DENVER — A former motel that the City of Denver planned to use to shelter people experiencing homelessness is now on the market for $10.
The city purchased the former Stay Inn, located along Peoria Street just south of Interstate 70, for $9 million 18 months ago. Since then, the property has sat vacant.
“That building has been there for so long,” said Amy Beck, an advocate with Together Denver who has watched the property sit untouched.
In May 2021, then-Mayor Michael Hancock stood in front of the Stay Inn and announced the city’s plan to purchase the hotel and convert it into a shelter for the unhoused.
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“This building here behind us represents hope,” Hancock said at the time.
Congresswoman Diana DeGette helped the city secure $2 million in federal funding to purchase the hotel.
Watch our initial coverage in the video player below
Denver hopes to use DeGette proposed funding to buy hotel to house homeless
The city purchased the 96-unit motel for $9 million in 2023. Eighteen months later — and nearly four years since the original announcement — the hotel remains boarded up.
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A spokesperson for Denver’s Department of Housing Stability (HOST) said a “necessary environmental review process which took longer than anticipated” led to the delays.
The City of Denver is putting the hotel back on the market for $10. However, there’s a reason behind the puzzling price tag.
The new owner would be responsible for transforming the building into “supportive housing” for those experiencing homelessness, according to the city.
Beck said she was shocked by the $10 list price but is all for it if it gets people off the street.
“At this point, I’m willing to take anything,” said Beck.
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The low price tag is also to offset the expected costs. The selected partner will need to fund all renovations and maintenance, which the city estimates will cost a minimum of $5 million.
Whoever the buyer ends up being, Beck hopes they know what they’re taking on.
“Whoever is managing the property, they need to be trauma-informed. They need to be willing to deal with people that have been through an immense amount of trauma,” Beck said.
The hope is to bring a buyer in front of the Denver City Council later this year. Beck said there’s no time to waste.
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“Please, just get it up and running because we have so many families that could fill that building right now that are living on the street, in their cars, and we need that space immediately,” said Beck.
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The battle over Denver’s Flock camera surveillance system escalated Tuesday with nine Denver City Council members asking the city auditor to step in and essentially block Mayor Mike Johnston’s proposed extension of a contract with Flock.
In a letter dated Oct. 25 and obtained by CBS News Colorado, the nine council members asked Denver City Auditor Tim O’Brien to not sign a five month contract extension with Flock that Johnston announced last week.
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“We have serious concerns about Flock Group Inc’s ethics, transparency and credibility,” reads the council letter. “We do not believe the City and County of Denver should continue doing business with a company that has demonstrated such disregard for honesty and accountability.”
The council members accuse Johnston of deliberately evading city council oversight of the Flock agreement by violating city contracting rules.
Last week, the Mayor announced he was unilaterally extending Flock’s camera contract with Denver through early 2026, with measures in place to prevent federal authorities from accessing data from Denver’s Flock cameras.
In response to the city council letter, a spokesperson for Johnston on Tuesday released a statement saying, “It is the Mayor’s job to keep the city safe. License plate readers do just that, and there is nothing about this no-cost extension that is beyond the scope of the Mayor’s responsibilities or authority.”
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Auditor Tim O’Brien said on Tuesday he would perform due diligence “by considering whether this contract is intentionally split in violation of city contracting rules and assessing if it subverted City Council’s independent oversight.”
Some city council members have expressed privacy concerns around the use of the cameras.
Denver City Council’s Health and Safety Committee is planning to discuss the Flock issue again on Wednesday with an update scheduled on the Surveillance Task Force.
A police officer, a suspect, and two gas station clerks have been injured in a police shooting on Monday night, according to the Denver Police Department.
Few details were immediately available, but the department posted about the shooting on social media just before 9:45 p.m. that the shooting happened in the 3200 Block of South Parker Road, near Interstate 225 by the border with Aurora.
At 10:25 p.m., the department provided an update, saying officers responded to reports of an armed robbery at a gas station. Officers shot the suspect, who was taken to a hospital in critical condition, and one officer was shot, sustaining non-life-threatening injuries. Two store clerks were also shot and sustained non-life-threatening injuries, the department said.
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Denver police cars were seen outside Denver Health the night of Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, after the Denver Police Department said an officer and a suspect were injured in a shooting near South Parker Road and Interstate 225.
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There was a large police presence at Denver Health, following the shooting, with patrol cars outside the emergency room with lights flashing.
Denver Nuggets (1-1, ninth in the Western Conference) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-1, fifth in the Western Conference)
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Minneapolis; Monday, 9:30 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Nuggets -4.5; over/under is 228.5
BOTTOM LINE: Minnesota hosts Denver in a matchup of Western Conference teams.
Minnesota went 49-33 overall, 33-19 in Western Conference games and 25-16 at home during the 2024-25 season. The Timberwolves averaged 8.0 steals, 5.0 blocks and 13.7 turnovers per game last season.
Denver finished 50-32 overall and 8-8 in Northwest Division action during the 2024-25 season. The Nuggets averaged 17.0 points off of turnovers, 14.4 second-chance points and 26.4 bench points last season.
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INJURIES: Timberwolves: Rob Dillingham: day to day (nasal).
Nuggets: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
