Denver, CO
Downtown Denver Partnership reports early successes of new public safety initiatives
DENVER — As McDonald’s and TJ Maxx be part of a protracted record of closed companies alongside 16th Avenue Mall, many viewers instructed us that cleanliness and crime are the primary causes they don’t seem to be spending extra time in downtown Denver.
The Metropolis of Denver, in coordination with the Downtown Denver Partnership (DDP), is investing thousands and thousands of {dollars} to renovate the mall and subsidize native small companies to function. In November, it additionally introduced new public well being and security measures to fight crime and join these experiencing homelessness with psychological well being and habit companies.
Kourtny Garrett, president of the Downtown Denver Partnership, acknowledged that clients feeling unsafe and uncomfortable visiting Denver’s Central Enterprise District, and 16th Avenue Mall is a serious impediment to growing foot site visitors to companies. Nonetheless, she mentioned that early outcomes of the brand new measures are exhibiting promise.
“We’ve related with people and actually helped to search out them paths into both shelters, job placement, substance misuse therapy, psychological well being therapy, and so forth,” Garrett mentioned. “Like each metropolis within the nation, we face a problem with drug epidemic, with a rise in these experiencing homelessness, and housing disaster.”
Forty associate organizations have signed onto the security initiatives with town and the DDP, which embody a heavier presence of police, psychological well being consultants and substance abuse navigators. Knowledge from the Denver Police Division (DPD) exhibits that the Central Enterprise District has essentially the most reported crimes of any of town’s neighborhoods.
That is removed from the primary time that instituted insurance policies and procedures have aimed to scale back crime and homelessness alongside 16th Avenue Mall and all through downtown. Nonetheless, Garrett mentioned she is assured that these newest efforts — mixed with the various different investments into infrastructure and companies — will result in final enhancements.
“One, it’s the truth that we have now so many companions who’re working collectively — 40 associate organizations, a lot of which embody regulation enforcement, the judicial system, all working in live performance,” Garrett mentioned. “Quantity two, it’s a long-term dedication. This isn’t a activity drive that’s going to be right here for 30 days. It is a long-term dedication to the general public well being and public security of our neighborhood.”
Whereas daytime foot site visitors ranges downtown are nonetheless far beneath pre-pandemic ranges — due largely to the exodus of workplace staff from Denver’s downtown — restaurant reservations on weekend nights have met and even surpassed 2019 numbers, in line with the DDP. Whereas property crime within the space trended largely within the incorrect route in 2022, violent crime in all reported classes decreased from 2021 per DPD knowledge.
“We see that there’s a lot exercise, and I feel those that haven’t been down in fairly a while are actually those that want to return see the joy that’s right here immediately,” Garrett mentioned.