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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Originally Published: May 19, 2025 at 8:50 PM MDT

The Denver City Council is poised Monday to adopt new rules for shared scooters that would add parking requirements in some places and require the use of technology to enforce a ban on sidewalk riding.

It’s the city’s latest attempt to regulate the tens of thousands of electric scooter trips happening every day in the city, along with more on e-bikes. The council proposal, set for a final vote, would require scooter and e-bike sharing companies in the city — currently Bird and Lime — to install sidewalk-detection technology on all their devices.

“This is a policy proposal to save lives,” said Councilman Chris Hinds, a sponsor whose district includes much of downtown, during a committee meeting May 6. “We want to make sure people have the ability to have that last-mile connection, that car-alternate connection. But we want to make sure people are safe.”

The proposal is also sponsored by council members Darrell Watson and Sarah Parady.

Electric scooters have exploded in popularity since Denver began a pilot program for the dockless devices in 2018. In the first quarter of 2025, riders took nearly 900,000 scooter trips, averaging at nearly 10,000 per day, according to data from Ride Report. The Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, or DOTI, estimates that the devices have reduced single-occupancy car trips by more than 8 million since 2018.

The rules would also apply to shared e-bikes, which are used much less often than the scooters. In the first quarter of 2025, riders used e-bikes about 121,000 times, with about 1,400 daily trips on average.

For some, scooters have provided an affordable, convenient way to travel short distances, including for connections to transit lines. But some pedestrians have complained about feeling “terrorized” by the riders when they use sidewalks.

Even though an existing Denver ordinance requires people to ride only on the road and in bike lanes, many people use sidewalks anyway.

Nearly 2,500 people in Denver suffered scooter-related injuries between 2020 and November 2023, according to a study from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Many of the injuries happen on “nights and weekends, and when their riders are intoxicated,” according to a post from CU about the study.

The council’s proposal is the city’s fourth attempt at regulations around “micromobility” services, Hinds said. The city’s rules have ranged from an outright ban on the devices to restricting them to sidewalks to eventually restricting them to roads only.

If approved Monday, the ordinance would require the companies to install technology on their devices that deters riders from riding on sidewalks.

The companies could increase riders’ bills if they flout the rule, or they could make it so the device plays a continuous, automated message stating something like, “No sidewalk riding.”

In Chicago, the devices must announce, “Exit the sidewalk” — along with a loud beep warning every five seconds until the rider moves into the street, according to rules posted on that city’s website. If riders repeat the behavior multiple times, they can face fines and suspension of their account.

The Denver ordinance would also require users to take a quick “compliance test” ensuring their understanding of local laws and regulations before they can ride. That’s an effort to increase education around the rules. The city could dole out fines to people who still violate the ordinance.

‘They don’t feel safe on the streets’

While the council is expected to approve the ordinance, there is some disagreement among transit advocates about the proposal.

Jill Locantore with the Denver Streets Partnership said that while she agreed the city needed to take action to reduce conflicts with scooters in the urban core, she would prefer officials invest in better bike lanes instead.

“The reason scooters are riding on the sidewalks is because they don’t feel safe on the streets,” she said. “We’re definitely a little disappointed to see them leading with education and punishment, as opposed to leaning into more effective solutions.”

She added that her organization fears that the added rules will encourage people to use cars instead and could disproportionately punish low-income individuals who rely on scooters and bikes to get around.

Besides the sidewalk rules, in certain high-density parts of Denver, the proposal would require riders to park scooters and e-bikes in designated corrals or parking spots before they can end their ride. That would apply near Union Station, in the Central Business District and in parts of Five Points, according to the proposal.

Scooters left in the middle of sidewalks can block the walkway for pedestrians and wheelchair users.

DOTI is already testing this approach in the Union Station, Commons Park and Platte Street areas, said Nancy Kuhn, a spokesperson for the agency. When riders end trips there, they are instructed via the Lime and Bird apps that they can only do so at a parking corral and are provided nearby corral locations.

When rules take effect

The parking requirements would begin at the start of 2027 for Union Station and in July 2027 for the Central Business District, according to the ordinance.

The rest of the requirements would begin July 1, 2026.

If approved, the proposal is likely to increase the cost of using scooters because of the required addition of technology, Hinds said.

DOTI, which supports the council’s measure, has begun testing sidewalk-detection technology, Kuhn said. The city will try to find specific areas where sidewalk riding is most prevalent to begin education efforts, she said.

While policy proposals often come from agencies like DOTI, this one has come from council members instead. The council is set to vote on the ordinance during its Monday meeting, which begins at 3:30 p.m.

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As the Denver Nuggets face a win-or-go-home battle against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, a potential loss could have a major effect on what happens to the Nuggets’ core moving forward. For Jamal Murray, there’s the potential of the sharpshooting guard becoming an NBA star to keep an eye on in the trade market.

Recently, Bleacher Report listed a handful of star-caliber players who could be seen as having “negative trade value.” Murray’s name pops up with Bradley Beal, Paul George, Joel Embiid, Jerami Grant, and Lauri Markkanen.

If Murray indeed becomes a buy-low candidate on the market this summer, should the Detroit Pistons kick around the idea of attempting to strike a deal with with the Nuggets?

If you’re the Pistons, you don’t make a deal without running it by Cade Cunningham, the team’s starting point guard. The main question is whether Murray feels more comfortable running the point or playing off the ball.

This year, Murray played two-guard for 44 percent of his minutes after seeing more than 80 percent of his minutes played at the point guard position over the past two seasons. The ball needs to be in Cunningham’s hands, no question. Fortunately, Murray is a consistent shooter no matter where he is.

The veteran had an effective field goal percentage of 58 throughout the 2024-2025 NBA season at both positions. He showed efficiency from all areas of the floor, making 65 percent of his shots at the rim, 46 percent of his shots in the mid-range, and 40 percent of his threes. If you can shoot—you can play alongside Cade Cunningham.

Although the Pistons might struggle to enter the championship conversation ahead of the 2025-2026 NBA season with a similar roster as this past season, they still have a good thing going. There are several homegrown players on affordable rookie deals, who could take another notable step in the right direction.

Acquiring a seasoned veteran, who played a pivotal role on a 2023 title team, would cost a key player like Jaden Ivey. Would the Pistons be comfortable with making that kind of move?

Recently, anonymous NBA executives and scouts went on record to advise against speeding up the process, resembling an Atlanta Hawks team that attempted to jump the line to championship-contender status just to end up being Play-In candidates for several consecutive seasons.

Jaden Ivey isn’t Jamal Murray, but 18 points per game on 41 percent shooting from deep and 46 percent shooting from the field at age 22 is nothing to overlook. To compare, Murray averaged 19 points on 35 percent shooting from three during his age-22 season.

Trajan Langdon’s public messages suggest the Pistons aren’t going to go star hunting this summer. Of course, plans can always change, and messages could strategically lead everybody to believe a team is going in one direction while they are actually going in another.

Murray was reportedly on the Nuggets’ trade block last summer. Clearly, there wasn’t much traction. If Denver’s new leadership decides a fresh start for the 28-year-old could be good for all parties, then the Pistons should make the call. A little due diligence won’t hurt. If the price is too good to pass up, then get something done. If not, keep on moving. The Pistons don’t need to rush anything.

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