The Downtown Denver Business Improvement District is a quasi-governmental management organization funded by Downtown commercial property owners. The BID maintains the 16th Street Mall and enhances basic City services by funding district-wide security, marketing and business support programs to provide a clean, safe and vibrant Downtown environment.
Through annual assessments, owners of private commercial properties in the 120-block Downtown Denver Business Improvement District help fund cleaning and maintenance services, safety initiatives, consumer marketing campaigns and economic development efforts. There are approximately 370 private commercial property owners in the BID. The BID's boundaries extend from Speer Boulevard to 20th Street, and from Wewatta Street to Grant Street.
At its formation in 1982, the bulk of the BID's day-to-day cleaning and maintenance services were provided on the 16th Street Mall. In November 2001, Downtown commercial property owners approved an increased budget that allowed core cleaning services-including sidewalk sweeping, trash removal, and graffiti removal-to be extended throughout the 120-block district. Additionally, the Lower Downtown extension of the 16th Street Mall between Market Street Station and Wynkoop Street received additional enhancements such as flower planting, landscaping, tree maintenance and snow removal.
Delivery of enhanced services on the Lower Downtown extension of the 16th Street Mall began on January 1, 2002, with core cleaning and maintenance services extended to the remainder of the 120-block district on May 1, 2002.
Created in 1982 as the Mall Management District (MMD), the BID was formed in 1992 upon the sunset of the MMD's charter. In summer 2001, Downtown property owners approved the renewal of the BID's authority for another 10 years.