Diversify the retail mix. Increase the number of residents. Update the vision for downtown’s future growth.
Those are the issues the Downtown Denver Partnership will focus on this year, president Tamara Door told members and guests Wednesday at the group’s annual meeting.
Although the downtown area has a retail vacancy rate of just 6 percent, Door said, the partnership is conducting a detailed retail study and will release results in October.
It will promote urban living by providing housing information at a new downtown HomeCenter and on a new website, and it will build a traveling HomeCenter so information can be taken to businesses that are thinking about relocating downtown.
The partnership also will work with the city to update its blueprint for downtown development, first done in 1986, and will improve the streetscape around the newly expanded Colorado Convention Center.
“We want to build up California Street to be an inviting entrance to the 16th Street Mall because the conventioneers walk right up that street,” said Door.
Three awards were given at the breakfast meeting:
Jim Basey was named Honorary Partner of the Year.
Denver architect Brian Klipp and Joe Vostrejs, general manager of Larimer Square, were honored as Volunteer Partners of the Year.
The Skyline Park Local Improvement District was given the Presidents Award.
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-820-1592 or at jdunn@denverpost.com.
