A Shared Investment in Downtown Fort Collins
For more than 45 years, the Downtown Development Authority has served as the primary steward of caring for the heart of Fort Collins.
The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) exists to support a downtown that works for everyone. We build public and private investment partnerships that foster economic, cultural, and social growth in our Central Business District — investing in infrastructure and public spaces, partnering with property and business owners on complex projects, and caring for downtown long after the ribbon is cut.
Our Mission
To build public and private investment partnerships that foster economic, cultural, and social growth in the Central Business District.
Our Vision
A downtown that is authentic to its history, safe and welcoming, economically strong and resilient, and designed for people — with walkable, vibrant public spaces that serve residents, businesses, and visitors alike.
What Stewardship Means
Downtown Fort Collins is often referred to as our community’s crown jewel. A place with that kind of rhythm, heartbeat, and soul needs a steward. The DDA’s role is not just about building new things — it’s to care for downtown over time.
That means maintaining public spaces, plazas, and alleyways; investing in infrastructure before it fails; and supporting long-term economic health rather than short-term wins.
Everything has a lifespan. If you’re not maintaining it or reinvesting in it, it falls into disrepair, and the cycle of urban decay emerges.
A Balance of Old and New
Downtown succeeds when we protect what makes it special and make room for what comes next. That balance between preservation and progress, between character and growth is at the heart of everything we do.
We preserve the buildings and storefronts
Including the Linden Hotel and the Avery Building — and support the local, independent businesses that make downtown feel one-of-a-kind.
We support new housing
Uncommon, Oak 140, Confluence, Flats at the Oval, and Penny Flats are among the projects that have added homes and neighbors to the heart of the city.
We welcome new ways to get around
Bikes, scooters, and transit now share the street alongside cars, all built around a simple idea: park once, walk everywhere.
The Downtown You Experience Every Day
Many of the things people love most about downtown Fort Collins don’t happen by accident. They’re the result of a coordinated effort to keep downtown active, welcoming, and worth visiting.
You see it in our summer flower display — 45,000 locally grown plants placed in partnership with the City of Fort Collins. You see it again in winter, when 80,000 holiday lights fill the treetops across 22 block faces. You see it in the alley murals and public art of the Fort Collins Mural Project, in the preservation of historic buildings and new architecture that provide the backdrop for daily living, and in the streetscape and place-making details that make downtown feel cared for year-round.
For Residents
Safe, clean, and accessible public spaces. A vibrant downtown that enhances daily life. Long-term care of the shared infrastructure residents rely on.
For Property Owners
Investments that strengthen property value. Partnership on complex redevelopment projects. Infrastructure that supports growth over time.
For Business Owners and Lessees
A destination that attracts customers. Support during construction and transitions. Access to the Business Marketing and Communications Program and the downtown gift card program, which keeps dollars local.
For Visitors
A downtown worth the trip. Historic character, locally owned businesses, and public spaces that feel alive year-round — from summer flowers to holiday lights to public art that makes every block worth exploring.
Why Stewardship Matters
Without ongoing investment and a steward to mind the details, infrastructure ages, public spaces lose their appeal, and private investment slows. The DDA helps ensure downtown continues to move forward intentionally, not reactively.
Downtown Fort Collins didn’t happen by accident. It happened because people chose to invest in it.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, downtowns across the United States were in significant decline, often influenced by a lack of investment and new commercial development in the suburbs. Downtown Fort Collins faced the same pressures — declining activity and stalled improvement efforts. Local leaders, property owners, business owners, and residents came together to create a long-term solution.
In 1981, property owners, businesses, and downtown residents voted to establish the Downtown Development Authority. In the years that followed, the DDA and a local developer, Gene Mitchell planned Old Town Square, and financed the first public parking structure. Just a few years later the DDA helped relocate the BNSF railroad switching operations on Mason Street out of downtown to reclaim land for future development.
Four decades later, that foundation still shapes how downtown grows and it has manifested in more than 120 public private-partnerships that resulted in thousands of new housing units, numerous new commercial buildings, and tens of millions of dollars invested by the DDA to ensure the intentional caretaking of the central business district.
Many of the DDA’s investments have been acknowledged by industry leaders, including the Urban Land Institute, Engineering News-Record, and the Construction Management Association.
Downtown Fort Collins is the result of decades of intentional investment, partnership, and care. The DDA exists to ensure that continues — today and into the future.