DCI Monthly Districts Roundtable

Contents

DCI Monthly Districts Roundtable Last Updated 9/29/2022 2022-09-29 • In Blogs , membership , BID , DDA , Districts


Our recent Districts roundtable talks about new policy ideas, events, and more.

Each month our District members join a call to discuss pertinent issues and share ideas and best practices on district management. This past month brought up several good ideas and suggestions, and a discussion for how DCI can support DDA and BID districts throughout the year. 

POLICY DISCUSSION

The Districts group was joined by Beale Tejada and had discussions on existing liquor policy and brainstormed ideas on how to make it easier to facilitate liquor permitting at events and broaden participation by retailers similar to a gallery license during special events or on a limited basis.

  • There was agreement that any new proposals should have clear and easy language, and refer to the local liquor license authority. 

  • Retailers in many communities would like to participate in ‘open houses’, fashion shows, or other events that activate their retail location without selling alcohol on a permanent basis.

  • Recent changes to liquor consumption laws due to COVID-19 allowed for a variety of trial policies, and some were found to be effective and easy to administer. Communities are interested in ways to retain those policies going forward.

  • Festival permits may provide an opportunity to meet some community needs for coordinated events and alcohol service. Olde Town Arvada mentioned section 44-3-404 in the Colorado Liquor Code linked HERE .

FOCUS AREAS TO WORK ON

The following ideas were discussed as issues that DDA and District members are finding in their local communities and are looking for other perspectives from members around the state.

  • The Special District Association annual conference that recently took place in Keystone mentioned the need for energy efficiency grants and education. Current and soon-to-be-adopted building codes may make it much more expensive to meet energy efficiency guidelines and projects are facing the need for education and assistance.

  • Ambassador programs are used in many communities to assist downtown activities. Areas of engagement, partnership with other community organizations, and crime prevention through environmental design were discussed.

  • Managing events is a time-consuming element of many district work plans. A variety of operational structures and arrangements with production companies were discussed.

  • Collect Grand Junction’s document to explain what is baseline or eligible improvement from the DDA.

ONLINE EVENTS IN DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS

A recent wave of events around an Alice in Wonderland theme took place in Denver, Colorado Springs, and Boulder among other communities, enabled by an online app  from CluedUpp. Other apps are available for programming AR and other tech-driven events like those created by Novaby . District members discussed the challenges of these large coordinated activities taking place without engaging local administration, following traditional event permitting processes, and the impacts (both positive and negative) in their towns. Retailers report unexpectedly high sales, but local infrastructure, restrooms, and other amenities are unprepared for the sudden increase in traffic. 

EVOLVING DISTRICTS

Different communities have taken different paths to developing their downtown organizations, some beginning with Urban Renewal Authorities and adding Downtown Development Authorities or Business Improvement Districts to provide ongoing TIF or service delivery to augment the activities of the URA, other communities may have started with a non-profit organization or a downtown BID and are looking for more robust infrastructure support from a DDA or URA. Members discussed the advantages, disadvantages, and the process of these evolutions and helped inform other communities looking to evolve to meet local needs.

OTHER NOTES

If you weren’t able to make our call and you’re a DCI DDA or District member, we hope to see you on our next one! We meet on the second Wednesday, every other month with our next call planned for Wednesday, November 9th at 12:30pm. A big thanks to Tom Quinn, Executive Director of Alameda Connects, Joe Hengstler, Executive Director at Olde Town Arvada, Robin Fleischmann, Economic Development Manager at the City of Golden, and Susan Edmondson, President and CEO of the Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs for your leadership on our District calls!

We would also love your feedback on any of the topics above, and suggestions for future agenda items in upcoming months. Is there a particular challenge you’re facing that the group could discuss? Contact us at [email protected] with your thoughts!

UPCOMING EVENTS

DCI always has things going on, so be sure to check out these upcoming events!

The EDCC Drive Lead Succeed Conference is taking place in Pueblo, Colorado on October 19, 2022. More information can be found on our website HERE

DCI is hosting the Tax Increment Finance Housing Summit in Pueblo on October 28, 2022. Registration is still open and available by clicking HERE .

DCI, CNU Colorado, American Planning Association (APA) Colorado, and American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Colorado are hosting a Holiday Networking Event December 1, 2022 at the DCI offices in Denver. Register for the event HERE .

Finally, mark your calendars for DCI’s annual conference. DCI IN THE GAME 2023 will be in Loveland, Colorado from April 11-14, 2023. Sponsorships, tours, and programming discussions are taking place now, if you’d like to participate email me at [email protected] .

Not a member yet but you would like to participate on our monthly District calls and enjoy all the other benefits of membership? Click HERE for more information on our memberships tailored to your district, municipality, or organization needs.