Denver City Council Meeting - September 30, 2024: Gig Economy Proclamation, Zoning Changes, and West Globeville Metro District Approval

The Denver City Council convened on Monday, September 30, 2024, at 3:30 PM in the Cathy Reynolds City Council Chamber. The meeting included council announcements, the adoption of two proclamations (supporting gig economy workers and recognizing Blood Cancer Awareness Month), approval of numerous resolutions and bills en bloc, introduction of new zoning legislation, and public hearings on two bills for final consideration: a zoning change at 4050 North Colorado Boulevard and amendments to the West Globeville Metropolitan District service plans. All 13 council members were present.

Consent Calendar

• Resolutions adopted en bloc (13-0):
  • 24-1266 & 24-1267: Liability claim settlements totaling $30,000 for cases involving the Denver Public Library (Antonio Estrada-Barda et al. v. Melvin Fubler and City/County of Denver).
  • 24-1119: Amendatory agreement with Rider Kafer, P.C. for legal defense (name change from Morgan Rider Riter Tsai P.C.).
  • 24-1162: Second amendatory agreement with Kraemer North America, LLC (extending preconstruction services for Colfax BRT project through 2-28-2025, no cost change).
  • 24-1175: Amendatory agreement with Stanley Consultants, Inc. (adding $195,298.37 for a new total of $1,019,845.73 to reconstruct six traffic signals along Alameda Avenue, new end date 10-12-2026).
  • 24-1176: First amendatory agreement with Stantec Architecture, Inc. (adding $338,524 for a new total of $1,043,512 for design services for the 5280 Trail on 21st Street, new end date 8-29-2025).
  • 24-1181: Amendatory agreement with University System of New Hampshire (adding $24,072 for a new total of $623,174 for START program consultation/training, new end date 6-30-2025).
  • 24-1205 & 24-1206: Fourth and fifth amendatory agreements with Securus Technologies, LLC (extending phone services and video visitation/tablets for incarcerated individuals at Denver County Jail and Downtown Detention Center through 3-31-2025; no cost increase for phone services; $210,000 added for video/tablets, new total $2,242,000).
  • 24-1268: Liability claim settlement of $125,000 (Scott Carey v. Mark Matthews, involving Denver Police Department).
  • 24-1269: Liability claim settlement of $15,000 (Humberto Quintero claim from August 9, 2021, involving Denver Police Department).
  • 24-1163: Contract with JV LoDo Denargo LLC (city funding up to $3,000,000 to build a public park in Denargo Market redevelopment, Council District 9).
  • 24-1174: Dedication of a parcel of land as a public alley bounded by West 40th Avenue, North Fox Street, West 39th Avenue, and North Galapago Street (Council District 9).
• Resolution 24-1164 (purchase agreement for residential reentry facility at 570 West 44th Avenue, $26,200,000) was called out by Councilmember Sawyer and postponed for one week to October 7, 2024.
• Bills for Final Consideration passed en bloc (13-0):
  • 24-1116: Mayoral reappointment of Elizabeth Macy to the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs (term 9-01-2024 to 8-31-2027).
  • 24-1154: Ordinance amending Chapter 27 (Housing) of the Denver Revised Municipal Code regarding negotiated alternatives and high impact developments (correcting typos, clarifying language, granting parking exemptions and incentive height, citywide).
  • 24-1146: Amended and Restated Denargo Market Development Agreement with JB Denargo, LLC and Denargo Market Metropolitan District (amending environmental standards on city property not ROW or Parks, Council District 9).
• Bills for Introduction ordered published:
  • 24-1093: Zoning map amendment for 401 North Delaware Street in Baker (from U-RH-2.5 to U-MX-2X). Public hearing scheduled for October 28, 2024. Protests due by noon on October 21, 2024.
  • 24-1207: Vacation of a portion of right-of-way at 901 North Navajo Street without reservations (Council District 3).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Public Hearing on Council Bill 24-1168 (West Globeville Metropolitan District): Three speakers signed up in favor; none in opposition. Karen Gerwitz (resident of North City Park, President/CEO of World Trade Center Denver) spoke in support, citing delays from EPA cleanup and zoning challenges, and requested streamlining to move the project forward. Anthony Cistone (lives/works in Fox Park for seven years) expressed strong support, praising community outreach and investment. Carla Padilla (descendant of generations of Globeville residents) supported the bill, noting environmental remediation costs and that the special improvement district (SID) would not pass taxes on to residents. One speaker, Jesse Paris (candidate for State House District 8), asked questions about project funding, AMI levels for housing, community engagement, and environmental concerns but did not explicitly oppose; council did not answer questions at that time.

Discussion Items

• Proclamation 24-1265 – Supporting Denver's Gig Economy Workers (sponsored by Councilmembers Parady, Gilmore, Kashmann): Recognized over 25,000 rideshare workers in the metro area, the Drivers Cooperative Colorado (first worker-managed on-demand rideshare co-op in the U.S.), and Colorado Independent Drivers United (CIDU). Councilmembers spoke about worker exploitation, the need for fair wages and human resources access, and the co-op model. Adopted 13-0. Representatives from the co-op and CIDU accepted, noting 2,000 drivers and 6,000 riders have joined the app.
• Proclamation 24-1271 – Recognizing September as National Blood Cancer Awareness Month (sponsored by Councilmember Watson): Cited statistics: approximately every three minutes one person in the U.S. is diagnosed with blood cancer; estimated 187,000 new cases in 2024; more than 80% of Hodgkin's lymphoma patients can be cured. Councilmember Watson shared his personal survivorship story (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2011). Adopted 13-0. Courtney Kinney (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) accepted, noting LLS has advanced over 70% of blood cancer treatments and provided $700 million in co-pay assistance.
• Council Announcements: Multiple council members announced upcoming events, including a community cleanup, voter registration events, town halls, a ground-breaking for Colfax Bus Rapid Transit, and a tribal convening for the indigenous context study.

Key Outcomes

• Council Bill 24-0983 (zoning change for 4050 North Colorado Boulevard and associated properties in Northeast Park Hill, from B-3 with waivers/conditions to C-MX-5 and C-MX-8) was placed upon final consideration and passed 10-2 (Flynn and Sawyer opposed; Watson absent). A public hearing had been held on September 16, 2024.
• Council Bill 24-1168 (First Amendments to the First Amended and Restated Service Plans for West Globeville Metropolitan District Nos. 1 & 2) passed 13-0 after a public hearing. The amendments provide statutory authority to create special improvement districts for short-term financing of horizontal infrastructure. Staff reported the district is approximately 41 acres, at full build-out will encompass 6.2 million square feet of mixed-use development with a daytime population of 3,300. Councilmember Watson noted a community benefit agreement with specific reinvested dollars (upwards of $6.5 million) seeded into community organizations, and that toxic soil was routed outside the community per resident requests.
• City settlement totals: Councilmember Lewis reported that with the approval of resolutions 24-1266, 24-1267, 24-1268, and 24-1269, the 2024 total for taxpayer dollars in city settlements reached $4,883,411.29.
• Postponement: Resolution 24-1164 (residential reentry facility purchase) was postponed to October 7, 2024.
• Future hearing: A public hearing on Council Bill 24-1093 (zoning for 401 N. Delaware St., Baker) is scheduled for October 28, 2024, with protests due by October 21, 2024.

The meeting adjourned at 6:34 PM.