As the heartbeat of the city and the region, essential entities were created to facilitate positive development and growth of our dynamic city. The Downtown District works with Central Houston and the Downtown Redevelopment Authority (DRA) to establish solutions for the city’s challenges, while focusing on the future of Downtown and beyond.
Founded in 1983 by Downtown business leaders, Central Houston, Inc. ensures that the center city and Houston’s urban core remain vital and progressive. For more than three decades, Central Houston has been supported by its membership to create and implement remarkable solutions for complex challenges of our city. Today, the organization actively seeks the ideas and voices of top business leaders and city officials to collectively move from conceptual to tangible. centralhouston.org
Houston City Council created TIRZ #3 in 1995 to alleviate blight, deteriorated street and site conditions, obsolete transit services and facilities, and encourage the sound growth of the residential, retail, and commercial sectors in downtown. This is achieved through the design and construction of improved streetscape enhancements, pedestrian amenities, public utility system upgrades, parkland improvements and historic preservation. Most recently, Council approved an addition of all the property adjacent to the Buffalo Bayou from the Sabine Street Bridge to Shepherd Drive in 2011. The Zone is currently scheduled to terminate on December 31, 2043. downtowntirz.com