The Denver City Council met on Monday, February 23, 2026, at 10:30 AM (Mountain Time) for a regular session that included proclamations, consent agenda items, and three public hearings on zoning changes. The meeting began with a land acknowledgment and the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by council announcements and the adoption of two proclamations. The council then considered a block vote on consent items, later reconvened for required public hearings, and concluded with the passage of all three zoning bills.
Good morning, everyone. Thank you for taking the time to join us for Denver City's council meeting. Tonight's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish. Sam or Jasmine, would you please introduce yourself and let our viewers know how to enable translation on their devices? Yes, of course. Thank you. Hello, everyone. Thank you for having us. My name is Sam Guzman with the CLC. 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 minute. While I give instructions in Spanish on how to access interpretation. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting of Monday, February 23rd, 2026. Council members, please join me in the pledge of allegiance. We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the land that we got 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. Here Cashman. Here 13 members present. There are 13 members present. Council has a quorum. Approval of the minutes. Are there corrections to the minute for February 17th? Seeing none, the minutes stand approved. Council announcements. Are there any council announcements this afternoon? Councilwoman Albidrasan to start us off. Great. Thank you, Mr. President. I want to invite everyone to attend a performance by Modus Theater in District 7 this Saturday at 1 p.m. at HQ, located at 60 South Broadway. Modus Theater is a Denver-based nonprofit that brings powerful autobiographical monologues to the stage and does improv theater. This is an improv theater performance. Which are improvise live on stage by MODIS Theater Playback Ensemble. This event creates a space for transforming, for transformative listening and civic dialogue at a time when immigrant communities face harmful rhetoric. Come witness how these stories change lives and learn about your neighbors. I think that's something that's really important and appreciate his support of that measure. I also just want to acknowledge that this is the same administration that in 2024 came to us for millions of dollars worth of incentives for a data center in the GES community and don't want to erase that past. Finally, I also want to acknowledge the people of Mexico during this deeply complex and painful moment. I think a lot of us have seen what is playing out on social media and on the news currently with extreme violence. This reality is that the impacts of organized crime and drug trafficking do not stop at the border. The United States also plays a huge role in this shared crisis through the demand for drugs that fuel cartel power, through the flow of weapons that too often make their way south, and through political decisions that reverberate far beyond our own communities. We must be honest about that interconnected responsibility. And my heart is with the families that are trying to stay safe and trying to have food and water and fuel during this time. It's been really heartbreaking to see a beautiful place that I love, Puerto Vallarta, in flames, and I just want to acknowledge that. Thank you, Councilburg.