Aurora Council backs stakeholder-driven retail strategy; staff to develop implementation plan

Council member Francois Burger introduced a resolution supporting a retail strategy and asked the Council to endorse stakeholder-driven development of an implementation plan. Janine Rustad, director of planning and business development, presented the framework on Dec. 15 outlining retail health indicators (price per square foot, occupancy, appearance, tenant mix), four center typologies (primary, shadow, microcenters, secondary) and a toolkit of incentives tied to redevelopment goals.

Rustad described an existing large-retail incentive aimed at spaces larger than 10,000 square feet — which had been used to attract anchors such as Nordstrom Rack — and said staff is looking to adapt and expand tools for smaller centers and neighborhood-scale activation. She said the city wants incentives to be predictable and to deliver measurable public benefits.

Council members pressed staff on equity and displacement risks and on safety concerns that affect retailer decisions; Rustad said the city will include equity considerations in engagement and implementation and cited efforts to partner with the Downtown Development Authority and business advisory boards. When asked, Rustad posed the question, “do you approve the resolution supporting the retail strategy and corresponding development of an implementation plan through stakeholder engagement?” and, seeing no opposition, the Council gave that direction.

Rustad said next steps are stakeholder and ward-by-ward engagement, drafting an implementation plan and returning to Council for formal adoption of the plan and any incentive changes.

The resolution was passed by direction (no roll-call vote recorded in the transcript); staff will proceed with public engagement and report back to Council.