The federal Opportunity Zone 2.0 Program will provide benefits to investors in designated areas. The Governor must select which census tracts to nominate, following a competitive application process. The attached fact sheet spells out Opportunity Zone basics.

What Starbucks’ Downtown Transition Really Says About Chico. Downtown has never been about national chains. What people love about downtown Chico is its local businesses — independent shops, restaurants, and services that reflect the creativity and character of this community. Starbucks was the rare exception, not the defining feature.

The decision to consolidate the downtown store into Starbucks’ newer Mangrove Avenue location is not related to performance, parking, safety, or homelessness. Rather, it reflects a broader corporate strategy that has been underway for several years

The January 2026 Report on Downtown Ambassador activities is now available. Download here.

In the year 2025, Chico Downtown Property-based Improvement District (PBID) Ambassadors cleaned up 416 sharps, 305 incidents of human waste, 97 spills, and made 3,397 homeless contacts. They also provided hospitality assistance 2,092 times. Results are summarized below, or you can download the Ambassadors Report for Calendar Year 2025.

Under the initiative to create a vibrant and welcoming physical downtown destination, the Downtown Building Enhancement Committee conducted an inventory and assessment of vacant buildings in downtown Chico. In order to market those properties, a new StoryMap offers a virtual tour of those properties, with specs and photos. This effort is part of the "Why Downtown Chico" campaign to attract potential tenants, and the StoryMap also offers introductory information on the benef