Reading the annual report from downtown Colorado Springs, one thing was abundantly clear: Compared to Old Colorado City and the historic Westside, downtown is the big dog.
Under Susan Edmonson’s extraordinary leadership at the Downtown Partnership, our once-scruffy and underperforming city center has become a billion-dollar juggernaut, home to thousands of new apartment dwellings, hundreds of businesses and an apparently never-ending boom. It’s fun to visit, shop, drink and dine, and OCC and surrounding neighborhoods could learn from downtown Colorado Springs’ renaissance.
Downtown and Old Colorado City have similarly structured support networks. Downtown’s “family of organizations” includes the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), Downtown Ventures, Downtown Business Improvement District and the Downtown Partnership.
Each organization has different tasks and goals, and each is extraordinarily well-funded. The DDA lists total assets of $7.09 million, including more than $3 million in cash and investments. Collectively, they’ve helped bring more than $2.3 billion in recent downtown investment.
Although downtown Colorado Springs features extraordinary venues such as the Olympic Museum and Weidner Field, many of the historic buildings that once graced it were torn down in the 1960s and ’70s.
What can we learn from the big dog?
By contrast, OCC’s 19th century commercial district is nearly intact, alive and fun. The OCC family consists of Old Colorado City Associates and the Old Colorado City Partnership, as well as a special improvement and maintenance district. They do a great job with resources that are a tiny fraction of what downtown Colorado Springs has — but what can we learn from the big dog?
Downtown modestly touts itself as “The economic, civic, and cultural heart of the Pikes Peak Region.” In fact, the Pikes Peak region is polycentric, interdependent and unique. Downtown is not the boss of OCC, but they have one niche that we need to copy: apartments.
Imagine living in a multistory apartment building in OCC a few steps off Colorado Avenue. You’d walk to your favorite bars, restaurants and shops, enjoy mountain or city views and easy access to Manitou Springs and the mountains.
There’s bound to be a market, and a way forward for OCCP to put together a deal. Even 200 new apartments would mean 400 to 600 new residents — a boon to businesses, especially during our post-pandemic habits of eating at home and ordering stuff online.
We don’t need to copy Downtown, just steal what’s good and ignore what’s bad. We need more boots on the bricks, more smiles in the stores, more art on the walls, and more beer in the bars.
So let’s get to work — and, even though we love to make fun of our dominant neighbor, Susan and her team would be happy to help us. After all, a rising tide lifts all boats … but remember, the Westside is the Best Side!