Downtowns, Data, and Dancing in the Street: DCI’s 2025 Year in Review

2025 was a big year for Downtown Colorado, Inc.—the kind of year that had us learning, traveling, convening, celebrating, and occasionally dancing in the street. From launching new online tools and spending meaningful time in rural communities across the state, to bringing leaders together around downtown development, financing, and partnership-building, DCI leaned into what we do best: connecting people and ideas to move communities forward. Whether we were rolling up our sleeves for hands-on workshops, hopping on buses for tours, or gathering hundreds of downtown champions at IN THE GAME, everything we did was rooted in one simple truth—great downtowns don’t happen by accident. They’re built through collaboration, creativity, and a whole lot of care. Here’s a look back at the highlights of 2025—and a peek at what’s coming next.

+ Downtown Education Portal + Dashboard

This year, DCI officially took learning online with the launch of our brand-new Downtown Education Portal (DEP)—your new go-to hub for downtown know-how, whenever and wherever you need it. Designed for busy community leaders and small business champions, the DEP offers flexible, self-paced courses that meet communities where they are, whether the goal is revitalizing a key property, strengthening local businesses, or tackling a big redevelopment challenge. 

We kicked things off with two free courses (for a limited time!) available to both members and non-members, and built them on DCI’s deep bench of expertise—from financing and organizational models to events, activation, and small business support. Even better, the full Challenge Program now lives on the portal, giving communities the option to work through challenges on their own or dive into a cohort experience and workshop ideas at IN THE GAME. Bottom line: the DEP puts practical tools, proven strategies, and momentum-building support right at your fingertips. Ready to jump in? Visit the Downtown Education Portal or the Challenge Program page to learn more and get started.

+ Building Stronger Rural Colorado Communities

In addition to our online content, 2025 was also a monumental year for traveling to and working with our rural communities. The majority of our members are small communities with populations less than 20,000 and our rural work is very important to us. If your community is in need of support such as technical assistance, organizational management, TIF Training, business training, etc. reach out to Kylie at [email protected]. Here are some of the highlights.

• CENTER VITALITY. The Town of Center and DCI has been working over the past seven years to engage, educate, and empower community development through many initiatives involving youth, property owners, and citizens getting more involved in planning for the future of Center. A big focus of this work has been on increasing affordable and attainable housing on the North 90, a parcel of land owned by the Town. Recently, the Town has made big strides to making this goal a reality. The town established an Urban Renewal Authority and Planning commission. The town received two grants from the Department of Local Affairs. The first is a More Housing Now grant which will assist in the design and construction of infrastructure on part of the North 90. The second is a Local Planning Capacity Grant which allows the Town to expand capacity for planning, development, and engagement. The first phase of the development is being planned now and the Town will be participating in an expanded community engagement project next year. Our team has been working tirelessly over these past few years to reach this point so we are so excited to report this progress.
• COLORADO-JAPAN BYWAY PARTNERSHIP. DCI has been partnering with the Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways the past few years to support communities in their efforts to encourage travel and tourism along these corridors. This year, we were honored to help formalize and celebrate a partnership between the CO Byways and the Hokkaido Byways. Hokkaido is the second-largest and northernmost of Japan’s four main islands. Together with its surrounding islands, it comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. This was an amazing project that helped us share the great things about both places: downtowns, mountains, and all of the culture from both places
• FESTIVAL PARK DEVELOPMENT IN BLANCA. DCI has been assisting the Town of Blanca the past few years to create some momentum and engagement around their downtown. This year, the town banded together to create an amazing asset for the town, a new Festival Park. The park includes seating areas, a stage, plants and grass, and the development of community gathering spaces. The construction was supported by a CDOT Main Street Revitalization Grant.
• TOURISM TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN RIDGWAY. In May 2025, Downtown Colorado, Inc. (DCI) partnered with the Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) to lead two dynamic workshops focused on economic development, building on the foundation of previous tourism planning efforts and the Destination Blueprint. This was a unique opportunity to take tourism efforts and transform them into actual economic development benefits.
• DOWNTOWN VITALITY IN SALIDA. The City of Salida engaged Downtown Colorado, Inc. (DCI) to facilitate an effort focused on Downtown Salida and how to build collaboration to address the downtown’s most pressing challenges. Each DCI community assessment brings together local leaders and professionals to evaluate current conditions, identify priorities, and outline a path for long-term downtown vitality. Over two days, a multidisciplinary team of consultants in design, planning, marketing, redevelopment, and finance worked alongside community representatives to provide observations and practical recommendations. 

 

+ Big Ideas, Brand-New Events

DCI really took education for TIF districts and development up a level this year. We expanded our offerings for Business Improvement Districts through the establishment of the Denver BID Council and the Revive + Thrive event. We also wanted to continue to share methods and best practices for small development. Development can come in many forms but the idea of small development enhances many of the things that we value in our communities and downtowns: incremental development; economic resilience; authentic placemaking; and social responsibility.

DENVER BID COUNCIL ORGANIZES THE FIRST REVIVE + THRIVE EVENT

In August, the Denver BID Council and Downtown Colorado, Inc. brought BID leaders and City of Denver leadership together for the first Revive + Thrive event, a high-energy convening focused on what’s possible when cities and districts truly work as partners. Through four real-world case studies, participants explored models that are strengthening safety, accelerating economic vitality, and improving the day-to-day experience of doing business downtown—from Downtown Boulder’s decades-long City-BID partnership and Colfax’s innovative approach to supporting small businesses during BRT construction, to Downtown Denver’s Express Permitting Pilot and Cherry Creek North’s bold use of bond financing to transform public spaces. The day balanced practical insights with big-picture thinking, capped by a working lunch where attendees synthesized lessons learned and identified ideas to carry forward. With nearly 70 leaders in the room, Revive + Thrive showcased the power of collaboration, trust, and shared problem-solving and set the stage for deeper City-BID alignment across Denver and beyond.

SMALL DEVELOPER WORKSHOP 

The first of the Small Developer conversations took place in Canon City in May. The DCI Small Developer Exploration event focused on the successful redevelopment of the historic Hotel St. Cloud, a brownfield project that revitalized a key asset in the community. Participants heard from the developers, community leaders, and experts involved, and walked away with invaluable knowledge and inspiration for their own development efforts. DCI will be hosting a Small Developer conversation March 31st in Grand Junction before IN THE GAME starts. If you know of any potential or active developers doing these types of projects in your community please send them our way! The more we can all partner on these projects the better outcome for our downtowns!

TIF 101 FOR STAFF + TIF 201 

This year we expanded our TIF training offerings to include training specifically for new staff and more advanced 201 sessions to dive into the evolving legal and legislative landscape of Tax Increment Financing (TIF), including recent state laws, court rulings, and policy proposals. The TIF 201 session also explored advanced strategies for negotiating public-private partnerships and integrating complementary tools like Metro Districts, BIDs, and PIFs to maximize the impact of TIF.

+The Hits We Bring Back Every Year

DCI METRO MOBILE TOUR: SUPERIOR, LOUISVILLE, LAFAYETTE, AND ERIE

Every year, DCI partners with Colorado Municipal League to get downtown professionals out of their offices and communities and on the road to see how other TIF districts get creative and partner for amazing projects. This year’s tour brought together representatives from over 20 communities and 41 organizations—from municipalities and urban renewal authorities to consultants, nonprofits, and private-sector partners. The day began in Superior, where attendees toured the new Civic Center and Downtown Superior, a walkable, mixed-use area that embodies the town’s vision for connected, people-centered growth. Next stop: Louisville, where the group strolled through Old Town and along Highway 42 to see new residential and mixed-use projects taking shape. After a delicious lunch at Ghost Box Pizza, the tour shifted to Lafayette’s Old Town, where creative reuse and community character take center stage. The final stop took participants to Erie, where the Briggs Street corridor and Town Center demonstrate a bold vision for downtown vibrancy.  Read more of Event Recap here.

ANNUAL COLORADO TIF SUMMIT

Downtown Colorado, Inc. (DCI) hosted its annual Tax Increment Finance (TIF) Summit in Pueblo, marking five years of collaboration, learning, and innovation among Colorado’s urban renewal authorities, downtown development authorities, and local governments. This annual gathering has become a cornerstone for practitioners who are shaping their communities through creative financing and place-based revitalization. Throughout the two days, a consistent theme emerged: Pueblo’s “get-it-done” attitude represents what makes TIF work in Colorado. Attendees praised the city’s collaborative culture and its willingness to take creative risks. As one participant put it, Pueblo shows that urban renewal isn’t just a financial mechanism—it’s a tool for building resilience, empowering local leaders, and creating great places for people. Read more of Event Recap here.

 

IN THE GAME

This spring, we headed north to Greeley and turned up the energy for the 2025 IN THE GAME Vibrant Downtown Event. Over three packed days, downtown] champions explored Greeley’s evolving downtown through behind-the-scenes tours, creative workshops, and plenty of time to connect over good food and great ideas—from the Ice Haus to the Moxi Theater and everywhere in between. We kicked things off by rolling up our sleeves to tackle real community challenges, digging into brownfield transformation, data-driven storytelling, and hands-on problem solving. As the week unfolded, the focus shifted to what’s next, experience-based economies, inclusive downtowns, leadership, and the power of creativity to shape vibrant places of all sizes. We wrapped it all up with the Colorado Downtown Excellence Awards, celebrating 12 communities and two individuals whose passion and innovation are strengthening downtowns across the state. Proof that whether big or small, Colorado communities are very much IN THE GAME.

 

2025 HIGHLIGHTS:

• 25th Annual Event – We even had cake!
• Learning a line dance and performing it in the street
• The Greeley Gremlin 
• Our first Live Auction of Gift Baskets!

Register for IN THE GAME 2026 in Grand Junction here! 

+ 2026 Look Forward

We are so excited to move forward with so many of the projects and events we started this year! Expect more small developer and TIF programming, new online education added to the Downtown Education Portal, revamped resource pages, a delicious IN THE GAME event, and so much more. We’re also thrilled to welcome six new members to our board (join our Annual Membership Meeting on January 22 to hear more!) as we continue to grow and evolve as an organization. Most of all, we’re deeply grateful to our members, partners, sponsors, and community champions who make this work possible. Your passion, creativity, and commitment to place are what keep Colorado’s downtowns vibrant—and we can’t wait to keep building alongside you in the year ahead.