CENTRAL SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — More than 700 local businesses and community members gathered at the Downtown Partnership's annual breakfast to discuss how downtown Colorado Springs has evolved over the past decade.
"The level of investment that we've seen downtown that it's grown fivefold in the last 10 years from just over $513 million to over 2.6 billion dollars," Gondeck said.
Annual visits downtown grew from 5 million in 2016 to nearly 19 million in 2025. More than 3,000 residential units have been added since 2016, and downtown now boasts more than 5,000 residents.
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Since the beginning of 2026, 24 businesses have opened downtown and a dozen more are in the queue. Recent investments include $500,000 into the city auditorium and $750,000 into the COS Creek project.
"We have this really exciting momentum," Gondeck said, "And I think it's just going to continue to grow."
Dean Strain, the Downtown Partnership's Downtowner of the Year, said he sees the changes firsthand. He has lived in Colorado Springs since the 1960s and visits downtown several times a week.
"I live nearby downtown, so I'm constantly walking through there as well, so they may not see me in uniform, but they'll recognize me walking the streets," Strain said.
Strain works as a Downtown Ambassador, helping to keep the area clean. He said the growth has been welcome.
"I'm just happy that the city's growing and going in the right direction," Strain said.
