Parker special election voters to consider downtown business improvement district
You may not have heard of a Business Improvement District or a BID, organizations like it are the reason some of your favorite downtown areas look the way they do.
"Arvada has one, the Gaylord District, Havana has one, the Havana Motor Mile. They're all over Colorado. Parker is one of the few who hasn't gotten the opportunity to get one established," said Omar Castillo.
Castillo is the Chair of the Downtown Business Alliance board, and he's leading the effort to designate Parker's downtown area as a Business Improvement District.
"Starting at Main Street and Parker Road, and it goes east all the way down to the library," said Castillo.
Last month, Parker Town Council voted to create the BID, a non-governmental organization made up of building owners within that area. But funding still needs to be secured.
Voters within the district will need to request a ballot for the November special election, where they will vote on a mill levy that would fund the BID.
If approved, the BID is estimated to raise property taxes for building owners in the district by between $20 and $140 a month, depending on building size.
"That's always a concern, particularly in this environment, with raising property taxes, but there is return on the investment. We would be able to lower operating costs by pooling resources with our neighbors," said Tony Mango, downtown Parker landlord and business owner.
The money would be used to improve and beautify downtown Parker, in an effort to keep it competitive with its neighbors.
"You see growth in Castle Rock, Southlands, Lone Tree," said Castillo, "we need to find a way to make sure that our dollars stay in Parker and continue to stay in Parker for the benefit of Parker."
Castillo wants to bring flower planters, more hanging lights, and new cleaning efforts downtown. Right now, each business is responsible for snow shoveling their own portion of the sidewalk.
"So you'll have one piece where the snow didn't get removed and your shoes would be wet. But now what we'd be able to do is be able to get that done all uniform by one company," said Castillo.
The Parker Chamber of Commerce has not yet taken a position on the BID. Some downtown tenants are concerned about rent going up.
"This just feels to me a little bit like how to raise more money than maybe the town should be responsible for," area business owner Kathy Zaffore said in a town council meeting.
But others say it's an investment in progress.
"I think this Parker area is gonna be growing tremendously in the next couple years, and I think that will only help support the growth and the people and businesses around here, so I'm totally for it," said Jennifer Black, owner of Black+Haus Tavern.
"It's a collective voice for all of downtown Parker," said Castillo.