City Council - Regular Meeting

Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for taking time to join us at Denver City Council meeting. Today is Monday, June 8th, 2026. Tonight's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish by either Sam or Gus. Would you please introduce yourself and let our viewers know how to enable translation on their devices?

Yes, of course. Thank you for having us. Hello, everyone. My name is Sam Guzman with the CLC joining you virtually through Zoom. And tonight, along with my colleague Valeria, we will be interpreting today's meeting into Spanish. Please allow me a quick minute while I give instructions in Spanish on how to access interpretation. Good afternoon everyone. My name is Samuel Guzman with the CLC. Along with my colleague Valeria, we will be interpreting today's meeting into Spanish. Si se une con nosotros virtualmente a través de Zoom, por favor busquen su pantalla un icono de globo que dice interpretación. Oprima ese botón y de ahí seleccione la opción de escuchar en español. Si se une con nosotros presencialmente y está ahorita en la cámara, por favor busque un asistente que le podrá dar audífonos para poder escuchar en español. Muchas gracias and thank you very much.

Thank you very much. Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting on Monday, June 8, 2026. Councilmembers, please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Councilmembers, please join Councilmember Lewis as they lead us in the Denver City Council Land Acknowledgement.

Thank you.

The Denver City Council honors and acknowledges that the land on which we reside is a traditional territory of the U.S., Chilean, and Arapaho peoples. We recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado. We honor elders past, present, and future, and those who have stewarded this land throughout generations. We also recognize that government, academic, and cultural institutions were founded upon and continue to enact exclusions and erasures of indigenous people. May this acknowledgement demonstrate a commitment to working to dismantle ongoing legacies of oppression and inequities, and recognize the current and future contributions of indigenous communities in Denver.

Madam Secretary, roll call.

Council members Gilmore.

Here.

Here. Sawyer. Here. Otis. Here. Flynn. Here. Hines. Here. Cashman. Here. Lewis.

Present.

Sandoval. Watson?

Here. Madam Pro Tem Romero-Campbell? Here. Ten members present.

There are ten members present. Council has a quorum. Approval of the minutes. Are there any corrections to the minutes of June 1st? Seeing none, the minutes stand approved. Council announcements. Are there any announcements from members of Council?

We'll start with council member Alvidrez. Thank you so much. I just wanted to share that Bike Fest is happening this Saturday. Check out social media. Very excited to have some fun. There will be lots of bike demonstrations and a lot of fun activities at York Street Yards this weekend. Thank you.

Wonderful.

Council Member Lewis. Hi, thank you. I wanted to extend an appreciation to the Denver Parks and Recreation Department, including Keith Bell, John Martinez, and Director Clark, especially the staffers of the Montbello Recreation Center. So yesterday we held... a healing space for community as they were looking to reopen the recreation center this morning. And it was absolutely a beautiful showing of folks and would also like to not only thank the healers that were able to come and provide a sacred space for that, cleansing opportunity, but Madean, Dr. Arsett, as well as the African American Commission in their work, Adam Preston, Director Ridgeway with the OCA, and if there's anyone who I missed, I apologize. Blame my head, not my heart. The work, there's absolutely more work that we need to do to make sure that we fully recover and that the community has what they need as they are reopening this space after such a tragedy and the loss of folks in our community. But I just want to reiterate as to what I said last week is that we actually know what needs to happen and that we know that more needs to be done for our youth in the city in order to be able to keep them safe and engaged in our communities. And that's us being sure that we prioritize dollars necessary to take proactive strategies. Thank you.

Thank you. And thank you for holding that space. I have two announcements. One, I just want to thank everyone who was able to come out and participate in the Wellshire 100. It was a fantastic day. I just want to have a huge thank you to all of the volunteers and my staff who put on an amazing golf tournament to celebrate the time. We had people come from, you know, from other states to be able to come and play and to celebrate Donald Ross and the Donald Ross Society for the Wellshire. Thank you Councilman Cashman for playing with us, Councilwoman Sandoval as well. It was a good day held by all and you delivered on the weather so it was fantastic. And also thank you to Councilwoman Gonzalez Gutierrez for joining us for the community celebration. We had a couple hundred, three hundred, four hundred people out there with us and it was just a good day held by all. It was fantastic. So thank you all for that. And if you haven't had a chance to play at Welsher, do sign up and play. It's one of our public golf courses. And if you don't play golf, it's also just a nice place to visit. I also want to let you know that on Wednesday, June 24th, the Highline Canal Conservancy is holding a summer scamper. And they're doing it at Bible Park. It's to raise awareness and funds for the Highline Canal that runs through 70 miles throughout this metro area all the way from, what is it called, Waterton Canyon to through the plains. And it is truly a magnificent canal that is now used for trails and open space and land. And there is a 5K that they're holding at Bible Park on the 24th in the evening, like 5 p.m. And I hope to see you there. Stop by the District 4 table if you do go. So we just hope that you can join us. All right, seeing no one else in the queue, there are no presentations, there are no communications, there are no proclamations being read this afternoon. Madam Secretary, please read the bills for introduction.

From the Community Planning and Housing Committee, 26-0686, a bill for an ordinance amending Chapter 2, Article 13 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code concerning the regulation of lobbyists. And from the Governance and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, 0704, a bill for an ordinance approving a proposed intergovernmental agreement between the City and County of Denver and Park Creek Metropolitan District for workflow support in review of real estate matters for Park Creek Metropolitan District in Central Park in Council District 8.

Great. Council Members, this is your last opportunity to call out an item. Council Member Lewis, will you make the motions for us this evening? Yes, Council Pro Tem, Mayor Campbell. Great, now I will do a recap. Under resolutions, Council Resolution 0709 has been called out for comments by Council Member Lewis, and Council Resolution 0815 through 0827 have been called out for comments and blocked by Council Member Lewis. Under Bills for Introduction, Council Bill 0704 has been called out for comments by Council Member Lewis, and Council Bill 0686 has been called out for an amendment by Council Member Gonzales Gutierrez and for comments by Council Member Lewis. Under Bills for Final Consideration, Council Bill 0615 has been called out for comments by Council Member Flynn, Council Bill 0678 has been called out for comments by Councilmember Lewis. And Council Bill 0684 has been called out for comments by Councilmember Lewis. Thank you, Council Member Lewis. Under pending, no items have been called out. Madam Secretary, please put the first item on our screens. Council Resolution 0709, a resolution approving a proposed fourth amendatory agreement between the City and County of Denver and the Denver Rescue Mission to support additional family shelters at the crossing in Council District 8. Council Member Lewis, please go ahead with your comments on Council Resolution 0709. Thank you.

I'm not sure who's here, but I actually just had one question about this expansion. I was curious if the expansion is actual coverage within the shelter in order to be able to bring those new units about, or is it that they were being utilized for a different reason and now they're just being transferred over to that use? Yes.

Councilwoman, Tim Hoffman of the Mayor's Office. I'm checking to make sure that there's someone online to answer the question. Give me one moment. Apologies.

While we are waiting for them to come online, I'd like to welcome Councilmember Tortoise to the meeting.

Okay.

It's one of those awkward pauses.

This is one of those pauses where we're letting the time sit. Are they online? Polly Kyle, can you please raise your hand and they will promote you. Polly Kyle, please. I feel like I'm at the airport back in the olden days. Is she there? Okay, great.

Hi, so sorry. Can you repeat your question for me?

Yes. So this is regarding the Denver Rescue Mission. And it says that you all are adding more units, which is the reason for the expansion of the contrast. And so I was curious if this is adding more units in terms of like a construction project, adding more units, or if this is just space that was being used differently that is now going to be used in order to have the expansion.

Yes, it is. It's not a construction project. They're absorbing the families that closed from the Salvation Army's Lambeth closure, and they're absorbing those families into space that exists at the rescue mission at the crossing.

Do you know what the capacity is? So like how much they can expand in terms of units?

Yeah, I know that the total number of units that they have now is 30. Yes, that's correct.

But I'm curious is what's the capacity that they have beyond 30? Could they expand to 40 or to 50 or to 60?

Oh, great question. I don't believe they have any additional capacity beyond those 30 units. You don't believe or they do not? They do not. Okay.

Thank you. Sorry. That's all good. Thanks, Polly. Thanks.

That's it. Thank you. Madam Secretary, please put the next item on our screens. The following 13 resolutions authorizing expenditures for settlements have been called out in a block for comments. Council Resolution 0815 0816 0817 0818 0819 0820 0821 0822 0823, 0824, 0825, 0826, and 0827. Councilmember Lewis, please go ahead with your comments on Resolutions Series 26-0815 through 0827.

Thank you. So after consistent feedback from my constituents, I see it as my responsibility to ensure that the public is aware of every tax dollar being approved as an expenditure and payment of funds for a settlement with the city and county of Denver. My office is tracking every dollar by department and as a running total. With your approval of these 13 items tonight, the city will approve settlements totaling $2,865,000. to settle cases brought against the Denver Police Department. The approval of these items tonight brings the 2026 total for taxpayer dollars in city settlements to $3,867,000. This funding is drawn from a liability claims pool of money. In order to pay the claims tonight, We have had to make a $3 million rescission that comes from the city's general fund contingency and does not come from agency-specific budgets. We must therefore pay extra attention in this budget environment that we are watching out for how the city spends our money and that we are making decisions for the future with this knowledge. Thank you.

Thank you. Madam Secretary, please put the next item on our screens. Council Bill 26-0615, a bill for an ordinance approving a proposed donation of retired Denver Police Department Mounted Patrol Unit Horse Maverick to the non-profit Ride and Shine Equine Assisted Therapy Citywide. Council Member Flynn, please go ahead with your questions on 0615.

Thank you, Madam President Pro Tem. I thought of doing a proclamation for Maverick, but I thought it would be hard to bring the horse into the room here. I just wanted to make note of the faithful service that Maverick has given to the people of Denver. What a beautiful animal. They board the horses at the stables in my district down by Marston Reservoir. And constituents and I have visited, my wife and I have gone over apples to the horses in the fall from our tree. And just a gorgeous animal stuck down with Cushing's disease, which is very, very debilitating for equine Cushing's disease for horses. And so Maverick, I wish Maverick a very peaceful retirement. and treatment at the facility up in Wyoming where he will be going. I just want to make note of what a wonderful animal Maverick has been to the Mount Patrol. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you. Madam Secretary, please put the next item on our screens. Council Bill 0678, a bill for an ordinance approving a proposed intergovernmental agreement between the City and County of Denver and School District Number 1 in the City and County of Denver to administer the Denver Youth Employment Program for the 2026 funding year to provide customized workforce development services for eligible Denver youth citywide. Council Member Lewis, please go ahead with your comments on Council Bill 0678.

The question that I had for the Summer Youth Employment Program is, this contract is $1.5 million, and I was just curious what the amount was in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. I just want to make sure that it's increasing over time and not decreasing over time. Long time no see.

Hi, everyone. Tony Anderson, Chief Workforce Development Officer for Denver Economic Development Opportunity. The Denver Youth Employment Program funding level has stayed flat for the last, I want to say, three years at $1.5 million. It's been made up of a variety of different funding streams that's allowed us to get to that $1.5 million, but this has been flat funding over the recent years.

or has it been higher in previous years?

This has been the highest it's ever been, which, yeah, matches. We went from $600,000 to $1.5 million a handful of years ago, and it's remained at $1.5 since.

That's it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Madam Secretary, please put the next item on our screens. Oh, excuse me. There we go. We'll go back. One more question. Hold on just a second. She came in late, but we got you. Council Member Gonzales Gutierrez.

Hi. I'm so sorry. Thank you so much. I just have a quick question as far as expenditure. Has every year the total amount been expended? The amount that's been set aside?

I will have to get back to you on the exact amounts. My initial reaction is yes. Any dollars that have not been spent have rolled into the next year's contract.

Okay. I would love to see that in whatever the rollover amount has been each year. I'm just curious about how that rollover mechanism is working.

I would say the majority, if not all, is spent year over year, but I'll give you the breakdown.

Thank you, Madam President. Thank you. Madam Secretary, please put the next item on our screens. Council Bill 0684, a bill for an ordinance requiring all businesses operating in the City and County of Denver to take reasonable steps to ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. Council Member Lewis, please go ahead with your comments on Council Bill 0684.

Yes, I'll keep this brief. So a recent news article about this ordinance may have inadvertently mischaracterized the intent of this ordinance, and so I wanted to correct that. As I said last week, the ordinance simply reaffirms the obligations of every business owner and contractor who works in or with the City of Denver to follow our local laws. I want to reiterate... I want to reiterate it's absolutely not aimed at any particular business and so in the article the focus was on one particular business and I've been very clear on more than one occasion that this bill is intended to hold everyone doing business with the city and county of Denver accountable to our local laws. I did request a title change of that article as well as a retraction within the article and unfortunately it was insufficient and so thus I am clarifying the record. Thank you. Thank you.

Madam Secretary, please put the next item on our screens. Council Bill 0704, a bill for an ordinance approving a proposed intergovernmental agreement between the City and County of Denver and Park Creek Metropolitan District for workflow support and review of real estate matters for Park Creek Metropolitan District in Central Park and Council District 8. Council Member Lewis, please go ahead with your comments on Council Bill 0704. Me again.

Okay, so for those of you who live in Central Park and have been... And who have been spending the last few years wondering why Dottie is not taking care of streets. It's because those streets actually belong to the metro district in the area. And so this item tonight will provide much needed support to the city attorneys to allow for the conveyance of those roads to the city, meaning that we can start solving some of the longstanding issues we had out in Central Park. And I want to say, one, it's about damn time. And thank you to my former staffer, Bree, for elevating this issue. And she spent the majority of her time working on this one issue. So some reprieve. Thank you.

Thank you. Madam Secretary, please put the next item on our screens. Council Bill 0686, a bill for an ordinance amending Chapter 2, Article 13 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code concerning the regulation of lobbyists. Council Member Lewis, would you please put Council Bill 0686 on the floor for publication?

I move that Council Bill 260686 be ordered published.

It has been moved. And seconded, is there another motion on the floor for council? Oops, there is another motion on the floor. Council Member Gonzales Gutierrez.

Thank you, Madam Pro Tem. I move to amend Council Bill 260686 and the following particulars. On page two, strike lines 21 and 22 and replace with a C, any individual appointed to serve at the pleasure of the mayor, the auditor, or the clerk and recorder. 2 on page 15, line 28, strike section 23016B and replace with sections 23016B and 23016C.

It has been moved and seconded. Comments by members of council on the amendment to council bill 0686. Council member Gonzales Gutierrez.

Thank you, Madam Pro Tem. Colleagues, this amendment adds individuals appointed by the mayor, auditor, or the clerk and recorder to the definition of covered official. It also applies the post-service lobbying restriction to those officials. As you all know, as this came through committee, there were a lot of questions. Who does this actually cover? We wanted to make sure that we are covering those that are in that close proximity and that are appointed, right? These are not CSA employees. And so we wanted to be very particular about that. And we also heard from council members that this was an ask that they wanted this language in this bill, just to be sure that we are covering correct individuals. Okay, thank you.

Council Member Sawyer.

I just wanted to give a shout out to the sponsors of this bill and the clerk's office to say, thank you for moving this amendment and bringing it forward. I think it's really important for I think this is a very important law and I think that it'd be written. to ensure that it is covering all of the different people that the public would expect it to be covering. So just wanted to say thank you. Really appreciate you guys doing this. And I think that we are in the right spot. So thank you.

Thank you. Madam Secretary, roll call on the amendment to Council Bill 0686.

Council Members Gilmore? Aye. So, yeah, I. I. I mean, when. Hi. Cashman Lewis. All right. All right.

Madam Secretary, close the voting and announce the results. 11 ayes. 11 ayes. The amendment to Council Bill 0686 has passed. Council Member Lewis, if you will please put Council Bill 0686 on the floor for publication as amended.

I move that Council Bill 260686 be ordered published as amended.

It has been moved and seconded. Comments by members of Council on Council Bill 0686 as amended. Council Member Lewis? Sure. Thank you.

So I'll save the majority of my comments on this bill for when it's up for second reading. However, today I wanted to give a quick status report. Um, actually, no, my bad. I'm sorry. I don't have any comments for this one. I appreciate the partnership with the Council members, the sponsors, um, sponsor Councilwoman Gonzalez-Gutierrez as well as Councilwoman Torres, um, and the work that we were able to do with Councilwoman Sawyer to be able to get the cooling off language correct. That's it. Terrific.

Madam Secretary, roll call on Council Bill 0686 as amended.

Councilmembers Gilmour? Aye. Sawyer? Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.

Aye.

Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.

Aye.

Madam Secretary, close the voting and announce the results. Eleven ayes. Eleven ayes. Council Bill 0686 has been ordered published as amended. All bills for final introduction are ordered published. Councilmembers, remember that this is a consent or block vote and you need to vote aye. Otherwise, this is your last chance to call out an item for a separate vote. Councilmember Lewis, will you please put the resolutions for adoption in the bills on final consideration for final passage on the floor?

I move that the resolution be adopted and bills on final consideration be placed upon final consideration and do pass in a block for the following items. 260709, 260710, 260506, 260682, 260696, 260697, 260698, 260699, 260701, 260702, 260694, 260695, 260707, 260815, 260816, 260817, 260818, 260819, 260820, 80821, 0822, 0823, 0824, 0825, 0826, 0827, 260705, 260711, 260706, 260713, 260714, 260715, 260716, 260717, 260718, 260719, 260720, or 260678, 260684, 260515, 260615, 260636, 260659. Oh my God. Last one. There you go. It has been moved and seconded. Madam Secretary, roll call.

I was gonna say, oh, there we go. I think we went down temporarily with our Wi-Fi.

Did I pay that bill?

We temporarily went down with the Wi-Fi. Are we reconnecting? Yes. I don't know. Can the councilmembers online hear us?

Councilmember Gilmore? Aye. Sawyer? Aye. Torres? Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.

Aye.

Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.

Aye.

11 ayes. 11 ayes. The resolutions have been adopted and the bills have been placed upon final consideration and do pass. Sorry, I had a moment. And you pass. Tonight, there is a required public hearing on Council Bill 261076, changing the zoning classification for 17600 East 56th Avenue and 4991 North Telluride Street in Gateway Green Valley Ranch, and a required public hearing on On Council Bill 0557, changing the zoning classification for 8401 East Bellevue Avenue in Hampton South. If there are no objections from members of this council, we will recess until 5.30 before reconvening the regular meeting. City Council will provide a half-hour general public comment session to hear from the public on city matters, except for any matter that is scheduled for a legally required public hearing. The general public comment session will begin at 5 p.m.

Hey Denver, here's what's happening around the Mile High this week. Did you know that Denver has over 14,000 acres of parks that aren't in Denver? Summer is a beautiful time to check out one of the 22 Denver Mountain Parks, but they're open year-round. From the lake at Evergreen to the top of the Rockies at Mount Blue Sky, there's something out there that will excite and amaze you. The Denver Botanic Gardens change through each season. Now that summer is here, you can check it out for free. The SCFD provides free days at museums in Denver year round, so don't miss out. Halloween season is still months away, but that doesn't mean you can't be scared anyway. Creepatorium hosts a horror movie night every second Wednesday of the month. Grab a blanket, some snacks, and someone to keep you brave. The Colorado Rapids Soccer Celebration at Skyline Park will serve as fan central for supporters across the Rocky Mountain region, uniting the local community with the global game. Grab some food, watch the game, and keep an eye out for some special guests. Summer is for outdoor music. Get out there with the band I'm Good at This, who are bringing a pop-up community-style vibe to help you roll into the weekend right. Think sunshine, happy hour hangs, dancing with friends, and good vibes. The Red Bull Soapbox Race returns to the Mile High City for the first time in 18 years, taking over in Power Field at Mile High. One of only two U.S. stops on this year's tour, Denver will welcome 46 teams armed with handmade soapbox crafts, hometown pride, and a whole lot of nerve to prove that Denver builds things differently.

Thank you. That concludes our general public comment session. We are going to go into our regular session. There we go. Council will now reconvene from an earlier session. There is no unfinished business from the earlier session. There are no proclamations that are being read this evening. We have two required public hearings tonight. As a reminder, council members need to turn on their video during the vote. For those participating in person, when called upon, please come to the podium. On the presentation monitor on the wall, you will see your time counting down. For those participating virtually, when called upon, Please wait until our meeting host promotes you to speaker. When you are promoted, please accept the promotion, turn on your camera if you have one, and your microphone. All speakers should begin their remarks by telling the council their names, the cities of residence, and if they feel comfortable doing so, their home address. If you have signed up to answer questions only, state your name and note that you are available for questions of council. Speakers will have three minutes. There is no yielding of time. If translation is needed, you will be given an additional three minutes for your comments to be interpreted. Speakers must stay on the topic of the hearing and must direct their comments to the council as a whole. please refrain from profane or obscene speech and refrain from individual or personal attacks. Council Member Lewis, will you please put Council Bill 0176, changing the zoning classification for 17600 East 56th Avenue and 4991 North Telluride Street in Gateway Green Valley Ranch and Gateway Green Valley Ranch and a required public hearing changing a zero. Yeah, I was like, that seems like it's not right. That was the other one. Will you please put it on the floor for final passage?

I move that Council Bill 260176 be placed upon final consideration. Do you pass?

Thank you. It has been moved and seconded. Hold here just for a moment. Please note that a public hearing was already held on April 6th, 2026, before it was postponed until today. Council members, are there any further questions on Council Bill 0176? Okay. Questions from members of council on Council Bill 260176. See, I forgot to do the gavel. Questions from Council Bill 0176.

We're in comments.

Oh, we're in comments? Okay. I was like, I thought we had comments.

Okay. We don't need to reopen the hearing. Great.

Closed. Comments by members of Council on Council Bill 0176. Madam Secretary, roll call on Council Bill 260176.

Council Members Gilmour?

Aye.

Sawyer? Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Madam secretary, close the voting and announce the results. 10 eyes.

10 ayes, Council Bill 260176 has passed. Council Member Lewis, will you please put Council Bill 0557, changing the zoning classification for 8401 East Bellevue Avenue in Hampton South on the floor for final passage.

I move that Council Bill 26057 be placed upon final consideration and do pass.

It has been moved. And seconded the required public hearing for council bill 0557 is open.

Maybe have the staff report. At 8401 East Bellevue Avenue. Moving into this request, it is to rezone from B8 with waivers. You are 1 you have 2 to 8. Certainly. Is that a little better? Okay, great. This site is just under four acres at the corner of DTC Boulevard and Bellevue Avenue, previously used as a two-story bank and office building with an attached parking garage and also has abundant surface parking within the front setback. Assuming a little bit more, this is in District 4, represented by Councilmember Romero-Campbell and is within the Hampton South neighborhood. Existing zoning, I'll detail on the next slide. Again, B8 with Waiver 01, U02. A lot of this area of the city has remained under B8, which was adopted in 1978. Also, some open space and a similar requested zone to the west, SMX 8, and has Arapahoe County to the south. So the current zoning, B8, it's a high-intensity business district. It also includes waivers that wave out some certain fabrication, wholesale, and warehousing uses, and also has gross floor area allowance of a maximum of two and a half stories in height for structures. There are also use overlays mapped on this site. However, the Denver Technological Center, Architectural Control Committee and Covenants do preclude adult uses and billboards. So we find that there are still sufficient land remaining in the city for adult uses and agree with removing the billboard use. Again, proposed zoning is SMX 8, which is suburban mixed use up to eight stories. Here you can see the general purpose, specific intent, and the building forms allowed in that district. Existing land use again, previously office. We also see a mixture of uses around here, including park open space, commercial retail, and a lot of multi-unit residential. This gives you a sense of the building form and scale, and you can see again that really deep setback with ample parking in front of the structure. Speaking to the process, we sent informational notice of the application earlier this year in January. It went to planning board in mid April and in front of you tonight for public hearing on the 8th of June. When this was at planning board, this was moved forward unanimously to recommend approval. And to date we have not received any RNO comments as we do not have any RNO specific, any RNO specific to this part of the city. And we did receive four comments and support from the public that speak to revitalizing Bellevue Avenue and really creating a mixed use community in this part of the tech center. So moving to the review criteria, as we have three, first being consistency with adopted plans. Staff finds this to be consistent with Comprehensive Plan 2040, as laid out by Vision Element. We believe that this rezoning could promote equitable, affordable, and inclusive parts of our city, also creating strong and authentic neighborhoods by building a network of well-connected, vibrant mixed-use centers and corridors, and also help us stay environmentally resilient, promoting infill development where infrastructure and services are already in place. Moving to Blueprint Denver, this is mapped as part of the suburban neighborhood context, where we see higher densities and commercial that's mostly focused along main corridors, including Bellevue Avenue and DTC Boulevard in this case. Also consistent with the regional center future place, where we also see a wide mix of uses, larger scale buildings, and not the highest heights in the context generally. This is also part of a big growth area for the city, is being in a regional center where we expect 50% of new employment and 30% of new housing by 2040. We also have another list of strategies that we think this is consistent with, which includes rezoning properties out of the old code into the new one, and allowing for higher density residential areas near regional centers. Also through an equity lens, we think that this would support a broad range of commercial uses and can also result in multi-unit residential and particularly including affordable housing. And again, very consistent with some climate goals related to placing housing near transit and jobs.

And we all know that multi-unit buildings are much more energy efficient than single unit properties.

We also find this to be in the public interest as it would implement our city plans and further create a walkable mixed use area in this part of the tech center. And lastly, we find this to be consistent with the neighborhood context, which is suburban, zone district purpose, SMX 5, and the intent statements behind those. With that, the CPD does recommend approval based on finding all review criteria have been met. Thank you.

Thank you. We have three individuals. Thank you for the report. We have three individuals signed up to speak this evening. Our first speaker is Jesse Paris. Okay, our next speaker is Skye Stewart.

Good evening, Madam President Pro Tem and members of Council. Skye Stewart here on behalf of the Shea team. I'm really just here to answer questions and would point out the packet of supporters. We worked really hard to talk with neighboring businesses and organizations about this project.

Our next speaker is Eric Hecox.

Great, thank you. Good evening council members and my name is Eric Hecox. I work with Shea Properties and we're proposing the rezoning for this property. Let me start by thanking you both for hearing this tonight and also for your service to the city of Denver. You guys do a lot of work day in and day out and I really want to thank you for your service. I'd also like to extend my thanks to Brandon Schaefer. He clearly outlined how this rezoning aligns with Denver's plans, goals, and long-term plans, particularly rezoning out of the old code and into a new and modern SMX zoning. Today, the property is a four-acre site, as was described. It's underutilized by an outdated bank with abundant surface parking surrounding it. And today, the property is really, in our belief, not fully utilized to its full potential. Our vision is to transform the site into a vibrant, modern, mixed-use destination that enhances this important corridor and important part of the tech center. The project builds directly on the momentum that our nearby Marina Square redevelopment has started. City Council approved this same zoning, SMX8, for this site in 2022, and we'd like to continue that on the neighboring property next door to it. In concert with the Marina Square redevelopment, these properties will create a cohesive, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use environment that strengthens the Tech Center and South Denver as a regional center. The rezoning will expand housing options in the Denver Tech Center so the people can live close to where they work. It'll introduce additional neighborhood serving retail and services, and it'll promote active pedestrian friendly environments. Adding housing and retail to this location, we believe, will be accretive to the Denver Tech Center and the city as a whole, supporting Denver's economy, tax base, and most importantly, its housing needs. As with all of our projects, we've conducted extensive outreach. You just heard a little bit from Sky Stewart, who's with the Pockner Company and has helped us with that. We've engaged neighborhood stakeholders, nearby businesses, community leaders, and we've gathered feedback in order to ensure that the project reflects community priorities. So to conclude, I would just respectfully request that you approve the rezoning to SMX-8 so that we can build on our legacy of success by creating a vibrant mixed-use center that adds accretive value to the city of Denver. And as mentioned, we have a couple members of our team here, both Sky from the Peckner Company, and we also have Tom Reganetti and Diana Jenkins who have helped us on the legal side. And I'm also available for questions. Thank you again.

Thank you. That concludes our speakers. Questions for Member of Council on Council Bill 0557? I don't know if I have to put it into request to speak, but I will. This is in District 4. I have a few questions that I asked during committee, but I just wanted you to be able to restate if you, as you see the pictures, it is a very tree lined corner and there are a lot of very large mature trees which reflect the other areas in the neighborhood. Can you tell us a little bit about what you plan to do or how that will be addressed or maintained?

Yeah, certainly. As we did with our Marina Square redevelopment, our intent is to preserve as many of the mature trees as we can. Within the Denver Tech Center, within the covenants, there's a 30-foot setback, so a lot of those mature trees are within the setback areas. There obviously will be some that are disturbed as we do additional curb cuts and kind of make sure that we configure the the new parking and all of that. But our intent will be to preserve as many of those trees as we can. We value the mature tree canopy that has developed throughout the Denver Tech Center. We've invested heavily in that both privately as well as through the Metro District that covers the entire Tech Center. And it's our intent to ensure the health of that tree canopy to the extent that we can.

Thank you. And then there was another, and I don't know if this would be for you or for Sky, it was listed that there was no R&O feedback. Can you just talk a little bit more about the specific community outreach that happened for this rezoning? Sure.

Yeah, I'll let Skye speak a little bit to it. We did speak with, we reached out to neighborhoods that were nearby to see if they had any thoughts and comments. We reached out to Pantera Place, which is a condo community nearby. And then we also spoke with a number of businesses in the area to see if they had comments. And we either heard no comments or no response, or we heard just verbally that they were very supportive of revitalizing this corner. But I'll let Skye add a little more flavor.

Yeah, Eric, Skye Stewart on behalf of Shea with the Pockner Company. Eric basically covered it. As you know, Councilwoman, there is no assigned RNO for this particular property. We did reach out to INC to let them know we were coming forward and see if they wanted more information, did not hear back. And then, again, talked to some of the neighboring condo complexes, even as far out. as across the park area that sits to the just to the east of that site and did not get any feedback from anyone wanting to hear more on briefings and then touch base with the metro district that serves that property as well as denver south which you know while you serve on that board that does economic development and transportation management for the entire tech center and both of them sent in letters of support and then talked to several neighboring businesses as well

Okay, the public hearing is closed. Comments by Council on Council Bill 0557.

Councilmember Alvarez. Thank you so much. I just want to say that I am supportive of this that we had a lot of great conversation and committee and a lot of questions came up there. So just wanted to say it would be supportive. Thank you. Thank you.

else? Okay. This, again, is in District 4. I appreciate the outreach that you have done. We've talked about this over a long period of time. You mentioned that it's just adjacent to the Marina Square redevelopment, which is, like, there's a lot going on right there, and so I just think that this will be a nice companion to that property. I'm supportive of it, and I would hope that my fellow councilmember's would do the same support of this evening. So thank you. Madam Secretary, roll call on Council Bill 0557. Council Members Gilmour? Aye. Soyuz?

Aye. Aye. Alvarez? Aye. Flynn? Gonzales Gutierrez? Aye. Hines? Aye. Cashman? Aye. Lewis? Aye. Watson? Aye. Madam Pro Tem Romero-Campbell? Aye.

Madam Secretary, close the voting and announce the results.

Ten ayes.

Ten ayes. Council Bill 260557 has passed. There being no further business before this body, this meeting is adjourned.

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