It’s October and UpDoNA has some very exciting things happening! Please read on.
On October 8th, please attend the 16th Street Mall Block Opening Celebration. The celebration includes the first block opening in UpDoNA’s footprint! This will be an all-day event celebrating blocks from Curtis to Market Streets. In addition to the usual celebration activities, there will be exciting activations all along the four-block area. Now for some amazing news!
As you know, UpDoNA was granted a $25,000 grant from Mayor Johnston’s Dynamic Denver Grant Program to add art in Upper Downtown. Thanks to the hard work of Sal Tripodi and the Arts & Beautification Committee, we have partnered with Denver Sister Cities International for our first art project. The reveal will happen at the October 8th Block Opening Celebration. In addition to unveiling the art piece (which will eventually be permanently placed in Upper Downtown on the 16th Street Mall), Sister Cities will provide dancers representing our ten Sister Cities. Come down to celebrate not only the first block opening in Upper Downtown, but to celebrate the unveiling of UpDoNA’s first sponsored art piece. Please look for the UpDoNA and Sister Cities’ tables on the block between Curtis and Lawrence Streets. We’ll be there from 12:00-4:00 p.m.
UpDoNA has also partnered with Parks and Rec for our second art project. Artists Connor Choi and Sarah Iverson are painting a beautiful mural on the Cherry Creek Trail on the pedestrian ramp between Colfax and Stout Street. Stop by to say hello to the artists and to check out the mural. Parks and Rec is starting a program to have murals painted along the Cherry Creek Trail and UpDoNA’s mural is a kickoff for the program! We are planning a ribbon cutting ceremony in early November.
As a member of the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee, I attended our first meeting in September. The committee is comprised of business owners, community leaders, residents, developers, culture and arts, and educators. Councilmen Hinds and Watson are also on the committee.
Our current Downtown Area Plan was last updated in 2007 – the iPhone hadn’t been invented and Union Station had not yet been renovated! Downtown is still suffering from the dynamics of post-covid – commercial office vacancy is at 30%, we’ve had significant loss of businesses, particularly food and beverage, and there has been a 30% decline in visitors since 2019. Clearly it is time for a new plan to combat these trends.
During the meeting we broke into groups and talked about other cities who have been successful in revitalizing their downtowns such as Vancouver, New York City, Boston, and Calgary. We discussed what those cities are doing and how we can do the same. Housing affordability and density was at the top of the list along with equity, diversity, first floor activations, and improving downtown’s canopy.
The role of the committee members is to be an advocate, a megaphone, and a facilitator. Throughout the planning process, I will be reaching out to our members to get input and to keep you informed about our progress. Of course, the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) expansion is vital for funding the Downtown Area Plan. So, please ask your friends and neighbors in Lower Downtown to vote yes in November!
As you know, we support two organizations, STEP Denver that supports men and The Delores Project that supports women and transgendered individuals. Now, the UpDoNA Board of Directors has approved another strategic partner – Urban Peak. This organization supports minors and young adults ages 12-24 experiencing homelessness. To learn more about Urban Peak and the opportunities that you will have to support this organization, please read Ron Townsend’s article in this newsletter.
Finally for you Halloween fiends, the Zombie Crawl is back! On Saturday, October 19th, from 2pm – 8pm, the 1400 block of Larimer will be crawling with activity!
Stay safe, and I’ll talk to you again in November.
Lisa L. Pope
President
Thumbnail attribution – Lisa Pope
