Eric  Cabrera announced his resignation from the Downtown Development Authority last week. Cabrera, who owns the Donut Mill, served the board as treasurer. 

“This was a very tough decision,” Cabrera said, speaking at the meeting May 5. “I am a dad first and I’m very proud of my two boys.”

One of his sons plays for a national basketball team and the other is on the road with with motocross racing, Cabrera said.  

“They are both time-consuming,” Cabrera said, adding that he delayed his resignation until now. “I did want to see through the Tava House getting approved.”

For his final treasurer’s report, Cabrera said the DDA paid the law firm of Michow Guckenberger & McAskin LLP $6,398 for the month of April. The firm’s Josh Myers attends most meetings and oversees the the DDA’s microgrant program.

Cabera’s resignation leaves a second vancacy on the board due to the recent resignation of Sarah Salazar whose company moved its headquarters out of Woodland Park.

After the meeting, Jon Gemelke, DDA chair, said that at least two people have expressed interest in filling the vacancies.  

To date, 20 business owners within the DDA district have applied for a microgrant, a program inititated last year by the board. 

“We have $97,699 in requests,  said Kimberly Burleson, assistant city manager.

This year, the DDA increased the amount of the grants to $200,000 from $150,000 last year.  If approved, a business can receive up to $5,000 for improvements.

In other business, former mayor Kellie Case requested that the DDA consider being a sponsor of America’s Mountain Festival July 11.

“I come before you because of the investments you made in our downtown,” said Case, a festival volunteer. Gemelke agreed to consider the issue after board members had read the information, to be sent via email.

The Tava House is open for business, said Mary Sekowski, one of the investors in the Tava House group.  “We received our temporary certification of occupation last week.”

The Firebrand steakhouse is scheduled to open in late May, she added.

Over the past year, the investors and the DDA board have gone back-and-forth over Tava’s request for tax-increment-financing reimbursement for the $550,000 spent on infrastructure costs.  In June 2025, Mark Weaver, spokesman for the investors, reported that the group had spent $2 million on the project, to include the infrastructure expenses.

Required by the Colorado Department of Transportation, the work includes extending Saddle Club Drive and reconfiguring the turn lanes from U.S. Hwy. 24. 

According to TIF guidelines, the investors would begin paying property taxes after the Tava House restaurant opens and the value of the property increases due to the development on formally vacant land.

The investors first requested $1.8 million for TIF reimbursement, reduced the request to $743,224 but the board countered with an offer of $400,000. Last week, Weaver confirmed that the group accepted the offer, the payments spread over the next six years.