Speaker: John Breeding, CEO, Uptown Houston.
Topic: "Uptown Houston Update"
Formed in 1987 and the first district of its kind, the Uptown Houston District (Harris County Improvement District #1) is a political subdivision of the State of Texas created by a special act of the 70th Texas Legislature to provide a variety of services and improvements for Uptown Houston. Its primary focus and purpose is not to reduce public sector responsibilities, but to leverage public funds with coordinated private resources to improve facilities and services as well as accelerate area improvements.
The Uptown Houston District levies an ad valorem property tax and focuses its efforts on the following:
Traffic Operations
Public Maintenance and Beautification
Infrastructure Improvements
Economic Development, Marketing and Communications
A twelve-member Board of Directors appointed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) governs the District. Board members must be landowners, long-term tenants, or agents of landowners.
Before
joining the Uptown Houston District in 1986, Mr. Breeding held positions as
Vice-President of Operations and Planning at Rice Center, METRO Transit
Authority and the Houston-Galveston Area Council. He currently holds Board
positions at Houston Achievement Place, KSBJ 89.3, TREK, Inc. and the Greater
Houston Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
Mr.
Breeding has a Bachelor of Science and a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning
from Texas A&M University. He and his wife, Cynthia, are proud parents of
three children.
