As president of the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District, I read Paul McMorrow’s April 2 op-ed “A Downtown Crossing worth the wait” with great interest. He articulates the ongoing transformation of downtown Boston from a collection of tired office buildings and theaters to a growing 24-seven neighborhood.
Bringing Downtown Crossing back and “reinventing” it hasn’t happened by accident; it has been by design. The effort required unwavering commitment from businesses and property owners, and leadership by Mayor Menino and his administration.
I am proud of the role the Business Improvement District has played in this effort. Launched in 2010, it is a private, nonprofit organization created by hundreds of civic-minded stakeholders who are passionate about downtown’s future. In just the past year we invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to beautify public space, and our two dozen on-site ambassadors removed hundreds of tons of litter and thousands of gum spots and stickers. They assisted more than 100,000 visitors and received hundreds of touching thank-you e-mails and letters.
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Despite our early success, we’re just getting started. We’ve learned change can come only by taking a hard look at every aspect of the district with an eye toward downtown’s remarkable potential and exciting future.
Our mission is to continue making downtown a place that people will enjoy and return to again and again for generations to come.