By Carly Moore | Fox31
DENVER (KDVR) — According to a new annual report, the 16th Street Mall is still struggling to fill vacancies, and it’s also dealing with decreased foot traffic.
This has been a spot that has struggled to keep businesses for several years, but as construction wraps up by the end of May, representatives at the Downtown Denver Partnership remain optimistic.
The Downtown Denver Partnership said the retail vacancy rate is about 30%. Empty storefronts still line 16th Street Mall, and the vacancy rate is twice as much as the rest of downtown’s average of 15%.
There are 45 spaces that are empty right now along the mall.
“We’re working really closely with the City and County of Denver to provide incentives to provide things like facade and patio grants. We even worked really hard on business retention. We’ve provided grants to businesses to ensure that they could sustain operations through construction,” said Kourtny Garrett, CEO and president of the Downtown Denver Partnership. “And then, as new businesses are coming in, we also have leasing incentives and different packages, again, through the city, that we’re able to provide to make businesses viable through a little bit of a growing pain.”