Historically, Downtown St. John's has been the center of civic and commercial activity in our community. During the mid-sixties, peripheral shopping malls came to St. John's creating new competition for downtown retailers. In response to this, downtown businesses formed the Downtown Development Corporation in 1966 as a non profit corporation whose mandate would be to promote the area. In June 1985, the DDCorp became the operating body for three year Main Street program funded by the Heritage Canada foundation and the City of St. John's.
After the completion of the Heritage Canada commitment, a downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA) was established in September, 1989. A BIA is essentially a self-help mechanism, organized and operated by the local business community and administered by the Downtown Development Commission (DDC). The DDC is governed by a Board of Management, composed of downtown business owners, and strives to improve the physical appearance and encourage business development within the area.