTOWN STRONG MESSAGE WAS AMPLIFIED BY OVER $300,000 IN IN-KIND DONATIONS FOR BROADCAST, PRINT AND BILLBOARD MEDIA. UPON THE CONCLUSION OF DOWNTOWN STRONG, THE PARTNERSHIP PIVOTED TO SUPPORTING GLI'S "LOU NEEDS YOU" CAMPAIGN TO ENCOURAGE WORKERS, RESIDENTS, AND GUESTS TO RETURN DOWNTOWN AND EXPERIENCE ITS UNIQUE ATTRACTIONS AND EVENTS.- DOWNTOWN EVENTS: BOLSTERED BY A SIGNIFICANT DONATION FROM LOUISVILLE CIVIC VENTURES (LCV), DDC SPENT CONSIDERABLE TIME AND RESOURCES PROMOTING AND SPONSORING EVENTS AS DOWNTOWN BEGAN TO RE-OPEN IN THE SUMMER OF 2021, INCLUDING: 1) SPONSORING 27 UNIQUE AND DIVERSE EVENTS, 74% OF WHICH WERE ORGANIZED BY WOMEN OR MINORITY-OWNED ORGANIZATIONS, 2) BUILDING AN INTERACTIVE WEB-BASED CALENDAR OF DOWNTOWN EVENTS, PROMOTING MORE THAN 773 UNIQUE EVENTS DOWNTOWN WHICH ATTRACTED MORE THAN 125,000 VIEWS DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE YEAR, AND 3) ELIMINATING FINANCIAL BARRIERS FOR USE OF THE REPURPOSED SPACE ON W. MAIN STREET TO ALLOW GREATER DIVERSITY OF EVENTS, ORGANIZERS, AND ATTENDEES.- MOBILE PROJECTION VEHICLE: ALSO FUNDED THROUGH A DONATION FROM LCV, AS WELL AS PRIVATE DONORS, DDC ACQUIRED A SURPLUS AMBULANCE FROM LOUISVILLE METRO GOVERNMENT TO RETROFIT AS AN ART PROJECTION VEHICLE FOR COMMUNITY USE THROUGHOUT DOWNTOWN FOR EVENTS, OUTDOOR MOVIE SCREENINGS, AND ART ACTIVATIONS. COMPLETION OF THE REFIT IS PLANNED FOR THE SUMMER OF 2022.- THE BOURBON DISTRICT: DDC CONTINUED TO PROMOTE AND SUPPORT THE BOURBON DISTRICT, A WALKABLE URBAN EXPERIENCE FOR ANYONE LOOKING FOR A UNIQUE TASTE OF KENTUCKY. IN 2021 DDC CONTINUED TO ENHANCE AND UPDATE WAYFINDING SIGNAGE AND INSTITUTED A NEW RACK CARD PROGRAM TO INTRODUCE THE DOWNTOWN DISTILLERIES AND ATTRACTIONS TO GUESTS VISITING THE CITY. DDC ALSO BEGAN PREPARATIONS TO OFFICIALLY WELCOME TWO NEW DISTILLERIES TO THE DISTRICT IN 2022: THE MICHTER'S FORT NELSON DISTILLERY AND BARRELS & BILLETS CUSTOM BOURBON, BOTH LOCATED ON HISTORIC W. MAIN STREET.- DOWNTOWN MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS: AS DOWNTOWN RE-OPENED IN THE SUMMER AND FALL OF 2021, DDC FOCUSED ITS COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY ON WELCOMING EVERYONE BACK DOWNTOWN WITH THE "SMILE DOWNTOWN" CAMPAIGN. THIS SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN BROADCASTED GENUINE PHOTOS, VIDEOS AND MESSAGES OF PEOPLE ENJOYING EVENTS AND ATTRACTIONS DURING THE SUMMER AND FALL OF 2021. DDC ALSO CONTINUED ITS SUPPORT OF, AND PARTICIPATION IN, THE COMMUNITY MARKETING PROJECT WHICH IS A WORKING GROUP OF KEY PARTNERS TO PROMOTE LOUISVILLE TO A REGIONAL AND NATIONAL AUDIENCE. - 2021 GRANTS/ALLOCATIONS TO OTHERS: $30,675 IN GRANTS FOR UNIQUE AND DIVERSE EVENTS IN DOWNTOWN LOUISVILLE AND $11,000 IN SUPPORT OF LOUISVILLE METRO'S "LIGHT UP LOUISVILLE" HOLIDAY CELEBRATION.

OTHER PROGRAMS: DDC PERIODICALLY PROVIDES SMALL CONTRIBUTIONS TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WHOSE WORK IMPACTS DOWNTOWN LOUISVILLE AND WHICH COMPLEMENT DDC'S MISSION. IN 2021 THESE ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDED THE NULU BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, LOUISVILLE TOURISM, LEADERSHIP LOUISVILLE, THE KENTUCKY CHAMBER, GLI, THE INTERNATIONAL DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION (IDA), AND THE HEALTH ENTERPRISE NETWORK (HEN).