One end of the 2900 block of Larimer Street in RiNo, which is closed to vehicle traffic. (BusinessDen file)
The board of the RiNo Business Improvement District voted unanimously Wednesday afternoon to recommend the taxpayer-funded district be renewed for another 10 years at its current mill levy (or tax rate), rejecting a push by some property and business owners wanting to see it disbanded or dialed back.
But the board said it is taking the negative feedback to heart and plans to refocus the organization and its spending.
“Safety and security, cleanliness and the marketing and promotion of the businesses must become the BID’s unequivocal focus,” said board member Danny Newman.
The board’s decision sends the future of the BID to the Denver City Council, which is expected to vote early next year whether to renew it for another 10 years beyond 2025.
The Wednesday vote came after a flurry of public interest in the proceedings of a relatively obscure quasi-governmental body. About 100 people watched or attended a Nov. 13 hearing on the BID renewal, with 20 of those addressing the board.
Separately, Andy Mountain of GBSM, a consultant brought in to help manage the BID renewal process, noted Wednesday that an email sent by EXDO Group Cos. CEO Andrew Feinstein to dozens of property and business owners on Nov. 13 turned into a days-long online conversation.
“It’s a joy when you have reply-alls to about 87 different people from 40 different people,” Mountain said.
The RiNo BID is one of a number of business improvement districts within Denver. It is funded by increased property tax paid by owners of commercial property within the district. The BID contracts with the RiNo Art District, a neighborhood organization that works to protect the area’s art, to manage the BID.
The BID must be renewed every 10 years. The mill levy can be adjusted annually, but is capped at four mills.
As BusinessDen reported last week, the BID and the RiNo Art District have been criticized by some property and business owners for a variety of things, including a loss of focus, wasteful spending and seeming to reflect the priorities of the Art District, not the business community. A one-block stretch of Larimer Street that is closed to vehicle traffic, which is supported with BID dollars, is also controversial, as some believe it benefits only the businesses on that specific block.
Those seeking changes to the BID are divided into two main camps: those who want to see the BID dissolved and those who want to see its mill levy — which corresponds to how much it collects in property taxes — cut in half.
Those pushing for a 50 percent cut include EXDO’s Feinstein, Menalto Development CEO Bernard Hurley and Walter Isenberg, CEO of the hotelier Sage Hospitality, which operates the Catbird hotel in RiNo.
In the email chain, Isenberg said the BID “first and foremost should focus on clean and safe.”
“If we don’t have that all the money in the world supporting arts and activations is wasted,” he wrote. “As a business owner we are constantly facing vandalism, theft and rampant drug use. A hidden tax we pay is for private security. While this should be the responsibility of the DPD, sadly that’s not working. Since the BID is a tax it’s our second line of defense.”
Spencer Fronk, owner of RiNo’s Number 38 and a BID board member, acknowledged public concerns about safety on Wednesday, and said the BID’s $3.5 million annual budget doesn’t reflect that.
“We have $5,000 in the budget next year for safety and security,” he said.
RiNo property owners Sonia Danielsen, left, and Tai Beldock stand in front of the 2900 block of Larimer Street, which is closed to vehicles. They oppose the closure. (BusinessDen file)
RiNo property owners Tom Sprung, Tai and John Beldock, and Sonia Danielsen told BusinessDen last week that they wanted the BID scrapped. Also in their camp is Byron Weiss, who owns the 7-acre Rock Drill property along 40th Avenue.
When the BID’s boundaries were being drawn a decade ago, Rock Drill wasn’t included, Weiss said — until he volunteered to join, despite the increased taxes. Weiss said he now pays about $20,000 annually to the BID.
“It should be dissolved,” he said. “It’s just too far broken.”
Weiss spoke to BusinessDen Tuesday, ahead of the BID board’s vote. But he figured a renewal recommendation was inevitable and was already focused on the next step.
“The only option is to stop it at City Council,” Weiss said.
Councilman Darrell Watson, who represents RiNo, didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Adam Larkey, a BID board member and Zeppelin Development executive, said Wednesday the BID board and the Art District had suffered from turnover and staffing shortages, which impacted the effectiveness of the BID.
“We were at, frankly, not our strongest,” Larkey said. “We were kind of in triage mode.”
BID board member Jevon Taylor, CEO of Green Spaces coworking, said that situation caused people to question all aspects of the BID.
“I honestly don’t think people would be questioning the mill levy if they believed the BID was effective,” Taylor said.
“Things have to change. I think we all agree things have to change,” Fronk said.
But the board determined that reducing the BID’s mill levy, and thus its annual budget, didn’t make sense given the desire to reallocate spending to things such as safety.
“We’re hearing loud and clear the priorities, and we need resources to execute those with,” Larkey said.
“I think we’re shooting ourselves in the foot if we do anything less than four,” Fronk said.
Board members said the BID renewal process, and the resulting push for changes, comes at a pivotal time because RiNo is facing a number of challenges.
“It is frustrating going around the district and the first floor of every multistory building is empty,” Taylor said.
“I leave and breathe development every day,” said Alison Nestel-Patt, an executive with Denver-based developer Formativ. “We are still reeling from COVID.”
One end of the 2900 block of Larimer Street in RiNo, which is closed to vehicle traffic. (BusinessDen file)
The board of the RiNo Business Improvement District voted unanimously Wednesday afternoon to recommend the taxpayer-funded district be renewed for another 10 years at its current mill levy (or tax rate), rejecting a push by some property and business owners wanting to see it disbanded or dialed back.
But the board said it is taking the negative feedback to heart and plans to refocus the organization and its spending.
“Safety and security, cleanliness and the marketing and promotion of the businesses must become the BID’s unequivocal focus,” said board member Danny Newman.
The board’s decision sends the future of the BID to the Denver City Council, which is expected to vote early next year whether to renew it for another 10 years beyond 2025.
The Wednesday vote came after a flurry of public interest in the proceedings of a relatively obscure quasi-governmental body. About 100 people watched or attended a Nov. 13 hearing on the BID renewal, with 20 of those addressing the board.
Separately, Andy Mountain of GBSM, a consultant brought in to help manage the BID renewal process, noted Wednesday that an email sent by EXDO Group Cos. CEO Andrew Feinstein to dozens of property and business owners on Nov. 13 turned into a days-long online conversation.
“It’s a joy when you have reply-alls to about 87 different people from 40 different people,” Mountain said.
The RiNo BID is one of a number of business improvement districts within Denver. It is funded by increased property tax paid by owners of commercial property within the district. The BID contracts with the RiNo Art District, a neighborhood organization that works to protect the area’s art, to manage the BID.
The BID must be renewed every 10 years. The mill levy can be adjusted annually, but is capped at four mills.
As BusinessDen reported last week, the BID and the RiNo Art District have been criticized by some property and business owners for a variety of things, including a loss of focus, wasteful spending and seeming to reflect the priorities of the Art District, not the business community. A one-block stretch of Larimer Street that is closed to vehicle traffic, which is supported with BID dollars, is also controversial, as some believe it benefits only the businesses on that specific block.
Those seeking changes to the BID are divided into two main camps: those who want to see the BID dissolved and those who want to see its mill levy — which corresponds to how much it collects in property taxes — cut in half.
Those pushing for a 50 percent cut include EXDO’s Feinstein, Menalto Development CEO Bernard Hurley and Walter Isenberg, CEO of the hotelier Sage Hospitality, which operates the Catbird hotel in RiNo.
In the email chain, Isenberg said the BID “first and foremost should focus on clean and safe.”
“If we don’t have that all the money in the world supporting arts and activations is wasted,” he wrote. “As a business owner we are constantly facing vandalism, theft and rampant drug use. A hidden tax we pay is for private security. While this should be the responsibility of the DPD, sadly that’s not working. Since the BID is a tax it’s our second line of defense.”
Spencer Fronk, owner of RiNo’s Number 38 and a BID board member, acknowledged public concerns about safety on Wednesday, and said the BID’s $3.5 million annual budget doesn’t reflect that.
“We have $5,000 in the budget next year for safety and security,” he said.
RiNo property owners Sonia Danielsen, left, and Tai Beldock stand in front of the 2900 block of Larimer Street, which is closed to vehicles. They oppose the closure. (BusinessDen file)
RiNo property owners Tom Sprung, Tai and John Beldock, and Sonia Danielsen told BusinessDen last week that they wanted the BID scrapped. Also in their camp is Byron Weiss, who owns the 7-acre Rock Drill property along 40th Avenue.
When the BID’s boundaries were being drawn a decade ago, Rock Drill wasn’t included, Weiss said — until he volunteered to join, despite the increased taxes. Weiss said he now pays about $20,000 annually to the BID.
“It should be dissolved,” he said. “It’s just too far broken.”
Weiss spoke to BusinessDen Tuesday, ahead of the BID board’s vote. But he figured a renewal recommendation was inevitable and was already focused on the next step.
“The only option is to stop it at City Council,” Weiss said.
Councilman Darrell Watson, who represents RiNo, didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Adam Larkey, a BID board member and Zeppelin Development executive, said Wednesday the BID board and the Art District had suffered from turnover and staffing shortages, which impacted the effectiveness of the BID.
“We were at, frankly, not our strongest,” Larkey said. “We were kind of in triage mode.”
BID board member Jevon Taylor, CEO of Green Spaces coworking, said that situation caused people to question all aspects of the BID.
“I honestly don’t think people would be questioning the mill levy if they believed the BID was effective,” Taylor said.
“Things have to change. I think we all agree things have to change,” Fronk said.
But the board determined that reducing the BID’s mill levy, and thus its annual budget, didn’t make sense given the desire to reallocate spending to things such as safety.
“We’re hearing loud and clear the priorities, and we need resources to execute those with,” Larkey said.
“I think we’re shooting ourselves in the foot if we do anything less than four,” Fronk said.
Board members said the BID renewal process, and the resulting push for changes, comes at a pivotal time because RiNo is facing a number of challenges.
“It is frustrating going around the district and the first floor of every multistory building is empty,” Taylor said.
“I leave and breathe development every day,” said Alison Nestel-Patt, an executive with Denver-based developer Formativ. “We are still reeling from COVID.”
