Denver will spend $1.9 million trying to attract people to 16th Street Mall this summer

As Denver prepares to reopen the 16th Street Mall this summer, the city is planning to spend $1.9 million on attracting people back to the area after nearly three years of construction.

The Denver Downtown Partnership wants to launch a live music series, weekend markets featuring local artisans, a soccer pitch and art installations with the money.

“Downtown revitalization is critical for the entire city and frankly the metro region,” said Councilman Chris Hinds, who represents downtown. “We are the economic engine of the Rocky Mountain region and downtown fuels that engine.”

City Council approved the contract with the nonprofit organization during Monday’s meeting with a 10-3 vote.

Here are some of the things the dollars will do:

• A “Welcome to Downtown Denver” event the weekend of May 31
• Live music series in Writer Square, Glenarm Plaza, OuterSpace and Skyline Park
• Create a “comprehensive experience trail” downtown, including markers and help with navigation to help highlight local businesses and information
• Build a soccer pitch in Skyline Park
• Safety initiatives

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, downtown Denver, which makes up less than 1% of the city’s land mass, produced about 13% of the city’s sales tax and property tax revenue. Now it’s only about 8%, causing a $45 million decrease in revenue for Denver, according to a presentation from the Downtown Denver Partnership.

During a committee meeting about the contract March 5, Councilwoman Sarah Parady challenged the idea that the activation would bring those dollars back. Parady asked the city’s arts and venues director, Gretchen Hollrah, about how the department connects the initiatives with a sustained increase in visitations and tax dollars.

Hollrah said previous events like MyDenver Day have shown anecdotal evidence of the connection from efforts at the arts complex and that this was only one part of the city’s efforts to bring people back downtown.

“Success breeds success,” she said. “We piloted this a few times and we did see changes in leasing.”

Parady, along with Councilmembers Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez and Flor Alvidrez, voted against the contract Monday.

“In the budget environment we’re in and that we’re going into, I don’t feel like this is a use of funds I can vote yes on,” Parady said, adding there are more direct needs community members have like housing and health care.

Alvidrez said she opposed the idea because voters just approved Ballot Issue 6A in November, authorizing $570 million in city bonds for the Denver Downtown Development Authority.

The “activation activities” will mostly be one-time events or investments as city officials and business owners try to create a positive impression for visitors to downtown after the construction project.

The contract is adding $1.5 million to an already existing $400,000 contract with Denver Downtown Partnership.

The 16th Street Mall construction project, which had the goal of improving deteriorating infrastructure and improving safety and mobility, has cost the city about $175 million.

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