Downtown Boulder CEO Update

Aaron Roof

This morning we were devastated to learn about the loss of our friend and Board Member Aaron Roof.

Aaron was instrumental in the development of the CU-Boulder Mentorship Program and a tireless advocate for the development of student leadership.

Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and the CU community as we all process our grief and loss.

Downtown Boulder

October Board Update

Mark your Calendar

Fall Town Hall -October 25th

eTown

This, but more

An Exciting Vision for the Future of Downtown

This month, we are putting the finishing touches on Downtown Boulder's 5-year Vision Plan. Hundreds of people have been involved in the creation of this vision over the course of many months, building from the launch at the joint board meeting in April. The "final" document will be completed later this month, and an overview will be presented at our Fall town hall meeting on October 25th.

I put the word "final" in quotes because the plan really will serve as a launchpad. We have heard quite a bit from our stakeholders and from the community writ large, and we are coming out of this process with many actionable strategies that we will start working on right away. We also understand that there are areas of the plan that we need to go deeper into. We need to hear from communities we haven't, we need to learn more, and we will.

Over the last week, we have received input from city leadership, the vision steering committee, and the public enhancements committee, all of which have greatly informed and shaped the plan. An overview of the plan will be presented at the DBP and DBCI board meetings this month and we look forward to additional feedback.

There is a lot in the plan, but if I were to provide a sneak preview summary, I would say this: Downtown works great. The desire is to lean into the successes of the past and expand and amplify them in the future. The vision plan outlines some great strategies to expand the places, experiences, and opportunities downtown for even more residents, employees, and visitors.

I look forward to sharing with you the plan this month, and even more so, I look forward to moving forward with you on implementing some of the many proposals, building on our great foundation of success.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL TIME

Renew your membership now!

Six reasons to renew your DBP membership right now!

1- YOU SUPPORT OUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS

One of the most important things that we do as an organization is advocacy. Downtown Boulder businesses and neighbors have a voice in issues that impact the district because the Downtown Boulder Partnership has a long history of working with city leadership on understanding and advancing the best interests of the downtown community. This is not something that the Business Improvement District (BID) can do. This is not something that the Downtown Boulder Community Initiatives (DBCI) can lead. This is the primary function of the Downtown Boulder Partnership (DBP). DBP's primary funding is through membership dues. Becoming a member is the way your voice is amplified when and where it matters.

2- YOU LIKE TO WIN STUFF

Renew by October 19th to be eligible to win room nights at The Boulder Bradley Inn, a half-page ad in Boulder Lifestyle Magazine, gift cards from downtown businesses, and more! If you are willing and able, we would love to see you renew your membership at a higher level than last year.

3- YOU WANT FEWER EMAILS

We will be sending email reminders out constantly until we reach our goal, but once you renew we'll take you off that email list so you can spend that extra time not reading emails, looking at cat videos or something.

4- YOU'RE A LEADER IN THE COMMUNITY

If you are getting this email, you are probably on one of our boards and so we know that the rest of the downtown business community looks to you for guidance in all things.

5- YOU DON'T PROCRASTINATE

You know you're going to renew your membership at some point, you might as well just do it now and not have to think about it again.

6- YOU WANT TO AVOID SHAME

So we will be taking a moment at our upcoming board meetings to acknowledge and thank all of the board members who have renewed so far. You will want your name on the thank you list, because after reading this email, most of the board members are going to renew immediately. You really don't want to be one of a couple of people not on the list, right?

Need an invoice? email Kat

Renew your membership now!

Public Safety Update

Even as we have enjoyed busy days and lots of traffic downtown we have recently seen an apparent increase in challenging and disruptive behaviors and situations that run the gamut from uncomfortable and sad to criminal and dangerous.

While there are no easy fixes to the challenges we face, there are many efforts in the works and new approaches continually being explored. Having said that, I believe there are gaps in our response.

There are efforts underway to get more much-needed mental health support downtown. Also, at last week's City Council meeting a preliminary budget was passed with a lot of new money to help manage the issue. Some of this is immediate, and some is more long-term.

• Just under $1 million for a non-law enforcement response team for nonemergency and low-level behavioral health services;

• About $1.1 million for case management and homelessness solutions, including a day services center;

• Nearly $1.3 million to continue Boulder’s public space management pilot program and add an encampment management team and additional urban park rangers.

I believe these are all important initiatives for helping with the solution. My personal opinion is that the development of the day center could be one of the more important things we do. Where it is located, what services it provides, and most importantly, how it is run - and by whom - will be very important conversations, and I assure finding an appropriate location will be one of Boulder's biggest struggles. Without sufficient facilities to direct people to, with wrap-around services and dedicated case managers, downtown and our other public spaces become the default day center.

Here are some resources to know about:

https://boulderdowntown.com/about/homelessness-resources

This site, like this issue, is continuing to evolve, but I hope you find it useful. To summarize, there is a lot of work being done on a lot of fronts. We can always do a better job and look to best practices from other cities for new initiatives.

Elections

The 2022 Election is just around the Corner. The Downtown Boulder Partnership has taken a position to join the Chamber's position in opposition to the formation of a library district and the creation of a new tax to support it.

The Public Policy Committee made no other position recommendations.

See the Boulder Chambers Ballot Issue positions here