Downtown Commercial Partnership reports rapid growth downtown, highlights services and vacancy challenges

David Bridal of the Downtown Commercial Partnership briefed the Economic Development Committee on March 10 on the group’s 2025 activities and priorities as downtown experiences fast population and development growth.

Bridal emphasized that the partnership traces its roots to a 1988 business improvement area and that a 2018 renewal — described by the presenter as earning 99% support among voters who responded — expanded the service area and moved some work beyond traditional "safe and clean" services toward welcoming activations and events. He said downtown population has grown sharply in recent decades and noted a disparity between downtown job wages and resident household incomes.

The update outlined the DCP’s funding and service model. Bridal explained the partnership works with the city so the city invoices property owners and the DCP is reimbursed for services. He walked the committee through assessment mechanics (separate use and land assessments, rate classes) and gave an example calculation for a 32,000‑sq‑ft building on a 10,000‑sq‑ft lot (presenter cited an annual assessment “a little under $6,000”). He said about two‑thirds of DCP revenue funds safe‑and‑clean operations, with the remainder used for welcoming/activation work.

Bridal described operational work: seven‑day cleaning and incident response, pressure‑washing sidewalks on a multi‑year cycle, graffiti removal (the presenter said graffiti removals spiked to over 5,000 incidents in 2024) and trash‑collection pressures. He said investments in placemaking — including taking over management of the farmers market in mid‑2024 — paid off with an estimated 40% increase in vendor sales in 2025, but noted weather and tent infrastructure limit outdoor market sustainability.

Committee members pressed the presenter on collection rates for vacant parcels and on vacancy tracking. Bridal said the city invoices give the assessment collection priority and reported a “pretty high” success rate collecting assessments; he said DCP tracks storefront vacancies and estimates about 160 storefronts in the downtown core with about 90% accuracy in identifying vacant storefronts. The committee also discussed retail recruitment, the role of a retail advocate (a role the DCP raised previously), and the high structural and financing costs for converting office buildings to housing.

On grocery access and daytime/nighttime population, Bridal suggested small "micro‑grocer" formats or bodegas as better fits for downtown than conventional full‑size supermarket models, citing operators’ strict site and income requirements for larger grocers.

The update wrapped up with a reminder that the DCP’s budget and work plan will proceed through committee and then to council for any required approvals.

The committee moved on to its next briefing; no formal council action on the DCP item was taken at the March 10 meeting.