Year in review for Downtown Alliance, Centro Partnership and the Public Improvement District in downtown San Antonio.

1. Y E A R I N R E V I E W
downtown alliance • public improvement district • centro partnership

2. It is our pleasure to present you with the 2012-2013 Annual Report, an overview of our
accomplishments over the past year and a look ahead for things to come. It has been a very
busy year for us, including a restructuring of our organization, the hiring of Pat DiGiovanni
as our new CEO, and the reauthorization and expansion of the Public Improvement District.
We hosted relevant programming in a continuing effort to educate our membership, and
others, on the developments within the center city and the possibilities for its future. Our
annual events – the Urban Spaces Tour, Urban Renaissance Luncheons, Live Centro, the
Downtown’s BEST Awards and the Downtown Golf Tournament – were well-attended and
continue to be favorites for both learning and networking. To further our efforts to better
serve our Downtown Alliance members, we kicked off 2013 with the hiring of Eddie Romero
as Membership Coordinator. Eddie’s focus is on membership recruitment and retention,
specifically in developing more benefits that uniquely serve our diverse membership. We
encourage all of our members to contact Eddie with any and all questions about membership
and to find out ways that they can get more involved.
In the summer of 2012, the Public Improvement District commissioned a visioning and
priority setting process to reauthorize and expand the current PID, both in size and services.
One of the recommendations of the reauthorization plan was a restructuring of our current
organization that would develop a stronger structural operating relationship between
Downtown Alliance, the Public Improvement District and Centro Partnership. Found in other
cities and considered a“best practice”in the downtown management field, this new structure,
led by Pat DiGiovanni, will benefit our existing organizations by leveraging resources, creating
cohesive marketing messages and strengthening the influence of downtown stakeholders.
DiGiovanni’s career spans 30 years in local government, most recently serving as Deputy
City Manager for the City of San Antonio. During his seven years with the City, he negotiated
countless real estate and economic transactions and championed the redevelopment of
downtown San Antonio drawing roughly $346 million in investment to the city’s core. As CEO
of Centro San Antonio, Inc., DiGiovanni will lead our efforts to foster a vibrant and prosperous
downtown that benefits the entire San Antonio community, focusing on guiding and
advocating for development in the center city.
We want to thank our membership for their continued guidance and support. You play a
key role in everything we do and we look forward to working with all of you to make our
downtown a place of choice for locals and visitors.
Be Centro,
Ben E. Brewer, III
President
Downtown Alliance and the Public Improvement District

3. table of contents
a new direction..........................................................................................................................4
programs and events...............................................................................................................8
urban spaces tour...........................................................................................................10
urban renaissance luncheons.....................................................................................12
live centro..........................................................................................................................14
downtown’s BEST awards.............................................................................................16
annual golf tournament...............................................................................................18
public improvement district..............................................................................................20
planning and research..........................................................................................................26
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5. a new direction

6. Like most major American downtowns, San Antonio is served by
several private non-profit organizations that collectively aim to
improve the economic fortunes and quality of life in the center
city. Despite ongoing economic uncertainty, the next ten years
hold great promise for downtowns across the country, and
San Antonio has fared better than many others. Global trends,
including changing demographics, lifestyles and shifts in the
world economic order, all bode well for urban centers.
For the past 31 years, the“Centro”family of organizations has
grown as the needs of downtown San Antonio have evolved.
With a consistent vision of a vibrant and prosperous center city,
these organizations – Downtown Alliance San Antonio, Centro
San Antonio Management Corporation, Downtown San Antonio
Community Development Corporation and Centro Partnership
San Antonio -- have worked to position downtown as a premier
destination for visitors and locals by providing resources like
membership support, advocacy,“clean & safe”services and a
strategic vision for the future.
Established in 1982 as a 501(c)6 non-profit membership
organization, the Downtown Owners Association was
reorganized as Downtown Alliance San Antonio (DTA)
in 1994. An advocacy group comprised of downtown
stakeholders, DTA has worked throughout its history to make
downtown an exciting place to live, work, shop, eat and play.
In 1999, the Public Improvement District (PID) was created
and the Centro San Antonio Management Corporation was
established to oversee the provision of“clean & safe”services,
including streetscaping/beautification services, maintenance
and ambassador services. A 501(c)4 non-profit community
benefit corporation, the PID collects assessments from
property owners within the District boundary that benefit
from these services.
The Downtown San Antonio Community Development
Corporation (DTCDC), a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable
organization, was created in 2007 to foster downtown
development and provide project assistance for downtown
San Antonio, especially on behalf of our public partners.
Centro Partnership San Antonio (CPSA) was established
in 2010 to provide vision and leadership, and to bring the
energy and resources of San Antonio’s high-level public and
private sector leadership to focus on improving downtown
and the center city.
With the successful adoption of the Strategic Framework Plan
for the Center City, the hiring of Pat DiGiovanni as CEO of
Centro Partnership, and the proposed reauthorization and
expansion of the Public Improvement District, a new approach
was explored to build on the existing strengths of these
organizations, and to create a sustainable structure that will lead
downtown San Antonio into the future. In the spring of 2012,
a process began to create a new organizational blueprint and
identify new goals, including:
• Create an influential and sustainable champion to lead
downtown revitalization and development
• Leverage and diversify funding for downtown improvements,
management and development
• Maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of program initiatives
10
a new directrion
6

7. PublicImprovem
e
nt District Downt
ownAlliance
Centro
San Antonio, Inc.
Centro Partnership
• Provide direct accountability, program design and governance
control to diverse constituencies
• Develop an organization structure that is intuitive in its design and
easy to administer
The organization’s leadership met with the four Boards of Directors
to discuss the proposed growth of the organization. With the
endorsement of all of the Boards, and the approved reauthorization
and expansion of the Public Improvement District in May 2013,
the organizational blueprint has started to become a reality. To
accommodate our growth, the organization moved into its new
offices at 110 Broadway on June 1, 2013. On October 1, 2013, our
new organizational structure will be adopted under one, unified
management company – Centro San Antonio, Inc., combining the
previous management and development entities into an organization
that will:
• Develop new membership programs and creation of innovative
marketing strategies to attract locals to downtown
• Manage a re-engineered Public Improvement District that builds
upon best practices in other major downtowns and diversity in
programming to include business recruitment and retention
• Conduct research and development for civic innovation, initiate
downtown development projects and create policy analysis
• Provide overall advocacy, vision and leadership for downtown
San Antonio
“The family of CENTRO organizations is poised
to accomplish positive and meaningful change
for San Antonio’s downtown and center city in
the next several years with a new direction and
organizational structure and the right personnel
in place.”
– Pat DiGiovanni, CEO, Centro Partnership

9. programs and events

10. Downtown Alliance’s annual educational and fun-filled walking
tour provides a first-hand glimpse into downtown neighborhoods
-- showcasing exciting residential, commercial and cultural spaces
in the center city. In 2012, the Urban Spaces Tour explored the
Cevallos/SoFlo Residential and Arts District on the southern side
of downtown.
The 2012 Urban Spaces Tour included:
• Say Si - a year round, long-term, non-profit multidisciplinary arts
program that provides students from every city council district
the opportunity to develop artistic and social skills, tuition-free,
in preparation for higher educational advancement and
professional careers.
• Cevallos Modern Contemporary Homes - the first collection of
urban, low-maintenance, single-family detached homes in the
downtown San Antonio area.
• OCO Architects Alamo Architects – these independent firms
share their“office campus,”having renovated derelict warehouses
into day-lit, open work areas, while maintaining much of the
original shell and structure.
• Cleary/Zimmermann Engineers - originally built in 1930 for
the International Harvester Co. of America’s San Antonio branch
office, Cleary/Zimmermann recycled an industrial building into a
chic workspace for their engineering firm.
• South End Lofts – built in the early 1900’s, it has been both a
chandelier parts factory and a lumber company, today converted
into for-sale residential units.
• Steel House Lofts – formerly the home of the Pedon Iron Steel
Company branch offices and warehouses, and designed by
Atlee B. Ayers, one of the most famous architects in Texas, it is
now a residential development consisting of 67 rental units.
• Cevallos Lofts – built in 2009 as affordable and market rate
apartments designed to cater to San Antonio’s expanding
professional population.
• Casa Hernan – a unique event venue created by acclaimed Chef
Johnny Hernandez to reflect the warmth, history and beauty of
interior Mexico.
This year’s tour was sponsored by Centro Properties/Kuper
Sotheby’s International Realty, Terramark Urban Homes,
University Health System, Greystar, The NRP Group, IBC Bank,
Arispe Creative and SmithPrint. The tour was complemented by
the fare of The Monterey at the opening reception at Say Si, and
Chef Johnny Hernandez at the closing reception at Casa Hernan.
Refreshments were provided by Alamo Beer, a loyal and consistent
supporter of the Urban Spaces Tour.
10
urban spaces tour
10 Photos courtesy of Arispe Creative

11. “I never realized there was so much going
on in the SoFlo Cevallos neighborhood of
downtown… and much more on the horizon!”
- Judy Blackmoore, Northside resident

12. Initiated in 1998, this luncheon series features presentations
from the most successful downtown initiatives and
revitalization programs in the country. Speakers cover a
variety of topics such as transit and how transportation
impacts, living, working and transforming downtown. With
a renewed focus on the urban environment, issues like art
in public spaces, safety and reenergizing the city center are
discussed. The goal of the Urban Renaissance series is to
engage, inform and inspire those who support downtown
San Antonio as the definitive face of the city’s business, arts,
culture, entertainment and political community.
September 17, 2012
Transit Oriented Development –
Arriving in Downtown San Antonio
Grand Hyatt San Antonio
Downtown Alliance partnered with ULI San Antonio and the
City of San Antonio Center City Development Office for an
informative presentation on the successes and challenges
of Transit Oriented Development (TOD). Jack Wierzenski,
Director of Economic Development for Dallas Area Rapid
Transit, shared his experiences with accommodating the
significant residential and commercial growth along DART’s
rail system and what San Antonio can expect as we explore
transportation development in our center city. The luncheon
was sponsored by VIA Metropolitan Transit, HNTB and Zachry.
November 19, 2012
The State of Downtown
Hyatt Regency Riverwalk
This program, sponsored by the Center City Development
Office, Steel House Lofts, Weston Centre and the San Antonio
Convention Visitors Bureau, was Downtown Alliance’s
annual presentation of the state of downtown, featuring
speakers covering the convention and visitor industry,
commercial office and retail leasing, and the downtown
housing market. Our speakers included Casandra Matej,
Executive Director of the SACVB, Lindsay Tucker, Vice
President of CBRE, and Dennis McDaniel, Founder of
Austin Fairchild Management Company.
January 22, 2013
Diversity of the Downtown Workplace
Sheraton Gunter Hotel
In partnership with Dream Week San Antonio, a 12-day, city-
wide summit promoting an exchange of ideas on universal
issues facing our multi-cultural communities, Downtown
Alliance hosted this Urban Renaissance Luncheon to discuss
downtown San Antonio’s distinction as the center of business
diversity options. Sponsored by Center City Development
Office, VIA Metropolitan Transit and Baptist Health System,
this panel discussion featured Jeff Arndt, Interim CEO
for VIA, Dirk Elmendorf, Co-Founder of Geekdom and
David Goldberg, President of Baptist Health System,
and was moderated by Trish DeBerry, Board Chair for
Downtown Alliance.
urban renaissance luncheons
12

13. “Downtown San Antonio is a great place
to do business, and today we’re going to
show you why!”
– Trish DeBerry, Downtown Alliance Board Chair

14. In 2012, Mayor Julian Castro, District 1 Councilman Diego Bernal, and
Jim Mery, interim director for Downtown Operations, unveiled Downtown
Tuesday, a new plan to bring the local community back to the center
city. Downtown Tuesday offers parking at City-operated parking garages,
parking lots and parking meters every Tuesday evening from 5 p.m.
to 2 a.m.
As a partner in this initiative, Downtown Alliance hosts Live Centro, a new
program held on Tuesday evenings, that showcases a downtown residential
property and gives those considering living downtown an opportunity to
explore the urban lifestyle, as well as talk to current downtown residents.
In addition to providing residential properties the chance to give tours and
answer questions, Live Centro has also peaked the interest of surrounding
downtown businesses as an opportunity to market themselves to both
current and future downtown residents.
Those who attended our Live Centro on July 17, 2012 at Alteza know
exactly why it won an award for BEST Residential at our 2013 BEST Awards
luncheon. Sitting on top of the Grand Hyatt, Alteza truly boasts some of
the best 360 views of downtown and guests were able to tour several units,
including the penthouse on the 35th floor.
Our Live Centro on August 14, 2012 at St. Benedict’s Lofts offered a
glimpse of modern living in downtown’s King William District. Formerly
St. Benedict’s Hospital Nursing Home, and then St. Scholastica Convent,
attendees were fascinated by this 66-unit adaptive use project and how
some of the residents have decorated their spaces. Guests also got to enjoy
one of the perks of living at St. Benedict’s Lofts… sampling appetizers from
neighbor restaurant, Liberty Bar.
Closing out our 2012 program on September 18 was an evening at 1221
Broadway, a mixed-use development project in the River North area
comprised of retail, office, loft apartments and parking. Live Centro was
held on the pool deck where guests enjoyed great views of downtown and
refreshments provided by Alamo Beer and Hertz On-Demand. Hertz was on
hand to showcase their On-Demand Car Share program, which has a station
at 1221 Broadway. They were able to educate guests and residents to the
benefits of the program and signed a few new members.
We started our 2013 Live Centro program at Steel House Lofts, which
had been one of our stops on the 2012 Urban Spaces Tour in November.
Formerly the Peden Iron and Steel Company, it was purchased by Dennis
and Jill McDaniel, who artistically transformed it into one of the premier
rental properties in the SoFlo Arts District. Guests enjoyed a tour of several
units and enjoyed refreshments at The Fruiteria, Johnny Hernandez’latest
culinary endeavor, located at the street level of Steel House Lofts.
Prior to the grand opening in April, Downtown Alliance got the opportunity
to host a Live Centro at 1800 Broadway in the River North area on March 19.
The most recent residential offering to open in that area, guests got a first
look at the property, including a tour of several units, multiple community
areas and a pool that will definitely get a lot of use in the warmer months.
On May 21st, we took our Live Centro event to the Can Plant at Pearl. At
close to 100% occupancy, guests were able to explore a couple of model
units, enjoy fare provided by Arcade Midtown Kitchen, and see what
residential life is like at the ever-expanding Pearl Brewery complex. With
a boutique hotel being built to open in 2014, a successful farmers market
held each Saturday, and a steady influx of new retail, restaurants and
businesses, the Pearl complex continues to be a catalytic development on
the edge of downtown.
live centro
14

15. “Downtown’s renaissance will be led by
more individuals choosing to live in the
center city, and this will lead to more office
and retail development that will follow the
new‘rooftops.’“
– Dennis McDaniel, Steel House Lofts

16. Each year, Downtown Alliance recognizes those
programs, people and places that have made a
significant contribution to downtown with the
“Downtown’s BEST”Awards. Initiated in 2001, the
awards are divided among multiple categories that
the initiatives that have made downtown San Antonio
such a special place. The BEST Awards Program is a
juried event and awards are presented at an annual
luncheon program and serves as a key fundraiser for
Downtown Alliance.
The 2013 BEST Awards received a record 85
nominations. Nix Health was this year’s presenting
sponsor of the luncheon, which was held at the
Westin Riverwalk on April 11, 2013. Pat DiGiovanni,
2012 Downtowner of the Year, passed the“downtown
torch”to 2013 Downtowner of the Year, Irby
Hightower, Founder of Alamo Architects. A Lifetime
Achievement Award for Support of the Tourism
Industry was posthumously awarded to Milton Guess.
Additional Awards program sponsors included San
Antonio Business Journal, the Westin Riverwalk Hotel,
the Center City Development Office and SmithPrint.
Included in this year’s awards was the new People’s
Choice Award for Downtown’s BEST Public Outdoor
Space. The public was encouraged to nominate their
favorite public outdoor space in downtown and then
submit their vote online. Over 200 votes came in
within the first hour of voting! The winner, with an
overwhelming majority of votes, was the San Antonio
River Improvements Project - Museum Reach Urban
Segment, also known as the“Museum Reach.”
downtown’s BEST awards
16
2013 BEST Award winners
BEST Adaptive Use – Commercial Project
Boiler House Texas Grill Wine Garden
BEST Adaptive Use – Residential Project
Steel House Lofts
BEST Arts Culture Programming
Courtyards: Architecture and Landscape Series
BEST Cultural Facility
Briscoe Museum of Western Art
BEST New Construction Art Incorporation
UHS Robert B. Green Campus Clinical Building
BEST Interior Renovation
Hilton Palacio del Rio Renovation
BEST Marketing Campaign
Valero Alamo Bowl Downtown Partners Program
BEST Inaugural Event
Milam Building/Over the Edge
BEST Street Event
Paseo del Rio Assocation’s“Taste of Houston Street”
BEST Promotion
San Antonio Museum of Art’s“Art of the Table –
Aphrodite and the Gods of Love”
BEST New Business Incubator
Geekdom
BEST Public/Private Partnership – Event Series
City of San Antonio’s“Downtown Tuesday”
BEST Public/Private Partnership – Outdoor Space
Constance Crofton Pocket Park
BEST Residential
The Alteza
BEST Restaurant
NAO – New World Flavors at Pearl
BEST New Retail Space
Dos Carolinas at Pearl
BEST in Sustainability
Hipolito F. Garcia Federal Building U.S. Courthouse
BEST Work in Progress
Tobin Center for the Performing Arts
BEST New Parade
Paseo del Rio’s“Here’s to Our Heroes”Military River Parade
BEST New Public Building (Wild Card)
City of San Antonio’s Public Safety Headquarters
BEST Spa (Wild Card)
Mokara Spa
BEST Tour Guide (Wild Card)
Jamie Calberg
Photos courtesy of Greg Harrison

17. “Lots of folks have worked hard to make
downtown a special place... and I’m
honored and proud to be recognized as
one of them.”
– Irby Hightower, 2013 Downtowner of the Year

18. The Downtown Alliance has held successful golf
tournaments for the last fifteen years. Each year, a
portion of the tournament proceeds is donated to a
downtown charity organization, and the remaining
proceeds are used to further the DTA’s educational
programs and to keep the downtown constituency
informed as to the importance of a healthy center
city. Our goal continues to be a cleaner, safer and
friendlier downtown and the Golf Tournament
functions as a fun way to convene our members and
friends, and to raise funds for a good cause. It is yet
another opportunity to reach out to the downtown
community and build relationships between
members, businesses, property owners
and organizations in downtown San Antonio.
On May 13, 2013, Downtown Alliance hosted the
annual“Downtown Golf Tournament”at Brackenridge
Park Golf Course –“Downtown’s Golf Course.”
Eighty golfers participated in the tournament and,
along with the $650 raised on the activity holes –
Designated Driver, Speed Hole and Play with the
Pro – Downtown Alliance donated a portion of
the tournament proceeds to Youth Orchestras of
San Antonio (YOSA), whose mission is to enhance
education, enrich the community and transform
lives by pursuing excellence in classical music in a
stimulating, nurturing and fun environment that is
equally accessible to all youth.
After the tournament, golfers enjoyed dinner in
the pavilion behind the clubhouse, provided by
The RK Group, and listened to a YOSA string quartet as
prizes were handed out for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in
the tournament.
1st Place – Hard Rock Café team
Mike Biviano
Eric Cuellar
Brian Rizzo
Chris Werline
2nd Place – Centro San Antonio team
Ben Brewer
Pat DiGiovanni
Paul Geis
Mike Slay
3rd Place – SA Convention Visitors Bureau team
Steve Clanton
Rob Fagen
Andres Munoz
Craig Smith
annual golf tournament
18
After dinner, guests participated in the annual raffle contest with
prizes from local hotels, restaurants and businesses. Supporting
sponsors of the tournament include:
1836 Asset Development, LLC
Baptist Health System
Block by Block
Bohanan’s Prime Steaks and Seafood
Cavender Cadillac
Cavender Fiat
Creative Civilization
DH Realty Partners
Grand Hyatt/Hyatt Regency
Hard Rock Café
Hilton Palacio Del Rio
Hixon Properties
Hotel Contessa
ISS Grounds Control
Jacobs Engineering
Linbeck
Marriott Rivercenter/Riverwalk
NIX Health
SA Greater Chamber
SA Transportation Co.
Spurs Sports Entertainment
TSM Digital Printing
Travis Park Plaza
Westin Riverwalk

19. “This is one my favorite golf tournaments at
one my favorite golf courses in San Antonio…
right here in downtown!”
- John Beauchamp, Hixon Properties

21. public improvement district

22. In 1999, Centro San Antonio Management Corporation launched
the Downtown Public Improvement District (PID) to provide unique
supplemental services and improvements in addition to those provided
by the City of San Antonio. These services include those provided by
Ambassador Amigos, Streetscaping Amigos and Maintenance Amigos.
Ambassador Amigos play an important role in the District as
goodwill ambassadors for downtown’s various users. Their high
visibility positions them to be proactive in assisting downtown
conventioneers, visitors, workers, residents, and downtown’s various
law enforcement officials.
Equipped with two-way radios and local area knowledge, these
uniformed Ambassadors are strategically situated throughout the
District and in high-pedestrian traffic areas at key times of the day.
They form a unique partnership with local authorities providing
maximum assistance and safety throughout the District, thereby
supporting overall crime prevention.
In the past year, the Ambassador Amigos:
• Assisted 1,006,012 downtown guests, office workers and residents
with directions and service needs
• Manned the Mobile Information Kiosk at various locations daily
• Shared their training in specialized historical geographical facts
• Boasted six-members who are certified as Professional Tour Guides
Maintenance Amigos supplement the City’s maintenance efforts by
performing sidewalk cleaning, graffiti abatement, trash pickup, power-
washing and weed removal. They perform services 7 days a week, 360
days a year.
In the past year, the Maintenance Amigos:
• Collected over 55,431 bags of trash – a total of 693 tons
• Power washed in District a total of 31 million square-feet of sidewalks
• Power washed 10,185 bus stops
• Removed weeds from 1,125 block faces of District sidewalks
• Removed 129,617 gum spots from District sidewalks
• Removed 12,000 graffiti tags stickers
• Provided contract maintenance services for City of San Antonio (COSA)
Downtown Operations on the River Walk, the San Antonio River
Authority on the Museum Reach and the Mission Reach, and the Pearl
Farmer’s Market Sunday in the Park
Streetscaping Amigos provide planters and plant materials to help
“soften”downtown’s public right-of-ways. These improvements help
enhance the pedestrian experience for our many downtown workers,
residents, and visitors. The District is responsible for maintaining these
improvements. This includes watering, fertilization and replacing
seasonal vegetation as necessary. The Streetscaping Amigos program
intends to expand in scope each year, as funds are available.
In the past year, the Streetscaping Amigos:
• Planted 2,016 bougainvillea plants
• Planted 3,360 pansies
• Planted 3,360 petunias
• Regularly pruned, fertilized and treated for insects
• Dispensed thousands of gallons of water to supplement rainfall
• Regularly replaced missing and dead plants as necessary
public improvement district
22

23. “The Public Improvement District has been a win-win for the
downtown area. Property owners have invested to support a
cleaner, greener and better informed public realm, and the public
sector has seen their investments better maintained and utilized.”
– Nelson W. Wolff, County Judge, Bexar County

24. estimated annual assessment budget
70%
15%
15%
Environment - $2,300,000
Amigos - clean, safe, hospitality
and landscaping
Beautification, business recruitment
and retention, image marketing and
strategic leadership advocacy
Economy - $500,000
Management, administration,
contingency and reserve
Management - $500,000
Over the 2012-2013 fiscal year, the Downtown Public Improvement
District implemented special projects and capital improvements,
including:
• Partnering with COSA Downtown Operations to provide funding for a
grackle“relocation”program
• Partnering with Downtown Alliance and Centro Partnership to provide
funding for a downtown strategic plan with focus on housing, parking,
hospitality office attraction
• Utilizing handheld PDA’s to conduct landscaping surveys for COSA on
the River Walk, at Milam Park and Travis Park
In addition to regular duties, each Amigo serves as additional“eyes
ears”for the SAPD Downtown Bicycle Patrol Park Police. For the
past 12 months, all Amigos have worn pedometers while performing
their duties. This resulted in 56,877 miles walked, or the equivalent of
walking 2.3 times around the earth’s equator.
For the past 14 years, the PID has helped to accommodate downtown’s
growing residential population, enhance its office and retail market,
and position downtown as a premier convention and visitor
destination. In the summer of 2012, efforts began to explore the
continuation and expansion of the District and Centro hired Progressive
Urban Management Associates (P.U.M.A.) to conduct an inclusive
reauthorization community process. Options for the future of the PID
were discussed with more than 50 stakeholders that participated in a
series of public roundtable discussions. In addition, an online survey
was conducted and over 300 downtown property owners, businesses,
employees and residents responded with their opinions on the PID. The
key conclusions were:
“Clean and Safe”has worked
Downtown stakeholders agree that the supplemental cleaning and
safety services funded by the PID have succeeded to make downtown
San Antonio safer and more attractive, and helped change the
perception of downtown to that of a clean and safe place. The
services provided in downtown are some of the best in the country
and additional beautification programs should be added to the
existing services.
The PID is an investment in downtown San Antonio and an
important public/private partnership
The PID is an investment in the future of downtown and the public/
private partnership leverages resources and provides a unified voice to
guide a variety of policies and issues affecting the District.
Downtown is growing in importance in the region and the PID
should expand its services to include image/marketing and
business recruitment programs
Downtown stakeholders recognized that creating and maintaining a
vibrant, full-service downtown will help to attract more jobs and young
professionals to downtown. The PID should add additional programs
to focus on image and marketing to attract locals to downtown, and
economic development programs to focus on street-level business
recruitment and retention and housing development. Stakeholders
also agreed that a longer service term of 10 years, with a formal 5-year
review, makes sense to provide stability and certainty in programming.
24
“The services provided by the PID are valuable
to the San Antonio community, providing a
consistent level of maintenance and security
for all pedestrians, whether they are downtown
workers, residents or just visiting… our urban
areas are destined for significant growth and
the PID is a key component of our City’s future.”
- Graham Weston, Chairman, Rackspace

25. downtown san antonio pid boundary
In addition to continuation and expansion of services, a
careful analysis of expanding the boundaries of the District
was explored based on density, uses, traffic generator and
possible future development. The larger study area included
encompassing the CHRISTUS San Antonio and Baptist
Medical Center Hospitals, the area west of Hemisfair/south
to Cesar Chavez/east to the SA River, and the area south of
Dolorosa to Nueva.
In early 2013, petitions were distributed to all property
owners in the existing PID and the proposed expansion
areas, requesting their support of the reauthorization and
expansion. On May 16, 2013, after submission of a valid
petition with signatures of support from a majority of
property owners comprising a majority of property values,
a public hearing was held to hear comments of support
or opposition. On May 30, 2013, City Council unanimously
voted to approve the reauthorization and expansion of the
PID for the new term to begin October 1, 2013.
The 10-year PID term includes an estimated annual
assessment budget of $3,300,000, with an additional
$600,000 in estimated public and private sector contributions.
The programs and budget fall into the following categories:
Environment (existing services)
• Ambassador Amigos
• Maintenance Amigos
• Streetscaping Amigos
Economy (new services)
• Beautification - initiatives that could include directional
signage, lighting, furniture, art installations and other
cosmetic improvements that visually enhance downtown’s
public realm.
• Business Recruitment Retention – a program that will
focus on attracting new and retaining existing businesses
to the center city, filling empty storefronts and offices,
and will serve as a primary one-stop point of contact
for business prospects looking to locate and grow
in downtown.
• Image Marketing - marketing strategies targeted to our
local population include building off the“buzz”arising
from downtown’s emergence as a destination for dining,
entertainment and urban living.
• Leadership Advocacy - capitalizing on the PID’s
established role as a respected advocate for downtown
in collaboration with strategic partners on initiatives to
advance the center city.
25
“In the SA2020 Vision Report, it is abundantly clear
that downtown is a high priority for the thousands
of citizens that participated in the visioning process.
I have said that this is the‘Decade of Downtown.’The
public and private sectors are working together to
ensure the long term viability and economic success
of our city… and the public improvement district is
one of those key investments in our future.”
- Mayor Julián Castro

27. planning and research

28. In 2011, Centro Partnership worked with other stakeholders
to develop the Strategic Framework Plan for the Center City,
which serves as the road map for the growth and development
of the center city over the next decade. As stewards of the
Plan, Centro is setting a core strategic vision and planning
concepts to fulfill that vision, as well as serving as the liaison
to the City on future master plans for targeted growth areas,
and strengthening our role of policy advocate to develop
and support key positions. Implementation of the Strategic
Plan began over the past year, with Centro at the helm of
several key projects, including a city-wide survey on current
perceptions of downtown, a study of the Northwest Quadrant
of the center city, and the strategic alignment of workgroups
and partnerships to achieve the SA2020 Vision goals
for downtown.
Downtown Perception Survey
In June 2012, Downtown Alliance and Center City
Development Office partnered on a market research survey on
current perceptions of downtown San Antonio. The objectives
of the survey were:
• To measure the frequency with which adults go out in
downtown San Antonio
• To learn the reasons why adults go downtown
• To determine one’s likelihood of moving downtown
• To measure the importance of various characteristics
downtown has in making adults want to go out more often
• Create a baseline survey to be used on an annual basis
Over 500 responses city-wide were received and, of those
surveyed, most did not live in downtown and had never lived
in any downtown city in the country. Of those who would
consider moving to downtown, the majority live inside Loop
410, are single and between the ages of 18-54. Of our local
visitors to downtown, close to half visit downtown a few
months a year, a third visit monthly, and most come downtown
for festivals and events, dining, the arts and sporting events.
Overall impressions of the majority surveyed were that
downtown is very clean and very safe, but they would like
to see more variety in transportation options in and around
downtown, and more seating areas, public areas, outdoor
dining and unique, one-of-a-kind retail shops. In general,
respondents are looking for convenient parking at a fair price,
a safe environment, a walkable community and a stimulating
street-level experience. We anticipate that the perception
survey will be conducted annually to measure changes in the
public opinion regarding the center city.
planning and research
28
Northwest Quadrant Study
With some of the most underutilized properties in the center city,
the Northwest Quadrant is roughly bounded on its west side by
the VIA West Side Multimodal Center Medina Street, the
San Antonio River to the east, Nueva Street on the south, and
Elmira Street IH 35 on the north. There is already a growing focus
on this area, with major public investments planned to take place
over the next few years for the Westside Multimodal, Romano
Plaza, Commerce Street, Main Avenue and Soledad Street. A
Streetcar initiative and San Pedro Creek improvements are also
being considered and planning efforts for both of these projects
are currently underway. In April 2013, Centro partnered with Bexar
County to study the Northwest Quadrant of downtown for future
uses for the publically owned property and its ability to stimulate
growth in that area. The study includes the involvement of key
stakeholders and the public through the process of
public workshops.
SA2020
In May 2012, Centro Partnership became the lead partner for
the Downtown Development vision area of SA2020, with a
responsibility to provide strategic assistance and meaningful
data measurements to maximize the impact of that vision area, as
well as work closely with SA2020 to provide a forum for strategic
thinking and planning, and to connect the city’s key private,
public and non-profit leaders in achieving the goals created by the
public during the SA2020 Vision process, including:
• Increase downtown housing units
• Increase the number of people working downtown
• Increase transportation mode options in downtown
• Decrease downtown crime rates
• Increase activities and visitation by locals to downtown
Because Downtown Development is one of the few vision areas
that intersects with the other ten vision areas of SA2020, Centro
has begun collaborating with other lead and opportunity partners
on events and initiatives, including the Career Block Party in May
2013 at Pearl, an event during Destination College: College Week,
where students toured the businesses at Pearl and learned about
all of the recent residential developments in downtown. Centro is
also partnering with ULI San Antonio and the SAISD Foundation
on a new web site that focuses on schools and family life in the
center city.
In the spring of 2013, Centro began establishing workgroups to
study downtown housing, job growth and quality of life, in an
effort to measure data and develop plans and initiatives geared
towards achieving the goals for Downtown Development. These
workgroups are comprised of representatives from several lead
and opportunity partners, including the City of San Antonio, the
San Antonio Housing Authority, HPARC, B-Cycle, VIA and SA Arts.

29. “Centro Partnership has shown tremendous leadership
around the SA2020 goals for downtown development,
creating three high-level working groups focused on
setting achievable strategies to increase housing, jobs
and quality of life downtown.“
– Jeanne Russell, Chief Strategist, SA2020
w
ww.SA2020.org
Do
wntown Developm
ent

30. First, I would like to take an opportunity to thank the members of the various Boards of Directors of
Centro San Antonio, Inc., downtown business leaders and Centro staff for welcoming me as the new
CEO of Centro. We hit the ground running on January 2 and we are poised for a very exciting and
productive year ahead.
As we move forward, we have several long-term goals that we are continuing to focus on. We want
to increase economic competitiveness in downtown by attracting businesses and jobs. We want
effective, safe and reliable transportation options in and around downtown. We want to create a
“place of choice,”where locals and visitors have a clean and safe place to live, work, shop and play.
The reauthorization of the Public Improvement District proved that stakeholders within downtown
are willing to invest in its future. Of the new services provided, we are particularly excited about
bringing a business recruitment and retention program focused on downtown that will help to fill
vacant storefronts and provide a more vibrant street-level experience. In addition, we look forward
to supporting both new and existing downtown businesses with a new branding and messaging
campaign for downtown that will communicate what many have known for years -- that downtown
is the place to be.
Jane Jacobs, author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities, said,“Cities have the capability of
providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”
The enthusiastic public participation in the workshops for developing the Strategic Framework
Plan for the Center City, as well as the vision process for SA2020, has been crucial in developing the
blueprint for the future of downtown, and we want to continue this partnership by expanding our
diverse base of membership and key stakeholders. With many important initiatives ahead of us,
your membership and involvement in Centro remain crucial in creating a round-the-clock urban
experience that is clean and safe for everyone.
Over the last several years, the Centro family of organizations has partnered with civic leaders to
revitalize our downtown. As Deputy City Manager, working with Centro on the Strategic Framework
Plan for the Center City was one of the most rewarding. As CEO of Centro San Antonio, Inc., I am
thrilled to be working with a great team as we prioritize the catalytic projects that will make the
Strategic Plan a reality. We know that there is much work to be done, but we know that we are
moving in the right direction and are fully committed to fulfilling the aspirations that our citizens
have for downtown. Great cities have great downtowns, and we are on the rise. Downtown is the
essence of San Antonio. Come live it, come work it, come and be a part of it.”
Be Centro,
Pat DiGiovanni
CEO
Centro Partnership