Las Cruces, New Mexico

LAS CRUCES , NEW MEX I CO change in downtown so master planning and a retail market analysis took place,” Martinez recounts. “A lot of different projects took place, and one of them was the creation of a public TIDD (Tax Increment Development District) to allocate monies from increment in general funding to this district that would allow for the increment of GRTs (Gross Receipt Taxes) to be used for public infrastructure. Through those means, and with the higher level of activity, we have been able to do a lot of different projects. One of the major ones was two-way conversion of the streets in downtown. That has proven to make a huge difference. Our main street was one way and the two streets around it were also one way. So instead of people stopping and interacting, it was just a drive-through. When we finished the two-way, with other strategies that we implemented with our downtown partners, we went from 200 businesses to over 300 in over 24 months. Another project that we have in the works: we’re completing an analysis on a parking garage to determine where would be the appropriate location for that and then what Regarding Visit Las Cruces, Martinez says, “Under the current situation, tourism has been a bit of a struggle for us. We have had to pivot and adapt to the current situation to continue to bring awareness of Las Cruces while not encouraging travelers to visit us just yet. We launched a campaign to let visitors know about our beautiful community for whenever we’re reopened for them to come and visit. We’re calling it: ‘We’ll Keep Our Sol Shining for You.’ Sol, in Spanish, means Sun. So, we will keep our sun shining for you all for whenever you can come and visit. We’re doing a steady campaign on social media; we’re doing 360 tours; we’re doing virtual tours driving through some of the attractions here in our community. That has been a very tricky area, because we still need to continue the awareness component while we manage expectations of tourists not being in high volumes in our state.” Finally, there’s Destination Downtown. “About ten years ago, the city wanted to have a major