HELPING OTHER COMMUNITIES
A
yres Associates’ urban planners also are actively working with these
other communities on downtown strategic planning:
Windsor, Colorado – The Town of Windsor hired Ayres Urban Planner
Matt Ashby to serve as executive director of Windsor’s Downtown
Development Authority. This job includes directing the organization while
pursuing strategic initiatives including assistance with tax increment
financing, structuring project incentive packages, façade improvement grant
administration, budgeting, and public relations.
Trinidad, Colorado – Ayres is assisting the City of Trinidad’s Urban
Renewal Authority (URA) on developing a strategic plan for its downtown.
Helping to build a sound foundation for growth, Ayres’ assistance will
provide the City with a path forward to implementing critical steps to drive
reinvestment in the heart of Trinidad.
Durango, Colorado – Ayres is working with the City of Durango
on creating a strategic analysis and recommendation for pursuing
redevelopment in several character districts of Durango. Ayres highlighted
the strategic benefits and shortcomings of an Urban Renewal Authority, a
downtown development authority, and a business improvement district.
Once the community focused on the URA structure, Ayres helped to
provide a citizen’s guide to urban renewal to help City staff inform the local
community about this somewhat complicated revitalization tool.
– Tawny Quast
sessions on specific best practices.
“Our hope is that the toolkit will be
viewed as a model and used to help
boards in a range of arenas both inside
and outside Colorado better serve
their organizations,” Jamison said.
Additionally, Ayres also assisted
the Colorado towns of Buena Vista,
Meeker, and Lamar in developing
strategic plans for their downtown
Main Streets. This effort involved
helping the communities establish
the mission and vision for their
organization, defining annual work
plans of action, and making sure the
groups have an identified strategy
to guide the day-to-day decisions in
the next two to three years, Ashby
explained. Some communities are
starting from scratch with their plans,
others have experienced significant
changes that require a new approach,
and some simply need a refresher.
Regardless of individual needs,
the strategic planning process is a
worthwhile exercise.
“It’s a way for community leaders
to take time out from the day-to-
day grind to say, ‘Why do we exist,
and what do we want to do as an
organization?’ ” said Ashby, adding
that Main Street communities are
mostly driven by volunteer staff, so
focusing efforts is critical. “There’s
never enough time or enough money.
Main Street staff want to focus their
attention on what options will give
them the biggest bang for their buck.
The strategic plan is a way to focus on
complex, multi-year initiatives.”
Continued on page 12
10│ TRENDS
Scan the QR codes below to view videos of
our downtown work.
Lamar, Colorado
Downtown
Revitalization
Irondale, Colorado
Neighborhood Plan.
Sheridan, Wyoming
Brownfield
Revitalization