OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Denver City Council Meeting – February 17, 2026: Proclamations, Zoning Amendments, and Rezoning Vote

City Council — Tuesday, February 17, 2026
BodyDenver, Colorado
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, February 17, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:57:04
Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

Tonight's coverage of Denver City Council starts now.

0:23

Good afternoon, everyone.

0:24

Thank you for taking the time to join us for Denver City Council meeting.

0:28

Tonight's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish.

0:32

Sam or Desmine, would you please introduce yourself and let our viewers know how to enable translation on their devices?

0:40

Yes, of course.

0:41

Hello, everyone.

0:46

Joining you virtually through Zoom, and along with my colleague Jasmine, we'll be interpreting today's meeting into Spanish.

0:53

Please allow me a quick moment while I give instructions in Spanish on how to access interpretation.

1:35

Thank you very much, Sam.

1:38

Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting of Tuesday, February 17, 2026.

1:44

Council members, please join Councilmember Watson in the Pledge of Allegiance.

2:05

Council members, please bring Council Member Watson as they lead us in the Denver City Council land acknowledgement.

2:11

The Denver City Council honors and acknowledges that the land on which we reside is a traditional territory of the Cheyenne and Arapaho people.

2:19

We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically to the lands that make up the state of Colorado.

2:26

We honor elders' past, present, and future, and those who have stewarded this land throughout generations.

2:32

We also recognize that government, academic, and cultural institutions were founded upon and continue to enact exclusions and erasures of indigenous peoples.

2:53

Thank you, Councilmember Webton.

2:55

Madam Secretary Ruffal.

3:05

Gilmore, Gonzalez Gutierrez, here.

3:08

Cashman.

3:11

Romera Campbell.

3:13

Here.

3:13

Sawyer.

3:14

Here.

3:14

Torres.

3:15

Here.

3:16

Watson.

3:17

Here.

3:17

Madam President Sandoval.

3:19

Here.

3:20

Twelve members present.

3:21

There are 12 members present.

3:23

Council have the quorum.

3:25

Approval of the minutes.

3:26

Are there corrections to the minutes at February 9th?

3:30

Seeing none, the minutes stand approved.

3:33

Council announcements.

3:34

Are there any council announcements from members of Council?

3:43

Councilman Torres.

3:56

It's from 11 to 4 on both Saturday and Sunday.

3:59

And jam-packed with events and uh celebrations and dance and some of the most amazing food you'll find in one single place.

4:20

Thank you.

4:20

Council Member Abidares.

4:22

Thank you, Council President.

4:23

A few things.

4:25

This Saturday, February 21st, there will be a meal corazon community art exhibit at the space annex at Nile Cloud Cherokee.

4:34

I wanted to highlight that event also on March 7th.

4:39

We will be having our self-defense class as a result of all the assaults that have been happening on South Broadway.

4:46

So follow our socials for more information there.

4:49

And on February 28th, we'll be having a Love Thy Neighbor performance by MODES Theater on South Broadway as well at HQ.

4:57

So lots of fun things coming the later this month.

5:00

Thank you, Councilman.

5:04

Thank you.

5:04

Next up, Councilmember Watson.

5:08

I think everyone's aware that this morning, the Reverend Jessica Jackson passed.

5:14

He uh Reverend Jackson was born October 8th, uh 1941, and um uh left us uh today, February 17th, 2026.

5:24

And um I'm a little older than maybe I look.

5:27

Maybe I look how old I am, I don't know, but I was at CU Denver back in 1987, and I moved um from the Virgin Islands to Denver to attend CU and uh immediately join the Black Student Alliance.

5:41

At that point, um Reverend Jackson was beginning his second um um uh try for running for president of the United States and a Black Student Alliance um coordinated and organized events on the campus in uh 1988, and I believe he was here in Denver on April of 1988 with many of the young people listening to him and being so inspired by truly who he is and what he meant to our community.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing█████████████████████████████████████████████50%
Procedural███████████████17%
Racial Equity███████████████17%
Community Engagement██████7%
Pending Litigation███3%
Technology and Innovation███3%
Fiscal Sustainability█1%
Arts And Culture█1%
Historic Preservation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Denver City Council Meeting – February 17, 2026

The Denver City Council held a regular meeting on February 17, 2026, with 12 members present. The agenda included two proclamations, consideration of resolutions for settlement claims, a combined public hearing on zoning text amendments (the "mini bundle"), and a public hearing on a rezoning request. The council also heard general public comments and council announcements.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: Minutes from the February 9, 2026 meeting were approved without corrections.
  • Proclamations: Two proclamations were adopted unanimously: Proclamation 26-0166 recognizing the 1932 racial justice protest at Washington Park during Black History Month, and Proclamation 26-0156 celebrating Lunar New Year 2026 (Year of the Fire Horse).
  • Block Vote on Resolutions and Bills: The council voted in a block to adopt resolutions 26-0167 and 26-0168 (settlement claims) and to pass several bills on final consideration (including items from committee). All passed 12-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • General Public Comment Session: A half-hour session was held from 5:00 to 5:30 p.m. prior to the evening session. No specific comments were transcribed.
  • Public Hearing on Mini Bundle (Bills 25-2163 and 25-2164): Renee Martinez Stone, representing the Denver Housing Authority (DHA), spoke in support of the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) clarification. She explained that DHA’s deed-restricted affordable housing and dedicated property management meet the intent of owner-occupancy requirements, and urged the council to support the exemption for DHA-owned properties.
  • Public Hearing on Rezoning (Bill 25-2138): No members of the public appeared to speak. The applicant, Paul Demption, was present and answered questions from council.

Discussion Items

  • Council Announcements: Multiple council members announced upcoming community events. Councilmember Watson delivered a eulogy for Reverend Jesse Jackson, who passed earlier that day.
  • Proclamation 26-0166 – Racial Justice at Washington Park: Councilmembers Alvidrez, Cashman, Lewis, and Watson sponsored the proclamation. Councilmembers shared personal stories of segregation and discrimination in Denver’s parks and pools. The proclamation was adopted unanimously.
  • Proclamation 26-0156 – Lunar New Year: Councilmembers Torres, Alvidrez, and Gonzalez Gutierrez sponsored the proclamation. Remarks highlighted the contributions of Denver’s AAPI community and the recognition of Lunar New Year as a state holiday since 2024. Adopted unanimously.
  • Resolution 26-0089 – Evergreen Golf Course Concession: Councilmember Flynn requested a one-week postponement under Rule 3.6 to obtain more information. Postponed to February 23, 2026.
  • Resolutions 26-0167 and 26-0168 – Settlement Claims: Councilmember Lewis called out these resolutions for comment, noting that they involve $25,000 (DOTI claim) and $30,000 (DPD claim), bringing total settlement expenditures for the year to $380,000. Both were adopted as part of the block vote.
  • Public Hearing on Mini Bundle (Bills 25-2163 and 25-2164): Staff presented a text amendment covering four topics: Prop 123 expedited reviews for affordable housing, wireless telecommunications permitting (state law compliance), ADU clarifications for planned unit developments and DHA, and extension of site development plan approval periods. Councilmembers questioned staff; Councilmember Lewis noted resolved concerns with the Clerk and Recorder’s office. Councilmember Flynn expressed ongoing concerns about telecom impacts on historic districts but acknowledged the state mandate. The bills passed 11-0.
  • Public Hearing on Rezoning (Bill 25-2138) – 1965 Verbena Street: Staff recommended denial, citing inconsistency with Blueprint Denver and the East Area Plan regarding lot size patterns. The applicant sought to rezone from E-SU-Dx to E-SU-B to split a 9,000 sq. ft. lot and build two homes, including housing for refugees. Planning Board had recommended approval. Council debated: opponents (Sawyer, Flynn, Sandoval) emphasized the need to follow adopted plans; supporters (Hines, Watson, Lewis) argued it met broader housing goals and that the pattern of smaller lots existed. The bill failed 5-6.

Key Outcomes

  • Proclamations 26-0166 and 26-0156: Adopted unanimously.
  • Resolution 26-0089: Postponed one week to Monday, February 23, 2026.
  • Resolutions 26-0167 and 26-0168: Adopted (part of block vote).
  • Mini Bundle (Bills 25-2163 and 25-2164): Passed with 11 ayes.
  • Rezoning for 1965 Verbena Street (Bill 25-2138): Failed; 5 ayes, 6 nays.
  • Next Steps: The next public hearing is scheduled for Monday, March 16, 2026, on Council Bill 26-0081 (rezoning at 385 South Zuni in Athmar Park). Protests must be filed by March 9, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Tonight's coverage of Denver City Council starts now. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for taking the time to join us for Denver City Council meeting. Tonight's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish. Sam or Desmine, would you please introduce yourself and let our viewers know how to enable translation on their devices? Yes, of course. Hello, everyone. Joining you virtually through Zoom, and along with my colleague Jasmine, we'll be interpreting today's meeting into Spanish. Please allow me a quick moment while I give instructions in Spanish on how to access interpretation. Thank you very much, Sam. Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting of Tuesday, February 17, 2026. Council members, please join Councilmember Watson in the Pledge of Allegiance. Council members, please bring Council Member Watson as they lead us in the Denver City Council land acknowledgement. The Denver City Council honors and acknowledges that the land on which we reside is a traditional territory of the Cheyenne and Arapaho people. We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically 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 peoples. Thank you, Councilmember Webton. Madam Secretary Ruffal. Gilmore, Gonzalez Gutierrez, here. Cashman. Romera Campbell. Here. Sawyer. Here. Torres. Here. Watson. Here. Madam President Sandoval. Here. Twelve members present. There are 12 members present. Council have the quorum. Approval of the minutes. Are there corrections to the minutes at February 9th? Seeing none, the minutes stand approved. Council announcements. Are there any council announcements from members of Council? Councilman Torres. It's from 11 to 4 on both Saturday and Sunday. And jam-packed with events and uh celebrations and dance and some of the most amazing food you'll find in one single place. Thank you. Council Member Abidares. Thank you, Council President. A few things. This Saturday, February 21st, there will be a meal corazon community art exhibit at the space annex at Nile Cloud Cherokee. I wanted to highlight that event also on March 7th. We will be having our self-defense class as a result of all the assaults that have been happening on South Broadway. So follow our socials for more information there.

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