Things are moving at a fast pace right now in Upper Downtown. No doubt you’ve read about the $100m investment in ten projects in downtown addressing retail business, parks, and housing; nine of those projects are in Upper Downtown. Some projects in the works include: Civic Center Park and Skyline Park 2 renovations, 50 new businesses opening in downtown by the end of the year, expansion of the Theatre District to include two hotels, conversion of the Symes and University Buildings to housing, and the Downtown Area Plan, which will guide Denver into the future, will be finalized in the coming weeks. Below I have broken out a few topics.
Denver Theatre District Expansion: On Monday, August 18th, I provided comment at the Denver City Council hearing regarding the expansion of the Theatre District to include Home2 Suites. The Aloft Hotel has also applied for expansion into the Theatre District. Upon approval, both hotels will be allowed to add electronic signs – for our Spire members, the signs will be placed on the Stout Street side of both hotels. Per the Comprehensive Sign Plan, fifteen percent of all revenues generated from the signs will go to the community for art and theatre-related activities. City Council unanimously passed the Home2 Suites’ expansion into the Theatre District. Next up will be the Aloft Hotel’s City Council hearing.
As an aside, by the slimmest of margins (7-6), City Council passed CM Flynn’s ballot measure to change the City Charter to require that at-large city council members must be elected by a majority of the vote. Currently, the at-large city council positions are the only city office not to require a majority of the votes. The measure will be on November’s ballot.
Newly Established Working Relationship with The Denver Theatre District: Sal Tripodi, Co-Chair of UpDoNA’s Arts and Beautification Committee, and I recently met with David Ehrlich, Executive Director of the Denver Theatre District wherein we discussed the Theatre District’s work, the Understudy Art Incubator*, and art project collaborations. As I mentioned above, the Theatre District gets 15% of the revenue generated from the electronic signs which is used for art in Upper Downtown. Mr. Ehrlich told us that UpDoNA can request to use some of those funds for arts projects. Those details will be worked out when we present them with an art project.
I am excited to announce that Sal has been appointed to the Theatre District Board of Directors. Congratulations, Sal! We look forward to future art collaborations between UpDoNA and the Denver Theatre District.
Civic Center Park: On July 30th, I was invited to attend Mayor Johnston’s and the Downtown Denver Development Authority Board’s press conference announcing the $100m investment in projects. Civic Center Park is the recipient of $30m. The funding will be used for new infrastructure, lighting, garden walkways, tree canopy, and changes to the McNichols Building. Construction will begin this fall.
After the press conference, everyone was invited for a tour of the McNichols Building to discuss the renovations that include a market and artist workspaces, a restaurant, and a second-floor museum. The restaurant will also have an outside patio which be the first in the Denver Park system. In addition to enjoying lunch or dinner on the park patio, you will also be able to take a “picnic basket” to go.
Sundae – Flagship Store: One of the retail businesses that is being funded by DDDA is the Sundae flagship store which will be located at 1600 Glenarm Plaza. Sundae has five other stores in the mountains between Glenwood Springs and Vail. The 5,100 square-foot space will include a production kitchen and retail space. The large windows will allow everyone to watch ice cream and waffle cones being made whether inside the store or strolling by. Sundae School classes will be offered to teach guests how to make ice cream and how to create their very own ice cream flavor. Sounds like an UNO night!
Downtown Denver National Night Out: Thanks to everyone who attended Downtown Denver National Night Out 2025. It was another great event despite the intense heat. Michael Spencer with CBS Colorado did an amazing job introducing our speakers, thanking our sponsors, and keeping everyone entertained. Thanks to Michael, we had four live television shots during the event. The Denver Police Department handed out many air tags and Brady United handed out over 100 gun locks. The next day, we received a very nice email from Commander Bowser thanking UpDoNA members for the event. Here is a link to her email: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pdg6ttUxDgoPXxvEedtAvH2zJMoBrz7C/view?usp=drive_link
Sad News: As you know, UpDoNA and Parks and Rec partnered to fix the fountain and add landscaping to the Welton Pocket Park located at 19th and Welton. The initial phase of the park was just finished. Less than two weeks of the park being completed, a vandal added soap to the fountain (which now must be repaired) to wash his clothes, broke the news trees, and pulled up all the new plantings. While this is very frustrating, you can’t keep UpDoNA or Parks and Rec down.
Within a few days, Parks and Rec replaced the trees and dropped off 100 new plantings. UpDoNA members from One Lincoln Park gathered at 7:30 a.m. and planted all those new plants. Thanks to: Silvia and Jorge Fernandez, Gil and Carole Vondrasek, Jenny Tung, Marie Llanes, and Russ DeWitt.
Report ALL Incidents: I have received several calls, texts, and emails about incidents that are occurring on 16th Street. It is EXTREMELY important that everyone reports all incidents they see, big and small, emergency and non-emergency, using either the Clean and Safe App or by calling or reporting on 311. Incidents can include things like drug use, someone in mental or physical distress, abusive behavior that can include shouting at people, menacing behavior, trash on sidewalks, urine smell to name a few. Of course, you should call 911 to report life-threatening situations or for medical emergencies.
I recently sent an email to Mayor Johnston, the Denver Department of Safety, and the Street Engagement Team to inform them of an increase in incidents on 16th Street and beyond. Street Engagement Team Director, Timothy Marquez, told me that the Team is aware of an uptick in issues between Champa and Stout Streets. He feels that the draw for that block is the 7-Eleven. The SET Team works downtown six days a week to address homeless in crisis. Mr. Marquez asked that I tell UpDoNA members to reach out to SET members when they see them downtown. Not only does SET want to address issues, but Team members want to build a working relationship with downtown residents.
Update to 311 Reporting: 311 now has a Sunny text bot. To use, text “hello” to 439311 which will connect you to the 311 system. You can mention your issues, e.g., “Encampment Reporting” and the bot will ask you the questions necessary to fill out the 311 report. This eliminates leaving a voicemail or logging into the website.
Have a wonderful end of summer. I’ll talk to you again in October!
Lisa L. Pope
*The Understudy Art Incubator, located in the Colorado Convention Center at 890-C 14th Street, is a space for local artists to spotlight their work. Visit the website at: https://www.denvertheatredistrict.com/understudy
Attribution for thumbnail photo: Leo Marce
