Denver, CO
Denver is revamping its residential health regulations for first time in a decade
For the first time in a decade, Denver plans to revamp its residential health regulations.
City officials have been meeting with housing advocates and stakeholders for the past year, gathering input about how they might better protect tenants and maintain housing habitability standards amid a housing crisis and increasing corporate consolidation in the rental market.
In a Dec. 19 memo obtained by The Denver Post, Mayor Mike Johnston outlined a series of proposals that would increase transparency for residents, help tenant organizations better negotiate with management and ensure that problematic landlords address violations and fines before their rental licenses are approved.
Nicol Caldwell, public health manager with the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, said the agency last updated its regulations 10 years ago — and that was only a minor revision.
“What we’re looking at now is basically a complete overhaul of the ordinance and rules and regulations,” she said in an interview. “It’s gonna be a pretty big effort.”
These changes will come in three different buckets. Internal policies and procedures — such as what inspectors wear and how they fill out forms — can be changed unilaterally by public health leadership. Rules and regulations — such as the minimum temperature a unit must maintain — must be approved by the DDPHE board. Larger changes to Denver’s city code must go before the City Council.
This process began in October 2024 as the city was working on its annual budget. Housing advocates were beating the drum over tenant protections, lamenting a lack of enforcement from city regulators as residents lived in buildings without heat and hot water, or their units were infested with cockroaches and bed bugs.
In response to the feedback, the city agreed to add a public health investigator position as well as an analyst to create a public dashboard for residential health complaints and citations. Johnston also agreed to hold a series of stakeholder meetings with the Denver Metro Tenants Union and other housing organizations to discuss more avenues to protect residents.
“The reality is that there are bad actors out there who are not putting in the work that’s necessary to maintain their properties on a regular basis,” Caldwell told The Post in January 2025.
The mayor’s memo outlined a series of “focus areas” that the public health team will consider during its overhaul, including:
- Requiring landlords to provide tenants with more information about violations and ongoing or completed enforcement actions
- Setting a maximum indoor temperature requirement to address overheating concerns
- Mandating that landlords meet and confer with tenants upon request to discuss property conditions or needed repairs
- Improving communication during the city’s proactive inspections
- Ensuring landlords pay outstanding fines and correct violations before they can renew their residential rental licenses
Some of the changes have already gone live. Members of the public can now find a comprehensive dashboard on the city’s website that tracks residential health complaints, violations and citations for any address dating back to 2022. Renters can now look up a prospective apartment building before they sign a lease, ensuring they’re moving into a space without years of documented problems.
The department previously increased the amount it can fine violators and started applying liens for unpaid fines.
“The ultimate hope is to make sure everyone in Denver, regardless of what type of dwelling they live in, has equal access to a healthy and safe environment,” Caldwell said.
Eida Altman, director of the Denver Metro Tenants Union, called Johnston’s letter “encouraging.”
“It indicated that the mayor’s office hears and understands many of the key issues we have been advocating around, and it signals that the conversation we held over the past year is the beginning, not the end,” she said.
Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, a Denver city councilwoman, said the discussions are “just the tip of the iceberg.” There’s still a lot more work to be done, she said.
“This is a good example of how our government and community can come together to work toward solutions,” she said in an interview.
Caldwell admitted that recent cases of egregious behavior by landlords shone a light on the need for updated regulations.
The department issued heavy fines and ultimately shuttered a neglected building in Denver’s uptown neighborhood last year that was owned by CBZ Management. The building lacked heat, hot water and working fire alarms.
An investigation by The Post in May found the city has handed out residential rental licenses to building owners with years of documented violations, who continue to neglect their tenants immediately after receiving the all-clear.
The city hopes the updated regulations will be done by the end of 2027 — though Caldwell acknowledged that to be a lofty goal. Public health officials still need to sit down with landlords and apartment associations, as well as other city agencies. The job, she said, is to weigh the pros and cons and find a balance.
“Our job is to ensure everyone has a safe and healthy environment,” Caldwell said. “If that means changing regulations that come with a cost, that would be something we have to do.”
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Denver, CO
Colorado weather: Record heat returns to Denver, northern part of state
Two more days of record-breaking heat are forecast for northern Colorado this week, including in the Denver area, according to the National Weather Service.
Earlier forecasts from the weather service projected 90-degree temperatures in Denver on Wednesday, which would have marked the city’s first of the year and earliest on record. The expected temperature high has since dropped to 88 degrees, which would still break daily and monthly heat records, according to the weather service.
NWS Tuesday forecasts:
- 64 degrees in Dillion, breaking the 63-degree record for March 24.
- 75 degrees in Evergreen, breaking the 71-degree daily record.
- 81 degrees in Denver, breaking the 76-degree daily record.
- 83 degrees at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, breaking the 76-degree daily record.
- 83 degrees in Boulder, breaking the 76-degree daily record.
- 84 degrees at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, breaking the 80-degree daily record.
NWS Wednesday forecasts:
- 69 degrees in Dillion, breaking the 62-degree record for March 24.
- 80 degrees in Evergreen, breaking the 75-degree daily record.
- 88 degrees in Denver, breaking the 75-degree daily record and the 86-degree March heat record. Denver has broken or tied the March heat record three times so far this month, according to the weather service.
- 89 degrees at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, breaking the 76-degree daily record.
- 87 degrees in Boulder, breaking the 78-degree daily record.
- 89 degrees at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, breaking the 79-degree daily record.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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Denver, CO
Married couple stars on stage at Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ “Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors”
The Denver Center for the Performing Arts is celebrating more than 100 performances of its hit comedy “Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors.” The show, which puts a funny twist on the classic tale of Dracula, is filled with comedy and romance, and that romance can be seen both onstage and off.
“It is a great date night. It is fast, it is fun,” said Marco Alberto Robinson, the actor who portrays Dracula on stage.
“People leave with a smile on their face, it is a good time,” said Adriane Leigh Robinson, an actress who plays multiple characters during the show.
The duo not only finds romance on stage in the production, but off stage, they are already in love.
“We are just best buddies,” Marco Robinson said.
“We are married,” Adriane Robinson said as she laughed.
The duo has lived in Denver for years and has enjoyed helping bring Dracula to life at the Garner Galleria.
“Dracula is a cult classic about a blood thirsty monster. But this is different, because he is not only blood thirsty, he is spicy,” Adriane Robinson said.
The other cast members of the production told CBS News Colorado they are confident both Robinsons are capable of starring on Broadway in New York. However, both said they have found a purpose and belonging in Denver and at the DCPA.
“We have found a super tight and loving community that we don’t ever want to leave,” Adriane Robinson said.
Both have been in many productions at the DCPA, but added Dracula has given them an opportunity to explore a side of their relationship that they’ve never had before.
“It’s the easiest (to be romantic interests on and off stage),” Adriane Robinson said.
“It is super easy. We can come up with something at home and bring it in. It is nice to not be passing ships,” Marco Robinson said.
Both said they have an appreciation for the surrounding arts community in Colorado, and have loved being on the same funny production in Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors.
“We are putting roots down here, and regional theatre is super important. And, the Denver Center is doing some of the best of it,” Marco Robinson said.
Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors, plays at the DCPA through May 10. For more information on tickets, visit their website.
Denver, CO
Traffic, parking and transportation at Burnham Yard are focal points around Denver Broncos stadium plans
As the Denver Broncos design a new stadium for Burnham Yard, one of the most critical elements — with some of the highest potential for backlash from neighbors and the team’s fans — will be the plan for getting people to and from the site.
Questions about parking, traffic management, transit access and accessibility have emerged as major concerns for neighbors of the future stadium during early community meetings in west Denver organized by the city and the team.
“It is probably the No. 1 topic that we’re hearing,” said Troy Halouska, the vice president of the La Alma Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association.
Lindsey Noble, a resident of the neighborhood, said in an interview with The Denver Post that she and her neighbors were “pretty concerned about traffic and parking” from the events the new stadium would host — which the team has said would go well beyond Broncos home games.
“They (the Broncos) are creating these problems, and some of the solutions I have heard have to do with altering our neighborhood or changing streets,” she said. “These aren’t things we want.”
The Broncos are still early in the process of laying out plans for the abandoned rail yard as the team aims to build a stadium by 2031. The team has already released some transportation-related details, including proposed changes to street crossings with the Regional Transportation District’s light rail tracks, potential parking options for events, and plans for connections to existing pedestrian and bike infrastructure.
The team plans to build more than just a stadium, though. Alongside their home field, the Broncos want to create a mixed-use entertainment district that uses the space year-round. Like other modern stadiums, it would have restaurants, open space and, potentially, hotels or apartments outside the venue.
Officials with the Broncos say they have heard the worries from nearby residents about the massive development’s potential impact on their neighborhoods. They say they’re looking for ways to integrate the site into the community — without flooding nearby streets with thousands of cars and people.
Generally, the team plans to address those concerns by designing the site in such a way that eventgoers are guided in through the north and south ends of the site, rather than being routed through the mostly residential neighborhood to the east.
The site itself, once the rail yard is cleared, will be nestled between two rail corridors — freight lines to the west and RTD’s light rail tracks to the east. Entities connected to the Broncos have been buying up properties beyond the banana-shaped rail yard for the stadium and surrounding district.

A bit farther to the west of the site is Interstate 25, and the north and south boundaries are generally West 13th Avenue and West Sixth Avenue. An early conceptual plan the team submitted to the city shows how its designers plan to connect local streets through the site. One new street would connect West Eighth Avenue to Osage Street, for instance, incorporating city plans to lower part of Eighth’s current viaduct.
Josh Brooks, a principal at Sasaki, the architecture firm designing the site’s master plan, said during a community meeting in February that the team plans to design the area so that noise and visual impacts are pushed as far from the residential neighborhood as possible.
“Our intention is to ensure this is an integrated community, a mixed-use development that really serves as an extension of the city and becomes part of the shared memory of the community,” Brooks said.
One of the things that most attracted the team to Burnham Yard was its connectivity with other areas. Located near I-25, Sixth and Eighth avenues, an RTD station, walking paths and planned bike lanes, the site won’t need massive changes to help bring in visitors.
But that doesn’t mean the team won’t have plenty of work to do on that front.

During the February community information meeting at the La Alma Recreation Center, the Broncos conducted a quick survey of attendees to ask what their top concerns were. The most-selected item was “traffic congestion during games/events,” followed closely by “impacts to housing expenses.”
The design for the site will focus on connecting existing roads and pedestrian paths and easing those neighborhood concerns, Brooks said.
The Broncos will work with the city in the coming months to develop a small-area plan, which will set out the design for the expanse surrounding the stadium site. While the stadium itself will be privately financed, the team has said, the city and state could be on the hook for infrastructure improvements nearby.
The city already plans to pay for improvements to two major road connections, the nearby Sixth and Eighth avenue viaducts, as part of bond projects passed by voters last fall.
Train crossings and transit access
One advantage of the Burnham Yard site is that it already has an RTD rail station next to it, making transit access easier. But the 10th and Osage station is accessible only from the east, with Burnham Yard west of the tracks. So it would need to be reconstructed to allow pedestrian access from both directions.
Working together with RTD, the Broncos are proposing changes to several light rail crossings. At 13th Avenue, the team has suggested a bridge for trains to pass over the street, with a place for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to cross beneath.

At 12th and 9th avenues, team officials are proposing a separated-grade crossing for cyclists and pedestrians to also pass underneath the light rail tracks.
Eleventh, 10th and 8th avenues would have at-grade crossings. Halouska, with the La Alma Lincoln Park Association, said residents would like as few at-grade crossings as possible to prevent collisions or other safety hazards.
Besides concerns about transit crossings, Noble expressed worry that there also might not be enough light rail cars on a game day to transfer everyone who arrives and departs that way.
A spokesperson for RTD said there was no one available to discuss the transit agency’s plans for the area.
“RTD is regularly meeting with the project team and other partners to provide feedback and ask questions about their proposed stadium plans. Specific information about any proposed changes to RTD’s services or operations is not yet available,” RTD’s Pauline Haberman said.
What about parking?
Other concerns about the plan center on where those who drive to the stadium will park.
Halouska said even when his group tries to host meetings about other topics, parking is the concern its leaders hear about the most from the neighborhood.
“The Broncos have said themselves they really want this area to be activated 300 days a year, and so folks in the neighborhood are very concerned about what kind of impact that will have on parking,” he said. “We really need more details from the team and the city.”

Team officials have said they plan to provide the same amount of parking at the new site as Empower Field has — which is roughly 7,000 spots. But instead of a stadium surrounded by surface parking, officials are proposing making use of parking structures and shared parking systems.
Noble said the on-site parking spots could make a big difference in the impact to the neighborhood.
The city could also add resident-only parking permit rules for the surrounding streets, much like a longstanding system in the Jefferson Park neighborhood around Empower Field.
A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure said the same system is possible for Burnham Yard, but it’s too early to know specifics of how it would work.
“We won’t begin designing anything until we understand how the site will work, where impacts could occur, and there’s a focused conversation on (residential parking permits),” Nancy Kuhn wrote in an email.
Halouska said that could help, but only if the parking permits are regularly enforced.
“Having the permits is a fine idea — though it does cost money to get a permit — but if it’s not enforced, then it’s kind of pointless,” Halouska said.
Bike and pedestrian access
It won’t just be public transportation and cars getting people to events or the new development. The Broncos also plan to build connections to surrounding bike and pedestrian infrastructure, like the South Platte River Trail and the bike lane along 13th Avenue, Brooks said.
There could also be a connection to the proposed 5280 urban trail, which as envisioned by planners would weave through several neighborhoods that include La Alma Lincoln Park, Golden Triangle, Capitol Hill, LoDo and Ballpark. The effort, led by the Downtown Denver Partnership, is not yet fully under construction. About a quarter of the plan is in “next steps development,” according to the DDP.
Noble said she hoped the team would find some ways to encourage people to travel to the stadium without driving.
“Really, I think incentivizing people to ride their bike and take public transportation is the way to go to mitigate the impacts,” she said. “Make it easy. Make it affordable.”
Officials say they will wrap up the community-informed small area plan, which will provide policy guidance for city decision-makers, by the end of this year. It will include resident feedback and ideas about housing, sidewalks, open space and grocery access, among other things.
The Broncos and the city plan to host their next community meeting in May.
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