2020 will be a year we won’t soon forget.
Like many of you, we have had to adapt in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic crisis. As local public health orders went into effect in mid-March, we amended our operations and staff protocols in order to ensure the health and safety of our personnel as well as the entire downtown district. Our team pivoted to connecting local businesses with much-needed resources and assistance.
The senseless killing of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis on May 25th, 2020, sparked nationwide protests calling for long- overdue reforms to the criminal justice system. We were proud to stand with our community in peaceful protest. We looked inward at our makeup and began redesigning our organization to reflect the community we serve.
There is no doubt that 2020 has brought its fair share of challenges, but we have learned how our Downtown may grow and thrive in this unfamiliar moment in responding to these challenges. Our new disinfecting protocols have resulted in a district that is cleaner than it has ever been. The calls for social justice manifested in our public art projects and virtual programming, raising the voices of local BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people. We launched our new Main Street Business program to preserve and empower local businesses downtown in the face of unprecedented economic hardship.
Challenging times have a way of revealing what is truly important. We move forward from 2020, affirmed in the belief that, together with our community, we can create a prosperous and welcoming downtown for all of San Antonio to call home.
In 2021, we have premiered programming which is both safe and inspiring. We have expanded the impact and scope of the marquee initiatives born in 2020 including Art Everywhere, Main Street Business, and Urban Activation. We are preparing to re-launch our membership program to build community and support for our initiatives. In the report below, you will see our impact described and measured. There is no way, however, to properly measure the outpouring of support and collaboration we have enjoyed from the community. We remain committed to you.
Matt Brown, CEO
CENTRO
SAN ANTONIO
CENTRO
SAN ANTONIO
ANNUAL REPORT
July 2021-June 2022
A Letter From Our CEO
A Letter From Our CEO
Hello Downtowners,
The past year has presented both amazing opportunities and complex challenges for our community. Hospitality has picked up in a big way. Art, activations, and events have brought hundreds of thousands back into our urban core. Fiesta was back and the Roadrunners Football energized everyone! The new UTSA and Weston Urban projects, coupled with public sector investments in San Pedro Creek, Zona Cultural, and Hemisfair promise to transform our cityscape in the next five years.
At the same time, we face serious challenges including rapid inflation, erosion of public safety perception, increasing homelessness, severe weather events, hybrid work and encroachment of personal rights. These are negatively impacting residents, students and workers downtown and, in many cases, across the entire city.
While many of these forces are beyond our scope, we work with city, community and business leaders to adapt quickly and thoughtfully. In that spirit, we work hard every day to catalyze a vibrant and diverse collection of neighborhoods in and surrounding downtown.
Our long view is that downtown becomes home to 100,000 people from all walks of life. Where individuals, students and families live, grow, learn and play together. A neighborhood supported by a robust, inclusive economic ecosystem and offers amazing spaces and experiences for locals and visitors alike to dive into our city’s art and culture.
As you read this report, you will become familiar with the work we do in our Public Improvement District. We wake up every day thinking about how we can make this .8 square miles in downtown San Antonio more beautiful, welcoming, playful, and prosperous.
I am so proud of what this team has been able to accomplish through our clean and safe programs augmented with art, activations, economic development, storytelling and homeless assistance. Downtown is resilient, surprising, welcoming and beautiful. Our residents love El Centro. We have challenges for sure, and I’m confident the future is going to be more beautiful, exciting and prosperous for downtown SATX.
As you may be aware, the Public Improvement District is up for renewal next year. It’s current ten-year term coming to an end. Serving our community is a privilege, one that we would be honored to continue for years to come. We will be coordinating closely with the property owners, businesses, and residents in the district as well as City leadership to plan for a renewed PID that best serves the community. If you are a downtowner, we encourage you to read through this report to familiarize yourself with Centro’s work.
The story of our organization and of our city continues to unfold. I very much hope you will join us for that journey. Thank you for supporting us and the work we do. As always feel free to contact us anytime if you have questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Matt Brown, CEO
We Are On A Mission
Centro strives every day to catalyze a more beautiful, playful, prosperous and welcoming downtown San Antonio that amplifies our culture, heritage and spirit.
2021-2022
Year In Review
Our Guiding Principles
We seek to think big, have fun, get the right stuff done, and be good to others. Living by our principles below helps us achieve this.
COMMUNITY
Devoted to serving, reflecting, and building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.
COURAGE
Demonstrate passion, bravery, and commitment to do the right thing. Be vulnerable and learn from our missteps.
CREATIVITY
Be curious. Be outrageously imaginative problem-solvers and play-makers.
EMPATHY
Listen with an open heart. Treat everyone with care, kindness, and respect.
DEDICATION
Be pragmatic, tenacious, and intentional in our work and effort.
Join us as we work every day to help cultivate a complete, well-functioning ecosystem of neighborhoods and thriving enterprises situated in the civic and cultural epicenter of our beautiful, historic city.
What’s the PID?
What’s the PID?
The Public Improvement District is a .8 square mile area in downtown San Antonio. Property owners within this District voluntarily pay an assessment based on their property values, which funds Centro’s services, including– but not limited to– clean + safe maintenance, landscaping, hospitality, economic development, homeless outreach, marketing + events, and public art.
