Denver, CO
Measure viewed as potential fix for downtown Denver’s “doom loop” headed to some city voters in November
An estimated 2,500 Denver residents and qualifying businesses will have an extra ballot question to vote on in November that their neighbors will not.
The City Council on Monday agreed to put the future of the Denver Downtown Development Authority — and thus potential funding for more than half a billion dollars in infrastructure and other projects in the city’s downtown core — in the hands of those qualified electors.
Mayor Mike Johnston announced his ambitions to greatly expand the little-known taxing authority at a press conference outside Union Station in May. At the time, he described the tsunami of new public investment that expansion could bring as a means to snap the downtown “doom loop” of falling commercial activity and rising crime that emerged at the outset of the COVID pandemic.
The city’s core is experiencing what is believed to be record levels of office vacancy, according to real estate firm JLL.
The authority, abbreviated DDDA, derives its income from collecting a portion of sales and property taxes from participating property owners within its boundaries. It uses that money to pay for approved development work that is identified “with an eye towards stimulating economic growth and alleviating deterioration of conditions,” Dawnna Wilder, a project manager with the city’s Department of Finance, told council members at a committee hearing earlier this month.
The district was launched in 2008 to pay off an estimated $400 million in public debt that was taken on to pay for infrastructure around the station when that facility was undergoing its major overhaul.
The ballot question that council members referred to voters on Monday would authorize the city to take on up to $570 million in new debt on behalf of the DDDA to pay for both public facilities and projects and possibly improvements to private property as well. The measure would set a repayment cap of $847 million on that debt, factoring in a 5% interest rate and other costs, Wilder said in that committee hearing earlier this month.
The debt would not be on the city’s books. It would belong to the DDDA. The authority is authorized to collect shares of tax revenue through 2038. Approval of the measure would not increase taxes on participating properties, city leaders emphasized.
Only property owners, residents and tenant businesses in the district’s existing boundaries will vote on that question in November. Those boundaries cover Union Station and several blocks immediately surrounding it and the city block that was formerly home to the Regional Transportation District’s Market Street Station, city maps show. The City Clerk and Recorder’s Office is handling outreach to qualified electors.
The council will come to bear on other key elements of Johnston’s plan in the months ahead.
Council members are expected to vote in October on whether or not to expand the district’s boundaries to include the entirety of the city’s Central Business District and even reach across Broadway into the North Capitol Hill neighborhood.
The council will also vote on a new development plan that will specify how any newly raised debt or other funding can be used, Wilder said.
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Originally Published:
Denver, CO
Things To Do In And Around Denver This Weekend – 12/17-12/21 – 303 Magazine
Where: Fight Club – 1959 16th St Mall Denver
Cost: Price varies
The Lowdown:
Guests have the option of $39 bottomless flatbreads, which includes the price of their oche reservation for Social Darts®. The bottomless flatbread menu features Smoked Salmon Flatbread, Four Cheese Flatbread, Breakfast Flatbread, or Garden Vegetable Flatbread. Guests can also order off the á la carte menu, which includes a fresh-cut fruit plate, breakfast sliders,, avocado toast, and Flight Club’s famous churros.
Denver, CO
Denver airport delays, crashes, broken windows, downed power lines: What to know about Colorado’s windy Wednesday
Hurricane-force winds in Colorado on Wednesday had a major impact across the Denver metro area, Front Range, and foothills. It’s a First Alert Weather Day because of the dangerous conditions.
Gusts of over 100 mph — equivalent to a category 2 hurricane — were reported in some parts of the Front Range, and over 100,000 people were without power as of 7 p.m. On Berthoud Pass, between Empire and Winter Park, wind gusts reached at least 102 mph. They reached 97 mph at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Boulder County, 96 mph in Marshall, and 93 mph in West Arvada.
Several highways were closed, Denver International Airport saw dozens of delays, power lines and other property damage were reported, schools were closed, Denver’s holiday events were canceled, and thousands of homes and businesses were without power after Xcel’s Public Safety Power Shutoff and unplanned outages.
Power shutoff
Xcel Energy was implementing what it calls a Public Safety Shutoff, for only the second time ever in Colorado. An estimated 50,000 people across the Front Range were impacted, mostly in Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld counties.
Restoration for some areas was expected to start around 6 p.m. Wednesday, but many customers told CBS News Colorado that Xcel told them it could be up to three days before their power is restored.
As a result, the Colorado Division of Emergency Management opened charging centers, shelters, and resource centers in the impacted areas.
Xcel said it shut off the power in these areas because of the combination of wind speeds and dry conditions that increase the chance of wildfires.
Once conditions improve, Xcel Energy Colorado President Robert Kenney said crews will begin inspecting lines to determine when power can be restored.
“Once the wind event stops, that does not mean your power will be immediately restored,” he said. “We have several hundred crew members that are already being pre-positioned, that are on standby, so that when the wind event does end, they will be able to immediately begin inspecting the lines. They have to visually inspect the lines for damage before restoring the power.”
Delayed flights
The Federal Aviation Administration called for a ground delay at Denver International Airport from 5 through 8 p.m., although that’s subject to change, based on evolving weather conditions.
As of about 6:30 p.m., 66 flights were delayed, and one was canceled.
Wind gusts were recorded at around 40 mph at the airport around 5 p.m.
School closures
Several school districts — including Jefferson County, Colorado’s second-largest — closed schools, and many also canceled after-school activities.
The University of Colorado cancelled classes, but the Buffs’ basketball game against Portland State is continuing, although fans are not allowed to attend.
Highway closures
Several highways in the foothills near Boulder, as well as in Northern Colorado up to the Wyoming state line, were closed. At least one crash also closed the westbound lanes of Interstate 70 on the Eastern Plains.
Those planned closures included:
- Highway 93 between Boulder and Arvada
- Highway 36 between Boulder and Lyons
- Highway 128 from Superior to Highway 93
- Highway 287 between Ted’s Place and the Wyoming border closed this afternoon, but has since reopened
Damage and other closures
Power lines were reported as having fallen across the Denver metro area, adding to the number of customers without power.
A number of local businesses were also forced to close — some out of caution, others due to a lack of power.
Car and structure windows were also broken by flying debris, like this car in Boulder, whose windows were shattered by small, flying rocks.
Despite losing power around 10 a.m., Ace Hardware in Golden remained open and kept busy, selling generators, flashlights, batteries, and tools and materials to prevent or fix damage.
Some business owners raised concerns about what a days-long outage could mean for their companies, products, and customers.
“We could lose everything,” DeAnn Wieber, owner of the Windy Saddle Cafe in Golden, said. “We could lose all our food, the time that it took to prepare everything, and we just don’t know. And there’s are a lot of businesses going through the same thing.”
Denver, CO
Canceled due to high winds: Wednesday’s drone show, holiday tree, Christkindlmarket
Downtown’s Mile High Drone Show, the Denver Christkindlmarket and access to the Mile High Tree have been canceled for Wednesday, Dec. 17, due to high winds, said producers at Visit Denver.
The city’s tourism arm on Wednesday morning decided to cancel the shows and outdoor holiday market for this evening “due to weather conditions,” as well as cut off access to the 110-foot LED icon known as the Mile High Tree, through which visitors can typically walk and snap selfies.
Denver is forecasted to endure wind gusts of up to 50 mph on Dec. 17, with gusts of up to 75 to 80mph possible in higher elevations. High winds, low humidity and the possibility of wildfire led Xcel Energy to cut power to more than 100,000 Front Range residents by Wednesday morning. Xcel Energy also sponsors the Mile High Tree.
Denver Christkindlmarket is scheduled to run through Dec. 23 at the Auraria Campus.
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