Leadership Works To Keep Downtown Vibrant
business, downtown, leadership,
Mark Williams believes in downtown Castle Rock – so much so that he closed his own business to work on behalf of other businesses.
Williams shut down his law office in 2009 to concentrate on a new full-time career as executive director of the Downtown Development Authority. The DDA was established in November 2008 when downtown voters selected in favor of its creation.
That November 2008 vote also included the passage of tax resources that the DDA can utilize to fund downtown improvement projects.
“I served as Castle Rock mayor in the early 1990s as well as on the town council and several boards, and now I want to help make downtown a vibrant community,” Williams says. “The vision for the district is to combine its small town character with some unique urban flair.”
Williams says Castle Rock faces the same question that every community faces – how does the downtown set itself apart from big-name retailers?
“Not only the big box stores, but Castle Rock also has an outlet mall in the northern part of town that the downtown must compete with,” he says. “It’s cheaper to build stores on the edges of town than in the core, but the DDA now has access to financing tools that will make everything an even playing field. This way, we can persuade more top businesses to come downtown.”
Williams believes the district needs more entertainment venues, including nightclubs and one-of-a-kind restaurants.
“Also, additional residential living options will add people onto the sidewalks, plus more office space needs to be developed,” he says. “I’m also working with a historical preservation board. Downtown Castle Rock already has a lot going for it, and the DDA will now tackle one project at a time to increase the excitement.”
As for community events, downtown Castle Rock has several in place to attract people. Events include car shows, an Artfest, parades, a summertime outdoor movie program, and a Lighting of the Star holiday tradition.
“We have also launched a www.downtowncastlerock.com Web site that lists every downtown business as well as events that are scheduled,” Williams says. “The overall goal is for downtown to become a destination – we’ve even rolled out a ‘Meet Me at the Rock’ marketing campaign to get more people thinking about visiting the district.”
Williams says that for 2010, plans for downtown Castle Rock include infrastructure construction that will result in more pedestrian crossings.
“Perry and Wilcox are our two main streets, so we will construct two mid-block crossings on each – between Second and Fourth streets – that will make it much easier for pedestrians to visit downtown stores,” Williams says. “Right now, there are 22,000 car trips along our two main streets every day. We just need to get more of those motorists to park and then visit our shops.”
Williams says there are a variety of downtown upgrade projects planned for the next several years.
“Sure, there’s a lot to do in the district, and the expectations are high,” he says. “That’s okay – they should be.”
Story by Kevin Litwin
