NEDERLAND — Discussions of reorganization and how better to serve the Town of Nederland’s needs for its Central Business District have led the Nederland Downtown Development Authority (NDDA) down a familiar path, rehashing the persistent issues of sidewalks and parking while casting aside opportunities to invest in business development services. 

After facing the prospect of dissolution, the NDDA spent their October 14 meeting assessing their internal operations and structure, as well as planning for further coordination with the Board of Trustees (BOT), despite having spent the majority of 2025 rewriting their bylaws and drafting a Memorandum of Understanding with the Town. 

NDDA Chair Andrew Dewart—who also serves on the BOT—introduced “working drafts” of a Board Operating Guide, Administrative Desk Guide, Review and Decisions document, and Working Templates for the Authority to review. He also provided an overview of projects that the Town and BOT want the NDDA to fund.

In terms of the Authority’s structure, Board members discussed the details of a potential new Secretary/Administrator position to replace their currently vacant Executive Director position.

Though the two positions are somewhat similar in duties and responsibilities, Interim Town Manager Miranda Gordon noted the major difference: The new Administrator would be more involved with Town operations in order to act as an intermediary between Town staff and the Authority. 

Though the Authority previously spent months redefining the parameters of the Executive Director position, Dewart proposed to work with Town staff over the next month to develop an official job description for the new position. Gordon added that, as the NDDA Administrator would be working as a liaison between two entities, the Town will be able to assist in the recruitment process. 

Regarding the projects the Town of Nederland would like the NDDA to fund, Dewart met privately with Mayor Nichole Sterling and spoke “at length” about the possibility of completing land survey work and property appraisals within the Central Business District (CBD).

Dewart detailed that the Town is seeking to have low end value appraisals done for each individual parcel, as well as an appraisal of the highest value/best use for each parcel, and an assemblage appraisal.

NDDA Board member Ron Mitchell, owner of the majority of the properties in question, stated the majority of those surveys may already have been completed, and that the Authority should reach out to his appraiser. 

Parking management was also discussed as a viable project, as Dewart claimed that members of the business community have sought him out to complain about the parking situation on East 1st Street. 

Despite Dewart’s opinion that a uniform paid parking system would help to manage unruly parking and bring much needed revenue to the Town, many Board members—and one Nederland business owner who made public comment—felt that “management” did not have to automatically result in paid parking.

Following these discussions, the Authority considered a funding application from Stephanie Andelman for $2,000 for the continued operation of her online business Ned To Go through the first quarter of 2027. Ned To Go features and promotes local businesses within the NDDA’s district, and has been mostly volunteer-driven since its inception in 2020. 

Andelman provided additional context about her local promotion-based website, mentioning its work highlighting all of the businesses and nonprofits in the CBD. She stated that Ned To Go has been referred to by users as Nederland’s unofficial “chamber of commerce.” 

Unfortunately, the NDDA distancing itself from the duties of a chamber of commerce and focusing instead on infrastructure-based projects was a recurring theme throughout the meeting and led to some scrutiny being focused on Andelman’s proposal. 

Legal counsel for the NDDA also cited an issue with Ned To Go’s policy of treating all of Nederland’s businesses equally, especially those outside of the Authority’s district. In order for the NDDA to entertain the proposal and stay compliant with state statute, Ned To Go would have to undergo a website overhaul to give preferential treatment to those businesses within the district.

Though Andelman was open to making those changes to the website, she noted such an undertaking would require more than the $2,000 in funding that she was originally requesting. 

The Authority chose instead to table Andelman’s request in hopes the proposal can be reworked to benefit all parties.  

 The Nederland Downtown Development Authority meets the second Wednesday of every month. Their next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 11, at 6 p.m. and will be held online as well as in person at the Nederland Community Center. 

For more information go to: townofnederland.colorado.gov/downtown-development-authority.