DMD conducts survey on progress of Downtown El Paso

The Downtown Management District is looking to build on the improvements of downtown El Paso.

The DMD wants to make Downtown the center of commercial, civic and cultural activity. It also oversees grant programs to improve building facades, transportation and promote local businesses and restaurants through social media and contests.

In July, the DMD conducted an online survey that resulted in 1,123 respondents, nearly double the participants from last year.

The survey included ten questions about the progress of downtown and how the DMD could help with improvements.

The DMD used social media, direct mail and e-mail to reach out to property owners, business owners, employees and the general public.

One of the topics that the survey focused on was the current confitions of Downtown El Paso:

– 75% said Downtown is progressing
– 66% said their perception of Downtown has improved over the last 12 months
– 55% said they went to Downtown for events
– Of those events attracting people, sporting events were the main driver (38%)

The DMD survey also focused on the priorities regarding the future of downtown El Paso. The top three are:

– Safety/security
– Family friendly atmosphere/businesses
– Parking

“We value what our stakeholders and the general public thinks of the DMD and the downtown, and I’m pleased to see that the community continues to recognize the progress being made,” said DMD Executive Director Joe Gudenrath in a statement.

Gudenrath said it will take the feedback to help make more improvements in the coming year.