Denver, CO
Denver again delays decision on $800 million expansion of National Western Center
Denver again delayed making a decision over whether to spend $800 million over 35 years on an expansion of the National Western Center in a close-call vote that split the City Council on Monday evening.
The two-week postponement comes as community advocates say they need more time to analyze the agreement and to try to negotiate for additional investment in the surrounding Elyria-Swansea neighborhood from the National Western Center Authority — the group that operates the facility.
The advocates say they want to see an additional $16 million lump sum for the community investment fund under an agreement they’re developing with the National Western Center Authority.
“We can address some of the questions that have been unanswered and we can possibly negotiate some more revenue or some more benefits for the community investment fund with these two weeks,” said Alfonso Espino, one of the community advocates.
The National Western Center Authority says they can’t afford to pay that. They estimate that under the current terms of the agreement, they are already planning to dedicate at least $22 million to the community investment fund over the next 35 years through various measures.
“We get up every day to create community benefit,” said Brad Buchanan, CEO of the National Western Center Authority. “Every decision we make is looking through the lens of community benefit.”
In a 7-5 vote, the council decided to postpone the vote until June 2. City officials say it’s unlikely that the agreement between the entities will change during that time. Espino argues that even if that’s true, they’ve successfully gotten concessions from previous delays.
“We feel that it’s important to make the gesture,” Espino said.
Council members Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, Flor Alvidrez, Sarah Parady, Paul Kashmann, Amanda Sandoval, Stacie Gilmore and Jamie Torres voted in favor of the postponement.
“I’m asking for a little bit more time so that his conversation can continue,” Gonzales-Gutierrez said when proposing the postponement.
Council members Chris Hinds, Darrell Watson, Amanda Sawyer, Diana Romero-Campbell and Kevin Flynn voted no.
“I will continue to fight for more funds to go to (community investment fund),” Watson said. “I also know that in two weeks, the response that’s going to come back to the community is that there is not going to be a $16 million dollar lump sum.”
This is the second time the council has postponed the vote in two weeks. If they don’t take action on it June 2, it will automatically be approved.
The National Western Center Authority said they’ve already agreed to several community benefits, including a 4,000-square-foot community center and 5 acres of open space. They also plan to set aside 1% of all their hotel fees to go toward the fund and will offer all attendees the ability to round up their purchases to donate to the fund.
They say they will continue to look for other ways to donate to the fund. The dollars will be used for anti-displacement measures in the community to prevent gentrification caused by from the project.
Several council members who ultimately voted no said they agree with the efforts from the advocates to try to protect their community.
“You are right. You have been displaced, you have been marginalized, you have lived in one of the most polluted zip codes in the state,” Sawyer said. “I’m just not sure that the language of this agreement is going to change any in two weeks.”
The project represents the next stage of a massive project on the 250–acre campus, which has been under redevelopment since 2019. The city and its partners in the project want to expand the facility into a year-round exhibition with agricultural education and entertainment.
The public-private partnership chose Community Activation Partners, a consortium of contractors, as the developer. That group includes Fengate Asset Management, Hensel Phelps Construction, McWhinney Real Estate and Sage Hospitality.
The plan would include building a 4,500-seat equestrian center, a 570-stall stable, a 160-room hotel, 30 to 40 units of workforce housing and 580 parking spaces.
The principal cost is estimated to be $400 million and would be financed over 35 years through annual payments of up to $23 million. Without any refinancing, that would amount to about $800 million.
It would be paid for from revenue from Ballot Measure 2C, a 2015 voter-approved measure that permanently extended taxes on hotels and car rentals to support the National Western Center.
Construction would begin this fall with a goal of completion by 2028.
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Denver, CO
Nuggets Get Encouraging Jamal Murray Injury Update
Things are looking up revolving around Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray and his injury status moving forward after his recent ankle sprain.
And it looks like leading up to the Nuggets’ upcoming game vs. the OKC Thunder, Murray could even have a chance to play, just days after leaving Denver’s contest vs. the New York Knicks with an ankle sprain.
According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Murray is considered day to day following his ankle injury suffered against the Knicks, and is expected to be listed as questionable against the Thunder.
“Nuggets star G Jamal Murray is considered day to day after leaving Friday’s loss to the Knicks with an ankle injury, sources told ESPN. Expected to be listed as questionable for Monday’s game in OKC.”
Nuggets star G Jamal Murray is considered day to day after leaving Friday’s loss to the Knicks with an ankle injury, sources told ESPN. Expected to be listed as questionable for Monday’s game in OKC.
— Tim MacMahon (@BannedMacMahon) March 8, 2026
It’s a massive breath of fresh air for the Nuggets after seeing their star guard go down with a scary-looking injury headed into the weekend, but it may actually be an injury that isn’t as bad as initially thought.
Jamal Murray Could Play vs. Thunder
There’s no guarantee whether Murray will be able to go against the Thunder and not miss any time with his ankle injury, but seeing his status trending in the right direction is a sign that he’ll be on the floor sooner rather than later.
Compared to the injury troubles the Nuggets have faced all year long, with multiple impact players missing multiple weeks of the regular season, it’ll certainly do.
When Murray has been on the floor for the Nuggets this season, it’s paired with some career-best numbers en route to his first-ever All-Star selection earlier in the year.
In 59 games played across the year, Murray has averaged a career-high 25.8 points per game, along with 4.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists on 48.3% shooting from the field and 43.1% from three.
This season, Murray’s also been one of the Nuggets’ most available players on the roster in a campaign where virtually all of their top names have missed multiple weeks with their own respective injuries.
Murray has missed five games up to his latest injury from the Knicks game, and could even have a chance to keep that total where it’s at, depending on how his status develops before playing the Thunder.
The Nuggets’ health has started to turn a corner in a positive way in recent days and weeks, as both of their starting forwards, Cam Johnson and Aaron Gordon, returned to play against the Knicks, thus allowing Denver their entire starting five healthy and on the floor at the same time since November.
Peyton Watson remains one of the few names out with his respective hamstring injury leading into the final month stretch of the regular season, but expect to see him returning in the next few games. As for Murray, it looks like he also could be back on the floor in the very near future.
Expect to hear more regarding Murray’s injury before tip-off arrives against the Thunder, which could even lead to him taking the floor in one of the Nuggets’ biggest remaining games left in the regular season.
Denver, CO
Farbers sell LoHi apartment development site for $9.5M
The Farber brothers have sold a site in LoHi with approved development plans, and a groundbreaking is imminent.
Elevation Development Group, founded by Brent, Brad and Gregg Farber, sold 0.68 acre at 3301-3333 Mariposa St. in Denver on Wednesday to Greenwood Village-based Century Communities.
Century, a large homebuilder that also develops apartments, paid $9.5 million, records show. That works out to $322 a square foot.
The Farbers bought the property in 2019 for $5.65 million, records show. At the time, it was home to industrial buildings, which have since been demolished.
The site is zoned C-MX-5, which generally allows a mix of uses up to 5 stories.
The Farbers, who didn’t respond to requests for comment, submitted initial plans in late 2020 for apartments on the site. The latest version, which has been approved by the city, calls for 116 units.
Century Executive Vice President Jim Francescon confirmed in a statement that the company will build that project. It will break ground this week, he said, and wrap up sometime in 2028.
The Farbers, who operate out of Cherry Creek, have built two office buildings in that neighborhood. Last year, they completed the Steel House office building in RiNo in partnership with Boston, Massachusetts-based Beacon Capital Partners.
The Farbers also own half a city block along Market Street in downtown Denver, where they’ve proposed apartments.
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Denver, CO
Brothers sentenced to 40 and 40 years for deadly,
Two brothers who were involved in the 2024 drive-by shooting death of a man outside the Downtown Aquarium in Denver were sentenced to serve decades in prison.
Antonio Vasquez, 21, and Jason Trujillo, Jr., 19, were sentenced on Friday to 40 years and 20 years, respectively, in state prison. Both brothers pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and a number of charges, including first-degree murder, were dropped as a result.
Vasquez, who was 19 at the time of the shooting, fired the weapon that killed 19-year-old Dacien Salazar over two years ago, according to investigators. Trujillo, who was 17 at the time, drove the car.
“Dacien Salazar’s murder was not just a tragedy for his friends and family, it was a crime that shocked countless Denver residents — a shooting in broad daylight in a busy public place,” Denver District Attorney John Walsh said in a statement on Friday. “Today’s sentences ensure that Antonio Vasquez and Jason Trujillo will pay a heavy price for their cold-blooded actions.”
The shooting occurred on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2024, outside the popular aquarium near Interstate 25 and Water Street.
Given the location of the shooting, and before police knew if it was random or targeted, a large police presence was seen at the aquarium soon after the 911 calls came in.
Salazar was taken to the hospital but later died of his injuries, according to Denver police. After the shooting, the brothers took off southwest, toward the REI store, and investigators worked to develop information about the suspects.
Salazar was at the aquarium with two other people. The three left Pueblo earlier in the day and got to the aquarium around 2 p.m. that day, a witness told investigators. They left about an hour later, and as they were walking back to the car they came in, a black Chevrolet sedan pulled up and a person, later identified as Vasquez, was in the back seat with a black ski mask on and started shooting.
Salazar was the only person struck by gunfire that afternoon.
One of Salazar’s friends told police that Salazar “had a lot of people that were after him.” That person’s name was redacted in a 10-page arrest report, as was the rest of the paragraph after that claim.
One person interviewed by police told a detective that they saw threats against him on Facebook, made by Trujillo and three other people, whose names were redacted. Screenshots of the threats were also fully redacted in the arrest report.
Forensic investigators say they matched the ammunition used in a shooting in Pueblo, allegedly involving at least one of the suspects, to the one used to kill Salazar. Many details surrounding the Pueblo shooting were redacted, but the report says that .223-caliber rifle ammo was recovered from both scenes.
Court records don’t show any criminal cases out of Pueblo for either brother, aside from a 2022 traffic ticket for Vasquez.
Investigators went through traffic camera footage near the shooting and found the car that matched wintesses’ description and saw it had a temporary license plate. Detectives traced the ownership of the car back to a Pueblo address and then honed in on a cellphone that pinged cell towers in Pueblo, Littleton, and Denver during the time before, during, and after the shooting.
They traced the movement of the car and phone to a hotel — although the exact hotel’s name is redacted from the arrest report — and got security camera footage, which detectives say showed Vasquez and Trujillo leaving and returning to the hotel before and after the shooting.
They were arrested in early May, formally charged on May 8 — both as adults — and held on a $1 million cash-only bond.
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