Today, the City of Colorado Springs is pleased to announce it is launching a pilot program alongside Downtown Partnership to create an enhanced Downtown experience. The full effort will run at least through the end of 2024.
“Downtown is the beating heart of Colorado Springs, and we recognize the importance of working with community members and organizations to enhance and protect the vibrancy of this important business and cultural district,” said Mayor Yemi Mobolade. “With the holidays right around the corner, there are so many reasons to come Downtown, and I hope this coordinated effort helps encourage additional traffic and visitation. We invite you to experience Downtown.”
The program’s five focus areas include parking, security, clean up efforts, homelessness response and business support. These areas were identified based on community feedback.
Parking changes
The City’s Parking Enterprise conducted a community-wide survey this spring and analyzed its services to inform a long-term plan. Based on the more than 900 comments it received and a close look at data, including drone footage of parking patterns, several permanent parking changes will begin Friday, Nov. 15 in both Downtown and Old Colorado City.
Metered parking hours will be shortened to 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday. And on Sunday, metered parking hours will be shortened to 1-8 p.m. Also, parking will be free in City-owned garages and lots on Sundays. The final parking plan is expected to be released in January.
Enhanced security
The Police Department’s Downtown Area Response Team, a public safety and law enforcement service that responds to the greater downtown area, will be deploying additional resources, especially in the early morning hours.
Clean-up efforts
The City’s Neighborhood Services team will focus on early-morning cleanup efforts. This includes helping with public property in front of businesses in coordination with Downtown Partnership’s business improvement district clean teams. The aim of this work is to provide a more enjoyable experience for all patrons and team members of downtown businesses.
Homelessness response
The City’s Housing & Homelessness Response department is coordinating local nonprofit service providers, the Police Department’s Downtown Area Response Team and the Fire Department’s Homeless Outreach Program to conduct additional street outreach and case management for high-needs individuals experiencing homelessness downtown. The goal of this work is to create effective, individualized service plans and remove barriers to resources to help people recover and successfully exit homelessness.
Business support
The City’s Economic Development team will be conducting a series of business walks to connect with local business owners. This two-way engagement is a way for the City to share information about existing resources and hear directly from business owners on ways to drive further future collaboration.
“Downtown Partnership and all of our entities are excited for this opportunity to partner with the City to amplify all of our efforts to help downtown be a magical holiday experience you cannot get anywhere else in the city,” said Jen Furda, Downtown Partnership board chair and interim CEO.
Results and observations from the action areas will be evaluated and shared with the community in January. This effort, or specific aspects of it, could continue into 2025.