Downtown Memphis Commission
Downtown Memphis Commission:
The Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC), formerly known as the Center City Commission, is the organization charged with advancing Memphis and Shelby County by making Downtown Memphis a better place to work, live, learn, invest and visit.
DMC's charge is to advance Downtown for the betterment of all of Memphis and Shelby County. A strong, vibrant Downtown serves as a vital economic engine that ultimately helps all communities throughout the county prosper and grow. As such, the City of Memphis and Shelby County governments established the Downtown Memphis Commission to capitalize on Downtown's role as the economic, cultural, and governmental heart of the city and county. The DMC is the official partnership between local government and the private business community in Downtown's development.
DMC is not funded by any city or county taxes and is not a governmental agency.
DMC's two primary metrics for success are 1) an increase in the number of people living, working and playing in Downtown and 2) an increase in Downtown commercial property values. To do this, DMC implements a variety of programs to foster development and investment, and to make Downtown fun, walkable, clean, safe, active and interesting.
Funding Structure:
The DMC is an independent development agency and is not funded by City or County taxes. The DMC is primarily funded by a special assessment on commercial properties in the Central Business Improvement District (CBID), the area referred to as Downtown Memphis, and fees paid by private Downtown developers. All of Memphis and Shelby County benefit from the work done by the DMC, but citizens and property owners outside of Downtown do not contribute to the DMC's operations or incentives.
The Downtown Memphis Commission includes Five Affiliate Boards:
To advance its mission, the Downtown Memphis Commission board works along with four other affiliate boards that share the same goals. Each of these organizations plays a different role in accomplishing the overall goal of advancing Memphis and Shelby County by making Downtown Memphis a better place to work, live, learn, invest and visit. Although each is a separate board, they operate in coordination and efficiently by sharing the same offices and staff.
