City of Gunnison seeks input on downtown economic development

On Oct. 5, The City of Gunnison and the Gunnison Chamber of Commerce held Kombucha with the City, a conversation about downtown and Main Street vitality, at Crested Bucha. The building was packed full of business owners and passionate citizens to hear updates from city leadership and share their thoughts on downtown strengths and opportunities for change.

City Manager Amanda Wilson presented "The Gunnison Advantage," a new economic development strategy that addresses sales growth, lagging inflation, housing and infrastructure pressures, and sustained downtown investment. These pressures on Gunnison’s economy affect businesses’ ability to hire and grow, and downtown needs sustained investment.

To address these issues, the city is supporting the launch of the Gunnison Economic Partnership. This independent nonprofit includes community organizations such as Western Colorado University, the Chamber of Commerce, Gunnison Valley Health, and the City of Gunnison. The partnership is intended to fill a gap in local economic development, not replace existing organizations, and hire an executive director.

“The intent is to hire an executive director, someone who has professional knowledge and know-how to advance many of the actions that are already in the Gunnison Advantage strategy, not to create a new one,” said Wilson.

Wilson gave the floor to Mayor Diego Plata to facilitate a community-led conversation about the strengths and growth opportunities of downtown and Main Street. Participants, many of whom were owners of downtown businesses such as Boom-A-Rang, Toggery Elevated, and Wheelies and Waves, described downtown’s current strengths as its independent, locally owned businesses with community-based mindsets. They also valued downtown’s historic character, its walkable, pedestrian-friendly layout, wide streets, and its trees. Attendees deemed these qualities as things worth protecting and building on. Community members emphasized the importance of a downtown gathering space, placing that significance on IOOF Park and the events held there, such as the Saturday Farmers Market.

Ideas for more event space, food-truck access, additional parking, and improved beautification and upkeep were shared as future strengths for downtown.

Participants suggested code changes to make opening new businesses easier and less costly, including simplifying street-use permits, considering incentives for small businesses, and offering matching funds or help securing outside grants for building improvements.

They also saw opportunities to broaden downtown’s offerings, attract shoppers from surrounding communities, encourage local shopping rather than online shopping, and make better use of events and public spaces, such as moving the farmers market to South Main or to a more visible location. Other ideas included supporting longer business hours, businesses staying open on Sundays, improving traffic flow and pedestrian access, and making downtown buildings available for mixed uses, such as combined residential and commercial uses.

Attendees and business owners said that vacant and neglected downtown buildings hurt Main Street’s appearance and can burden nearby businesses.

“I think addressing the existing buildings that are vacant and neglected is important,” said Stephanie Dawes, owner of Toggery Elevated. “I think it’s a really big burden on all of downtown, and impacts our entire community and the business district. People drive through town and see storefront after storefront that’s closed and dark.”

Terry Morrow, a well-known Gunnison businessperson, raised concerns about the Columbine building in particular, saying it had been condemned, though people were still going in and out of the building. Various other attendees questioned why action takes so long and whether owners could be required to maintain or use their buildings.

Wilson explained that lifting the condemnation on the Columbine building means the identified safety issues would need to be addressed sufficiently for the building to no longer be considered unsafe to enter; it did not mean the building was approved to be open to the public. The building still needs an approved use and a certificate of occupancy. The owner has been meeting with prospective buyers to discuss potential uses, and the city has been working with interested parties.

More broadly, the city claimed to be prioritizing incentives and help accessing grants for building improvements over penalties, while acknowledging that the balance between property rights and downtown upkeep is challenging.

Police Chief Sam Costello addressed concerns about parking and downtown events. He was proud to announce that the department was fully staffed for the first time in a long time, but its immediate priority was maintaining safe staffing in patrol. To do that, the department has temporarily given up the school resource officer position and parking enforcement, and has reduced investigative staffing. The department would like to have more officers on foot downtown, but prioritizes coverage across the city.

Regarding parking, Costello said the city was not issuing many parking tickets because parking enforcement had shifted away with the position. The department would evaluate whether to bring back a parking officer or handle enforcement through patrol and neighborhood staff. Attendees urged the city to reconsider the two-hour parking limit, which the city agreed to.

Downtown shop owners were adamant that downtown trees on Main Street need care, and the city agreed. Wilson explained that every tree downtown is beyond its expected lifespan. The gates around the trees may be harming them, but removing the grates will too, so the city is between a rock and a hard place. Because downtown was identified as a park in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, the city intends to seek community input and consider amending the code to ensure the city maintains downtown trees rather than adjacent business owners. Replacing trees will be carefully planned and phased, since the community is attached to them and removing one may be controversial.

Any questions regarding "The Gunnison Advantage," Economic Partnership, or other downtown plans, may be directed to the City of Gunnison.