Bettina Torres, a downtown business improvement presenter, told the commission that 22 new businesses have opened in downtown so far in 2025 while 13 businesses closed. She said the new openings included a variety of retail and hospitality businesses and that closures included national chains that reduced nationwide footprints.

Torres said the district paused some marketing after the June incidents out of sensitivity but resumed promotions in late June. She described advertising targeted at women ages 30–65, buskings and the ongoing Bands on the Bricks series, and said the Pearl Street Arts Fest will close the 1400 block this weekend with roughly 111 artists participating and vendors from 21 states.

Torres also discussed foot-traffic measurement. She said the district uses pedestrian-count cameras and Placer.ai (visitor analytics), noting that the three pedestrian cameras are showing about a 7% decline while Placer.ai data are “pretty consistent overall.” The district continues to track both sources because they capture different impressions: camera counts of pedestrians and Placer.ai’s device-based visits.

Other operational notes: Torres said the district’s ambassadors recorded roughly 1,400 Tivo-train riders (children’s attraction) and that the ambassador program is distinguishing hospitality contacts (service interactions) from outreach and safety contacts. She also described a restaurant task force and a published restaurant playbook to help local restaurants with rising costs and workforce challenges.

No commission vote was taken; the item was an informational report from downtown business improvement staff and related partners.