Downtown Cape: A driving economic force

Saturday, June 25, 2022 ~ Updated 12:14 PM

What makes a community grow? Is it economic development? New businesses? A commitment by the people to improve the physical surroundings?

For downtown Cape, the answer is all of the above.

This past year, downtown Cape has added 24 new businesses, which means 112 new jobs and $18 million invested in making it a better, brighter area — despite challenging economic times.

But growth doesn’t come without a commitment from the city, business leaders and countless volunteers who donated more than 2,000 volunteer hours in 2021.

A huge catalyst in the growth of downtown Cape was the formation of a Community Improvement District (CID) in 2014.

Through a contract with Old Town Cape, funding from the CID has allowed for three weekly litter pickups, downtown police patrols, expanded Christmas decorations during the holiday season, and a focus on promoting downtown and local events in local, regional, state, and national media.

From new businesses and jobs to tourism, downtown Cape continues to be a driving economic force in the community.