Downtown Tucson Partnership shares accomplishments, goals in just-released FY 18/19 Annual Report
Downtown Tucson Partnership shares accomplishments, goals in just-released FY 18/19 Annual Report.
DOWNTOWN TUCSON, AZ, October 29, 2019 – Jácome Plaza is humming with activity, colorful planters beautify the streets, and hundreds of special events are making Downtown Tucson a place people want to live, work and play, according to Downtown Tucson Partnership’s new FY 18/19 Annual Report.
“With the help of our many partners, we’ve met and even exceeded the goals in our strategic plan for last year,” said Kathleen Eriksen, President & CEO of the Downtown Tucson Partnership. “We have an extraordinary team of staff, board members and partners who are committed daily to making downtown vibrant, diverse, accessible and fun.”
The report by the Downtown Tucson Partnership, a nonprofit, 501(c)(6) organization that provides enhanced services including maintenance, security, marketing, advocacy and economic development, shows its work is helping create a downtown that is welcoming, safe and attractive.
“Last year we increased our services, focusing on public space activation and beautification, homeless outreach, marketing and programming,” Eriksen said. “We’re thrilled with the visible outcomes of this important work and excited to roll out even more initiatives in the upcoming year.”
Working with Old Pueblo Community Services, the Partnership continued its successful homeless outreach program, adding a dedicated outreach specialist and connecting additional individuals experiencing homelessness with homes and services. In another growing partnership, 12 team members from Desert Survivors nursery maintain 202 downtown planters filled with colorful native, drought-tolerant plants every weekday.
The Partnership also coordinated its first annual Old Pueblo Poems literary competition in collaboration with the University of Arizona Poetry Center. Acrylic signs with 20 haiku poems were placed in planters from March through June, promoting an enhanced, vibrant image of arts and culture downtown. The competition received 977 entries from 12 different states and five countries.
Desert Nights Downtown Lights, five weeks of holiday festivities centered around events including the annual Parade of Lights, Small Business Saturday, the Mayor’s Tree Lighting Ceremony, holiday decorating and streetscape enhancements, have made Downtown Tucson the place to celebrate the holiday season.
On the economic development front, Tucson was one of 12 cities nationwide to be included in the International Downtown Association’s Value of U.S. Downtowns and Center Cities Report. This groundbreaking report articulates the inherent value a downtown provides to the greater city, factoring in 100 key data points based on economy, inclusion, vibrancy, identity and resilience.
Read the Downtown Tucson Partnership’s FY 18/19 Annual Report and Five-Year Strategic Plan.
More information about the Downtown Tucson Partnership can be found here.
DTP Media Contact: Zach Baker, Marketing & Communications Manager
520.268.9034, zach@downtowntucson.org