Regulate Main Street Businesses?

Preliminary plans to regulate businesses on Main Street are on hold pending more investigation by Breckenridge’s economic development advisory commission (BEDAC).

Instead of proposing a cap to the council, the citizen group appointed by the Breckenridge Town Council decided February 8 to also study a growing demand for Main Street residential space, said town manager Tim Gagen.

In particular, BEDAC wants more information about development at the north end of Main Street, where there are a few vacant lots, Gagen said. Completion of the BreckConnect Gondola could drive a shift in development patterns, he added.Presently, about 20 percent of the available commercial ground-floor space is occupied by professional offices, primarily real estate outlets.

At issue for town council members, merchants and residents is the larger question of how to maintain commercial vitality in the downtown core, and whether local government has an appropriate regulatory role in this area.