Tale of 3 downtowns: Constant balancing act

Downtown business districts, unlike shopping malls, can’t necessarily pick their tenants; instead the marketplace is most likely to determine who comes, who stays and who thrives.

Northern Colorado’s three largest historic shopping districts – in Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley – all are experiencing the push and pull of the market as they develop.

In recent years Fort Collins, the most developed of three, has experienced a clash between retail and other types of businesses in its downtown district.

“Downtown is really an entertainment area, as well as a straight-up retail area,´ said Chip Steiner, executive director of the Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority. Destructive actions by late-night patrons and drunken revelers from downtown taverns and bars have left retailers and restaurateurs in the area fuming.

“A few years ago we got a lot of it straightened out,” Steiner said. “It really depends on the responsibility that’s taken by the owner of the entertainment facilities whether or not there’s a conflict. Some simply create problems for daytime retailers.”

The perceptions of some that Fort Collins’ downtown was too heavily populated by bars led to the recent controversy over the proposed Purple Martini bar at 125 S. College Ave. The Purple Martini application for a liquor license was rejected in late November after an outpouring of opposition from the community.

Still, some evidence shows the retail-entertainment mix is appropriate. When the city of Fort Collins created its Downtown Strategic Plan, people from other areas involved in scrutinizing the balance of businesses downtown found it was “a very high-quality downtown,´ said David Short, executive director of the Fort Collins Downtown Business Association.

The plan found that the main reason people come downtown is for dining and entertainment. The secondary reason was for shopping and retail, Short said.

There are plenty of opinions about how the downtown retail mix should develop, as well. “We’ve heard opinions from both sides. Some say they would like to see some national retailers down here that have a lot of marketing push and that draw a well-established customer base. Some don’t want any national franchises,” Short added.

One of the arguments against the Purple Martini is that it would convert a historically retail location into a nightspot.

The DBA focuses on supporting existing businesses through marketing downtown amenities and events. “We don’t really get into trying to attract businesses,” Short said. “We obviously want to make downtown successful, which, in the long run, will bring quality businesses down here.”

If organizations such as the DBA and DDA can’t control who takes up residence in the downtown district, they can work with existing businesses in a variety of ways to help structure a positive atmosphere and perceptions for downtown.    

Fort Collins, for instance, is focusing on building more of a cultural environment geared around galleries, theater and specialty retail, Steiner said, referring to a Chautauqua-inspired plan to create a cultural district in the downtown area.

“Over the next 10 years, if we can kind of bend the economics of downtown more into a strong cultural environment, that will have an influence on the kinds of businesses that come downtown,” Steiner said.

Stages and phases

In some ways, the management issues that Fort Collins’ downtown district faces are to be envied. It means that the area has matured, say observers.

Downtown districts in Loveland and Greeley still are working to fill storefronts and develop identities as vital and desirable business areas.

“Typically, you hear about three different phases,´ said Matt Robenalt, Loveland senior city planner and project manager for the Loveland Urban Renewal Authority.

Robenalt outlined a catalyst phase, in which coalitions are built between stakeholders, property owners and the local government. Next comes a growth phase where investment in redeveloping the downtown area begins. Finally there is a management phase.

The work of developing and maintaining these downtown business districts is never done,  Robenalt said. “The management phase is perpetual. For downtown neighborhoods to stay vital they need to be continually reinventing and repositioning themselves.”

Greeley, meanwhile, would like to see more retail businesses downtown to help balance a strong population of service businesses and office space, and to draw more visitors. The vision for downtown Greeley is as an arts and entertainment district, said Amy Fahrenbruch, promotions manager for the Greeley Downtown Development Authority.  

Hoped-for downtown retailers include unique boutiques, shops and galleries.

The 55-block district already is anchored by retailers who have been in business downtown for more than 30 years, Fahrenbruch said, pointing to Florio’s Shoes and Maxim’s art gallery as examples. Several very popular restaurants and some newcomers, such as the Ice Haus skating facility and new museum, also are big draws, she said.

The pace is building, Fahrenbruch said. “I’ve never seen momentum like we’re seeing now. We’re going to be starting to see those things we’re looking for coming in.”

The allure of food

In downtown Loveland, Mary Bahus-Meyer, president of the Downtown Loveland Association, describes a vision of downtown as a multi-purpose destination. Bahus-Meyer said the downtown district may one day connect with the former Larimer County Fairgrounds area to the southwest. “We’d like to see those two areas work together and complement each other.”

Loveland’s downtown urban renewal area has recently seen new restaurants and retailers come in, Bahus-Meyer said.

The current mix of retail to other businesses is good, she said. “I think downtown neighborhoods need a good mix of business services as well as products, restaurants, coffee shops, places for people to relax and enjoy themselves. I think we have a very good mix of cultural activities, along with good restaurants and services.”

Restaurants are a strong draw to a downtown area, she said. “I think you can never go wrong with a good restaurant. People will beat a path to your door. It becomes a good draw to an area.”

Loveland has seen it happen, she said, with its Night on the Town promotion where businesses stay open late one night each month. “People go out to eat, they go to the galleries, listen to jazz, visit the art museum. They spend time circulating to all of these venues.”

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