FYI, The ABCs of DMI

OK, we realize that DMI has a slight dependency on acronyms, just like Madison has a slight dependency on snow plows right now.  But, in our defense, as our techie world and jargon lingo gets more complex it just makes sense to downsize. Saves on ink, easier to text.

That being said, the following are a few of the acronyms we throw out every now and again.

 DMI – Downtown Madison Inc. , the downtown organization for cool people, but you already knew that.

BID – Short for Madison’s Central Business Improvement District, an assessment district stretching from Memorial Union and State Street to the Capitol Square. The BID is an excellent liaison between business and property owners, the city, and downtown stakeholders. Check the link for maps, gift certificates, and goings-on.

CNI – Capitol Neighborhoods Inc. A neighborhood association of citizens bound together by a geographical area who cooperate to support and improve the quality of life in their neighborhood. Capitol Neighborhoods consists of six “districts”, First Settlement, Bassett, Mifflin West, Mansion Hill, James Madison Park and State/Langdon, which have independent identities, but are integral parts of the whole association 

GMCVB (aka the CVB) - Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau. They are the greater Madison area’s official destination marketing organization. The GMCVB is responsible for attracting new destination events to the community, as well as providing service and support to existing and repeat events, and providing comprehensive information to visitors to the area.

GMCC – Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce. The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the voice of the Greater Madison business community in the city, county, and state public arenas.  The GMCC monitors, researches, analyzes, and lobbies on policy issues that affect the daily operations of local businesses, and advocates for policies that foster regional economic development in Greater Madison.

RTA – Regional Transit Authority, an entity not yet in existence that would oversee and implement transportation options for Madison and the surrounding region.

BUILD - Better Urban Infill Land Development – Planning grants for downtown revitalization

HZA – Hospitality Zone Assessment. A comprehensive and integrated approcah to identify current and emerging issues in hospitality zone management. The assessment involves community discussion with representatives from the community, policing agencies, and the hospitality and entertainment industry.

RHI – Responsible Hospitality Industry: A not-for-profit organization committed to making safe and vibrant places to socialize.  Facilitators of the HZA.

TIF – Tax Incremental Funding: A tool that uses future tax gains to finance current development projects that will create and increase said gains. Block 89 is an example of  project partially funded by TIF funds.

TID – Tax Incremental District. The area created around an economic generator for TIF projects.

IDA – International Downtown Association: A worldwide network of downtown associations and BIDs committed to providing resources to create vital and liveable urban centers.

PUD – Planned Unit Development: Both a type of building development and regulatory process. These developments are most often mixed-use centers. In part due to a downtown plan which is not yet up to date, many projects have to be submitted as a PUD.

THRIVE – Not an acronym. Formerly known as the Regional Economic Development Entity. A non-profit organization for promoting the economic development of Dane County and the surrounding region to improve quality of life.

 SBDC – Small Business Development Center: A network of offices run by the UW Extension to provide educational services and programs for small-business clients. Low cost courses, seminars and workshops covering every step of small business development are available throughout the year.

GSSBA – Greater State Street Business Association: The businesses of the State Street area form this nonprofit.  Their main event is Maxwell Street Days, a great time to visit the Farmer’s Market, see the exhibits, and shop!

CDA – Community Development Authority: A standing committee in the City of Madison government.  The CDA is a housing, redevelopment and community authority.

DCC – Downtown Coordinating Committee: A standing city of Madison committee devoted to making recommendations on ongoing issues of 0peration, design, safety, maintenance, use of downtown area; provide advice on development, implementation, and revisions to plans for improvement in the downtown area.