Skip to main content
City of Vancouver Washington

Downtown Stakeholders Forum

Welcome to the Downtown Stakeholders Forum

The Downtown Stakeholders Forum is an open, collaborative space for anyone who lives, works, owns property, or simply cares about the heart of Vancouver. Whether you’re a resident, business owner, building manager, or downtown worker, this forum is your opportunity to connect, share ideas, and help shape the future of downtown.

Together, we focus on projects that enhance the vibrancy, visibility, and vitality of downtown Vancouver—through community driven projects, placemaking, marketing and more. The Forum was launched through a partnership between Vancouver’s Downtown Association and the City of Vancouver, with a shared commitment to inclusive dialogue and collective action.

Join the conversation

The Forum meets in person from 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every other month, beginning in February. Everyone is welcome—see below for upcoming dates and details.

Meeting format and schedule

In-person meeting location

Meeting dates

See the Meeting Information tab below for the Microsoft Teams link if you are unable to attend in-person.

Meeting information

If unable to join in-person at City Hall, please use the following Microsoft Teams link:

Click here to join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 251 560 283 302 54

Passcode: hi2Df6CN

Download Teams | Join on the web

Or call in (audio only – submit your questions via chat box option)

+1 347-941-5324,,513131476# United States, New York City

Phone conference ID: 513 131 476#

Meeting materials

2/17/2026 meeting

12/16/25 meeting

10/21/25 meeting

8/19/25 meeting

4/15/25 meeting

2/18/25 meeting

Downtown priorities and surveys

2026 Downtown Priorities

Each year, community members of the Downtown Stakeholders Forum collaborate with City of Vancouver and Vancouver’s Downtown Association staff to identify priorities for Downtown, and designate focus topics for the year. In the January Stakeholders Survey, community participants identified the following priorities for 2026 (highest priority shown first):

  • Homelessness/Public Safety/Crime/Drugs
  • Main St Promise updates
  • I-5 Bridge Project
  • Update on implementation of City’s Downtown Parking Plan
  • Overview of key downtown organizations and impact: Port, Visit Vancouver, Historic Trust, Farmers Market, VDA, GVCC, CREDC
  • Business support, technical training, and other business resources
  • Preview of 2026 public events/festivals – what to expect, opportunities for partnership
  • Downtown wayfinding (signage/destination info) strategy
  • City actions that are reducing impact on environment
  • Workforce Development Trends

View results of the 2026 Downtown Stakeholders Survey or you may view individual answers within the 2026 Downtown Stakeholders Survey.

Main Street Promise Streetscape Project

Construction is underway to improve Main Street in downtown Vancouver from 5th Street to 15th Street. We are investing in making Main Street safer, more accessible, and connected for businesses, residents and visitors. That is the Main Street Promise.

A community-led effort, nearly 30 years in the making, the Main Street Promise builds upon planning work that began in 1993 with the goal of improving and invigorating the heart of Vancouver.

Construction for this exciting project started in January 2025 and is anticipated to be complete by Spring 2027. The project team will engage the community throughout all phases of the project, with project updates often shared at these recurring meetings.

Downtown Market Study, by VDA: The VDA completed a downtown market study in 2023, made possible by a grant from the WA Main Street Program. The purpose of the study was to identify market opportunities, trends, community perceptions, prospects interested in opening a business downtown, and demographic / sociographic information. This community-wide outreach collected 835 survey responses.