DOWNTOWN GLENWOOD'S NEXT CHAPTER
Downtown is the place to be in Glenwood Springs.
Truly the heart of our beloved community, Downtown is where we all go to enjoy the things that make Glenwood, Glenwood. Downtown is where our largest concentration of independent restaurants and retailers flourish. Downtown is where we celebrate our community - the Market on 7th, Noche Latina, Pride Celebration, Movies & Music Under the Bridge, and Grand Holiday all happen here. It is also home to our thriving creative community. Downtown is where you will find murals and sculptures lovingly made and commissioned by local artists. And only in Downtown Glenwood Springs can you find multiple world class hot springs, a mountaintop amusement park, two pristine rivers, and over 30 acres of park space!
In 2023, the Glenwood Springs Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and its partners continued to ensure Downtown remains the cornerstone of our community. We are working hard to build upon the great “nucleus” of activity that has been established in and around Bethel Plaza and 7th Street Restaurant Row. We completed designs for the 700 block of Cooper Avenue, North Landing, our core downtown alleyways, and 6th Street - all key connections to that center.
The opportunities are endless in Downtown Glenwood Springs. This report highlights some of our biggest successes of the past year. Thank you for your continued support and investment in the heart of our community.
- Jillian Sutherland, DDA Executive Director & Chad Lee, DDA Board Chair
DDA BOARD 2023
Chad Lee, Chair
Kurt Carruth, Vice-Chair
Shelley LaDue Fishbein
Kevin Brady
Paula Gorra
Matt Cooke
Kevin Flohr
Charlie Willman
CITY COUNCIL LIAISONS
Marco Dehm
Mitchell Weimer
MISSION
The Glenwood Springs DDA’s mission is to create vitality for the downtown; its plans and projects include strengthening downtown as the retail, entertainment, office, government and tourist hub of the area. The DDA ensures access for all.
VISION
Downtown Glenwood Springs is a destination bridging our rich history and celebrating small town character with our bright future as a crossroads of recreation, culture, diversity, and entrepreneurship.
PUBLIC CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
One of the key ways that the DDA supports downtown economic development is through capital investment and improvements to public amenities. 2023 Capital Improvement Projects included:
North Landing
Originally the space where the Old Grand Avenue Bridge “landed,” North Landing is an underutilized grassy area that is located adjacent to Hotel Colorado and the Glenwood Hot Springs Resort. It is envisioned as North Downtown’s “outdoor living room.” This year, designs were completed for this dynamic new public space.
The project features an art sculpture garden, nature play spaces, a performance space, a shaded area for food trucks and their patrons, and a self-cleaning restroom. It is projected to go out to bid in 2024 and is scheduled for completion in 2025.
North Landing will include shade structures and multipurpose space for performances, games, dining, and more.
A pergola will provide nice shade and a beautiful entrance into the space from the Pedestrian Bridge.
A gorgeous walkway leads to an art sculpture garden.
Cooper Avenue
Cooper Avenue is a critical downtown shopping street rich with Glenwood history. Business owners have expressed a desire to enhance the street by adding greenery, improving lighting, and building up its unique character.
The existing conditions of the street show a lack of street trees, unorganized truck parking, and very wide traffic lanes.
The DDA completed conceptual streetscape designs for Cooper Avenue based on the goals of the business owners.
When completed, the street will offer two additional on-street parking spaces, abundant street trees and landscaping, space for outdoor dining, gateway art and a beautiful, well-lit mid-block crossing at intersection of the alleyways. The DDA has budgeted to get the project shovel-ready with construction documents in 2024.
This is an artistic rendering of Cooper looking south towards 8th Street.
An artistic rendering of Cooper looking north toward 7th Street.
A beautiful midblock crossing will connect the pedestrian-only alleyways that connect Blake Avenue to the County Courthouse. String lights will be hung from the banners to create a visual draw on the block at night.
Alley Revitalization
The DDA funded the design and engineering for improvements for the alleys between Grand Avenue, Blake Avenue, 7th Street and 8th Street. These designs move forward a long-held vision of creating a pedestrian-only pathway between the County Courthouse and the Hotel Denver. Additional goals of the project include increasing pedestrian safety and mobility, creating a vibrant space with special lighting, and inspiring redevelopment on adjacent private property.
With support from the DDA, the City successfully competed for Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) Energy/Mineral Impact Assistance Funds (EIAF) to contribute to the $1.6M project. The DDA will be paying for the bulk of the project, and has budgeted $600,000 for the construction of the improvements in 2024, and an additional $300,000 will be budgeted for the lighting to be installed in 2025. The remaining $700,000 in project costs are being split between the DOLA grant and City funds.
GRANT PROGRAMS
The DDA launched a new grant opportunity alongside the existing and popular Facade Improvement, Design Assistance and Alley Lighting Programs. The brand new Safety & Security Grant Program is designed to support business owners who are interested in installing public-facing security cameras on the exterior of their buildings. The DDA will reimburse these businesses for 50% of the total project cost up to $5,000 so long as the business agrees to make footage available to law enforcement entities should they need it.
Facade Improvement Grant
The DDA’s Facade Improvement Program provides financial assistance for eligible projects in the district that enhance building façades, thereby enhancing the downtown street environment. Matching grants of up to $25,000 are awarded on a “first come, first served” basis. Nearly $30,000 in Facade Improvement Grants were awarded to long-established local businesses looking to upgrade the exterior of their buildings.
Design Assistance Grant
Two businesses took advantage of the Design Assistance Program, which provides up to $1,000 for local businesses or property owners to hire an architect to help with the design of facade improvements.
SUPPORTING ARTS & CULTURE DOWNTOWN
Events and art programs energized downtown all year long, engaging the community with art installations, markets, and performances. Bethel Plaza was full of life and fun for people of all ages and backgrounds.
Market on 7th
This was the first full year that the DDA ran the Market on 7th, and vendor participation was greater than ever with over 40 vendors participating, 7 of which were local farmers. Live music was provided by local musicians every week, employing a total of 37 local musicians over the course of the season. The market ran for 13 weeks, and accepted both Women, Infant, Children (WIC) vouchers and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds to ensure the market was accessible for everyone.
The DDA was pleased to receive sponsorships from both FirstBank and DWC CPA & Advisors, as well as a Financial Advisory Board grant for the permitting fees. It was a group effort to pull off this signature downtown event and the DDA looks forward to making it even better next season.
Better Together 2.0
This was the City’s second year of the “Better Together” mural art project and it was met with the same great enthusiasm. The DDA was proud to provide a sponsorship of Glenwood Gold, our “currency” that is good for purchases at local restaurants and retailers, for artists who participated in the City’s second successful “Better Together” Public Art project. 10 artists from across Colorado added murals locations scattered across downtown. How many have you found?
Grand Holiday
Santa met with children and families in Centennial Park at the Grand Holiday event once again this year. He brought one of his reindeer, Comet, with him on his arrival on December 9th. The event ran from 4 pm - 7 pm to catch the after-school crowd and was busy from open to closed! The DDA was proud to partner with the Chamber Resort Association on this event and provided free fresh churros for all who attended.
Noche Latina, Pride, Music & Movies Under the Bridge
The DDA is so thankful for the City’s Parks and Recreation Department that continuously brings amazing events into the heart of Downtown for the WHOLE community. Events ranged from celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with a huge community dance, celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride with a concert and drag show, summer music performances, free movies, and so much more! Children and adults alike enjoyed these FREE performances and community events from spring to fall. THANK YOU Parks & Recreation for all you do to keep downtown looking beautiful and bringing the fun!
SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY
The Glenwood Springs Police Department (GSPD) does a fantastic job responding to merchant calls, providing conflict resolution, and assisting the general public with a variety of needs in the downtown. Unfortunately, Downtown still suffers from vandalism and public facilities are mistreated. To discourage future abuse and aid in catching those responsible, the DDA worked closely with the GSPD to identify key locations for security cameras. The DDA invested $36,000 in the purchase and installation of security cameras in 8 locations downtown which will be operational before the high season begins in 2024.
SEE YOU DOWNTOWN IN 2024!
Thanks for reading! For additional questions about the work of the Glenwood Springs Downtown Development Authority please reach out to Jillian Sutherland, Executive Director at director@glenwoodspringsdda.com