Denver, CO
Letters: Downtown Denver is struggling and restaurants need a little help
Downtown Denver isn’t doing as well as city auditor claims
Re: “Gutting Denver’s minimum wage is bad for workers, business, and city,” Feb. 16 commentary
With all due respect to Timothy M. O’Brien, Denver’s city auditor, perspective is everything. Thriving? I don’t think so. O’Brien cites statistics outside of downtown Denver, where property and sales taxes have seen a 35% decline, costing the city over $45 million since 2020, according to a 9News report. Yet as property taxes, labor costs, and food costs steadily increase, the city of Denver offers little relief. Crime, homelessness, and declining traffic downtown continue in a downward spiral.
A once-thriving and welcoming city has become a ghost town for most of the last five years. Sure, there are spikes, but too few to matter. No one will come downtown and pay for parking and a $25 hamburger if they can find something similar in their local neighborhoods. Convention traffic has also declined.
Perspective: Your capital city is in disrepair and could use a little help. As a third-generation small family business, it’s not that we forgot how to operate, but we can’t operate on a level playing field. Please don’t tell me I can’t keep people and treat them unfairly. We have dishwashers that have been with us for over 15 years. We treat people well, which is why when you visit one of our shops, you see familiar faces and know their names. This city has some work to do and House Bill 1208 is a good place to start.
Sam Armatas, Denver
Editor’s note: Armatas is vice president and operator of Sam’s No.3 Downtown.
Calling out commentary’s false equivalencies
Re: “Like it or not, Washington needs creative destruction,” Feb. 23 commentary
I’m writing to call you out on allowing a sloppy editorial in your Sunday paper. David Mastio’s op-ed was filled with implied false equivalencies. Because Trump correctly stopped minting pennies, it’s OK to have massive firings of government employees. Because the Pentagon wastes money (and it does), it’s OK to have an incompetent Secretary of Defense.
No one who follows our government believes that it doesn’t need reform, but to imply that stopping the minting of pennies is a great reason for the “creative destruction” of the federal government is dangerous and misguided thinking, and you should use better judgment when you select editorials for publication sources other than your own editorial board. Just saying.
George Burson, Louisville
The concerns about Senate Bill 3 are “rubbish”
Re: “If Colorado bans some semiautomatic weapons, women will be less safe,” Feb. 23 commentary
The state director of Women for Gun Rights writes with the usual gun lobby hyperbole that Senate Bill 3 will undermine the right of self-defense, especially for women and minorities. Rubbish.
If one actually goes to the Colorado General Assembly website, one will find that the firearms covered by the legislation are quite limited. “The bill defines a “specified semiautomatic firearm” as a semiautomatic rifle or semiautomatic shotgun with a detachable magazine or a gas-operated semiautomatic handgun with a detachable magazine.” Please note that women and minorities can still purchase revolvers, semiautomatic pistols that use the “blowback” method of operation, pump action shotguns, bolt action and lever action rifles, and every other type of firearm not listed above.
One would have thought that an NRA-certified instructor would not have a problem with a training requirement for weapons listed in the bill. Instead, by using classic anti-regulatory language, these are “onerous requirements” that are “burdensome and exclusionary.” Apparently, the only good gun law is no gun law. Please contact your legislator and ask them to support Senate Bill 3.
Guy Wroble, Denver
Same old tired fear-mongering from the NRA. Now, it’s crime waves involving Venezuelan gangs that are targeting our communities and women specifically, and only the NRA and semiautomatic weapons that increase the rate of fire, essentially assault-style weapons, will keep us safe. If Barbara Miller is dedicated to education and safety, I suggest she take the carveout to Senate Bill 3 for individuals who complete a state-regulated training course. Apparently, essential safety training is too “burdensome and exclusionary” for the NRA.
According to Brady United, during the 10-year period the federal assault weapons ban was in effect, mass shooting fatalities were 70% less likely to occur. After Congress let the ban expire, the organization reported that mass shootings in which six or more people were killed increased by 347%.
Having a gun in the home is risk escalation. Studies have shown that having a gun in the home was linked with nearly three times higher odds that someone would be killed at home by a family member or intimate acquaintance. Post the Supreme Court’s Heller decision, any and all gun safety laws are too burdensome for the NRA. This dangerous and deadly expansive view of gun rights is giving people the tools to injure and kill each other. Maybe a better recourse for women and domestic abuse would be for the NRA to spend time, energy, and resources advocating to strengthening penalties for violent offenders, enhancing mental health support and providing resources for domestic violence survivors instead of promoting gun violence.
Leonard Juliano, Arvada
Car chains are not very helpful when you’re blocked by semis
Re: “Stuck behind spinouts, crashes in I-70 ski traffic? There is a better way for Colorado,” Feb. 21 editorial
Allowing vendors to sell and enable vendors to install snow chains for Colorado drivers by passing Senate Bill 69 makes sense. Sort of.
But what the editorial board doesn’t seem to know, but every driver on the Western Slope trying to get back and forth across Vail Pass and through the Eisenhower tunnel does know, is that selling chains will accomplish only one thing — Colorado cars and trucks will be able to move a few inches forward per hour much easier while stuck between chained up semi-trucks that are not able to negotiate snowy conditions due to weight distribution and size. Period. No matter how skillful their drivers are.
Until CDOT works with federal officials to close mountain passes during snowfall to semi traffic or initiates right lane pilot car guided convoys during snowfalls for semis back and forth across our passes, chains for four, front, and all-wheel drive passenger cars will be useless — because, due to nonstop semi wrecks, there will be no way to move to take advantage of increased traction.
Problems can’t be corrected without actually identifying them.
Leslie Wilson, Collbran
Making the case for Belmar Park open space
Re: “Belmar Park: Going back to the drawing board isn’t always feasible,” Feb. 23 letter to the editor
The answer to the standoff over Lakewood’s Belmar Park property is for the city to use its power of eminent domain and acquire this land before the five-story development is built. The failure of our planning department to do so at the get-go is a major mistake in governance. Eminent domain is usually exercised for a public purpose, and I can think of no more appropriate instance than this, where the majority of Lakewood residents want that area abutting the park to become a part of it. Then, the controversy over fee-for-green space can proceed.
Susan Williams, Lakewood
The citizens of Lakewood should vehemently disagree with the letter. We must all agree that housing affordability is not “a bigger issue than open space.”
Open space is irreplaceable; houses are not.
June Jones Paulding, Lakewood
An example of non-biased reporting
Re: “Neighbors nix plans for homeless facility,” Feb. 23 news story
How lucky are we to have John Aguilar writing for The Post? His article is a great example of what good journalism should be, and at one time was, compared to the biased reporting we get on so many topics — both from the left and the right — these days.
Kudos to John for his ongoing, thorough writing!
Mark Buckner, Firestone
Polis’s mandates are fighting climate change
Re: “Polis’ energy mandates will make heating and cooling costs skyrocket in Colorado,” Feb. 23 commentary
The commentary on energy costs due to Gov. Jared Polis’ mandates ignores the very reason for the mandates: climate change.
The majority of Americans believe that the climate is changing, humans are the primary cause, and many agree that fossil fuels are the primary cause. We are witnessing climate change, with worldwide increased temperatures, storm and fire occurrence and intensity, and drought. All of the sources cited in the commentary are connected to the oil and gas industry, such as PetroNerds (note that name) and the Common Sense Institute (if you look them up, they are hardly non-partisan).
Coal use is rapidly declining due to emissions. While natural gas (methane) will be in use for some time as a backup, it has significant emissions. An MIT study finds that fossil fuel facilities kill many more birds than wind per unit of energy generation.
Marc Alston, Denver
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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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Denver, CO
Denver Catholic community bids farewell to Archbishop Samuel Aquila
On Sunday, a special Mass was held to say goodbye to the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Denver, Samuel J. Aquila.
Aquila was appointed as the diocese’s archbishop in 2012 and submitted his resignation last year as he neared his 75th birthday, in accordance with Canon Law. Pope Leo XIV accepted his resignation in February and appointed his successor, Archbishop-designate James R. Golka.
A Mass of Thanksgiving was held at the Light of the World Catholic Church on Sunday to bid farewell to the man who led the diocese for nearly 14 years and to thank him for his service. Aquila was ordained as a priest in the Archdiocese of Denver in 1976, and this year marks his 50th anniversary as a priest.
As archbishop, Aquila spoke out against abortion and called on officials to find a balance between protecting the United States’ borders and welcoming immigrants.
Aquila says that during his time as archbishop, the diocese has received many blessings and seen significant growth, including an increase in the number of young families.
“I think that the Lord has blessed this archdiocese tremendously, especially since World Youth Day in 1993; things really began to change here. Many new apostolates were born from the visit of Pope John Paul II, of Saint John Paul II. And there is a very deep awareness of how God providentially watches over this archdiocese,” said Aquila. “And so, I am handing off a very blessed archdiocese with many young families and many people who are deeply committed to the gospel.”
He shared a feeling of gratitude and joy for the opportunity to serve the diocese, knowing the faithful, and leading people to Christ. Aquila hopes that his community has found a deeper love of Christ and the sacraments through his service and an understanding of the importance of being missionary disciples.
“Of being those who go out themselves and invite others to encounter Christ and to come to know Jesus Christ. And proclaiming the, what we call the ‘kerygma,’ the basic good news of the gospel, or the joy of the gospel. That in Jesus Christ sin and death have been conquered, and He is the one that is the way to the Father,” Aquila said.
He said he hopes the diocese continues to grow in faith and that he believes Golka will be a good shepherd of that faith.
“The blessing is that my successor is an incredibly good man whose heart is on fire for Jesus Christ,” he shared. “And so, it’s like running a race and handing off the baton and saying, ‘Okay, you run with it.’ And knowing that Archbishop-designate Golka, who will be Archbishop Golka on Wednesday, that he will be one who continues caring for the gospel and making disciples for Christ.”
Golka’s installation as the new archbishop will begin with evening prayers at the CoBank Arena at the National Western Complex on March 24, followed by an Installation Mass the next day. A Mass of Taking Possession of the Cathedral will take place on March 26 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.
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