A group of leaders representing Broadway believes the busy transit corridor south of downtown Denver — an area filled with eclectic antique shops, restaurants, music venues and hip coffee shops — needs extra attention.

And to do so, the group aims to designate it a special district.

The coalition spearheaded by the Broadway Merchants Association seeks to create a general improvement district surrounding Broadway from Speer Boulevard to Interstate 25.

Becoming a district, the group said, would allow the area to tax property owners to fund improvements for the corridor and help finance its popular events, such as the Halloween Parade and the Underground Music Showcase.

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On Wednesday, Denver City councilmembers on the South Platte River Committee voted to set a public hearing for Aug. 4 to vote on whether or not to allow Broadway to become the city’s sixth general improvement district, also known as a GID.

After that, residents and owners in the proposed district would decide the matter through a special election.

Denver has several general and business improvement districts in busy commercial areas like Downtown, Cherry Creek or Santa Fe Drive — which aim to provide extra services than the city provides.

These areas can fund private security teams, cleaning services or invest in specialized branding, like the River North Arts District (RiNo) has with its rhino logo featured on its website and signs.

The Broadway district would have a 8.96 mill levy on commercial and residential properties, creating a budget of nearly $1.2 million.

Half of the budget proposes to cover security, 30% would finance beautification and the rest would cover marketing and administrative costs.

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Why Broadway wants to create a district

Luke Johnson, a leader behind the GID proposal and president of the Broadway Merchants Association, told city leaders at the committee meeting that safety, cleanliness and keeping its popular events are some of the top concerns he hears from the community but he has limited power to address them.

“I can’t fix any of those things without an improvement district,” Johnson said. “I’m just a volunteer with no money. So, this was the next step.”

Broadway’s Halloween Parade was at risk of being cancelled last year due to increased costs to accommodate more than 30,000 paradegoers, such as buying barricades to meet safety requirements.

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The parade is “perpetually in jeopardy,” as it’s primarily funded through donations and sponsors, Johnson said. While they stepped up to save it last year, it’s not always a guarantee.

“An improvement district would support that, not entirely, but partially,” he explained.

The Underground Music Showcase slated for July 25-27 also faces financial pressures, Johnson said, and the improvement district would work to help keep it in the neighborhood.

The district boundaries would also extend to residential properties on Lincoln Street.

Even though Broadway is primarily a commercial corridor, neighborhood leaders pivoted away from becoming a business improvement district (BID) like Colfax Avenue, Santa Fe Drive or Cherry Creek.

Johnson said residents are also asking about how to get into the BID, as many properties are sharing alleys with businesses where some of the biggest trash issues are occurring.

Under a BID, he explained residents wouldn’t be able to call a service if they see a couch in the alley since they’re not paying for the service.

“And there’s some tree lawn and right-of-way areas that are pretty terrible on Lincoln that we want to improve as well,” he said.

About 92% of the district’s budget would be funded by small business and commercial properties; 8% would come from residents.

Need for more than just maintenance districts

Jamie Giellis, a consultant who helped establish a GID for Ballpark last year and also is working with Cherry Creek to establish a GID there, as well, said Broadway leaders have been working nearly five years to create a special district.

Giellis was brought on in December, and they’ve been working to petition residents and businesses in the area who would be affected and explain to them how it will work.

So far, they’ve collected more than 200 signatures from a mix of businesses and residents.

Ballpark had more than 3,000 electors when it voted to create a GID. Broadway’s has a smaller pool of about 1,200 eligible electors.

Many owners in the area already pay into maintenance districts, Giellis explained, and a GID would dissolve those districts to create one that mostly would provide the same services and keep costs about the same, though some may see their tax either be a “little less” or “little more.”

Broadway’s maintenance districts were created in the 1970s but have “reached the end of their life cycle,” according to the Broadway Merchants Association website.

“The current annual assessments from the LMD’s (maintenance districts) cannot keep up with the rising cost of labor and repairs,” it said.

The GID’s board would be made up of a mix of residents, restaurant or bar owners and retail owners.

The initial advisory board includes Johnson (who is also the owner of pet shop Luke & Co.), the owners of HQ Club, The Wizard’s Chest, Hornet and registered neighborhood organization leaders representing Baker and Lincoln Broadway and more.

Councilmember Flor Alvidrez, representing the area covering the Broadway corridor, said it’s been a long time coming to establish a special district.

“I myself have had a lot of conversations with business owners and residents along Broadway that are really excited to see this happen,” she said, “and just be able to have a little bit more resources.”