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Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb pushes back on tax initiative for affordable housing

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Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb pushes back on tax initiative for affordable housing


Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb says now isn’t the time to ask voters to approve a sales tax hike for affordable housing.  

Webb says the measure, pushed by current Mayor Mike Johnston, will put a tax measure by Denver Health in jeopardy.

“I’m not opposed to affordable housing, I’m opposed to the timing,” Webb said. “I was surprised that Mayor Johnston, who has a lot of issues on his plate primarily around homelessness, did not delay it until the spring in order to get one of these issues passed.”

Webb says Denver Health — which is asking for a 0.35% increase — needs to be the priority. The hospital says it provided nearly $136 million in uncompensated care over the last six years.

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“Other hospitals in the Denver Metro area can’t carry that patient load. Denver Health is also a teaching hospital, and it is also the number one trauma center,” says Webb. “I think Michael is a bright guy. He’s a policymaker. He’s good at that. I question whether he’s a good administrator. Time will tell.”

Johnston’s .05% tax for affordable housing would be the eighth dedicated tax in the city and the largest. Voters have also approved sales taxes for parks, college scholarships, mental health, healthy food for kids, climate change and homelessness.

You can see those funds broken down by year here.

If both tax measures pass in November, it would bring the city’s overall sales tax to nearly 10%, on par with the likes of Los Angeles and New York.

Webb’s message to voters is, “If you have to choose, you make sure you vote yes on Denver Health. It shouldn’t be that difficult. Everybody in the city should be saying the same thing. In some cities around the country, they don’t even have a public hospital. We should be saying Denver Health is ours and we’re going to fight for it, and we’re going to protect it, and we’re going to nurture it, and we’re going to make sure it’s around for several generations to come.”

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A spokesperson for Johnston released a statement saying, “Mayor Johnston is a strong supporter of the Denver Health measure and will fight to ensure it gets passed. For too long, Denver leaders have been talking about the need for affordable housing without taking the bold action needed to address it at scale. And the longer we wait, the more expensive and more difficult it will be to truly address this crisis. The teachers, nurses, seniors, and working families that make our city run deserve both accessible healthcare and affordable housing, and we will work to make both a reality.”

Here are the dedicated sales taxes voters have approved:

  • Nov. 3, 2020: 2A Climate Protection – .025%
  • Nov. 3, 2020: 2B Housing and Shelter Tax – 0.25%
  • Nov. 6, 2018: 301 Mental Health (Caring for Denver) – 0.25%
  • Nov. 6, 2018: 302 Feed Denver Kids (Healthy Food) – 0.08%
  • Nov. 6, 2018: 300 College Tuition (Prosperity Denver) – 0.08%
  • Nov. 6, 2018: 2A Trails and Open Space (Parks) – 0.25%
  • Nov. 7, 2006: 1A Denver Preschool Program – 0.15% 



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Denver, CO

Rockies beat reporter Patrick Saunders to leave Denver Post

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Rockies beat reporter Patrick Saunders to leave Denver Post


2017 Hall of Fame Awards Presentation

COOPERSTOWN, NY – JULY 29: Patrick Saunders, President of the BBWAA, introduces Claire Smith during the 2017 Hall of Fame Awards Presentation on Doubleday Field at the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Saturday July 29, 2017 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB via Getty Images)
MLB via Getty Images



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Pedestrian dies after hit by car on southbound E-470, Aurora police say

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Pedestrian dies after hit by car on southbound E-470, Aurora police say


AURORA, Colo. — A pedestrian died Thursday morning after he was hit by a car on southbound E-470, the Aurora Police Department said.

The crash happened around 6:19 a.m. Thursday, according to the E-470 Toll Authority, shutting down the highway between 48th and 56th Aves. for approximately three hours. The stretch of road reopened around 9:24 a.m. Thursday, according to the E-470 Toll Authority.

A 34-year-old man intentionally jumped in front of a white Chevrolet Silverado driving on southbound E-470, according to the initial Colorado State Patrol (CSP) investigation.

  • Watch the full Denver7 traffic report in the video player below.

Deadly vehicle, pedestrian crash shuts down stretch of SB E-470: Aurora PD

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The driver of the Chervolet was not injured and stayed on scene to assist law enforcement with the investigation, CSP said.

Traffic was diverted off E-470 at 48th Ave. during the closure, the E-470 Toll Authority said, advising drivers to find alternate routes. Northbound E-470 remained open during the fatal crash investigation led by CSP.

Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Jayson Luber

Denver7 traffic expert Jayson Luber knows Colorado roads like the back of his hand – but he’s always looking for stories impacting transportation in our state for his Driving You Crazy podcast and beyond. If you’d like to get in touch with Jayson, fill out the form below to send him an email.

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New report finds Denver metro home buyers and sellers experiencing ‘unattainability fatigue’

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New report finds Denver metro home buyers and sellers experiencing ‘unattainability fatigue’


Higher mortgage rates are discouraging buyers and sellers, and slowing market activity along the way across the Denver metro, according to a Denver Metro Association of Realtors May market trends report.

“There’s a lot of fatigue going on, and specifically due to interest rates, Denver has seen a pretty typical 6% average price appreciation, but the last couple of years it’s been relatively flat. However, that’s just kind of made up for the fact that during the pandemic we saw huge appreciation gains,” said Heather O’Leary, a realtor and a member of the Denver Metro Association of Realtors market trends committee.

Watch more of Micah Smith’s interview with Heather O’Leary on the current housing market in the video below.

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New report finds Denver metro home buyers and sellers experiencing ‘unattainability fatigue’

O’Leary said from May 2017 to May 2026, the median sale price grew from $382,000 to $615,000, a 6% average annual increase that mirrors the market’s long-run historical norm.

“A median home in the Denver metro area could cost 87% more than it did in 2020 and so buyers are exhausted. That’s where we get the term affordability or unattainability fatigue, because it’s just difficult for them to jump into something. And then sellers are honestly exhausted as well, because they don’t want to have to drop their prices,” O’Leary said.

According to the report, closed sales fell nearly 7% year-over-year, attached-home sales dropped almost 18%, and new listings declined more than 17%. 

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However, the report found the luxury market is outperforming the broader market.

“Luxury buyers are definitely less affected by interest rates, and we’ve seen 3.1% increase year-over-year in pending sales, and about 5% in closed sales, and that’s really because luxury buyers are less affected by interest rates, because they have more flexibility, potentially more cash and equity in a home,” O’Leary said.

The DMAR Market Trends Committee releases reports monthly, including data for Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin, Jefferson and Park counties.

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Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Micah Smith

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Micah Smith anchors Denver7’s 4 and 5 p.m. newscasts, and reports on issues impacting all of Colorado’s communities. She specializes in telling stories centered on social equity and hearing voices that are unheard or silenced. If you’d like to get in touch with Micah, fill out the form below to send her an email.





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