The Colorado Springs Downtown Development Authority has released the State of Downtown Report (download 2018-State-of-Downtown-COS), which is a collection of accomplishments, community additions, building and development, jobs and employment, and more from 2017. Plus it provides an overview of projects to come based on current goals and plans for Downtown Colorado Springs.
Take a look at this short video, showing the new downtown restaurants, buildings, and openings in the downtown area, thanks to many different groups with a drive and passion for helping this city grow and thrive:
As a downtown business, we’ve seen these changes firsthand in nearly every aspect of downtown life. From the arts and creative culture, to living options, recreation and transportation, the local food scene, and the job market, Colorado Springs leadership is making intentional decisions to create and maintain healthy, steady growth.
Our arts and creative culture is growing, with exposure events like First Friday’s and Art on the Streets. Everything from art gallery openings to improv comedy shows provide a variety of options to folks wanting to tap into their creative brain. Recently, the Downtown Partnership has made First Friday’s even more accessible, with a free shuttle to transport participants from Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs into the Downtown area.
Our living options are increasing quickly, with the addition of 600+ apartments and plans for thousands of downtown hotel rooms. Plus, urban lofts and sleek condos continue to be built and converted to residential spaces for purchase. Events like the Downtown Urban Living Tour create excitement around the livability of the downtown area, with a first hand look at the urban lifestyle.
Our availability of recreational paths, access to more affordable transportation and improvements of roads and safety have skyrocketed. Additional bike lanes and trails have been added, with one of the major accomplishments being the Legacy Loop Trail. Plus, many are looking forward to the PikeRide bike share service (coming Summer 2018) which will enable tourist and locals to have a convenient and affordable mode of transportation. Also, the city has a variety of low cost transportation services, including the two most popular ride share services, Lyft and Uber.
Our downtown food scene has exploded with new options as well. Small businesses and independent restaurants have opened providing a variety of foodie-pleasing venues. Some of these are even nationally recognized, such as Brother Luck’s Four. Everything from local flair (like the new Colorado Craft Social, the latest addition to Concept Restaurant Group) to large-scale breweries (Oskar Blues) have dropped into the downtown food scene over the last few months. These hot spots are attracting attention from more than just our local community, and becoming community gems that impress visitors and locals alike.
Jobs and businesses downtown are continuing to grow thanks for incentives, tax credits and exemptions, and other perks for downtown businesses in the business improvement district and other surrounding areas. Plus, the EDC (Economic Development Committee) is actively pursuing and engaging companies in the 5 key targeted growth categories: Aerospace and Defense, Sports, Information Technology and Cyber-security, Manufacturing, and Healthcare and Medical Technologies.
Downtown Colorado Springs is quickly becoming the place to live, work, and play! It’s no wonder we beat out every other city in Colorado when we ranked 2nd Best Place to Live by U.S. News and World Report!
