Exploring Life & Business with Kourtny Garrett of Downtown Denver Partnership

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kourtny Garrett.

Kourtny, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
At 17, I stumbled into the magic of downtowns abroad—the energy of the bustle, the serendipitous discoveries around every corner, the convergence of all things and all people. The choreographed chaos of an urban center sparked a curiosity that would shape my life, my career, and ultimately, my personal mission.

A few years later, with a Communication Arts undergraduate degree in hand (and still not exposed to the idea that there could be career-path in the world of cities), I started a “comms job” at Southlake Town Square, a lifestyle center in North Texas. At the time, Southlake Town Square was one of the first of its kind – “building a downtown from the ground up” – incorporating government, retail, office and multi-family all around one center square and all from new construction. Creating a place from nowhere. Suddenly, the intentionality and interplay of urban planning was unveiled. I met my forever-mentor who had revitalized downtowns all over the country, and I was hooked.

After a brief detour to Children’s Health in Dallas, where I had the unique opportunity to lead community relations during a major expansion for the institution, I was called back to city-building work, and my 20-years dedicated to the revitalization of Downtown Dallas began. I was ushered in to build from a time when “the streets rolled up at 5:00 p.m.,” 80% of storefronts in the retail district were empty, downtown was not perceived as “safe,” and more than 40 vacant buildings left lifeless shadows on the streets of Dallas. The work was ruthless, creative, fraught with hurdles … and some of the most inspiring and rewarding years of my life.

During that period, more than $11 billion in investment lifted the center city, public-private partnerships drove residential and hotel conversions to bring buildings back to life, and a steady rise in residents materialized from just a few hundred to more than 13,000. Some of my proudest achievements include leading a decade-long effort to create Downtown Dallas’ first public elementary school with Dallas ISD, being involved in the partnerships that created five new downtown parks and working with the development community to create district-wide transformation in the Dallas Farmers Market and East Quarter.

During those years, I also reinforced my experience in academia, pursuing a masters in Urban Affairs at the University of Texas at Arlington. I spent “off hours” consulting in other cities, contributing to the Board of the International Downtown Association, and engaging with national and international business, planning and place-making organizations.

After a decade in a variety of leadership roles at Downtown Dallas, Inc. and nearly seven years as their President and CEO, the universe presented an opportunity to apply this work in Denver, where I’m originally from. I’ve always believed people carry a personal connection to place, whether that place has been a part of your journey, or your journey leads you to a place. My next chapter became clear — I was honored to be selected as the President and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership.

Now four years into the role in Denver, I am profoundly proud of what we’ve accomplished. In 2020, cities were forced into generational change – economically, socially and culturally – at an unimaginable and unforeseeable magnitude. Downtown Denver’s growth trajectory inverted, businesses struggled to survive and the once vibrant city that was brimming with pride became fraught with the challenges echoed in every major city in the U.S.

Our first order of business brought us back to the fundamentals of place management – returning a safe and clean (and we add beautiful and playful!) downtown. But these issues are deeply complex, systemic and cannot be solved by one entity alone. The vastly improved environment that exists today in Downtown Denver represents significant partnership, political will and commitment, and the public sector, business community, nonprofits, and greater community coming together for the good of the whole.

From there, we’ve celebrated so many milestones in returning Downtown Denver back to growth: three years of construction leading to a rebirth of Denver’s iconic corridor, 16th Street; the creation and adoption of the Downtown Area Plan, which will guide the next decade of center city progress; and supporting the City and County of Denver’s efforts to expand the Downtown Development Authority, a tool that will infuse hundreds of millions of dollars in catalytic investment. Along the way, we’ve built partnerships with our elected officials, driven vision for transformative projects like the 5280 Trail and Skyline Park redevelopment and championed our partners driving projects like the Civic Center 100, Ball Arena redevelopment and Auraria Higher Education Campus master plan. We’ve lifted up the existing anchors in Downtown Denver that have continued to draw masses of visitors to the center city – Coors Field, Ball Arena, Union Station, the Arts Complex, Colorado Convention Center and the many, many companies, hoteliers, residents and small businesses that remain committed to a vibrant Downtown Denver.

The journey of cities, and my own in this work, is one that never ends. Opportunity exists with every decision, and every challenge presents reward. No matter the circumstances, mobilizing and convening diverse stakeholders with a shared commitment to vision, engagement and action is the ultimate key to success.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Downtowns are living ecosystems that continue to evolve. Following the social and economic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, downtown areas across the nation have fundamentally changed due to their exposed systemic vulnerability. Downtown Denver has faced multiple interconnected challenges, including safety concerns, homelessness, declining foot traffic, and weakened business confidence.

My team and I have responded with collaborative leadership through initiatives like “Together We Will,” which brought together an unprecedented number of city and state officials, private-sector businesses, and community partners to address these complex issues collectively, rather than tackling challenges in isolation.

We adopted this comprehensive approach, which continued with Mayor Mike Johnston’s and the City and County of Denver’s initiative “All in Mile High,” in which the Downtown Denver Partnership has been both a strategic and tactical support to the City.

Today, with these solutions delivering real progress, our task at hand is to rebuild business and consumer confidence, addressing both perception and reality. We are leading efforts to improve the physical environment through activation, cleanliness and beautification, while also working with City leadership to infuse downtown with safety and business-incentive resources on a significant scale and to establish long-term solutions.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Downtown Denver Partnership ?
Since 1955, the Downtown Denver Partnership has convened, collaborated and led a bold vision to build an economically competitive center city. With a bias for action, the Partnership works at the intersection of private business, government and community – all focused on Denver’s center city. From supplemental ‘clean and safe’ services that bolster what the public sector provides, to leading critical economic development, public policy, marketing and urban planning initiatives, the Partnership serves as stewards, activators and advocates for Downtown Denver. They mobilize the voices of their members, community partners and the broader community toward the shared purpose of creating a thriving, economically robust downtown core that serves as the beating heart of the Denver metropolitan region.

In the last year, we have led the reopening of 16th Street, the signature pedestrian corridor of Downtown Denver. We also successfully led the adoption of the Downtown Area Plan, a 20-year vision-driven urban plan, in partnership with the City and County of Denver.

Stay connected with us by following our social channels and subscribing to our newsletter at www.downtowndenver.com.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Book: The Death and Life of Great American Cities – Jane Jacobs

My life and work mantra follows Jane Jacobs’ quote: “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.downtowndenver.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/downtowndenver/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/downtown-denver-partnership/