2025 Downtown Excellence Awards honor Colorado cities, people

Downtown Colorado Inc. (DCI) honored 12 communities and two people with excellence awards for outstanding projects demonstrating creativity in the face of challenges.

Created in 2003, the awards program recognizes how leaders and communities create vibrant downtowns and commercial districts across Colorado.

The winners of the 2025 Downtown Excellence Awards are:

• Best Partnership Large Community: Downtown Englewood for CitySpark
• Best Partnership Small Community: City of Montrose for the Historic Potato Growers Building
• Best Place Large Community: Arvada Urban Renewal Authority for Garrison Garden Paseo
• Best Place Small Community: Town of Basalt for its Midland Streetscape Project
• Best Plan Large Community: City of Wheat Ridge for the Wheat Ridge Prosperity Plan
• Best Plan Small Community: Fraser Downtown Development Authority for its Plan of Development
• Best Pop-up Large Community: Downtown Colorado Springs for its Revel Urban Arts Party
• Best Pop-up Small Community: Downtown Englewood for Flower Pop
• Best Project Large Community: Downtown Greeley for WeldWalls Mural Festival
• Best Project Small Community: City of Louisville for its Downtown Vision Plan
• Colorado Choice Award Large Community: City and County of Denver for its Plan of Development for Denver’s Downtown Development Authority
• Colorado Choice Award Small Community: Town of Windsor for the Windsor Downtown Master Plan
• Colorful Colorado Choice Award: Town of San Luis for the San Luis Civic Plaza

DCI also presented Vicki Mattox the Downtowner of the Year Award, which recognizes people who have demonstrated commitment to their local downtown and community by encouraging ongoing collaboration and teamwork: Bianca Fisher, executive director of the Greeley Downtown Development Authority and Maureen Phair, former executive director of the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority.

Fisher, who has been with the development authority for 15 years, is dedicated to creating a resilient business ecosystem, supporting private development and promoting meaningful experiences. She is on the school board for Frontier Academy and the Greeley-Weld Habitat for Humanity board of directors.

Phair, who spent 22 years guiding redevelopment in Arvada before retiring April 1, led transformative projects in Olde Town, Ralston Creek neighborhood and Arvada Ridge. Under her leadership, Arvada attracted $938 million in private investment, added 2,765 new housing units, including 120 affordable units, and saw $23 million in parks and open space improvement.