The Houston Downtown Management District (Downtown District) was formed by an act of the Texas Legislature in 1995 and has been in operation since 1996. Since its inception, Downtown has experienced an exciting renaissance and made a remarkable economic rebound. Today, more Houston residents as well as visitors see Downtown as a place to do far more than work — Downtown is now a place to live, dine, visit, play, enjoy the arts, worship and learn!
The Downtown District is bounded largely by the freeway ring around Houston’s central business core, including Interstate 10, Highway 59 and Interstate 45. The District operates under the direction of a 30-member board of directors whose primary focus is to leverage public funds with assessments to improve facilities and services, as well as accelerate area improvements that benefit the area above and beyond the level presently provided by local government or voluntary effort.
The Strategic Alignment Plan (SAP) is designed to unite our three organizations: Central Houston, Inc. (CHI), Houston Downtown Management District (HDMD), and Downtown Redevelopment Authority (DRA) Boards of Directors in pursuit of a shared vision for Downtown, provide a defined mission for the entities working collectively, and orchestrate staff efforts through five strategic goals which will, over time, shape the entities’ respective budgets and work plans. It is intended to work within the boundaries of, and not replace or conflict, with HDMD’s 2020 District Plan and the DRA’s Project Plan. Additionally, the SAP proposes metrics to assist in monitoring progress plus a refreshed organizational structure capable of delivering on the expectations set forth in this plan. Finally, the experience of crafting the SAP together was intended to instill a shared purpose for the three boards and their scores of board members, optimize the use of organizational resources toward the aligned vision, and foster a stronger sense of unity among the staff at CHI.
2021-2025 Service & Improvement Plan and Assessment Plan
Annual operations, capital budgets and plans are developed and approved by the Board. The mission of the plan is to sustain and manage Downtown, while continuing redevelopment to make it a diverse, accessible and perpetually active core of the Houston region.