Summer is almost behind us, but we have one more big summer celebration for you to attend. The Downtown Denver National Night Out is on Tuesday, August 6th, from 4:30-6:30 p.m., at Skyline Park 1. We will have free food, drinks, games, giveaways, and some amazing door prizes this year. Mayor Johnston will be attending along with our honorees, police officers, firefighters, and EMTs. Come out and say hi to those who serve and protect you, and challenge them or your neighbors to a friendly game of volleyball or cornhole. I’ll see you there!
Thanks to all our members who completed the UpDoNA survey. We have reviewed the results and will ensure that we continue to work on the issues that are most important to our members. Please watch for Vice President Gil Vondrasek’s article in the September newsletter summarizing the survey results.
On Monday, July 22, I attended Mayor Johnston’s State of the City address. He announced that the Central Business District will now be called the Central Neighborhood District. Distinct neighborhoods such as Upper Downtown, Lower Downtown, RiNo, Ball Park, Golden Triangle, etc., will keep their names.
To date, through Mayor Johnston’s “All in Mile High Housing 1000 Initiative,” 1,600 people have been removed from the streets and have been given shelter and services. Denver has housed more homeless per capita than any other city in the country. The mayor will be shifting his focus to getting our veterans off the streets and into housing by the end of this year. You can monitor outcomes by visiting the All in Mile High Dashboard at this link: https://denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Mayors-Office/Programs-and-Initiatives/Homelessness-Initiative/All-In-Mile-High-Dashboard
Public safety is also a high priority. Denver now has installed license plate readers to detect stolen cars, Offices of Neighborhood Safety have been established, more patrols are occurring in high-crime areas, and the Mayor’s office has 700 kids enrolled in his Youth Work Program. The good news is that crime stats are trending down in Denver.
The Mayor also announced a volunteer initiative led by his wife, Courtney, called “Give Five Mile High.” She is requesting that every Denverite give five hours of service on the third Saturday of every month. You can learn more by visiting the site at: https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Mayors-Office/Programs-and-Initiatives/Give5-Mile-High
I know that it is only August, but there will be several measures on the November ballot that directly affect Upper Downtown and our members. First, approval of the Downtown Denver Authority (“DDA”) expansion. The DDA expansion has the potential to bring $500m to restore downtown vibrancy. In addition, there could be billions more invested in the Upper Downtown area, such as what has happened around the Union Station DDA. While we won’t be able to vote to approve the DDA expansion (only a small segment of voters in Lower Downtown is eligible to vote), we can continue to speak with our neighbors and friends in Lower Downtown to ask that they support the expansion. What is good for us is good for them. And, the DDA WILL NOT RAISE TAXES. The Development Plan for the DDA expansion is now available for review. Please use this link to review the plan: https://www.denvergov.org/files/assets/public/v/1/economic-development/documents/dda/amended-dda-plan-of-development-draft-v3-jul10-24.pdf
Second, the Denver City Council has referred to the ballot a measure that would raise taxes by 0.34% to support Denver Health. The tax increase is expected to provide $70m annually to fund Denver Health. Denver Health takes care of any patient that comes through its doors, regardless of whether or not the patient has insurance or the money to pay for services. Although the $70m is a drop in the bucket compared to the full $1.4b hospital budget, city council believes that the $70m would fund some of Denver Health’s services. The hospital would only be allowed to use the funds to support emergency and trauma care, mental health care, primary care, and pediatric care.
Third, Mayor Johnston proposes a 0.5% Affordable Denver sales tax increase to pay for more affordable housing in Denver. The sales tax increase would raise $100m a year for affordable housing projects. The funds would support affordable housing development, housing vouchers, bridge loans for construction projects, and other programs. In 2000, the median household income in Denver was $40,000, the median home price was $165,800 ($840 mortgage), and the median rent was $630/month. In 2022, the median household income was $84,000, the median home price was $525,000 ($2,400 mortgage), and the median rent was $1,870/month. Since 2000, Denver’s housing costs have risen almost double the rate of wage increases. 50% of Denver residents can’t afford to pay their rent. Currently, the city is on track to build 20,000 affordable housing units, but it needs more than 40,000 units. The Affordable Denver tax increase would allow an additional 24,000 units to be built. The tax increase would cost Denverites $2.00 per week.
If both measures make it to the ballot and are passed by voters, Denver’s sales tax will be 9.65%. Some items, such as groceries, home energy consumption, and medicine, are exempt from the sales tax. City council has already referred the .34% Denver Health sales tax to the ballot. Mayor Johnston’s .5% sales tax increase could be referred to the ballot from the City Council by August 5th.
Finally, please mark your calendars for August 1st, from 5:30-7:00 p.m., for the Vibrant Denver Community Conversation at the Colorado Convention Center. The Mayor will discuss his plans for a Vibrant Denver, and he will also discuss the DDA expansion. Once we get the final flyer, we will post it on our website and on our Facebook page.
Lisa L. Pope
President
Thumbnail attribution – Lisa Pope
