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About BUP
The mission of the Bethesda Urban Partnership is to foster an environment in which downtown Bethesda can thrive and prosper.
"This past year marked additional hours for the Bethesda Circulator and significant work on a new, more reliable vehicle to replace the trolley-style Circulator vehicles; a record attendance at the Taste of Bethesda, and the commencement of a collaboration of stakeholders on improving the Bethesda Metro and Bus Bay area. Our Board of Directors and staff have worked diligently to continue to enhance our downtown through services we provide." - David Dabney, Executive Director
2010-2011 Bethesda UP Annual Report
| Operations & Funding |
Downtown Bethesda is managed by the Bethesda Urban Partnership, Inc. (BUP), a non-profit organization established by Montgomery County in 1994. Bethesda Urban Partnership handles landscaping and maintenance as well as promotion of the downtown through innovative marketing campaigns and large-scale events. In its 17-year operation, BUP created Bethesda Transportation Solutions in 2000, established the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District in 2002, took over management of the Bethesda Circulator in 2006 and has grown from employing two full-time staff to housing more than 35 employees. BUP is evaluated every five years by Montgomery County and has been reauthorized three times by the County’s Office of Legislative Oversight to continue its mission of making Bethesda a great place to live, work and play.
Bup is operated by an 11-member Board of Directors comprised of businesses, residents and developers appointed by the County Executive. BUP is funded primarily by revenue generated from the Bethesda Parking Lot District fees, in addition to the commerical Urban District property tax. Private sponsors also partner with BUP on events such as Taste of Bethesda and the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival.
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| Maintenance |
Tree-lined streets, attractive street scape and beautiful flowers are a signature of Bethesda's vibrant community and a testament to the hard work BUP's maintenance team and urban beautification squad that is hard at work six days a week keeping Bethesda clean and attractive. BUP's urban beautification squad is out sweeping the streets, removing litter three times daily, planting 32,000 flowers in three annual rotations, trimming 1,200 trees, maintaining 188,000 square feet of turf and power washing Bethesda's signature brick sidewalks. BUP's maintenance team also offers support at downtown Bethesda's large-scale events such as Taste of Bethesda and the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival. Additionally, BUP's Ask Me Team assists guests, fields questions, provides motorist assistance and offers first aid and quick response in emergency situations during afternoons and weekends Wednesday through Sunday.
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| Marketing |
BUP’s marketing team creates year-round community events, produces free guides that detail Bethesda’s restaurant, retail, home fashion and arts organizations and operates downtown Bethesda’s Web site, www.bethesda.org. The efforts of BUP’s marketing team target downtown Bethesda’s residents, tourists, visitors and employees. The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is also managed by BUP’s marketing team. BUP's marketing team is the producer of the Bethesda Literary Festival, Imagination Bethesda, Taste of Bethesda, a free Summer Concert Series, Winter Wonderland and Bethesda Outdoor Movies: Stars on the Avenue. To stay up to date on all of the Bethesda Urban Partnership's events and amenities, please join the BUP email list.
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| Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District |
The state of Maryland designated downtown Bethesda as an Arts & Entertainment District effective July 1, 2002. The 501(c)(3) non-profit organization is comprised of a 12-member Board of Directors as well as an advisory committee of local artists and arts businesses representatives. The mission of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is to create and implement arts and entertainment projects that contribute to the artistic, cultural and economic growth of downtown Bethesda. Special tax incentives are in place that will benefit artists, arts enterprises and developers that are located within the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District. The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is the producer of the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival, The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, the Bethesda Painting Awards, the Bethesda Art Walk, the Bethesda Artist Market, Dance Bethesda, Play In A Day, and manages Gallery B.
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| Bethesda Transportation Solutions |
| Bethesda Transportation Solutions helps manage the traffic in downtown Bethesda by marketing local, state and federal commuter benefits programs and tax incentives to employers. BTS promotes alternative transportation such as rail, bus, carpools and biking with the goal of reducing the number of Bethesda employees who drive alone to work. |
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