Businesses say rebound on Denver's 16th Street Mall tied to new public safety efforts

Yahoo

22-04-2025

DENVER (KDVR) — After years of struggling through crime concerns, pandemic aftershocks and prolonged construction, one local business on Denver's 16th Street Mall says the area is finally turning a corner — thanks in part to the city's renewed focus on safety and revitalization.
Brooklyn's Finest Pizza, located along the once-bustling corridor, opened in 2019. But owner Carlo Conti said the past few years haven't been easy.
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'There was a lot of homelessness, a lot of drug use on the mall that I had never seen before — out in the open,' Conti said. 'There wasn't a lot of enforcement. It was like a ghost town.'
Conti said his staff endured aggressive incidents inside the store, including theft, physical altercations and vandalism. He said business dropped so sharply, he ended up selling a property just to stay afloat.
'From 2023 to 2024, we took a $250,000 revenue hit from the construction on the mall — and that's just after we got out of COVID,' he said.
Now, he says things are beginning to improve.
The city of Denver has deployed additional officers to the area, along with private security teams and a mounted patrol unit. Officials say the visible presence is helping to deter crime, increase engagement and reassure both residents and tourists.
'If you want a successful city, you have to have a safe city,' said Jon Ewing with the mayor's office. 'Whether it's more officers on foot or the mounted patrol, we want people to know an officer is always just a stone's throw away.'
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The enhanced patrols are part of a broader initiative to bring energy and business back to the 16th Street Mall — a focal point for both tourism and transit downtown.
'This is an amazing time to invest in our city,' Ewing said. 'When people visit Denver, this is where they come.'
Conti said he's already seeing the impact.
'You can feel it coming back,' he said. 'The police presence is heavy, and they're enforcing it. A lot of the nonsense and riff-raff that was going on — it's no longer seen.'
More importantly, he said, it's showing up in his bottom line.
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'I think the city is heading in the right direction. As a business owner, I'm looking forward to a very bright future on the mall.'
City officials say a grand reopening event is planned around Memorial Day, when most of the 16th Street Mall is expected to reopen to pedestrians and buses.
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