Downtown Colorado, Inc. comes to town to talk shop with businesses and government
Out-of-town experts came to Carbondale this week to discuss — and potentially improve — the downtown.
Denver-based Downtown Colorado, Inc., an organization founded in 1982 with the goal of helping to get downtowns “where they need to be,” spoke with the Board of Trustees, local business owners, residents and others to get a sense of where things stand and where the town might be headed. Executive Director Katherine Correll described the importance of their mission with a reference to a book by Peter Kageyama, “For The Love of Cities.”
“And the premise behind this book is exactly what I said, you can do the basics, you could fill every pothole in town, and that will not make people love Carbondale, right?” Correll told the Carbondale Board of Trustees at the Tuesday regular meeting. “It is the things that go above and beyond.”
The major players in Carbondale responsible for downtown’s functioning are the Town of Carbondale, Carbondale Arts, the Chamber of Commerce and the newly-formed Main Street Business Alliance, according to Town Manager Ryan Hyland. Downtown Colorado, Inc.’s role is to help the Town identify areas it could improve upon, and then help align it with the resources to make those changes.
“At the beginning of the adventure, you just say where you’re headed,” Correll said, “and we can kind of help direct you toward the right resources to get you there.”
The organization conducted a survey earlier this month with business owners, employees, property owners, residents, customers and visitors to get a grasp on Carbondale’s challenges and areas to improve upon.
Housing affordability, the survey found, is the dominant issue worrying the community. Business viability relies upon housing, prices and foot traffic. Parking, mobility and access are “persistent tensions,” and the community desires a more vibrant, year-round downtown.
Gathering feedback from the Board, Downtown Colorado, Inc. asked each trustee to rate downtown Carbondale’s state as “stagnant,” “growing” or “mature.” Correll defined “stagnant” as “a challenged business district with high vacancies, underutilized properties, uninviting public realm and a poor regional image.” “Growing” was defined as “an up-and-coming business district with a sprinkling of new business, pioneering new investments and an image of district in transition.” “Mature” represented “an established business district with a strong mix of retail, restaurants and jobs, [an] inviting public realm and a strong regional image.”
Trustees Colin Laird and Chris Hassig defined Carbondale as near the end of “growing” and pushing toward “mature.” Hassig said, right now, it’s more about sustaining momentum downtown than generating new ideas. Laird added that one of the challenges of moving Carbondale to “mature” is housing, or lack thereof, barring some employees and resources from remaining local.
“So this whole kind of affordability crisis is really complicating everything that we’re trying to do,” Laird said.
Trustees Kade Gianinetti and Jess Robison characterized downtown as hovering on either side of “growing,” depending on the area in which one rates it. Gianinetti said there might be tension between newcoming businesses and the long-term, “established old guard.” He also pointed to housing difficulties and a lack of tourism as issues for the workforce, deliberating how the Town could keep those who live in Carbondale working in Carbondale, rather than working in Aspen.
Robison added that, from a perception standpoint, downtown Carbondale’s regional image might be stronger than it is in reality for those that “live here and own a business here.”
Mayor Erica Sparhawk said she “leaned toward ‘mature’” on her rating assessment, “focusing on retaining and growing businesses that are here, as opposed to attracting new businesses,” though she said that Trustee Ross Kribbs persuaded her that downtown is closer to “growing.”
“The idea that some of the folks who may want to sort of not grow at all may still really like having restaurants … downtown,” Kribbs said. “And so understanding that, in order to sort of support that, you need … a certain critical mass that’s out and about and patronizing these establishments — and that’s an element that you lose sight of.”
Downtown Colorado, Inc. also asked the trustees to think of one word that exemplifies what they currently love about Carbondale. Multiple trustees mentioned “vitality” and “community.” Other words listed included: volunteerism, artistic, creativity, eclectic, gritty, nature, bikes, creatives, humane, rural, partnerships and authentic-inspired.
The trustees also listed words they would like to see describe Carbondale in five years. “Housing” landed at the top of the list. Others included: grocery market, Chacos Park, space to stay, healthy community, The Pour House, town center, busy on sunday, affordable and world-class.
Downtown Colorado, Inc. will remain in Carbondale, continuing its research through Friday. The organization will release a report about its findings and recommendations for downtown Carbondale’s future direction in roughly a month.
In other news…
The Carbondale Board of Trustees unanimously appointed Anne Krimmer and Franco Palumbo as regular members of the Planning & Zoning Commission. They reappointed Cindy Suplizio as a regular member of the commission.
The Board also granted Glenwood Springs-based contractor Grand River Construction their $260,000-plus bid to build the Weant Boulevard Pedestrian Crossing this summer. The crossing will create a crosswalk and pedestrian median across Highway 133, connecting the area outside the Third Street Center to the northern corner of Triangle Park.