THE SANDTON CITY AND CONVENTION CENTRE IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

While this business destination continued to thrive, with IT and media companies, banks, law firms, corporate headquarters and scores of foreign businesses making Sandton their home, the reality of a poorly developed infrastructure began to affect the area.

It was thus that as early as 1999 property owners in the Sandton CBD began meeting to discuss critical urban management issues in the area such as security, cleaning, traffic, informal trading, and the like. Such meetings included the relevant City Council Ward Councillor and Council officials as well as the South African Police Services.

As a result of these meetings and the need for property owners in the area to maintain the value of the property, that the Sandton City and Convention Centre Improvement District (SCMD). Operational from June 2001, this improvement district operated in the predominantly retail spaces around Sandton City, Nelson Mandela Square, the Sandton Convention Centre and the hotels within the Alice Lane, West Street, Rivonia Road and Sandton Drive boundaries

THE SANDTON BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

At this time, private urban management specialists, Partnerships for Urban Renewal (PUR), was appointed by the Sandton business community to investigate the feasibility of establishing an improvement district in the business area. This lead to the formation of the Sandton Business Improvement District (SBID), officially established in November 2002, and encompassing all the properties within the Grayston Drive, Sandton Drive and Rivonia Road boundaries.

In late 2003, when the need for a marketing and branding initiative for the area was identified, the two improvement districts joined forces under one management company Kagiso Urban Management, now Urban Genesis, and launched in June 2004 as Sandton Central.

THE WIERDA VALLEY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

At this time, the Wierda Valley area was investigating the possibility of forming an improvement district that would be run under the Sandton Central banner and would thus form part of the brand. On 14 October 2004, the Wierda Valley Management District (WVMD) was legislated and on the 24th November, a board of directors was elected and the board opted to adopt the Sandton Central corporate identity. The WVMD operates within the boundaries of Wierda Road East and West and along Katherine Road where it joins up with Sandton Drive. Cleaning and crime prevention services to the WVMD began on 1st January 2005 and the management district is be run by the Sandton Central management team.