The following list of recommendations has been identified by MHC members to address the region’s job challenges.
- Conduct additional research to understand the jobs located along major transit corridors.
Mile High Connects recommends additional research to better understand the placement of companies and jobs along rail lines, including the barriers and incentives for facilitating business locations by transit.
- Encourage our regional employers to offer transit passes to workers.
RTD currently offers corporate pass programs to employers to subsidize the cost of transit passes. Mile High Connects will work with RTD to increase awareness and usage of these programs.
- Support the creation of employer-assisted housing.
Additional research should be done by municipalities to explore national models to determine the feasibility of offering employer assisted housing programs in our region.
- Consider location incentives for employers and small businesses to locate by transit.
As new or expanding companies move to our region, regional economic development agencies should ensure that their incentive programs reward choosing to locate within a half mile of a high frequency transit stop and/or that offering last mile connections between workplaces and major transit connections.
- Prioritize locating workforce training centers along high frequency transit corridors.
Future decisions about investing in workforce training programs should consider location as key criteria for funding to foster better accessibility to transit.
- Preserve affordable commercial space along transit corridors to ensure retention of local businesses.
In order to preserve our local identity and culture, safeguards should be put in place to preserve affordability of commercial space for local small businesses, especially those providing neighborhood services. A scan of national best practices should be done to identify what the most effective strategies are that both preserve a “buy local” ethos without stunting the overall market.
