Are Grand Junction’s Downtown Festivals Bad For Business? [poll]

A meeting was held this week  to discuss downtown issues and one of the questions being addressed is 'are Grand Junction's downtown festivals bad for business?'

According to KREX TV, the meeting was between the Grand Junction City Council, the Downtown Development Authority, and the Downtown Grand Junction Business Improvement District.

The report quotes officials of the DDA as saying festivals disrupt convenient access to businesses because of parking and road closures. It's been suggested that some events moved to Whitman Park, which, of course, boasts a large contingent of homeless people who hang out there.

One would think that downtown festivals would be good for business because they bring a lot of people downtown that might otherwise never go there. It's a great way to introduce people to Grand Junction's well-groomed and attractive downtown area.

The fact is, parking in downtown Grand Junction is somewhat of an issue even when there is not a festival going on. But, the parking garage on Rood and the big lot on Colorado Avenue are always available, as well as some other parking options. Would regular customers really not transact business with a merchant simply because they can't park right outside the front door?

As for moving events to Whitman Park, is that how we would like the city of Grand Junction to be represented to out of town visitors?

How many businesses were even open after 5:00 the night of the Tree Lighting, when hundreds of people had come downtown for the special event?

What do you think about downtown festivals like the Art & Music Festival, the Downtown Car Show, and the Farmers Market? Do you think these events are beneficial or detrimental to downtown businesses?