Tonight's coverage of Denver City Council starts now.

Thank you for joining us and taking the time um to join us at our today's meeting.

Today is Monday, May 11, 2026.

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.

My name is Sam Guzmano with the CLC.

Joining you virtually through Zoom, and along with my colleague Jasmine.

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.

Thank you very much, Sam.

Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting of Monday, May 11, 2026.

Council members, please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

For which it stands, one nation under God.

Council members, please join Councilmember Parity 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 the traditional territory of the U Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples.

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

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

We also recognize the government academic and cultural institutions we're founded upon and continue to enact exclusions and erasures of Indigenous peoples.

May this acknowledgement demonstrate a commitment to working to dismantle ongoing legacies of oppression and inequities and recognize the current future contributions of Indigenous communities in Denver.

Alvidras here.

It is one of the ways that this community decided we are going to show how we can activate these underutilized spaces in our community, knowing there's transformation coming no matter what it was going to be.

And it's just a really amazing time.

So 4 to 10 p.m.

this Saturday.

And also happening this week, Denver Urban Gardens.

I just want to give them a shout out.

They'll be doing a ribbon cutting this Thursday at Joe P.

Martinez Park.

They are establishing a food forest and community gardens and have just installed all the beds.

And this is part of their focus on West Area neighborhoods in a lot of their uh food access work that they're they've been doing with us.

So that's on Thursday at Joseph P.

Martinez Park.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President.

Just a moment of personal privilege.

I want to congratulate Redeced Salvadres or Rodriguez.

He's high school alumni.

He will be he's been working in my office.

Salvidres.

Oh, okay.

Well, he's been working in my office as a Colado Capital Fellow.

Um Clado is the Colorado Latino Leadership Advocacy and Research Organization.

And he's been assigned to my office as a 2026 Capitol Fellow for the first time was assigned to a City Council office during the legislative session.

I've had many uh capital fellows over the years as a state legislator, and they reached out and said, Would you like a Capitol Fellow at City Council?

I said, sure.

But I want to thank Redecel for his time in our office.

He supported us during this legislative process, looking into bills and keeping track of positions.

He assisted with the review, giving very valuable feedback on the RO report that was published, as you've all seen.

And he attended and supported events in our office that we hosted through the last few months, like the registered neighborhood organization feedback sessions and the Office of Independent Monetary Events.

So on behalf of our office, Rede Cell, we want to wish you the best on your future goals and cannot wait to see what you do next and hope that you stay in contact with us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilman Albidres.

And I will also second the Sun Valley Night Market is amazing.

Have been there.

We'll be there again.

I want to invite people that to come out for a bike ride in District 7.

We'll be riding with the Mayor's Bicycle Advocacy Advocacy Committee.

We'll be meeting at 8 45 a.m.

this Saturday, the 16th, and we'll roll out by 9 a.m.

We're meeting at Rebel Bread Bakery at 675 South Broadway.

And we will get a tour on bike for district 7.

So I hope to see anybody that likes to bike there.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Lewis, thank you.

Welcome to the meeting, and please go ahead with your announcement.

Thank you.

President.

And I would like to wish uh Elijah Meredith, you know, who's coming to my life a very happy birthday.

Today is his birthday, although we celebrated it over the weekend.

I just wanted to take a moment to tell him happy birthday.

He's five and he is a tear, but he's a good kid.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Watson.

Thank you so much, Council President.

From my office, uh Byron Weiss was a lifelong resident of Denver.

He passed away on March 17, 2026 in late uh 1992.

Byron toured the property known as the Rock Drill, located in the Cole neighborhood.

Many of you are familiar with that property, recognizing the immediate operational potential and long-term redevelopment opportunity of the Rock Drill property, Byron and his family acquired a site in early 1993.

They thought it was going to be a short process to get this property rezoned and put back, given back to the people, but it wasn't.

Despite interest from developers, Byron remained steadfast.

Thank you so much for your stewardship for this great uh property and its great space to convene folks in the cold neighborhood.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you for doing that.

We greatly missed have known and currently for you.

Next up, we have Council Cote Memorial Campbell.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, this is just a um an acknowledgement of Arbor Day.

Samuel's uh elementary is going to celebrate uh at one o'clock in Rosamond Park, and they're doing it's all of the third graders.

They're coming out and we're doing a celebration and education and Arbor Day.

So if you get a chance and you're walking in the park, come out and join us.

Um, but it'll be really nice, and I just appreciate Samuels Elementary engaging all of those third graders.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Um Saturday in Council District One, we're having a neighborhood cleanup on 10 p.m.

at it's really easy, 222, West 32nd Avenue.

Um, supplies will be provided, and great memories are guaranteed.

It's with the Highland United neighbors.

And um, last week, thank you, Councilman Alviders for giving me a shout out to Councilmember Hines for his birthday.

This week we have Councilwoman Torres, who's having a birthday.

So, happy early birthday, and hope you have a great celebration with your family.

I don't see no other members in the queue.

There are no presentations, there are no communications.

There are two proclamations being read this afternoon.

Councilmember Watson, would you please read proclamation 0645?

Uh thank you, Council President.

Proclamation number 260645.

A proclamation celebrating Denver Police and Sheriff Appreciation Week.

Whereas the City and County of Denver recognizes that the safety and well-being of all who live in, work in, and visit our community depend on the dedicated service of the men, women, and the people of the Denver Police Department and the Denver Sheriff Department.

And whereas the Denver Police Department, under the leadership of Chief Ron Thomas and Denver Sheriff Department under the leadership of Sheriff Elias Diggins, provide unified public safety services that safeguard our neighborhoods and ensure coordinated, transparent and responsive service throughout the city and county of Denver.

And whereas the Denver Police Department and Denver Sheriff Department are committed to maintaining public safety, reducing crime, and strengthening trust through community policing and strong partnerships with residents, businesses, and community organizations.

And whereas the mission of the Denver Police Department and Sheriff Department is to provide essential public safety services with professionalism, compassion, care, and integrity.

And whereas Denver Police and Sheriff Appreciation Week coincides with the National Police Week, first established in 1962 from President John F.

Kennedy to honor the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers across the United States.

And whereas Denver Police and Sheriff Appreciation Week provides an opportunity for the residents and leaders of Denver to recognize and honor the dedication, professionalism, and sacrifices made daily by our law enforcement personnel.

Now, therefore, be proclaimed by the city and county of Denver, and I'll read that correctly.

Now therefore be proclaimed by the Council of the City and County of Denver.

Section one, that a Denver City Council recognizes May 10th through 16th, 2026 as Denver Police and Sheriff Appreciation Week.

And section two that the Clerk of the City and County of Denver shall affix the seal of the City and County of Denver to this proclamation and that a copy be transmitted to Al Gardner, Executive Director of the Denver Department of Public Safety.

Thank you, Councilmember Watson.

Your motion to adopt.

I move that proclamation number two six zero six four five be adopted.

It has been moved and seconded.

Comments by members of council.

I'll start with you, Councilmember Watson.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Um and fellow council members, this is not just my public.

Many of you are Denverites, many of you are transplants, but you all have that strict that shared commitment of putting our people first and ensuring that we're safe.

Safe is not just dealing with guns.

Safe is not just a police action.

Safe is being willing to listen to community members in your service.

Safe is making sure that we are putting into place different steps in collaboration and co-creation with community.

And I think that's what sets aside our Department of Safety for many others.

We are built with and listened to the voices of community, and I see that in your two great leaders in the 500 meetings a week.

I see them sitting in and listening.

Not all often speaking, not often on the board, but always present.

That is important, and that's an important example for each of you standing and sitting in this room of the type of leadership that you have and the ways in which our community look at you, not just for safety, but security to make sure we have the great Denver that we deserve.

So thank you all for this week and every week that you put your lives and your family's lives, quite frankly, when you leave them every day on the line for each of us sitting here in Denver City Council from the sheriff's team who support us on a regular basis and the Denver Police and everyone else uh throughout Department of Safety.

Thank you so much for your leadership, Director Gardner, and thank you so much for each of you and the leadership that you provide.

Thank you, Councilmember Heinz.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Councilmember Watson for the proclamation.

I want to um I want to try something.

This will be slightly interactive.

Um, if you in the audience could raise your hand if you're a city employee.

Oh, that's right.

You're all city employees.

Um, keep your hand up if you've served more than five years here in Denver.

Ten years, 15 years, 20 years.

Look at all these hands still.

Twenty-five years.

Thirty years, thirty-five years.

Chief, uh, four years.

So every since he was born.

Well, thank you.

Thank you so much to all the city employees who uh who helped keep us uh our jail safe, our city safe, our streets safe, and uh and do it with a smile on your face when uh when that is appropriate, and uh and with the uh attention uh when that is appropriate as well.

So I just uh not only do I want to thank you for um for being here for being city employees, I want to thank you for the just the tenure, the amount of service that the people here in this room have provided to our great city, that is also commendable.

So thank you.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Councilwoman Lewis.

Thank you.

I'll be brief.

Um, I actually wanted to thank um Sheriffs for your partnership with the clothing closet with the goodwill, um, as well as the um free phone calls for jail.

I mean, you and I have worked on a number of problems together, and I just have a deep appreciation for it, um, as well as your staff.

They're always a very friendly face, a wave in the hallway in the morning and good morning, and so thank you all.

Um, as well as walking us out to our cars, um, no matter how late we are here, and sometimes really late.

Um we're here pretty late.

Um, then um, for you, Chief Thomas.

I want to thank you and your staff as well for your responsiveness and community.

Anytime I call you with something that's happening in district eight or beyond, um, your folks are always responsive, always willing to have a conversation, always willing to be in partnership with whatever is happening in my community, and so just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you.

Your staff, um, both of you, so thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Councilmember Parity.

Yeah, I just hope we can society those same leaders.

Um, Thomas knows this, but um, right when I was a brand new council member, my daughter and I was just shooting right outside the elementary school in our um in our neighborhood.

Um, my daughter was six at the time, and she was terrified.

I did not call the police chief because I in no way wanted to you know get special treatment.

I just called 911.

Um, but the chief got wind that this had happened and called and checked on me.

Um, and that kindness just has stayed with me.

It's been a couple years, but I just want you to know how much that meant to me and my daughter, frankly, because she um felt safer, that we had.

Um, and I likewise like Councilmember Lewis, um, been over in the jail a number of times and could not uh speak more highly of the professionalism of the staff there, and especially the folks that are here with us.

Um, alert through deeply boring things every month.

Right.

Um, just keeping on us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Council Protestant Mayor Campbell.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, again, just deep appreciation for the partnership.

And for not only with myself, but with um the entire D4 D4 Um team and how responsive and um just so helpful with the team when they are working to try to, you know, get answers and also with our community partners.

So I just wanted to say thank you, thank you to everybody here in the room, and also those who stay and help us through our council meetings and wait for us to enter into our cars.

I know it's a it's uh it's a lift, and we just really appreciate it, and always accommodating.

You know, we're here in power widener when we're up also in the chambers, it's just been really really um fantastic.

So thank you all for your time.

Thank you.

Councilman Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Thank you, President.

Um I'm glad that we're doing this proclamation uh this evening, and want to thank you all for your service and your work.

Um, I've had you know a lot of opportunity even before coming to City Council and interaction with Chief Thomas and uh Sheriff Diggins.

I said it right this time.

I didn't call you Chief.

Uh it's a joke.

Um, I think you all show up in a space and understanding that although we may not always agree when it comes to policy or how things are implemented, you still show up.

You still show up for the tough conversations, uh, whether it's in community or around a table where we're deliberating, and I do want to just say I appreciate both of you for for always uh being willing to come to the table for that, and also understanding that there are times that you all might remember this, where um you know, even as folks in our roles are um seen as being a certain way, and you both came through and said we know we know we know that you know we work together and we try to work together as much as possible, knowing that again we may not always see eye to eye, but that I appreciate very much.

And I know I can call either of you or any of you know the officers and sheriff deputies.

If I have a question about something, because I've heard something about in community, I will say that you're pretty straightforward with providing that information, and I really really appreciate it because a lot of times it involves community members who are scared, who are upset, and I want to be able to help them and uh guide them on their path.

So thank you so much.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Um thank you to all of the uniform people in here today with us.

Um I think all of our lives are better because of your service, and it's a calling to be able to be a public service, it's not something that you um it you literally have to have a calling.

It literally has to fill your heart at night because a lot of what you all see you take home with you at night, and it impacts your family, it impacts your personal health, it impacts your mental health, and just want to say that I couldn't understand that and to both Chief Thomas and Sheriff Diggins, thank you both personally for a lot of the help that you've given me personally.

I'll never forget Chief Thomas when you you weren't chief, but you checked on me one night when something really egregious happened at my house, and you called me in the middle of the night and asked how I was, and I think I was sobbing, and you stayed on the phone with me until I was actually better, and then you helped advocate for resources for me because I was working for the fire department, and I didn't know I had access to certain resources as a um safety, someone who is working for public safety.

So thank you for that, and Chief Diggins, thank you.

I know I've had some issues here with somebody who um is trying to make themselves known to me and have had to rely on your staff a little bit more than I like don't like to.

You know, I don't like to ask for help, have a very hard time asking for help, and just want you all to know that when I go home, I am a mom, and my family hears about these things, and I'm like, don't worry, it's okay.

I'm gonna be okay.

I'm at the city and county building, or don't worry, I'm okay.

We'll have extra patrol at the house.

So it really does make a difference in these jobs that we also take home with us.

So thank you all.

And I just want to give a shout out.

Thank you all for your professionalism.

We we hear about these disputes, and it's usually probably on average seven percent.

There's seven percent of us teachers, elected officials who are bad actors, and then you all get the rap of being bad actors, and I have not experienced that at my time here.

So thank you all for your professionalism and for showing up every day when things aren't easy.

We really appreciate that.

Madam Secretary, Roll Call.

Alvidres, hi Flynn.

Hi, Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Heinz.

Hi.

Cashman.

Lewis.

Aye.

Perity.

Aye.

Romero Campbell.

Aye.

Sawyer.

Aye.

Torres.

Aye.

Watson.

Aye.

Madam President.

Aye.

Madam Secretary, close the voting, announce the results.

Twelve ayes.

Twelve eyes.

Proclamation 0645 has been adopted.

We now have time for the proclamation acceptance.

Councilmember Well, will you be writing up to accept a proclamation?

All uh Sheriff Dickens and Chief Thomas.

If you want to bring your brother from another mother, uh Director Gardner with y'all, you all three can come up and remember else you choose.

Okay.

These two have hair, so I think you know, really, really briefly, you know, we all live in Denver, and I think we're blessed.

Um, to echo what everyone has heard.

We're blessed, uh, to to have men and women that serve like this.

Uh one thing that's evident really, really quickly.

Once you start working very, very closely with police and sheriff and the rest of the Denver Department of Safety is how much they care.

And I think that becomes evident in interaction as you find out how much they care, that level of trust begins to rise and rise and rise.

And I think probably they're victim of their own piousness, uh, an inability to tell their story, but it's because their heart is truly in the work that they do.

Uh, and it's been a pre a privilege uh uh to work alongside them.

So thank you uh on behalf of the Department of Safety.

Uh, thank you.

I'll be brief as well.

Good afternoon, council.

Um thank you all for the proclamation and for those words.

It is a privilege for us to be able to do the work that we're called to do.

And I met with our brand new class of recruits this morning and told them that this is not a job, it's a career, and the work is hard, and we're challenged physically, mentally, emotionally, and sometimes spiritually.

But I want to thank all of the members of our agency for showing up every single day, despite the adversity that we have uh as an agency.

They never give up, they never quit, and we continue to move forward because of the good work of all the people who have decided that this is where they want to serve the citizens.

And we also thank the people of the city and county of Denver for all of their support as well, because we could not do this work without them, and it's our privilege to be able to serve them.

So thank you.

Please feel free to continue to call on us whenever you need.

Thank you.

Well, thank you, Council President, Councilman Watson, uh, all members of council.

I think normally I would say that you've saved the best for last, but I think maybe more appropriate that you've saved the oldest for last.

And and uh Councilman uh Heinz, I will forgive the ageism.

Uh but I I do want to, you know, thank you all.

You have continued to show up and uh tell and celebrate the story of Denver PD and the city of Denver, and so we certainly appreciate that.

Certainly appreciate everybody that has showed up today uh to receive this proclamation.

It really is not for us, it is for all of us, and so uh certainly are appreciative of of that, and also I think in particular, because you all many of you normally attend our uh memorial ceremony, which is going to be on Thursday, the 14th.

I know that you all will be away at your budget retreat, and so certainly you will be missed, but uh your thoughts will certainly be with us, so thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Flynn, would you please read Proclamation 0649?

Yes, I will, Madam President.

Thank you.

Proclamation uh 26-0649 honoring the O'Hare's multi-generational service to the Denver Police Department.

Whereas in 1962, President John F.

Kennedy declared through presidential proclamation, the week of May 15 is National Peace Officers Memorial Week in the United States, and whereas the Denver Police Museum has instituted its legacy program to honor and recognize multi-generational law enforcement service to our community, who has chosen to highlight the O'Hare family for Police Week 2026, and whereas William O'Hare began the family's legacy upon joining the Denver Police Department on January 1st, 1951, serving in Districts 2 and 3, excelling as a detective in the burglary division, solving numerous rape cases, and earning the Medal of Honor for his bravery during an attempted robbery of Western National Bank.

And whereas William's brother, Paul O'Hare, joined the Denver Police Department in 1958 as a patrol officer downtown, going on to work several undercover assignments, to suppress street robberies and crimes against women, earning recognition and being awarded a fellowship from the College of Criminal Justice, and also serving as a patrolman, technician, sergeant, lieutenant, working at the academy as a shift commander, and as a community relations liaison.

And whereas Dan O'Hare, son of William, joined the Denver Police Department as a cadet, graduating as the outstanding recruit of his class and going on to earn the Purple Heart in 1973 for a serious injury.

He served with distinction in roles including patrol officer in districts two and four, detective in vice, narcotics, major pedal peddler unit and the organized crime strike force, sergeant in patrol in the Intelligence Bureau, Lieutenant in Patrol and Internal Affairs, a captain aide to Chief Zavaras, commander of District 1, Division Chief of Staff Services, Chief of Detectives, Chief of Patrol, Chief of Technology and Support, and Deputy Chief of Administration.

Sounds like he couldn't hold a job.

Whereas Kelly O'Hare, daughter of Dan, joined the Denver Police Department as a cadet in 1989 and went on to serve in patrol at districts three and four as a detective in domestic violence and homicide, and as a lieutenant in the Intelligence Bureau.

And whereas Carrie O'Hare, daughter of Dan, joined the Denver Police Department in 2000 and served as a patrol officer in Districts 4 and 5, a community resource officer in District 3, a detective in District 6, major crimes, and the firearms assault shoot team, and currently serves in major crimes, sex offense investigations.

And whereas David Cunonis, husband of Kelly O'Hare, joined the department in January 1986, and served in District 4 Patrol, the gang unit, as a sergeant in internal affairs and narcotics, as a lieutenant in District 6, commander of District 1, Division Chief for Special Operations and Patrol, and as a deputy chief of the Denver Police Department.

And whereas Paul Jimenez, husband of Carrie O'Hare, joined the Denver Police Department in 1998, has enjoyed a distinguished career marked by numerous citations, including the Medal of Honor for Bravery, and currently serves as commander of the Investigations Bureau.

And whereas Dan O'Hare Jr.

served two years as a volunteers in police service volunteer staffing the 16th Street Mall kiosk and the Bear Valley Cop Shop.

And whereas Ryan O'Hare, son of Dan O'Hare, joined the Lakewood Police Department in 2005, serving in patrol investigations and as a canine handler.

And whereas John Nelson, a cousin, began his career in 2006, serving on patrol and as a corporal in District 6, as a sergeant in District 4, and currently serves as a sergeant at the airport.

And whereas Aaron O'Hare, also a cousin, continues the O'Hare family legacy as a recruit in the current Denver Police Academy class.

Therefore, be a proclaimed by the Denver City Council's section one that the Denver City Council recognizes the O'Hare's family family's outstanding 220 years of cumulative public safety service to the people of Denver.

Section two that the clerk and recorder of the city and county of Denver shall affix the seal of the city and county of Denver to this proclamation and that a copy be transmitted to the O'Hare Denver Police Department and the Denver Police Museum.

Thank you, Councilmember Flynn, your motion to adopt uh thank you Madam President I move that proclamation 26-0649 be adopted.

It has been moved and seconded comments by members of council councilmember thank you Madam President I'll be brief I uh I refresh my memory uh about uh Dan mostly about Dan I didn't know you had all these family members in the department so many of them I knew I knew Chief Kinonis of course and a few of the others uh so I had to refresh my memory over the weekend uh because a lot of your service in command overlapped with with my tenure at the Rocky Mountain News diagonally across from the headquarters so I spent a lot of time in that building doing night cops and uh day cops as well as covering city council and so I did have occasion uh to write a few things that had your name in them and I hope you don't remember them but to have such a distinguished career and being inspired by your father by your uncle and have your children and cousins and nephews and nieces be inspired by that also is just a testament to how good it is to serve on the Denver police department they've had some rough times and your father probably witnessed a few of them during his tenure in the early 60s and so uh but to have to establish that legacy I think speaks to the command and the the continuation of command and the pursuit of excellence by the Denver police department not always getting there but always striving to be there.

So I want to thank you Dan and your extended family for 220 years combined you your father uncle and your the rest of your family no thank you.

Thank you just want to say thank you for your service a lot of times in in um what Councilmember Flynn read it impacted Northwest Denver and I personally know some of your family members who have been um tremendous to service to Denver so thank you and all your family for all your amazing dedication to Denver it just I'm glad we're doing this proclamation.

Madam Secretary roll called us aye Flynn Gonzalez Gutierrez aye Hinesman aye Lewis aye Perity aye Romero Campbell aye Sawyer aye Torres aye Watson Aye Madam President aye madam secretary closed voting announced the results 12 ayes 12 ayes proclamation 0649 has been adopted five minutes for the proclamation acceptance councilmember Flynn will you be inviting up to accept the proclamation thank you madam president I'd like to invite Dan and also the chief to uh say some words about uh this proclamation and about the family uh thank you council president councilman watson again uh denver police chief Ron Thomas you know um certainly thankful for this proclamation um you know I I remember a quote by I can't remember the sports writer that but they talked about how the the way that you identify people for injury into a hall of fame whether it's the major league baseball hall of fame or NFL Hall of Fame is you cannot tell the story of Major League Baseball or the NFL without that name.

And so I think that there are a number of members of the O'Hare family, both past and present that you cannot talk about the Denver Police Department without mentioning their names.

Specifically, I know that uh members of that family, again, both past and present, have been significant mentors in my life.

And so I'm certainly proud to to be here to uh accept the proclamation uh on behalf of the uh the O'Hare family and uh thank you all once again for again recognizing our history.

Thank you.

I think you wrote some good stories, Kevin.

I never had any problems with any of them, but I don't remember ever giving you a statement about anything.

Unless the Varis ordered me to.

And my daughter Kelly, who's retired, Denver PD, Lieutenant.

My daughter Carrie, who's currently active, a sex assault detective.

My brother Bill, who did a distinguished career with parks and recreation and has retired now, and his wife Lorreen.

And I didn't forget anybody, I hope.

I guess the most important thing is to thank you for recognizing us.

The police museum was behind this effort.

And Mike Hess has done a great job developing that whole project there.

It's amazing.

Talk about my dad, my uncle, and you know, they were brothers in a family of 14 kids.

And they were uh depression era babies.

And so, like when my dad was 23 years old, he had two kids.

My brother was one of them, and one on the way, me.

And he was just looking for a steady job, a steady paycheck and some secure employment, and probably hoping that maybe someday he would be able to afford like a second-hand ringer washing machine and a clothesline or something.

You know, I mean, that's of course this Denver Civil Service was offering about 200 and some dollars a month, plus four days off a month.

So who wouldn't jump on that deal?

I mean, his younger brother, Paul, one of his younger brothers, Paul, followed him a couple years behind.

Paul was a true scholar.

He had been a principal in Fraser before he came on on the police department.

But I'm sure he was thinking the same thing that depression era mindset.

You know, a steady job, steady paycheck.

Doesn't matter how much you make, it's how much you save.

And like 20 years or so after that, I was 21 years old with one kid, Kelly, another one on the way, Carrie, and more to follow.

And I was hoping that maybe I could get on steady and actually be able to afford like a washer and dryer someday, you know.

It all worked out great.

Um my kids and grandkids now, instead of ringer washing machines and clotheslines, and I mean, they've got iPads and iPhones and electric cars, and this department and this city has treated us so well and made us um so blessed.

Now, I was always told if you get on this job, it's like a ticket to the greatest show on earth, and it was and some of the scenes, um, they were horrifying.

There were things that you cannot unsee or unforget.

You can't forget them.

Um, but there were a lot of heartwarming things, a lot of successes, and a lot of good things that happened, and every one of us has suffered like a bunch of injuries that were potentially, you know, life-threatening injuries and been in those life-threatening situations, but we also had a lot of rewards and a lot of great people to work around.

And anytime I'm in a room where I'm surrounded by people in blue uniforms.

Most of them are gone now.

I'm comfortable because that's the way I spent most of my adult life.

So thank you so much for this proclamation, recognizing our family.

I thank all the council members.

And I hope that all of you can attend the event on uh Thursday.

A number of those officers who were on that wall, I knew and worked around, and so I feel it's important that we be there to honor them too.

Thank you.

Madam Secretary, please be read the bills for introduction.

From the community planning and housing committee 26-0557, a bill for an ordinance changing the zoning classification for 8401 East Bellevue Avenue in Hamden South.

26-0561.

A bill for an ordinance amending chapter 27, Article 3 of the revised municipal code concerning the preservation of affordable housing.

From the Finance and Business Committee, 26-0566, a bill for an ordinance designating certain properties as being required for public use and granting the authority to acquire through negotiated purchase or condemnation condemnation all property interests needed for the installation of the 2023 Pedestrian Intersection Improvements Project, which property interests may include without limitation, fee interests, easements, access rights, improvements, buildings, fixtures, licenses, and permits as needed for the project.

The project is located at the intersection of East 13th Avenue and North Emerson Street and 1850 South Irving Street and Council Districts 2 and 10.

From the Governance and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, 26-0558, a bill for an ordinance amending the classification and pay plan for employees in the career service and for certain employees not in the career service.

26-0559, a bill for an ordinance amending the classification and pay plan for employees in the career service and for certain employees not in the career service.

From the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, 2626-0565, a bill for an ordinance amending chapter 10, Article 14 of the Denver revised municipal code concerning high performance existing buildings.

Thank you.

Council members, this is your last opportunity to call out an item.

Yes, Council President.

Thank you.

Have been called out for postponement pursuant to rule 3.6 by Council Member Parity.

Council Resolution 0552 has been called out for comment by Councilmember Parity.

Council Resolution 0644 has been called out for comment by Councilmember Lewis.

Has been called out for amendments by Councilmember Sawyer.

Under pending no items have been called out.

Madam Secretary, please put the first item on our screens.

Council resolution 0562, a resolution to waive the city and county's right of first refusal and right of first offer provided by state law pursuant to CRS 29 through 4 through 1202 and CRR CRS 29 through 4 through 1203, respectively.

Councilmember Watson, what would you like to do with Council Resolution 0562?

Uh Council President, I move to postpone council resolution 260562 to Monday, May 18th, 2026.

Comments by members of council.

Councilmember Watson.

Uh Council President, Council Resolution 260562 is a companion resolution to Council Bill 260561, which will be heard on first reading tonight.

Postponing the resolution will allow the resolution to be voted on at the same time or at the same meeting as a second reading and final reading of the ordinance.

Thank you.

No, there are colleagues in the queue.

Madam Secretary, we'll call on proof only of council resolution 0562.

Alvidres.

Aye.

Flynn.

Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Aye.

Hi.

Hi.

Cashman.

Aye.

Lewis.

Parity.

Aye.

Romero Campbell.

Aye.

Sawyer.

Aye.

Torres.

Hi.

Watson.

Aye.

Madam President.

Aye.

Madam Secretary, close the voting and announce the results.

11 ayes.

11 ayes.

Council resolution 0562 has been postponed to May 18th, 2026.

Council resolution 0504, a resolution approving a proposed agreement between the city and county of Denver and AFL maintenance group incorporated to provide janitorial services for group five citywide, excluding Denver International Airport.

Councilmember Parity, what would you do like to do with Council Resolution 0504?

Thank you, Council President.

Perso into Rule 3.6.

I would like to postpone resolution 0504 for one week to the next regularly scheduled council meeting on Monday, May 18th, 2026.

Thank you.

No motion is required.

Council Resolution 0504 has been postponed to Monday, May 16, 2026.

Adam Secretary, please put the next item on our screens.

Council resolution 0505.

A resolution approving a proposed agreement between the city and county of Denver and CCS Faculty Services, Colorado Inc.

to provide citywide janitorial services specifically for groups one, two, three, four, and six, citywide, excluding Denver International Airport.

Councilmember Parity, what would you like to do with Council Resolution 0505?

Thank you, Council President.

Again, precedent to rule 3.6.

I'd like to postpone this resolution from one to the next regularly scheduled council meeting on Monday, May 18th, 2026.

Thank you.

No motion is required.

And Council Resolution 0505 has been postponed to Monday, May 18, 2026.

Madam Secretary, please put the next item on our screens.

Council Resolution 0552, a resolution approving a proposed second amendatory agreement between the city and county of Denver and Colorado Nonprofit Development Center in core coordination with the city and county of Denver to purchase a permanent facility to support critical work providing health access to Denver residents, no charge to contract capacity or term citywide.

Councilmember Parity, please go ahead with your comments on Council Resolution 0552.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um the Colorado Nonprofit Development Center is a DBA in this case for the Harm Reduction Action Center, and this is funding that's rolling over for yet another year.

Um that HRAC is attempting to use to purchase a building so that they can be out of the situation of renting.

You all will recall that we um passed an ordinance through this body that would have um made it easier for them to do that by opening up the areas of the city where they were allowed to operate.

They have still not been able to buy a building, and so I mostly wanted to ask if there's someone here from real estate or the mayor's office that could speak to how that effort is going because we've sort of coordinated various discussions trying to make sure that um that these funds don't essentially expire and that this organization doesn't have to keep paying increasing rent where they're at when we've tried to fund them to buy a building.

Good afternoon, Councilwoman Parity, Tim Hoffman with the Mayor's Office.

Um I've been in touch with DDPC with the city attorney's office as well as the mayor's office.

Um the latest I have is that the city attorney's office has worked with HRAC on some specific questions they had about the contract um for any future building that they might pursue.

So I think that there was just some clarifying question going back and forth between ATRAC and the city attorney's office.

Sounds like the next step in the process is for um ATRAC to work in conjunction with our real estate team and other folks to identify some possible buildings.

Um so that's my understanding of where we are in the process.

Um that's a little disappointing to me because that's been the next step for quite a long time, and so I was hoping that there would be a better update by now, like buildings identified, and the the thing that HRAC had to work out um between sort of with the city, I suppose, was that um unexpectedly to HRIC, the city asked for first position in front of the mortgage um in any building purchase that they made, and that caused a building purchase to fall through.

And so without commenting on the validity of that policy from the city side, that's what happened.

Um that was really unfortunate that that the communication even allowed a building purchase to get to that point.

They lost a down payment.

Um, and the hope has been that the city real estate team would work with them to actually identify a building, and so if the update is that they're still working together, then there's no there's no building identified.

There's nothing else you can tell us about that, other than that they're still supposed to be working together.

I'm not aware of a specific building that's been identified.

Okay.

I love for my colleagues to reach out to HRC for updates and keep your eyes on this because they are paying so much more rent um than they used to be because they've had to continue just extending their lease indefinitely in the space that they're in.

Um, and they really just need our support in getting this done.

Thank you, Tim.

Appreciate it.

Thank you, Madam President.

Councilwoman Parody, uh Madam Secretary, please put the next item on our screen.

Council resolution 0644, a resolution authorizing and approving the expenditure and payment from the appropriations account, designated liability claims, the sum of 225,000 dollars and no sense, make payable to Koloshki Law PLL C in full payment and satisfactions of all claims related to the civil action captioned Sydrome ET all versus Malone, which was filed in the district court for the city and county of Denver case 2025 C V030266.

Councilmember Lewis, please go ahead with your comments on council resolution 0644.

Thank you.

So after consistent feedback from my constituents, it is 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 2604 0644 tonight.

The city will approve settlements in the amount of two hundred and twenty-five thousand to settle cases brought against the Denver Police Department.

The approval of these items tonight brings a 2026 total for taxpayer dollars in city settlements to 784,500.

This funding is drawn from a liability claims pool of money that is refilled when necessary from the city's general budget and does not come out of the agents' does not come out of 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 so much.

Thank you.

Councilmember Parity.

Um yes, and I will just add as I also typically do that once this claim is fully resolved, it's no longer active in court and is you know discharged.

Um, and therefore we're no longer a representative party because there's no more action.

I always appreciate hearing from parties of their attorneys um to talk more about uh what we have rise to the claim and um anything else they feel like they need to share with an elected official.

Thanks, Madam President.

Thank you.

Madam Secretary, please put our next item on our screens.

Council Bill 0542, a bill for an ordinance amending section 20 three seventy-six, revision three, article four.

Is that right?

Yeah, Article 4, Chapter 20 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code regarding prevailing wage.

Councilmember Parity, will you please put council bill 0542 on the floor for final passage?

I move that council bill 260542 be placed upon final consideration and do pass.

Has been moved and seconded.

Councilmember Sawyer, your first motion to amend.

I move to amend Council Bill 26-0542 in the following particulars on page one, line 33, insert quote three.

This section shall not apply.

A, where the city transfers dedicated funds to a non-city governmental entity, including without limitation, a metro district, a general improvement district, a business improvement district, or B to development projects related to or funded in according with the authorization provided by a downtown development authority established pursuant to section 31-25-801 CRS at Sequitur.

End quote.

Comments by members of council on amendment one.

Councilmember Sawyer.

Thanks, Madam President.

So the purpose of this amendment is to clarify that certain entities and projects are exempted from the prevailing wage requirements.

The sponsors and I totally disagree with the reading of the city attorney's office that this was ever part of the discussion are on the table.

This is a prevailing wage ordinance that's been in place since 1950, that was most recently updated in 2023 and was also updated in 2016 after a year's worth of stakeholdering and conversation with the auditors' office and community.

So we are happy to make this clarification in this ordinance in order to make sure that everyone is on the same page, even if we don't feel like we have to.

Happy to do it.

Thank you.

Councilmember Parity.

Yeah, just echoing my co-sponsor to say that I don't believe there was ever any question that these entities were excluded by this ordinance.

This is a very old ordinance, and so I don't necessarily agree with the need for the amendment, but here we are.

Thank you all, and thank you for everyone who worked on this for.

So I think that that we do that just so that the public who's watching what this amendment does is if you are a business improvement district, we are a pass-through entity.

You cannot create a business improvement district without a city.

And the city collects it and we pass the money through so that you can do your work.

If it's a bit if it's a general improvement district, we collect it, we pass it through so the general improvement district can do its work.

And for the downtown development authority, we pass it through.

And as somebody who serves on the downtown development authority, I have always said these aren't city projects.

So when I heard the interpretation that it was because money was collected by the city, it became a city project.

I was like, I disagree with that.

Um, so thank you for uh Councilwoman Sawyer and Councilwoman Torres for texting all weekend.

And I'll since last one to say.

I just want to say and thank you for the mothers who worked on Mother's Day on this.

Um I was one of them.

So just want to say thank you for all the moms who had stepped away from celebrations to work on this.

I really, really, really, really, really appreciate you.

Um, Madam Secretary, we'll call on amendment one to Council Bill 0542.

Alvidres.

Aye.

Flynn.

All right.

Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Aye.

Hines?

Aye.

Cashman.

Aye.

Lewis.

Aye.

Parity.

Aye.

Romero Campbell.

Aye.

Sawyer.

Aye.

Torres.

Aye.

Watson.

Aye.

Madam President.

Aye.

Madam Secretary, close the voting, announce the results.

Twelve eyes.

Twelve ayes.

Amendment one to Council Bill 0542 has passed.

Councilmember Sawyer, your second motion to amend.

I move to amend Council Bill 26-0542 in the following particulars.

On page three, line 19, insert quote, Section 2 applicability.

This ordinance shall not apply to any project that has received an award letter from the Department of Housing Stability prior to June 1st, 2026.

End quote.

It has been moved and seconded.

Comments by members of Council on amendment number two.

Councilmember Sawyer.

Thanks, Madam President.

So the purpose of this amendment is to clarify that the ordinance will not apply to the host projects that are currently in queue.

So there are 12 projects that host was able to identify that are currently in like red line drafts or conversations where the capital stack has been put together and the uh and changing this ordinance, even though we're not changing any language of it, would potentially put those projects at risk, particularly for seven of them.

And we don't want that, right?

We we all want, we have what I have described over and over again at this point is competing social determinants of health, wages, and housing.

Um, and we want this to be a yes and not an either or so it is important to us that we make sure that we allow for these projects, these seven projects that are truly at risk of no longer being viable, make sure that they continue to be viable because we are grateful for all of the affordable housing providers and builders that are in our city.

We are grateful to host um for the work that they do.

This is something that we all want to prioritize and feel really strongly about.

Um, but we also want to be very clear that this does not preclude the need for a memorandum of understanding with the auditor's office.

That hosts and the auditor's office have outstanding issues that need to be addressed, and those can only be addressed in an MOU.

It's not something City Council can do.

I think one of the things that has been very frustrating about this week has been the number of people coming to City Council members and saying, you know, fix this, and we can't.

There's just some things that we cannot fix legally speaking, the charter does not give us the authority to do that, and so um we really appreciate all of the outreach that we have received from people.

We have taken your feedback, we hear you.

Um I really want to say thank you to the auditor's office in particular for moving on so many different things so quickly to ensure that this conversation continues, including um committing to rulemaking over the next six weeks to update a number of the different processes, rules, and regs that need to happen with a public process, which is an opportunity for everyone who has reached out to us to have a part in that conversation to really talk through what this looks like, and agreeing to um add the language we just put into the law into their prevailing wage clarification document.

They did that last week.

Um, so I really want to say thank you and acknowledge the auditor's office in um the ways that they have worked to partner with the community with city council, with the administration to to get this done.

Because like I said, we all have the same goals, and those goals are both wages and housing for our community members.

So this is you know, it has turned into, I think, a much more sticky situation than uh we had originally anticipated, and I want to be very clear again.

We disagree with the city attorney's office interpretation of this law, which is why we are taking the city attorney's advice, which was to clarify the law.

What we did not anticipate was that at every turn, city attorney's office would put roadblocks up to stop us from doing this, and that is not acceptable.

That is not partnership, that is not okay, and so I want to say that on the record right now, very clearly.

I want to ask for your support for this amendment and also for the prevailing wage ordinance as a whole, which does not change any language up until these two amendments, but instead simply changes the structure of the ordinance in response to the city attorney's memo saying that it was not clear when it was written in 2016.

City council should not have to be the people in the middle of this conversation.

We do not have the legal authority to fix every single one of these things.

This needs to be a conversation between the auditor's office, the mayor's office, host, the affordable housing community, and anyone else who wants to be a part of it.

And so I urge you all to participate in the upcoming rulemaking process.

Um, I want to say thank you again to all of you for participating up to this point, um, and again, ask for your support tonight, not only for this amendment, but for the full prevailing wage ordinance.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Parity.

Yes, I um have one clarification I want to make with our city attorney, and I think it's Bylan who's here tonight, because the what I'm concerned about is just as Councilmember Sawyer said, to set the table for this ordinance.

Um, it is my understanding that the and my reading that the prevailing wage ordinance by its language always should have been applied to housing projects that were receiving city funding, and I don't agree with the executive interpretations that have sort of avoided that, and then this issue has been happening between the executive branch and the auditor's office, which has enforcement authority here, has been percolating for years, and so it's finally come to this point where we're passing the entire point of this ordinance is to clarify language that we don't believe needs clarifying.

In other words, we're restating it to take away any possible other interpretation, despite the fact that we're on the same page about how it should be interpreted.

So, with respect to this amendment, um my understanding of this amendment is that it will, as a concession to the administration, say that our new ordinance language applies to any host project that gets a letter on or after June 1st.

But I what I want to be really clear about is that the old ordinance language still applies to projects that got a letter before June 1st.

So they're not we're not exempting them because that would not be fair to workers on those projects.

Um we're simply leaving the political dispute or the interpretive dispute that exists such as it exists in the same place for those projects.

Um Bryan, I'm hoping I was drawn that I just spoke to about this, and I know he had to go pick up his kids, so I'm hoping that you are you have had the baton passed to you sufficiently to speak to this.

Yeah, you build the end, and you are correct.

Um this amendment just applies the existing language to everything that the got letter before uh June 1st, and then the new language will apply after June 1st.

So, in my view that's the same.

Um, but you know, we're here amending for clarity.

Um, thank you.

That was all I want to ask.

Thank you, Brian.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Councilmember Cashman.

Um, my question did not answer you, Councilman.

Thank you, Councilwoman Torres.

I'll take myself out.

Councilmember Albidares, thank you.

Um I did have a question, probably for Denver Labor.

Um, my question is, I did get outreached by several city departments today, CASER and Denver Arts and Venues about grants, like small grants that they're giving out.

And I was curious what your thoughts are.

This would affect them in any way.

Not the amendment in particular, but the whole ordinance.

Thank you for the question, Matthew Fritzmauer, executive director of Denver Labor.

Um, I would love to talk to those agencies to make sure that our system can be flexible and can evolve.

Um, it seems to me that if there's a grant by the city like to a private homeowner, that that deserves a different kind of look than a multi-million dollar award to uh a developer for any reason.

Um, that those are really the projects that that the prevailing wage ordinance was intended to apply to was the big ones where a lot of money is being spent, a lot of work is being done.

And so I I think we can huddle and get together on that and not um, you know, make sure that we aren't jamming up any good programs that are already in place, but making sure that we can fit within everything that's happening.

So basically, this doesn't set anything in stone about those projects, those are things that conversations that can continue to have.

Absolutely.

Wonderful.

Well, I appreciate that, and I'll just point them to speak to you about those issues.

You have my cell phone number.

I appreciate it.

Thank you, Council President, and thank you to the um sponsors of the ordinance for their work on this.

Again, just want to say thank you to the sponsors and shout out to Councilwoman Sawyer and Councilman Torres for working through this and listening to all of our partners.

I want to give a shout out to our affordable housing developers.

Um, you all know that you speak my love language, you're building affordable housing in Denver where it's so needed.

And at the same time, when I've talked to each one of you, I think I've said that you're building the probably affordable housing for the people who are actually building the affordable housing.

They're not making a lot of money.

You're also building affordable housing for a lot of our council aides, a lot of the city workers in member who can't afford to live in Denver.

Um, your teachers, entry level, police officers, entry level, firefighters, a lot of them can qualify for a lot of your projects.

Um, and thank you to Denver Labor for Matt.

You have answered something to me, like I asked you a question, you sent me the document, I asked you another question, sent me a document, I asked you another question, you sent me an idea, that I sent you another question, you showed up at a meeting, I sent you another question, and you showed up at a meeting.

And so all of this is a lot of how the sausage gets made and the how it's um gets done before all of you.

And I would just ask everybody who reached out to your us, city council.

Please reach out to Matt.

Because all I'm gonna do is forward you to Matt.

I really am, and you I Matt's a lovely man, he's so responsive.

I know he was working all weekend at the Capitol.

Thank you for working at the Capitol this weekend, and I'm sure you didn't have much of a weekend either.

Um, and so we're all just doing something that we all love is representing Denver in our own very unique way.

So I really just appreciate the sponsors, and I also will 100% be supporting this amendment and just really appreciate the work on behalf of all of us to get here.

And I'm gonna do one last shout out.

We need an MOU.

We have to have one.

We cannot have an MOU.

So if there's not an MOU, you're gonna hear from me, and I'm gonna ask all my colleagues that you hear from them as well.

I will not give up on this until that MOU is signed and in our inbox, and we can clearly understand that.

Because as Councilman Sawyer said, that is something we cannot control on the legislative side.

Thank you all.

Madam Secretary, we'll call on amendment two to council bill 0542.

Alvidres, aye, Flynn.

All right, Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Aye.

Heinz.

Aye.

Cashman.

Aye.

Lewis.

Perity.

Aye.

Romero Campbell.

Aye.

Sawyer.

Aye.

Torres.

Aye.

Watson.

Aye.

Madam President.

Aye.

Madam Secretary, closed voting, and that's the results.

12 ayes.

12 ayes, amendment 2 to Council Bill 0542 has passed.

Councilmember Parity, will you please put Council Bill 0542 on the floor for final passage as amended?

And that the Council Bill 260542 be placed upon final consideration and do pass as amended.

It has been moved and seconded.

Comments by members of council as amended.

Is everyone good?

Councilmember Parity.

Yeah, I just wanted to respond because I have heard affordable housing partners expressing concern about this.

And again, first of all, although it has gone under enforced, I do believe this has been the law of the city and should be the law of the city.

These kind of laws are common at all levels of government because we try to make sure that we're paying um prevailing wages when we're putting public money into things.

That's the basic principle.

I know everyone knows that.

But I have heard a lot of concern about the perception that this will be a huge administrative burden, and I just want folks to know that I um spoke to the auditor's office to understand more about how this works.

Um and one thing I know about the auditor's office is that they are exemplary at um they really lean into all of their um their oversight roles and their educational roles.

Um, and so on these kind of projects, they will work directly with subcontractors who aren't familiar with having to submit their payroll for prevailing wage.

Um they do that all the time with subcontractors who haven't done it before and bring them you know into that ecosystem.

They their approach is educational, not punitive, um, and it is not the general contractor's role to be the one that has to check all of that payroll that happens through the portal that the prevailing wage administrator has set up.

Um, and so I just I'm hoping that um some of those concerns I understand why, especially for smaller organizations.

Um it feels concerning to see any kind of new requirement.

Um, but I'm hoping folks will be very pleasantly surprised that this um does not in fact rock the vote in the way that people have expressed it that they were afraid that it would.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Councilmember Heinz.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh Council Member Sawyer talking about uh talked about computing social determinants of health, and I I see that.

I see that uh making giving someone a living wage is a determinant of health.

Also, housing is a determinant of health.

Um, I see one other dimension, if I if I may, and that is we want to make sure that that affordable housing is quality and it's built right the first time.

It doesn't have change orders, and um and one way we can do that is making sure that the people who build this housing are getting paid an appropriate wage so that they can focus on doing things right the first time, as opposed to having to uh to correct things on the back end, or uh just um saying accepting a lower quality of uh of work.

So uh so I agree that we we want to make sure that people are paid a living wage.

We also want to make sure that people have appropriate housing.

One of the things I would say is a slightly different dimension.

We just want to make sure that that housing is built right the first time uh with people who um uh are trained and understand how to build housing as opposed to the lowest common denominator of uh a salary for a worker.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

See no other colleagues in the queue.

Madam Secretary will call on Council Bill 0542 as amended.

Alvidres, aye, Flynn, all right, Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Aye, Heinz?

Hashman, Lewis, Parity, aye, Romero Campbell, Sawyer, aye.

Torres, aye.

Watson, aye.

Madam President, aye.

Madam Secretary, close the voting and announce the results.

12 ayes.

12 ayes, council bill 0542 as amended has passed.

This concludes the items to be called out.

All bills for introduction are ordered published.

Council members remember that this is a consent or block vote, and you will need to vote aye.

Otherwise, this is your last chance to call out an item for a separate vote.

Councilmember Parity, will you please put the proclamations and resolutions for adoption and the bills and final consideration for final passage on the floor?

I move that the proclamations and resolutions be adopted and bills on final consideration.

Be placed on final consideration and do pass in a block for the following items.

26 0, all series 26.

0552, 0644, 0567, 0601, 0563, 0564.

So, and the proclamation 0643.

0643.

Thank you.

It has been moved and seconded.

Madam Secretary, roll call.

Aye.

Flynn.

Gonzales Cuciades.

Aye.

Hines?

Aye.

Cashman.

Aye.

Lewis.

Aye.

Perity.

Aye.

Romero Campbell.

Aye.

Sawyer.

Aye.

Torres.

Aye.

Watson.

Aye.

Madam President.

Aye.

Madam Secretary, close the voting, announce the results.

12 ayes.

12 ayes.

The proclamations and resolutions have been adopted and the bills have been placed upon final consideration and due pass.

Tonight there will be a required public hearing on Council Bill 0389, changing the zoning classification for 1057 South Gaylord Street in Washington Park with a reasonable condition, a required public hearing on Council Bill 0392, changing the zoning classification for 5101 through 5115 North Milwaukee Street in Illyria Swancia.

And a required public hearing on Council Bill 0486, approving a resolution requesting the renewal and continuation of the five points business improvement district for an additional 10 years.

Hey Denver, here's what's happening around the mile high this week.

Denver Parks and Rec is excited to introduce Adventure Hub, offering a variety of equipment rentals from kayaks, stand-up paddle boards to beach cruiser bikes and surries that can seat from two to six people.

No reservations are required.

This year marks CEC's 50th year.

This film festival celebrates the creativity and legacy of the film CTE program.

Come support student storytellers as they showcase their work and sharpen their craft.

CEC Early College is a high school where students can get a head start on college and career at the same time.

Singing bowls bring harmony and balance to life and make meditation easy, fast and fun.

Sound Energy practitioner Ann Martin teaches modern ways to clear the mind and relax the body using singing bowls in these hands-on classes.

Experiment with many types of bowls and experience ways to use them for self-care and helping others.

Grab your glass for a one-of-a-kind sip and stroll in the aquarium and enjoy wines from Washington State.

You'll get to enjoy underwater exhibits with live entertainment or d'oeuvres and visits from ambassador animals.

This 21 plus event is perfect for a date night, ladies' night out, or a post-dinner gathering.

Welcome to Emo Night Brooklyn, a late-night DJ-driven dance party, blasting the best emo and pop punk jams that raised us, ruined us, and somehow still define us.

Take over the Federal Theater for a night of screaming every word, washing with strangers and feeling absolutely everything.

One hundred and thirty-five years after it was first performed on the historic theater stage, the Pirates of Penzance returns this May.

The performance is part of the theater's Elych Encore series, bringing live theater back to Denver's oldest stage.

Mark your calendar.

Make sure you don't miss the Denver Master Gardener plant sale at Harvard Gulch Park.

You'll find Tomato and New Mexico chili plants, as well as native annual and perennial plants.

And there will be Master Gardener volunteers on hand to answer all your questions.

Stay up to date with what's happening in Denver by following our socials.

And you can always ask our chatbot Sunny online or by text.

Still in denial, those of us around would saying sort of like, what a shame, you know, that's too bad.

Some of these final goodbyes and being able to say all the words that we hope we could get to say.

My first experience at a death cafe was actually the one at Park Hill Library.

I felt nervous to try to go attend something new.

Also given the topic of death and loss and grief is like not a small thing to try to welcome in, but you could tell that everyone had a really open energy and like open heart.

The whole environment felt really supportive.

I just think that I keep coming back because of the community and sometimes you see familiar faces and just the opportunity to share your own heart to also um see other people.

I think something that I've gotten out of coming to the death cafes is really being able to form my own community around people that are open and interested around the topics of death and grief and loss.

Some of the most heartwarming conversations that we've had have been around early losses that people have had in their life.

What did that teach you about death?

How did that inform how you saw things for the rest of your life?

Some people are still dealing with loss.

Maybe it was a loss of a spouse, a sibling, a friend.

So how as you grow, does your relationship change to death?

And then your own death.

People have come because they've been really afraid of death.

Other people have come because they want to talk about it and they don't know anyone else to talk to.

It is a really unifying topic.

Nobody gets out of here alive.

And that one of the things that happens in this process is is that we have two common experiences.

We have our birth and then we have our death.

To come in, we had to be born to go out.

We have to die.

And in between is the experience of our life.

And that's what we're sharing, and that's what we want to have people come to that place.

Prepare for the for the going out, and then live your life.

Every time it's different people coming from different places in their life with different topics, a different group of people, different things that are in the news.

What's going on in the outside world definitely comes into the smaller circle.

Hopefully, you're leaving with a lighter heart and feeling less alone in the world and maybe with more questions than you came in for.

If you want to be more active in Deaf Cafe, definitely go to the Deafcafe.com website.

You'll be able to search internationally all of the different Deaf Cafes that are happening.

Maybe getting out of the house is a little bit tricky.

So try a virtual cafe as well.

You could be shy, you don't have to turn your camera on.

Also, please come to the library if there isn't one happening near you.

Talk to your local librarians, see if that might be something that they're able to offer in your area.

Thank you.

And to this day, I can do anything.

And been living here since I was 10 years old.

And formerly taught at Emily Griffith Opportunity School for some years.

What inspires me is just what you can.

You see, a lot of these things are made out of scrap material.

Stuff that's actually been found in the alleys, gone to scrap yards, and sometimes people have left at this front door because they know what we do.

It doesn't take that much to be a kind person.

And I think that most of the work that we do here is emulating that simplicity.

The art is where we're standing.

We cannot fix the world entirely, but we can bring that inspiration, we can bring out that magic that is art to others.

I think when you see the work that is done here, you can see that resilience, you can see that softness, you can see that like almost comedy come through, and that's what attracts me.

The characters actually come alive.

We have a lot of black history here, a lot, and a lot of people don't realize that.

They've taken part of the history away from here.

So the things that we design kind of speaks on that.

Even like with this bench here.

With the Rossonian hotel that's built into it, and even doing this piece of Charles Borrell, who just recently died here a few months ago, and knowing you know, realizing that he was a big part of this neighborhood.

Obviously, representing what our mission in this shop is.

Um history of five points, it's quite important for us, for the community, for our new generations.

It's a full circle on team work.

What's really cool about Sam is that he has a nose for images and icons that immediately get your attention.

And he's been talking about this clock for a while, and I think the Rasonian just made sense as an icon of the neighborhood and what this neighborhood really means and its history and its special history, and because it symbolizes something that's really cool for the neighborhood, which is Afrofuturism and that idea of timekeeping.

How people's experiences within the times that they live in, you know, can change and evolve and develop and regress.

It's like the piece out back with the Frederick Douglass.

I wanted to put something there that would be in your face.

And it draws attention, and we designed it in mind of the kids because you see the little swing that he holds in his hands.

I had a lot of fun with it.

I'm afraid of hide.

I did not did the hide part, but yeah, representing the artistic part of it was a joyful thing.

When we make it, it'll be our piece and it'll be a functioning art piece.

But it'll have a story behind it.

And that's that's that's real important to us down here.

People talk.

And people realized it.

Here's somebody that stood for the session.

If we did not get to you today, please join us at our next session or submit your comments in writing.

The next session will be held on Monday, May 18th.

Sign up begins at 5 p.m.

on Thursday, May 15th.

We look forward to hearing from you again.

Council will now reconvene from our earlier session.

There are there is no unfinished business from the earlier session.

There are two proclamations being read this afternoon.

I will now read proclamation 0647.

Proclamation 0647 honoring police detective Cody Davidson.

Whereas in 1962, President John F.

Kennedy proclaimed the week of May 15th as National Peace Officers Week in the United States.

And whereas the Denver Police Department was officially organized on December 9, 1859, and since that time, nearly 8,000 men and women have taken an oath to serve the citizens of the city and county of Denver.

And whereas these officers have served our community with a deep commitment to helping others, protecting the public and pursuing justice, and whereas Cody Davidson was born on March 31st, 1973 to Michael and Susie Davidson, grew up in Denver and attended East High School.

And whereas after graduating from high school, Cody attended Stefan F.

Austin University in Christ.

Stay it again.

Negative just negadoshis.

What council member Hines said, because he's from Texas.

Texas.

Oh, okay.

So he he went to college there.

How do you say one more time?

High school.

Uh negatives.

He went to college, says University of National Doses.

Is that right?

Did I say right?

Texas, where he majored in criminal science, justice.

And whereas Cody later returned to Colorado to complete his education at the community college of Aurora and begin his law enforcement career.

First serving as a police officer in the town of Beaumar, and later the Parker Police Department, the Douglas County SWAT team, and the Douglas County Drug Task Force.

And whereas in January 2004, Cody joined the Denver Police Department serving district one as a police district one, as a patrol officer and later serving for 17 years as an undercover detective in the narcotics bureau, where he was remembered by fellow officers as a respected teammate, a beloved family member, and a cherished friend.

And whereas on August 28th, 1999, Cody married Meline Lima, and together they raised two sons, Traeger and Brody, who now serve the citizens of Parker as police officers.

And whereas Cody deeply loved his family and treasured the time he spent with them.

And whereas Cody retired from the Denver Police Department on September 20th, 2024 due to an illness, and tragically passed away on September 14th, 2025.

Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the Denver City Council that the Denver City Council honors Detective Davidson for his many years of service and recognizes his legacy of honor, dedication, integrity, and commitment to justice for victims of crime, that the clerk and recorder of the city and county of Denver shall affix the seal and of the city and county of Denver to this proclamation and that copies be transmitted to the Davidson family, the Denver Police Department, and the Denver Police Museum.

I move that proclamation 0647 be adopted.

It has been moved and seconded.

People had really great stories to talk about him.

And then I did a little bit more research, and I found that he had passed away in September of 2025.

So it hasn't even been a year since he has tragically passed.

And as somebody who has had lots of friends and my father and lots of people who've died of illness, it's just just such tragedy when you pass so young and you leave a legacy of love.

So to his family and to all of the members who are here to represent um to honor Cody, just know that he will he's deeply missed, and I'm sure this proclamation doesn't even do justice to all of the things that you feel about Cody and all his service to Denver.

And I just want to say thank you for sharing him with the residents of Denver and thank you for his service to Denver.

Um I've been it's an honor for me to uh to put forward this proclamation.

Councilmember Hines.

Thank you, Madam President.

This it just underscores the the reason why we issue proclamations like this.

Um I grew up outside a very small town in East Texas that is um uh named after a Caddo and Chief, Maggie Oches, um, and uh I never get to see the name of the town, you know, the the big city, it's 30,000 people, uh, the big city uh where uh you know outside of where I grew up.

Um I actually grew up in unincorporated or unincorporated land in the middle of nowhere.

Um so I apologize.

I should have said it slower.

I was just connecting.

I was like, wait, that I clearly some confusion because I know that's where I grew up.

I didn't go to college there, I went to high school there, but you were talking about Cody.

And um it's uh I mean this is this is the reason why we have the proclamations while we read the proclamations.

This is that we learn so much about Denver.

We learn so much about Denver's history, we learn how how connected Denver is to the world, and um, and we learn a bit about ourselves too.

Uh I would never have thought that someone else would have gone to Stephen of Austin State University, uh SFA.

Um, one of his nicknames was Sun, Fun and Alcohol.

So I hope we had a lot of fun.

Yeah, it would just um there were uh it was a it was a great school for criminal justice, it was a great school for nursing, uh, great school for forestry, the four national forests there, and uh it's a great school for partying.

Um, so if you're not a criminal justice nursing forestry, uh you're there to party.

So um, but but there's uh there's definitely a lot of connection there to uh to making sure that people have um access to education and um so anyway, this clearly I started paying more attention and um and that's uh that's part of the reason why we do this out loud is it's on camera, so it's preserved for the record and a posterity, uh, but it's also helping us see the world around us and how really it's really not that big.

So uh thank you for uh thank you, Council President, for uh for reading the proclamation.

Um thank you to the family and friends who are here, uh, that give us a little time to to share in uh the commemoration.

So thank you.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Um Madam Secretary, we'll call on proclamation 0647, Councilmember Sawyer.

Alvidras, aye, Flynn, aye, Gonzalez Gutierrez, aye.

Heinz, Cashman, Lewis, Parity, aye.

Romero Campbell, aye.

Torres, Watson, aye.

Madam President.

I'm secretary, close the voting and announce the results.

11 ayes, 11 ayes, proclamation 0647 has been adopted.

I'd now like to um call up to accept the proclamation, Chief Thomas and Meline Davidson.

Well, thank you, Council President again.

Uh Ron Thomas, police chief.

Um, and I'll be brief before I turn it over to Cody's family.

Uh, but you know, every proclamation that you present to the Denver Police Department celebrating uh the Denver Police Department is meaningful, but this is particularly meaningful.

Um, understanding that you know his career was short, relatively speaking, and it's just been a very short time since he uh passed and left us all.

But I think it's just speaks to how meaningful he was to those that uh that he left behind.

I mean, he was a special individual.

I worked with him uh for a number of years when he first began his career in District One.

So I'm very familiar with the uh the service and just the impact that he had on the Southwest Denver community uh and the Denver Police Department.

So thank you.

Okay, today I would like to sincerely thank the city of Denver for sponsoring this proclamation in honor of my husband Cody and his 20 years of dedicated service.

It means so much to our family to see that his commitment, sacrifice, and unwavering dedication recognized in this way.

For two decades, Cody served and protected the citizens of Denver with pride, courage, and integrity.

He gave so much of himself to this city and to the people who call it home.

This proclamation is a reminder that his service mattered, his work made a difference, and his legacy will continue to live on.

On behalf of our family, thank you for honoring Cody and for remembering the impact he had on this community.

We are truly grateful.

Um, Councilmember Alvidres.

Uh sorry, Council Member Abdida, would you please read proclamation 0648?

Yes, proclamation 26-0648, recognizing May 13th as World Facilities Management Day, whereas facilities management is a vital profession that ensures the safety, functionality, sustainability, and resiliency of the built environment, including offices, schools, hospitals, public buildings, transportation facilities, and critical infrastructure across the city and county of Denver, whereas the built world depends on facilities managers to plan, operate, maintain, and continuously improve the spaces in which people live, work, learn, and gather, supporting the health, productivity, and well-being of Denver residents and the workforce.

And whereas facility managers play a crucial role in emergency preparedness and response, energy efficiency and sustainability, regulatory compliance, workplace safety, and stewardship of public and private assets.

And whereas the International Facilities Management Association is the world's largest and most widely recognized professional association for facilities management, advancing the profession through leadership, education, and innovation and advocacy, and whereas the Denver chapter of the International Facility Management Association is a recognized leader in furthering the facilities management profession through its dedication, providing continuing education to its members, enabling professionals attain industry recognized credentials, including facilities management professionals, sustainable facilities professionals, and certified facilities managers.

And whereas the Denver chapter of the IFMA provides local leadership, professional development, mentorship, and community engagement for facilities management professionals who support organizations and institutions throughout Denver Metro region, and whereas the city and county of Denver's facility management professionals and public workers play an essential role in maintaining and operating municipal buildings, rec centers, libraries, public safety facilities, cultural institutions and other public safety, other public spaces that residents rely on every day, often working behind the scenes to enable these spaces remain safe, clean, functional, accessible, and welcoming to the community.

And whereas World Facilities Management Day recognized globally each year, celebrates the contribution of facilities management professionals, and raises awareness of the essential role they play in sustaining the built environment and strengthening communities.

Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the Denver City Council's section one that the Denver City Council hereby proclaims May 13th, 2026 as World Facilities Management Day in the City and County of Denver, and recognizes and commends the members of the Denver chapter of the IFMA and the City and County of Denver's facility management team and all facility management professionals for their dedication, leadership, and service in ensuring that the built world upon which our city depends remains safe, functionable, and sustainable, and prepare for the future.

Section two that the clerk and recorder of the city and county of Denver shall affix the seal of the city and county of Denver to this proclamation and that a copy be transmitted to the Denver chapter of the International Facility Management Association.

Thank you.

Councilmember Albidaris, your motion to adopt.

I move that proclamation 26.0648 be adopted.

Has been moved in.

Any comments by members of the council.

Councilmember Alviders.

Thank you, Council President.

I want to thank Dennis Supple for bringing this every year to recognize facility managers.

And I would be remiss if I didn't also the past years I haven't acknowledged the facilities managers we have here in the building.

So I'm really grateful that facilities managers here in Denver will also be here to accept it alongside the IFMA today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um see no other comments.

Madam Secretary, we'll Councilmember Sawyer.

Aye.

I'll be addressed.

Aye.

Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Aye.

Heinz.

Aye.

Harity.

Aye.

Romero Campbell.

Aye.

Torres.

Aye.

Watson.

Madam President.

Aye.

I'm secretary.

Close the voting and announce the results.

11 ayes, proclamation 0648 has been adopted.

We now have time for the proclamation acceptance.

Councilmember Alvidres, who will be inviting up to accept the proclamation.

You all start with Dennis Supple from the AFMA, and then I will go to the C staff that's here.

Good afternoon.

My name is Dennis Suble.

I am the past president of the Denver Chapter.

I want to thank Council Personal Vadres and all the council members for this proclamation.

Um FM is a profession that is not in the eye of the public all the time, but we're the ones who make your buildings run.

We're the ones who make it warm, we're the ones who make it cold.

And we're the ones just like the lunch lady that you gotta keep happy.

So thank you to council for uh the recognition of World FM Day.

Um your support is very much appreciated by us, and I believe Denver is going to be, we're going to be holding our national convention here again in about five years.

And that'll bring 4,000 FMs into town and all our money.

So thank you.

And now I'd like to invite Mack Broughton and Tom Fenstermuck.

Thank you, Council, for uh passing this proclamation.

Uh it's great to see I've been with the city for 18 years with FM, and I take great pride with the buildings that I run because the vast majority of the buildings that I do run and my team runs is critical and essential operations of the city.

So they cannot go down.

My team works very hard.

I will pass this proclamation on to let them know that they're being recognized for all the hard work that they do in all the buildings that they keep running so the city can keep running.

Thank you.

And thank you, Mike Broughton with uh general services.

Uh just uh a note of thanks again.

Uh, we'll be sure to pass this along to both our uh RFM teams as well as other teams within the the city and county.

Uh it means a lot to to our folks, the trades folks that are that are working in these buildings every day, and it and it means a lot to uh to us at budget time when you think about us and in maintaining some of these facilities.

So thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We have three required public hearings tonight.

As a reminder, council members need to turn their video on 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.

We are promoted.

Please accept the promotion, turn your camera on if you have one and your microphone.

All speakers should begin their remarks by telling the council their names and cities of residence, and if they feel comfortable doing so, their home addresses.

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 council as a whole.

Please refrain from a profane or obscene speech and refrain from individual or personal attacks.

Councilmember Parity, will you please put council bill 0389 changing the zoning classification for 1057 South Gaylord Street in Washington Park with a reasonable condition on the floor for final passage?

Move the council bill 260389, be placed upon final consideration and new pass.

It has been moved.

And seconded, the required public hearing for Council Bill 0389 is open.

May we please have the staff report.

The rezoning at 1057 South Gail Street.

Really quickly, this is the agenda for the presentation.

We'll start with the request, move on to location and context, which is just the existing conditions.

Then we'll talk about the process to date.

Then uh lastly, we'll go over the review criteria.

Starting with an aerial image of the property, it is located uh on South Gail Street.

It is 5,555 square feet, and currently it is a two-story mixed-use building.

Location and context, it is located in council district six, which is represented by council member Cashman.

It is in the Washington Park neighborhood.

And the waiver that uh would be included as part of this rezoning is to waive the not permitted use for lodging accommodation, all other specific use type.

Uh, and instead shall be permitted with uh a zoning permit.

So it'll go from NP to PZP.

On the site, the current zoning is UMS2, and so is the the surrounding area.

The general purpose of the main street zone district is to promote safe, active, and pedestrian-scaled uh public streets, uh frontages.

So it is meant to uh serve primarily within residential areas.

This is a capture of the Denver zoning code with a graphic showing which building forms are allowed.

So that would be uh the shop from building form and the townhouse.

Uh the waiver, this is just showing the change that would happen uh that would go from not permitted to permitted with a zoning permit.

Currently, the only lodging accommodation use that is permitted is a bed and breakfast lodging use.

Uh whereas with the waiver, the uh lodging accommodation, all other use would be permitted.

So this is just saying that uh hotels would be allowed in addition to bed and breakfast.

So here's a definition of a bed and breakfast.

It is a manager occupied residential structure, whereas a hotel or just any lodging accommodation, all other use uh does not have the requirement for a manager to live on site.

The land use on the site is mixed use, and then the surrounding properties are commercial retail or office, and then outside of the Gaylord uh block, it is primarily residential, being single or multi-unit.

Here, oh, there we go.

Uh so on the top, we have the property itself that is a two-story building, and then the surrounding properties are all primarily single uh single story.

The process to date.

This property was noticed back in December of last year.

It had its planning board hearing on March 18th, and then it went to committee uh late last late March, so March 31st, and then we are here today for the city council public hearing.

Uh the the board voted 80 unanimously to support this rezoning to move forward uh for consideration by the full city council.

To date, we have not received any public comments outside of what was collected during the engagement process from the ROs.

So that would be Washington Park East Neighbor Association and the South South Gaylord Street Business Improvement District, which both provided letters of support.

Now getting into the review criteria, starting with the consistency with adopted plans looking at comprehensive plan 2040.

Uh it is consistent with the vision statements uh that are outlined here, but also uh in more detail in the staff report.

It is consistent with Blueprint Denver uh guidance.

So starting with the future neighborhood context, this is a mixed-use building that would be situated in a pedestrian-friendly manner.

Uh, which that is what this rezoning would accomplish.

Similarly, the definition of the local court or future place uh provides that heights are generally up to three stories.

This request is to stay at two stories and a scale that is intimate and with a focus on the pedestrians.

Lastly, the growth area strategy from Blueprint Denver has this area mapped as all other areas of the cities, which is meant to accommodate 20% of housing and 10% of employment growth.

Additional strategies that are outlined uh are those that focus on the uses that would be provided by this rezoning, which would allow for hospitality that would meet the needs of this uh his commercial node.

Lastly, there is language in Blueprint Denver that is consistent with the request for this waiver and this uh custom zoning.

This proper this rezoning is consistent and meets the public interest review criteria given the extensive outreach that it is done to uh meet the needs and requests of the registered neighborhood organizations as well as the council offices, and then lastly, consistency with neighborhood context purpose and intent statements.

This property does meet all three of those statements, and given that, based on the criteria for review in the Denver zoning code, staff recommends approval of the application 2025 rezone 0000 27 by the full city council.

We have one individual signed up to speak.

First up, we have Jesse Paris.

Yes, I have the wife for you from all me and the panelists as usual.

Yes, my name is Jessica Shawn Parrison.

I'm representing for Black Star Action Movement for self-Defense.

Positive Assembly for the Change.

As well as the unity Party of Colorado, the Northeast Denver Residence Council Frontline Black News.

Well, I'm not showing up.

Um see myself on the video, but I'm gonna continue.

Just so you know, okay.

I can't see it on my end, but okay.

Um I represent for line black news, the revolutionary agenda, subacts by dismiss enhanced the unity party of Colorado.

I am also a candidate on the ballot for House District 8, as you can tell from the background, and I reside at the Roach and Bear Bug infested legacy laws in Darrell Watson's district of district.

Y'all should be ascending yourself giving all these proclamations to the right soldiers, especially after all the money that you've had to pay out.

But getting back to this rezoning, I'm in favor of it.

A bed and breakfast.

That's uh that sounds really nice.

Um I thought it was gonna be more gentrification as usual, but a bed and breakfast.

That sounds good, especially for uh Washington Park.

So I'm in full support of it.

I want to get to the the proclamation um after this, so I I'm gonna end my statements there.

It it meets all the criteria, so I don't see no reason why this one will pass.

See you on the next one or the next two.

That includes our speakers.

Do we have questions from members of council on council bill zero three eight nine?

See none.

The public hearing is closed.

We have comments by members of council on council bill zero three eight nine.

Councilmember Flynn.

Thank you, Madam President.

I actually hit that accidentally.

Since you called.

I'm gonna go to the council person, but you're in the queue.

Thank you.

I uh I always find it odd when the waiver being requested is to waive something that you're prohibited from doing to allow you to do it.

So I know I've seen several of these, but looking at the context in the neighborhood and at the at the report, uh I just wish there were an easier way to do this, right?

Usually when someone waves something, they're waving something they're allowed to do.

Uh I wish I could could have done that through much of my life.

Well, I'd like to waive the uh prohibition on me doing that.

So it's kind of an unusual position.

I appreciate your presentation and and I'll support it.

Thank you, Councilmember Catherine.

Do you have anything else to add?

Well, as Chief Thomas said earlier, saved the best for last.

There you go.

No, I'm I'm a uh full supporter of this.

Um, it is uh a little bit unusual, but there was uh a lengthy negotiation process between the large parking uh neighborhood association and the property owner.

Um, to limit other possible actions that uh might have been asked for in favor of this, which the neighbors find it reasonable property.

So for support of my colleagues will do this.

Awesome, thank you.

Madam Secretary, we'll call on Council Bill 0389.

Councilmember Lewis, Sawyer, aye, Alvidres.

Aye, Flynn, aye.

Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Aye, Hines.

Aye.

Cashman, aye.

Perity?

Aye.

Romero Campbell, aye.

Torres, aye.

Watson.

Aye.

Madam President, aye.

Madam Secretary, close the voting and announce the results.

Twelve ayes.

392 ayes, council bill zero three eight nine has passed.

Council member parity, will you please put council bill zero three nine two changing the zoning classification for 5101 through 5115.

North Milwaukee Street in Illyria Swancia on the floor for final passage?

I move Council Bill 260392 to be placed upon final consideration and new pass.

It has been moved and seconded.

Okay.

Are we really postponing this?

Okay.

Council member parody, your motion to postpone.

And the council bill twenty six or three nine two be postponed to a date certain of June 22, 2026.

It has been moved and seconded.

Comments by members of council.

Councilmember Parity.

So community planning and development, or sorry, community planning development, that's the committee.

Uh sorry, it's also agency.

CPD has requested that this item be postponed because there was a noticing error, and so they have to postpone it in order to get the notice legally correct.

Madam Secretary, roll call on the postponement of council bill zero three nine two.

Councilmember Lewis.

Aye.

Soyer.

Aye.

Almidrez.

Aye.

Flynn.

All right.

Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Aye.

Heinz.

Aye.

Cashman.

Aye.

Parody?

Aye.

Romero Campbell.

Aye.

Torres.

Aye.

Watson.

Aye.

Madam President.

Aye.

I'm secretary.

Closed voting announced the results.

Twelve ayes.

Twelve eyes.

Council Bill Zero Three Nine Two has been postponed to June 22nd.

Sorry, 2023.

That sentence copy tongue tight.

Sorry.

Councilmember Parity.

Please put Council Bill 0486 approving a resolution requesting the renewal and continuation of the five points business improvement district for an additional 10-year period on the floor for final passage.

I move that council bill 26 or 0486 be placed.

Upon final consideration to do pass.

It has been moved and seconded.

May we please have the staff report.

Good evening, members of council.

I apologize.

I was over at the web getting some work done, and those went so quick I had to run over.

So I'm not nervous, I'm just a little out of breath.

Uh yeah.

Anyway, good evening.

Uh my name is Dennis Mujenick.

I'm an analyst on the capital management and financing team in the Department of Finance.

I'm here today to give a brief staff report on Council Bill 26-0486.

A bill for an ordinance approving a resolution requesting the renewal and continuance of the Rhino Business.

Sorry, the Five Points Business Improvement District.

For support, we have representatives from the City Attorney's Office remotely attending on Zoom in five points and representatives of the five points BID here in person.

Um the five points business improvement district was created and established pursuant to ordinance number 0341 of series 2016, which became effective on June 2nd, 2016.

The district encompasses roughly 42 acres in Denver's historic five points neighborhood.

The district's boundaries and service area are generally described as all parcels along Welton Corridor or Waltham Street, sorry, beginning at the north side of 20th Street, going northeast along Walton, terminating at Downing Street and 30th Avenue.

It also includes additional parcels at the corner of Washington Street and 26th Avenue and along California Street between 26th and 27th streets.

The district was created to support enhanced marketing and events, physical improvements, safety and advocacy, and safety and advocacy on behalf of property owners to promote the district and its businesses.

The district's creation ordinance establishes that the district will have an initial 10-year term.

The board of directors of the district will provide notice and conduct a public hearing during the ninth year of the district's existence to obtain property owners' comments on the district's effectiveness and success.

If the district is deemed to be successful, then the board will request that the city council renew the district by providing public notice, holding a hearing and adopting an ordinance prior to the end of the initial term.

If the district is not considered to be successful, then it will sunset at the end of the initial term and terminate after it has wound up its after it has wound up its affairs.

So specifically on February 18th, 2026, the board of directors of the district held a public hearing to obtain public comments on the district's effectiveness and success.

Uh after this hearing, the board determined that the district was a success and adopted a resolution seeking a 10-year renewal of the BID.

The board of directors for the district submitted that resolution to the city seeking a 10-year renewal and extension.

And this resolution was filed with the city clerk on March 3rd, 2026, under city clerk filing number, number 2026-0035.

Um the renewal resolution as filed with the city clerk satisfies the threshold established by the district's creation ordinance and demonstrates support for the renewal and extension of the district in accordance with the creation ordinance.

Thank you.

Right on time.

So let me go back to my script because I think I have a we have a lot of public speakers.

Yeah, on the way?

Great.

Would it be easier for me to read all five?

I or I think we have room in here now.

So the first five we have.

Thanks so much for taking my comments.

Hey, Keith, hold on one second.

Let me read all five so we can get more people in here who are in the overflow room, and then I'll uh um I'm sorry, one more time.

Will you hold on one second so I can just make an announcement?

Sure.

Okay, awesome.

Thank you.

So, first five are Keith Pryor, Nina Roop, Renee Cousins King, James Coleman, and John Hayden.

Okay, go ahead, Keith.

Great.

Thank you so much for taking my public comment on this.

Um, this bid is critical uh to and having it renewed to the five points community and its surrounding neighborhoods.

Um it has been very vital and it has done a great job in executing its mission uh to date.

And so it would be critical given the ground groundwork that has been laid by the current bid um and the big board to continue its momentum and really fully envision what the five points bid can be and has done the work to get us to this point.

So I uh really encourage City Council to understand and know that the bid has been diligently doing its work, very hard outreach with the business owners along the corridor to fulfill its mission, and I think that it succeeded in that.

Um, but to take this corridor and this community to the next level, it would need a renewal at this time, and so I am very much in support.

I live in five points.

I also have a business adjoining that five points bid on Downing Street at 33rd, and everything that the bid has done has furthered developed the area and supports adjoining business corridors to succeed.

Um, and so as a small business owner and a resident in this neighborhood, I do ask that you do support this resolution and do renew the bid for the next 10 years.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Next up, we have Nina Roop.

Good evening, Councilmember.

I'm Anina Robb, a woman minority-owned Denver Legacy Business and a property owners at 2025 and 2032, Walton Street in Denver for over 25 years.

I'm president of a Colorado Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Vice President of Arvada Cislacita International.

I traveled with the Colorado and Denver government officials to prison, Colorado business, and attracted international business investment.

Here I am.

I'm five points, my five points of business improvement district assessment tax from 2024 to 2025.

Was totaled 19,289.

This amount is in addition to my Denver property tax.

I have paid FBI the assessment fee for the last 10 years with no benefit.

This additional FBI the assessment of tax is a financial burden and a serious hardship for me to stay in business.

Our block consists of parking lots, rental cars, industrial and service businesses.

We are geographically far away from the heart of five points, and we are excluded from all five points, culture activities, and no benefit for our business and the properties.

And that we are here respectfully and formally request an amendment to withdraw from FBID.

Attached is our letter to City Council members to formally withdraw from FBID.

Thank you for your concern to this matter.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

My name is Dr.

Renee Cousins King, and I own several properties along Welton Street in the Five Points Business Improvement District.

My purpose in speaking to you today is to advise you that the five points BID is not benefiting most property owners.

Further, it has hurt many small business owners in this historical and cultural Welton Street corridor.

While I understand the dismantling and recreation of a BID is not politically practical, I ask that you consider the following three points.

It is a financial burden with nominal return on investment for many of us paying taxes.

Since its inception 10 years ago, I have with my properties and tenants paid over a hundred thousand dollars into the BID with nominal benefit.

A particular hardship occurs when there are festivals along Welton Street and local businesses are fenced off and unable to benefit financially.

One of my tenants, Mr.

Ivan Ochitok, who runs the Roxy Entertainment venue at 2549 Welton Street says, we lose a weekend and sometimes two in the same summer month, and that costs us between 5,000 and 15,000 in revenue.

BID doesn't pay rentals for closures to businesses they affect, makes lots of money from outside businesses and food vendors that are not based in our neighborhood, which helps their businesses and themselves.

I don't see what real benefits our businesses get.

The second point I wish to make is that electors are not allowed to vote on BID board members.

While City Council and the mayor may have good intentions, it would be much more fair for those of us paying taxes to have a say in those who represent us.

It's a closed loop system when only BID board members get to recommend candidates.

And so far, there have been no enforceable term limits on board tenure.

Also, it's important, I think, to follow not only the letter of the law, but the spirit of the law.

This is just one aspect of uh lack of transparency.

This meeting is held at 5 30 when most citizens can attend or tune in.

Our meetings are held at 10 o'clock on Wednesday mornings in the middle of the month, and it's it's difficult for people to participate.

So thank you for listening to my comments and concerns, and I appreciate your consideration.

Senate President James Coleman virtually.

Okay.

Next up, we have John Hayden virtually.

John, you have to accept the promotion.

You have to, you can't decline it.

The only way that we can allow you to speak is you accept the promotion.

So we'll ask you one more time.

Our producer will provide the um promotion to you on Zoom.

I don't know how else to say that.

He keeps denying he keeps the claim.

Okay.

Stigger.

Steiger.

My name is Randall Steiger.

I'm a property owner.

Um at 2755 Wellton Street, been there 50 years.

And with uh councilman.

We haven't had any problem with him.

He doesn't come by in none of the business places to let us go exactly what what's going on.

And I'm a board member, and like I say, I've been on the board for 10 years.

It's time for a replacement for the new board members.

That's about it.

Next up, we have Devendra Williams.

Good evening.

My name is Devendra Williams.

I am a property owner and I live in District 9.

I'm also the property manager for Dr.

Renee Cousins King.

I am here to address the facts and data of the Five Points Business Improvement District.

In 2025, FBID assessment fees brought in 276,101 dollars and five cents from the Welton Street 10 blocks business property owners.

The FBID management was paid 122,652 salary.

That's 45% of the total business property owners paid to the FBID assessment tax.

These management positions are part-time jobs.

This is not in our best interest of business property owners to be charged 45% of our dollars for one part-time manager and his assistant.

Thank you.

Next up we have Audrey Williams.

I thought I did.

Okay, perfect.

There you go.

Hi, my name's Adra Williams.

I am a resident of Washington, D.C.

Um, and I also grew up in Denver.

Um spent from elementary school all the way to Colorado State University.

And I'm here to ask in support of renewal for the five-point improvement district for another 10 years.

And as someone who spent years away from Denver and is now in the process of establishing a dual residency with the intention of ultimately making Denver home again.

I can honestly say that it's through the reasons I felt called back to the city of energy and culture and momentum happening in five points.

The neighborhood feels alive in a way that reflects both a deep history and future potential and something that is very nostalgic to me.

And as you know, I've I work in communications, I do PR I uh here in the nation's capital for two decades now.

I've worked with uh bids and main streets um across, and I can honestly say that, you know, from the work that I've seen with the bid and have had the pleasure of um supporting them on.

It's made a strong difference.

Literally, some of the resources and partnerships that the bid has introduced um to me and to and through just the neighborhood activations um have called me back to the city.

Um I have, it seems like of ease, and I'm really happy to see that, even from a national perspective, that the bid is positioning this important neighborhood and its story so that it can be seen from a broader for a broader audience.

Um I asked for the council to please um renew the five points bid for another 10 years.

Thank you.

I see myself this time.

Yes, my name is Jessica Sean Paris, and I represent for Black Star Action Movement for Self-Defense, Cause of Advisor Commitment for Social Change, as well as the Unity Party of Colorado, the Northeast or North Park Hill.

From on Black News, the revolutionary agenda, Shabakus Black Experience Enhance.

And I am a candidate on the ballot for House District 8.

The elections in November.

And I was out at the Roach and Bedbug infested.

Legacy loss in Daryl Watson's district of district nine, the fine district nine.

I would say no.

Do not renew this bid.

Bids have historically not done communities of so-called color, as y'all love to say any good.

Is not good.

All I've seen bids do is push out our unhouse neighbors.

My term, I coined it back in 2016.

I said they're on house, but they're still part of the community.

This bid in particular goes out of their way to make sure that our unhouse neighbors are terrorized and disturbed every single night.

They do not provide any security to the businesses along the corridor.

As you just heard from business and owners, the bid is not doing any good.

So I don't see why you will renew this unless you just want to continue the gentrification, the ethnic cleansing, and the just rampant disrespect of a historically black cultural district known as Fire Points.

Um I have met with the head of the bid.

Um he has tried to get me to persuade, try to sway me to support the renewal of this bid.

I don't see no reason to renew this bid.

It's not doing anything to incubate black owned businesses along the corridor.

It's not providing any security to the businesses along the corridor.

It is allowing our murals and other um historical artifacts to be vandalized and just utterly disrespect it.

Um is not keeping black-owned businesses along the corridor.

Yes, I understand there's gonna be a whole bunch of new black-owned businesses that are opening up along the corridor.

That doesn't negate the facts.

And there's nothing funny or hilarious about anything I'm saying.

It doesn't negate the fact that this bid is doing them no good.

So I would ask a no vote on renewing the five points business improvement district is not benefiting the black people, the foundational black Americans who have called this area home for generations or their businesses.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And just want to remind the public that um you don't have to use your full three minutes if your sentiments have already been expressed.

Next up, we have curse, that's the cute.

Uh Natasha Devrona.

Virtually, Natasha.

My name is Natasha Devron.

I've lived in the San Rafael neighborhood in Five Points um for almost seven years.

And I feel so grateful that I get to live in such a vibrant neighborhood, and arguably the most historically and culturally significant neighborhood in all of Denver.

And it's for that reason that I feel a great sense of responsibility to advocate for the thoughtful growth and especially for the preservation of the rich culture that it already exists in Five Points.

Um over the past several years, the bid has played a really important role in providing or improving cleanliness and safety along the Welton Street corridor, um, which is really the heart and soul of the neighborhood.

It's also worked to enhance public spaces.

It helped, it helps to facilitate business growth, and it and it sponsors multiple community events such as First Friday Jazz each month and the Juneteenth Music Festival, to just name a few.

And these events not only draw in people from the neighborhood, but people from all over the Denver metro area and beyond.

But there's still important work to do.

The Welton Street Corridor continues to face some challenges with multiple retail vacancies.

And one of the bids' crucial roles is to facilitate business growth and to support small local businesses in order to ensure that the cultural identity that defines Five Points continues to have a strong presence in the neighborhood.

So renewing the bid is imperative, in order to allow us to continue to invest directly in this historic Denver neighborhood, to ensure that Five Points continues to be a welcoming place where businesses, culture, and community can all thrive together.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, we have Dan Crane.

Dan.

Next up, we have Beth Wayoski.

Beth?

Good evening.

Uh Council President Sandoval and members of council.

My name is Beth Moiskey and I'm a Denver resident and uh I reside in District 10.

I'm also the executive director for the downtown Denver Business Improvement District.

And I also work for the Downtown Denver Partnership.

Tonight I'm speaking to express my support of the proposed renewal for the Five Points Business Improvement District.

The Welton Street Corridor and Five Points area hold a special place in the hearts of this city and its rich history.

The Five Points bid helps to support and honor this legacy.

What makes a business improvement district a bid unique is that it's created and funded by the very stakeholders it serves, the local businesses and property owners who choose to self-assess in order to deliver services that go beyond what the city can provide alone.

To self-assess, or I'm sorry, um this structure empowers the community to set its own priorities and guide implementation with clear accountability to those who fund it.

Annual work plans and budgets are renewed, reviewed and renewed publicly, ensuring transparency and providing meaningful opportunities for input.

Since its formation, the five points bid has played a critical role in strengthening the district through branded streetscape elements, enhanced maintenance, landscaping, snow removal, and coordinated marketing efforts, all drawing people to the district and serving those within it.

These investments build on and maximize the city's existing commitments to public safety and infrastructure.

Bids do not replace public investment, they enhance, protect, and extend its impact.

Renewing a bid is one of the most effective tools available to support a commercial corridor.

It leverages private funding to deliver public benefits and support small businesses, fostering community identity, and provides a reliable partner in advancing economic vitality and livability goals, all at no additional cost to the city.

Thank you.

Thank you for the opportunity to join virtually.

My name is Joel Noble.

I live two short blocks from the Wilson Street Corridor where this BID exists.

I've lived here for several decades and have seen several iterations of a business association from the Five Points Business Association to the Five Points Business District, and then now the Business Improvement District.

I'm happy to report that across that time, this organization, the Five Points Business Improvement District, with the funding that comes from the businesses on the corridor itself, has been the most engaged in the community, really closing the gap between the surrounding residents and the life of the corridor that I've ever seen.

Um I do not own a business on the corridor, so I'll keep my time short since I don't weigh in as a taxpayer to this district, but I just want to encourage the continuation of this district and the great partnership that's been unlike anything we've had in preceding times.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Next up, we have Doris Lee.

My name is Doris Newley.

I currently live in Cyprus, Texas.

However, I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, and I am speaking in favor of the proposal to renew and continue the Five Points Business Improvement District for an additional 10 years and beyond.

Although I no longer live in Denver, I do visit family and friends every year.

And the Five Points Corridor is a destination place for me due to the tireless efforts of Norman Tariq Harris and others to make it an incredible and incredible area to visit and enjoy.

I'm also encouraged by their passion to continue to improve the entire corridor.

Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you.

Next up, we have our two nice.

Good evening, Council members.

I'm extremely nervous.

I've never been in such a position before.

I'm not a very good public speaker.

And I arrived to Denver in the beginning of 2003, 2003, 23 years ago.

And at that time, Coover was located on 29th and Welton, and I immediately fell in love with the Five Points area because it reminded me of where I grew up in Southern California.

And I became actively involved with everything Five Points shortly after my arrival when I saw the first Five Points Jazz Festival that took place at the Blair Calwell Library.

And I can say that even though the Five Points Jazz Festival was terminated, I think it was a mistake because beyond dollars and cents, looking at it from a cultural standpoint, the impact it made for the district and for the entire community and the city be goes way beyond dollars and cents.

However, the new policy that Arts and Venues uh initiated in funding first Fridays of every month, I've seen a great improvement along the historic five points corridor.

And I don't agree with others that says that it doesn't benefit the uh the businesses there, because you can go to black owned businesses such as Tea Leaves, such as the Spangolang Brewery, such as Brother Jeff's Cultural Center, which has a food pantry, and all of those have greatly improved with the first Fridays of every month that I attend religiously since its beginning.

I've seen the improvement not only in those businesses, but of other non black owned businesses.

Every first Friday, those businesses are standing room only, and many times have people outside waiting to get in.

So I'm in favor of the renewal of the bid in order to continue this improvement.

And yes, there's a lot of holes that need to be filled, but when you look at the pros and cons, in my uh opinion, I think it is important that this is renewed and keeps on moving the greater five points district corridor into the future.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next step, we have Risa Jones.

Good evening, Council.

I'm Risa Jones, and I'm a business owner, and Teale's is located at 612nd Street on the Welton Corridor.

I've since in the excuse me, eight years since we've been there in the block I'm in.

I'm in the old Melbourne Hotel.

And in that block, that's a renovated hotel that's over 115 years old.

I'm at 6'11 at 609 is now Moyo and Google Cultural Center, which is a 35-year-old cultural center that re-established itself in the Melbourne.

Next to the Little Bodega.

And then next to that is Chakra Tattoo, which was on California and then intentionally moved there as well.

On the corner, which was the original address, 2201 Welton Street.

There is now a new cultural center that's getting ready to open there.

And then Paradise Bar that exists in that building.

And there are nine living spaces above those businesses.

So it's mixed residents.

Recently, there is a Latino Cultural Center that's in the old climax building in the same block.

I support the renewal of the bid.

I have seen events and activities.

So since I've been there, the Five Points Corridor has been featured on PBS startup when Denver was the place for the largest amount of growth in North America for small businesses.

And on some days, there are as many people in there from out of state as there are from in-state.

So I am in support of the bid and what it's brought to the small businesses there in Five Points.

My name is Daryl Newland.

And I'm a native Denverite who grew up in the Five Points area.

So I have firsthand knowledge of the history and the culture of the Five Points.

And Downing for over 50 years called Pierre Superclub.

Um, I am speaking this evening on behalf of the Thomas W.

Bean Foundation, a major stakeholder and property owner on the Five Points Strip.

Uh they have been in the area for a generation.

The Bean Foundation has been instrumental in the development of the five points Strip by upgrading their several uh properties along the strip, which include Cervantes, U.S.

Bank Building, the 715, and the Merigold.

The Bean Foundation wholeheartedly supports the bid, and its representatives of the Bean Foundation make sure that we attend most of their monthly meetings and activities.

Several things come to mind when we think of the importance of the bid.

The five points bid has played an important role in improving the Walton Street corridor through marketing, maintenance, beautification, events, and business support.

The bid has helped activate the neighborhood with cultural programming, live music, community activities, and participation, uh in historical events from the along the five points.

Uh the organization has helped bring resources, grants, partnerships, and positive attention to the neighborhood.

Renewing the bid is crucial.

Uh, another 10 years will help them uh continue uh to build upon the base that they've established.

Hopefully, convince some of the folks who do not see a benefit in the bid now, see that benefit.

Uh for that, those reasons we support and request that you renew the bid for another 10 years.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next up, we have Stephen Bennett.

Good evening, Council President Sandoval, members of City Council, and specifically uh Council Menwatson from the Fine District 9.

My name is Stephen Bennett.

I live on the corner of 29th and California.

I'm here representing myself as a resident of Five Points and also the Curtis Park Neighbors RO.

Um, the RO board voted in February to provide a letter of support for the bid renewal that passed 14-0 with three abstentions.

And then as a resident of Curtis Park, I am encouraging you to renew the bid for another 10 years.

Um, someone who lives a half block off Welton Street and works on Welton Street and commutes by foot.

I appreciate the work of the bid to keep the sidewalks clear, free of debris and snow.

And then I has been echoed by uh uh Arthur Arturo, really applaud the work the bid did after Five Points Jazz Fest went away with the help of the grant from Denver Arts and Venue that one day festival, which was fenced in, has now been replaced by 10 activations, thereby uh benefiting many of the businesses on the corridor.

And with that, I'll pass.

Thank you very much.

Please renew the bid.

Okay, next up we have Norman Harris.

Good evening, Council President, members of city council, and members of the community.

My name is Norman Harris, and I serve as the executive director of the Five Points Business Improvement District.

Tonight I stand in front of you in support of the renewal of the Five Points bid for another 10 years.

Five Points is one of the most historically and culturally significant African American communities in the Western United States.

It is a neighborhood built on legacy, resilience, music, entrepreneurship, and culture.

And while work is far from complete, I believe the bid has played an important role in helping stabilize and reactivate the Welton Corridor during a critical time in its history.

Over the last decade, the bid has worked to support small businesses through marketing activations, corridor maintenance, beautification after safety partnerships, and cultural programming.

We've helped create events and experiences that bring people back to Welton Street.

We have advocated for investment, supported legacy businesses, collaborated with city agencies, and worked to position five points as a destination rooted in community and culture.

We are proud of initiatives like First Friday Jazz Hop, Jazz Roots, Juneteenth, Public Artist installations, streetscape improvements, business support efforts, and our continued work to elevate the cultural identity of the corridor.

But I also want to acknowledge something clearly tonight.

We still have work to do, and I've heard the concerns expressed by stakeholders regarding governance, representation, transparency, and engagement.

Foreign renewal, the bid board intends to initiate discussions around proposed amendments to the bid's creation ordinance for board consideration and adoption.

Once approved by the bid board, those amendments would then be presented to city council through the appropriate ordinance or resolution processes consistent with the same procedural steps filed for this renewal process.

Potential amendment topics for board consideration include expanding the number of bid board members, strengthening the bid board code of conduct to include clearer expectations regarding attendance and public participation, increasing transparency around the board appointment and election process, which is currently a mayoral appointment process.

And upon renewal, we intend to prioritize these discussions at the board level while also gathering additional input from business owners and community stakeholders regarding any proposed amendments to the creation ordinance and board of coard code of conduct.

I want this council and this community to know that I take these responsibilities seriously.

I also want to personally assure you that I would continue working fervently to advance the Welton Corridor into a thriving cultural marketplace, one that honors a legacy of five points while creating opportunities for the future.

A corridor where black culture is not a race but amplified, a corridor where small businesses can thrive, a corridor where residents, visitors, artists, entrepreneurs, and families all feel connected to the spirit of this historic neighborhood.

Renewing the bid is not the finish line, it is the opportunity to continue improving, continue listening, continue building.

Thank you.

Good evening, Denver City Council and Revenue residents.

Thank you for your opportunity to speak for in favor of renewing Five Points Business Improvement District.

I'm an Alabama native, but I've been a resident and worked in Five Points in Five Points community for about three years now, and I have no intentions of leaving anytime soon.

I've fallen deeply in love with the residents of Five Points and enjoy patronizing businesses in the area and participating in community events.

Though I haven't been a lifelong resident of the area, it doesn't take long, nor does it nor do you need a microscope to see the impact that the bid has made and continues to make in the Five Points community.

Coming from a small, stagnant community in Alabama, with little community guidance and programming, I have firsthand experienced the detrimental direction an area can take with no centralized leadership or guidance.

Five Points not only provide support for the businesses and residents of Five Points, but it gives the community a centralized platform to connect business owners, community leaders, stakeholders, residents to work alongside each other and focus on the important issues that affect the area.

Furthermore, the cultural program that the bid supports and promotes gives residents an opportunity to celebrate the great history and legacy of Five Points while also acting as an economic stimulant for businesses in the community.

The bid has the bid has a boots-on-the-ground approach, and it's not uncommon for me to see the bid director walking around the community, giving tours or engaging with residents and community business owners.

One aspect about the Five Points Bid that I truly admire is that the sole focus is not on just attracting new investment, but also focus on preserving existing businesses and strengthening strengthening the historical attributes that already make this community special.

Ultimately, the bid gives the community a stronger voice and allows individuals to see firsthand how community resources are used to positively benefit the community for all.

Supporting the Five Points Business Improvement District is an investment in economic vitality, cultural preservation, and community partnerships.

I encourage you to support its continued work and the positive role it can play in helping five points thrive for generations to come.

Thank you.

Next up, we have Tony Henderson.

Virtually.

Next up, we have to Haka King.

To Shaka King.

No.

Next up we have Gerald Hardner.

Thank you, Council, for the opportunity to speak tonight.

My name is Gerald Horner.

I'm a resident of Five Points.

I live uh just a block off of the Walton Corridor on California Street, and I'm here to express my enthusiastic support for renewal of the Five Points bid.

As a neighbor living off the corridor long before the bid was formed, I've seen the effectiveness, the positive changes in terms of cleanliness, safety, events, and business activations.

And as the bid has been further established and most recently led by Norman Harris, we're seeing tremendous strides being made to further elevate the corridor.

As like a neighbor spoke earlier, Norman has done extensive outreach with the surrounding communities and neighborhoods that uh abut the Five Points Welton corridors, so that's been very much appreciated.

Uh renewing the bid for another 10 years is critical to ensure the continued investment, coordination, and momentum for the hard work ahead for five points.

Thank you for voting to support the renewal.

Thank you.

Next up, we have Harold James.

Good evening, Council.

Thank you for allowing us to speak tonight, myself as well.

My name is Harold James.

Um, one of the things I appreciate the most about the work being done by the bid is that the way that they're doing their best to um thread the needle between advancing the Welton corridor while also preserving the culture and history that makes Five Points so important.

Uh growth and change are happening across Denver, and we all know that that can create challenges for historic communities like Five Points.

But I believe the bid understands the progress, cannot just be about development, it also has to be about protecting the identity, the culture, and people that give this neighborhood his soul.

So, what excites me is that I'm seeing intentional efforts to create future where economic activity, local businesses, art, music, cultural legacy can all exist together as one.

I can see more activation on the corridor, more community engagement, and more reason for people to invest their time and energy into the five points, where maybe a few years ago that wasn't the case.

I truly believe that the bid is a necessary component for equitable advancement in this neighborhood.

And without organizations focusing on balancing growth with cultural preservation, communities like Five Points risk losing the very thing that makes them special.

So I'm excited about the future of Five Points.

I support renewing the bid so the progress can continue in a thoughtful community-centered way.

Thank you all.

Tina.

But I uh I do support the bid and want to let you know that I work for KU VO jazz for Kubo and was lucky enough uh to work from 29th in Wellton in Five Points for over 25 years.

Five Points is rooted in bridging the legacy talents from our communities and the up and coming musicians for all of us to enjoy.

You can count on being introduced to tomorrow's standout performers.

There simply isn't anything like a light uh music performance open to the public.

I'm sure these events have drawn in thousands of people and created countless experiences.

Long-term sustainable success happens from supporting the people, the traditions, and the businesses that have shaped the Five Points neighborhood.

It's the culture that drives people in.

The Five Points businesses and organizers have created a destination for the people and the neighbor in the neighborhood, but they've also drawn in so many people from across Colorado who may not have wanted to come to Five Points before, but now willingly come and enjoy, rediscover what Welton Street has to offer.

Norman Harris invited me to participate in a shark tank competition at the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business.

The students' goals was to increase food traffic, stimulate economic activity, and support the expansion of a vibrant cultural marketplace in Five Points.

I witnessed the commitment and the passion that he has shown for this neighborhood.

And I wanted to let you know how exciting that was for me.

We all appreciate a coordinated citywide investment to improve the safety of Five Points.

A multi-year investment will pay off in the long term and for decades to come.

We've witnessed at CUVA the building of various neighborhoods and corridors for many years.

And we witnessed the growth of Santa Fe, Rhino, Stapleton, the Highlands, and 38th Street.

Wilton must be part of Denver's long-term prosperity, and it can only happen if you support the bid.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up we have Jennifer Harris.

Good afternoon, members of City Council.

I am Jennifer Harris.

I am a fourth-generation Coloradoan, born and raised here in Denver, and a proud graduate of Manual High School and Colorado State University.

I'm here today to speak in support of the renewal of the Five Points Business Improvement District.

Over the course of my lifetime, I have seen Five Points go through a tremendous amount of change.

I've seen periods where the neighborhood struggled, where businesses were leaving, where there wasn't a lot of activity, and where law many longtime residents felt disconnected from the community they loved and grew up in.

Like many people who were raised in Denver, I've also watched the impact that growth and gentrification have had on historically black neighborhoods like Five Points.

But today, I could honestly say that I am excited about the direction of the community.

When I come to Five Points, which is regularly, probably at least five, six times a week, I see energy, I see people gathering, I see culture being celebrated, I see businesses that reflect the history, music, food, creativity, and the spirit that made Five Points special in the first place.

The corridor feels more welcoming, more activated, and more connected than it has been in years.

I believe the bid has played an important role in helping create that momentum through maintenance, events, beautification, and support for local businesses.

Five Points has always meant something special to Denver's Black community, and I believe renewing the bid will help continue the positive progress that we are seeing today.

Thank you for your time.

Joe Mayor.

Joe.

Thank you.

Good evening, Denver City Council.

My name is Joe Meyer.

I'm a resident of District 9.

I live just off of Welton Street on uh Glen Arm and 26th Street.

In Five Points.

I'm speaking in support of renewing the Five Points Business Improvement District.

Because Five Points and especially the Welton Street Corridor has a rich history and identity and can and should continue to be a cultural touchstone for Denver.

Preserving the elements and culture that made this neighborhood what it is, while also positioning the corridor for future growth is a really difficult task to balance.

This requires centralized coordinated effort.

And the bid is the right organization to make this coordination happen.

The music and cultural events that activate the corridor have made Welton Street lively and vibrant.

Things like First Friday jazz and Juneteenth.

In addition, ongoing streetscaping and beautification efforts will continue to improve the walkability and pedestrian environment of the corridor.

New housing, business openings, and opportunities for community engagement are also building momentum and growth in a way that supports the residents of the neighborhood.

Coordinating all of these efforts and continuing to build on and expand their positive impacts would be most easily done through the continued work of the bid.

And I asked council to support the renewal of the Five Points Business Improvement District so that five points can continue to benefit from continued investment, growth, and activation while staying as true as possible to the culture, identity, and people who built the neighborhood.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up we have Chelsea Harris.

That was meant to be.

Yeah, go ahead.

Hi there.

My name is Chelsea Harris.

Thank you so much for allowing me to speak.

I am a proud Denver native, fifth generation Colorado native.

And I grew up in the Five Points on 24th in California.

My late grandfather, Norman Harris Sr., was one of the first black-owned business owners in the Five Points, and he was known as the Godfather of the Five Points.

If my grandfather was living today, he'd be very proud to see the direction that the Five Points is going.

I'm here to speak today in support of the bid.

Growing up as a young child in Five Points, I had firsthand experience in terms of the history, and now I get to witness the growth as as an adult.

I believe the bid has done a good job at improving marketing and the overall swagger of the five points.

It's truly the most special neighborhood in Denver, and I enjoy seeing all the diversity when I attend First Fridays.

I truly believe the bid under the leadership of Norman T.

Harris has helped to activate a new vibrant five points.

Thank you so much for allowing me to speak.

Thank you.

Next up we have Weluswee Afligan.

Afliga.

Producer, anyone?

Yeah.

Awesome.

I apologize.

Okay.

Can you hear me now?

You sure can.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Okay, good afternoon.

Um, my name is Maluso Afflin.

Um, I'm the owner of Co Culture Cocktail Lounge coming soon in the Five Points corridor.

I am here today in support of renewing the Five Points business.

Um five points bid.

Um, I'm in support of ruining uh sorry, renewing it.

Um I'm here to speak on the impact that it had for me.

Um I currently own another business in Aurora and I can see the impact is um how necessary it is to have a bid.

Um I don't have the support here in Aurora.

Um, and then just even from the start to to finish, the bid has helped me out tremendously.

I wouldn't be in um five points if they weren't there.

Um when I had the vision of culture, I didn't even know where to start.

I shared my vision with the director with Norman, and he didn't just listen, but he actually took the time to guide me.

He walked me over to the Melbourne where Taylor's is, um, showed me a building that would fit my vision, and um, after speaking with a broker that he uh was able to connect me with, I was able to um take the first steps to making it a reality.

And now here um in a few months, I'll be open.

So um the the vision is has come to life because of the bid, and I do want to say that they are a good resource.

I've been able to get resources from like um when I've asked for contractors or guidance that I needed, and just even the simple any question that I have, they have been able to um guide me and they actually reach out, and he's very accessible.

So if you walk down the street every morning, he's there.

So I'm in favor of it, and um it's been a meaningful role, um, has played a meaningful role in my journey um as a business owner.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Next up we have Anita Runners Runnels.

Thank you.

Hi, so uh my name is Anita Runnels, and I am a from Louisiana.

I lived here before from 1979 up until 91, and I frequent five points back then.

I moved back here in 2020, and it warmed my heart to come back to see that five points was still alive.

I am a every Sunday Sunday goer at the Spanglane Brewery.

Uh, first Fridays, and even when there's nothing else really going on that that brings the people out, I am there.

So I am very much so in favor of the five points, be it staying alive, because this gives somebody like myself somewhere to go, somewhere where I feel safe and somewhere where the hospitality of the people is just so warming and the diverse of the people that I've met since I've been going back into five points, it really warms my heart because I've met a lot of people from a lot of walks of life.

You know, I've met teachers, attorneys, business owners right down to Five Points District.

Everybody's trying to have a good time, you know, and this the safety of it.

I can go there on a Friday night, I can walk up and down five points with no problem.

I can park my car with no problem, I can get back to my car with no problem.

So again, I really appreciate it.

You know, that if this bid do continue, so someone like myself at my age can still have somewhere to go.

Thank you.

We have Lanny Rish.

Hi, thank you very much.

Oh, I think okay, there we go.

Hi, um, my name is Laney Rush.

I'm a resident of district nine.

I live a couple blocks from Walton, and I'm here in support of the business improvement district also.

Um, I definitely hear legitimate grievances from folks who have who are property owners who feel that their bill is high, and I respect that it's been a very tough economic situation we've been in.

But I think that even highlights how great the bid is doing, right?

That we see new businesses coming in, even at a very difficult time to um start a restaurant to open a cocktail lounge, right?

Um, the bid has done a great job of reaching out to neighbors, doing their best to include all, and I think responding to the changing circumstances of our city and of our nation.

I we've heard a lot about people talking about Jazz Fest and how it's pivoted to First Friday jazz, um, is a great example.

Again, I think that there's it's always difficult to work together on a big group project, and that's what this business improvement district is, right?

There's a lot of stakeholders.

People want different things, but at the end of the day, I do think that the results are worth the effort and the difficulties to get it right.

I think that it's been it was kind of a bumpy start for the first couple of years, and obviously the pandemic has changed retail as we know it, but the bid deserves another 10 years to keep seeing what they can deliver for our corridor.

I think that they will absolutely knock it out of the park because they're engaged.

They care about our corridors's history and its future.

So please vote in favor of the Five Points Business Improvement District.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Next up, we still have Helen Bradshaw.

Thank you so much for listening and being here to enjoy this moment with us and sharing what people are saying.

My name is Helen Bradshaw.

I'm a member of 11 organizations on the board of four.

And for those that are saying they don't want this, I challenge them to give me a call so that we can collaboratively work together on some issues.

Okay, everybody.

We'll give you a call.

Exactly.

Because it is about collaboration.

I got this big thing I was gonna read to y'all, but I'm just gonna speak from my heart.

My heart says history is important.

My heart says culture is important.

My heart says working together is important.

Not how much money somebody spent.

I'm sorry, y'all.

I gotta go there, but I gotta see.

Tell me how much money you've made.

When they have the um uh the festivals and etc.

and they have the fences up.

That's the first time I was able to go behind the fence and go to the different uh businesses in the community when I wasn't behind the fence.

Okay, so be truthful, be honest, and be faithful to your community and vote yes.

Rob, good evening, council members and community.

My name is Rob Ali San.

I am a fourth-generation Curtis Park resident of Five Points.

I just launched the Cipher, a 6,000 square foot brick and mortar storefront in the heart of Five Points on 2847 Walton Street.

The cipher is rooted in traditions of WIPA culture.

My mandate is to serve, renew, restore the cultural and economic growth within the community of the Five Points.

Norman Harris, the Five Points Bid, have been an essential force in the actualization of my vision.

Their support, their guidance and investment in the cultural and economic vitality of the community played a pivotal role in making my dream a reality.

What once lived as only a vision has now become a sacred and intentional storefront rooted in purpose, healing, creativity, and connection.

Their belief in my mission helped create the foundation for the cipher to emerge as a space dedicated to empowering the people, honoring tradition, and cultivating meaningful impact within the community and beyond.

After personally speaking to Norman Harris and sharing my vision with him, he immediately jumped into action by making calls to help secure my lease with Van West partners and ensure I had the support that I needed to make my dream a reality.

I could not have accomplished this without their belief and support.

This is the true definition of community coming together to help co-create a greater foundation for our city.

We can never go back, but we can create something new so that we can pass that wealth of culture and community to the next generations to carry that legacy of our great city forward.

The Five Points bid serves as an example of true leadership that we need in order to ensure the success and legacy of our city.

Thank you.

Have Robert Gray.

Robert.

Yes, ma'am.

Go ahead.

Hi, my name is Robert Gray.

I live in District 9.

Um I am so happy to be in support of the Five Point Business Improvement District.

Um it is a fun place to go.

I live more on the rhino side of Five Points, and I travel across the bridge just to hang out in the Five Points area.

I love what you all done with the beautification, the safety.

I feel welcome there.

I actually love that I get to get to meet the business owners, and it's not just big box retailers where people just feel like um employees at this big box store.

Um so there's a lot of benefit that I've seen in Five Points and a lot of music.

I don't want to get tea at Tea Leaves at nine o'clock at night because this area is activated, it's very live, it's very vibrant.

So I appreciate a lot of things that they have done.

I feel safe there.

I've seen the Denver Police Department there, monitoring the area.

Um I've even seen the unhealth community be in that area, but they're they're nice, they're friendly, um, they're welcome.

I don't feel like we're pushing people out of that community.

They are our peers, they're our neighbors.

So it's been such a joy to be able to go to five points and be able to patronize those businesses.

And the reason why I do it is because of activations, the public art that has been put on display there.

I've seen the artwork grow over the last few years, and it tells us stories, so it makes me feel engaged, it makes me feel inside to be a part of this community.

I'll often sit at the five point intersection and just be able to enjoy a coffee from the recent coffee shop that opened up, which I'm a big fan of.

So I've seen them take some of these vacant spaces and enable the local community, the local um artists um to have opportunities.

It's a gathering spot where you get to meet people and you get to engage with your community.

Um, I'm also the director of programs for a nonprofit called Big Green.

Um I reached out to the Five Point Business Improvement District because I had an idea how we can beautify this area.

Um, and Norman was open to those ideas.

He was open to collaborations.

So he has been very welcoming, not only as a community member, but people who also want to give back and open and help this area.

So I am in full support of the renewal of the Five Point Business Improvement District.

I am dedicated to keep spending my hard-earned money in this area, and I'm even dedicated to bring my resources from my nonprofit into this area so we can make sure five point is vibrant, lively, and is constantly improving.

Um that's the end of my time.

Thank you.

Thanks.

Next up, we have Sean Bryce.

Hi, thank you for allowing me to make comment tonight, uh, counsel.

Uh, my name is Sean Bryce.

I relocated from New York City to the Five Points area 15 years ago, and have called Denver home ever since.

Um I believe that Five Points is the most culturally significant neighborhood in this entire metro area.

Um, the history there, the continuation of music and art and culture, food, unlike anywhere else in the city, um, and an aspect of hospitality that, in my opinion, is unrivaled.

Um, all make five points an incredibly incredibly special place, not just in Denver, but any city you travel to.

Um, I am deeply in favor of the renewal of the Five Points Business Improvement District.

I believe that in order to preserve and protect uh culture and history and also move forward and evolve thoughtfully, you have to have an organizing body that can bring people together rather than have them work in silos, and that's when things will really fall apart.

So I encourage the city council to uh vote yes on the renewal, and I thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Next up, we have Albus Brooks.

So hey city council, how are you?

Um Albus Brooks here.

Uh, first and foremost, I want to say thank you for your service.

Love that you uh stay late into the night every Monday, um, taking on the concerns of the city.

Uh I'm the former city council representative for District 9, the fine district nine, uh, taking over by there's a great leader there, uh, Councilman Watson.

Thank you for leading that.

Um, but today I'm talking by my heart.

Uh, I've been in the Five Points community for 20 years, um, as a community organizer, as the city council representative, city council president, and also uh the person who got a chance to start in 2016, uh, this bid.

Um, and we initiated this bid because uh the residents, the business owners said we want the same tools that our neighbors downtown, Cherry Creek, and Rhino.

We want all those tools to be able to um be able to get business here, recruit business here, clean up our community, make sure our community is safe.

And for the last 10 years, we have endured uh COVID and so many other things, a change in businesses closing, businesses coming.

But what I will say is that leaders like Norman Harris, who, by the way, is a third generation five points leader, business leader, has brought attention and leadership to this community in ways that we haven't seen before.

Just last week, uh the leaders from DNC were here looking at five points because some of the things that they have heard is that African American businesses have not been there on the points, and they got a chance to meet some of these business leaders.

I'm excited to say that the Rasonian, I'm a part of that development, um, will be breaking ground in June.

I'm excited to say that the point redevelopment, the 30 to 40 apartment units will be revitalized.

Um, I'm excited to say because of the five points business district, um, we have sustained great business in that area for the last 10 years, despite everything that everybody has gone through, despite all the hard um, I would say, you know, times that businesses have had.

And to the individuals who are, and there are a lot of them are my friends in there, businesses who feel like, hey, this is just a lot of money.

Um, we are seeing a lot of bids, Rhino being one of them, uh, who have business owners who are pushing back.

And I get that because these times are very, very hard for business.

But I will say, no one has asked the question.

What if we didn't have the bid?

What if we didn't have someone advocating for businesses on Welton?

There will be no Welton Street Cafe.

There will be no all these other businesses that are starting to cross up.

So I just I just pray that you guys will support this.

Thank you.

Next up we have Alan Foutman.

Um, hello, uh, my name is Eileen Feltman.

I'm actually standing on Welton Street at the moment, but I guess it doesn't uh uh you can't really see what's in the background.

I was hoping it would be.

Um I've been a resident of Five Points and within more specifically in the Curtis Park section of Five Points for over 45 years, and I've always viewed Welton Street in Larimer as instrumental, uh, very much part of the community, not separate.

Uh I come to Welton Street all the time.

I have since I've moved here in the late 70s, and I think it's essential that the bid is allowed to continue.

I am always so impressed by the type of activities, especially Norm Harris has been really instrumental and in um fueling the excitement and energy that's been going on.

I see people come from all over to come hear music, to come to restaurants.

Uh right now in the background, even though it's blurry because the way the zoom thing works, we have trees, we have development.

It's it's it's uh it's amazing.

It's amazing to walk down here and see all the energy that's going in, but to keep these streets clean, to keep these trees green, to do the kind of infrastructure that attracts both businesses and the the patrons that will come into this business takes money, and a bid is a correct and efficient way to do this.

I think it's been managed very well, and I 100% support the bid being able to continue um in its uh I think it's for the next 10 years or whatever that time frame is.

So I highly encourage you to do this.

I do not think I have seen any efforts in any part of the neighborhood so concentrated any place like I've seen on Welton Street.

I know there's been a lot of times through the almost 50 years I've lived in the neighborhood where there's been some false starts, but this is not a false start.

This is going strong.

I would like it to continue, and I hope you guys vote yes to support this bid.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Except we have Michelle Leoli.

Good evening, everyone.

Uh, my name is Michelle Lawley, and I'm actually a resident of Westminster, Colorado.

I thought it would be nice to have some anecdotal evidence from someone who does not live directly within the Thive Points community.

So I am here to speak in strong support of the bid renewal.

So for a council president Sandoval, council members, also audience members present.

I thank you all for allowing me a few remarks this evening in support of such.

So from personal experience of having many reading days at the Blair Caldwell Library, you heard from Miss Risa Jones earlier over the couple months, past couple months.

I've been spending many a remote work day at Teale's Tea House and Bookstore, Breakfast at Welton Street Cafe, many live music events at Spangoland Brewery, as well as Merigold, as someone who does not live in the actual area of Five Points, let alone the city of Denver.

I spent about one to two days, sometimes one to three, it depends on average, in the Five Points area, specifically with respect to Welton, the Wellton Corridor.

And I think it's incumbent upon me to mention that because I am spending my time driving into the city to spend my dollars with these small businesses that make up the five points bid.

And so a couple things from their website that I actually wanted to uh highlight.

There are five points to the five-point bid renewal, but there are two that were uh close to me.

So the first one, I'm going to truncate some of the statements here.

Uh, but streets and public spaces feeling more active and long-standing community priorities finally translating into funded plans and visible improvements with measurable progress.

I think it's key to highlight that because infrastructure takes time, building trust between new business owners and legacy business owners uh takes time, being able to reward the good faith of early investors and those who are continuing to pour into their community and individuals like me outside of the community who have no direct benefit other than the cultural progression of this area.

I think it's important that we basically be able to highlight that faith and return on that faith of that investment by allowing the bid renewal to go forward for another 10 years.

And as another uh caller said, and beyond, because you want to make sure we see the full realization of the five points area with respect to especially the Wellton corridor.

Uh next, I want to say activating culture and community.

Culture is what turns Walton Street from a place people pass through to a place they stay.

This is very incumbent to me as a future homeowner.

Uh, I was only looking at metro areas of Denver.

With my experience in Five Points, I'm really looking forward to perhaps being a future contributor to that, uh, to that neighborhood.

Uh, so again, my name is Michelle Lolly.

I am a resident of Westminster, Colorado.

Uh, this concludes my remarks and council members and audience members.

Again, I want to thank you all for your time and hearing my remarks this evening.

Thanks.

Except we have Monica Ortega.

Uh, greetings, council members.

Um, my name is Monica Ortega.

I support the bid.

Um, I'm actually an employee, so you all are helping me with keeping employment.

Um, I am the bookkeeper administrative.

I'm the person who reaches out and supports um all of the communication efforts that support the activities.

Um, there are other members that are here that are also part of our staff.

And what we've been doing, um, which is to support the executive director, uh Norman Harris, and through all the efforts is just a pleasure.

I was honored that he came to me to be the person to support him.

And the reason why is because I've supported Norm through numerous years of activities through Juneteenth.

Um, I was one of his first um volunteers to support um Juneteenth Music Festival.

It was over four years of supporting as a vendor coordinator for that festival.

It was my pleasure to see Norm um grow into this amazing leader that he's become so that he can be here for this um for this position.

Um, so I was actually not surprised when he was given the role of being the executive director.

Um, the efforts that he's put and the work that I've seen throughout the years has just been tremendous.

I don't know there's anyone um who has been more dedicated to this role.

And um, for my my participation, it's been a continuous improvement in how we deal with our administrative processes and how we communicate effectively with the community.

I have been so impressed at how we've been able to put together liaisons with, for instance, uh DU, Denver University, and bringing fresh air fresh eyes to our community, which is looking at better ways of engaging the community, the business owners, the business property owners, and figuring out ways that we can actually help these businesses grow.

This type of effort doesn't happen in a lot of communities.

I was one of the first people to move into the Hope communities at 25th and uh Washington.

My son and I moved in when he was seven.

He's now 29.

So I've been in this community for a long time.

I'm a fifth-generation Colorado native.

Um, but I consider Five Points to be my home.

Um it's where I pretty much raised my child.

Um I was a single mother, so being able to have access to affordable housing is what made my life so much easier.

I was able to um walk my child to school at Ebert.

I worked in the downtown community.

I never felt like this was an unsafe community.

I've always been in this area, and I love five points.

And again, I'm a huge supporter of the bid, obviously, for many reasons.

So I appreciate your time.

Thank you.

Iana Conturis.

Hi, everybody.

Uh, this shouldn't take too long because a couple of my um colleagues from KUVO spoke earlier.

Um, but I am um on this call today in support of renewal of the five points bid.

Um I run CUVO jazz and the drop to radio stations that are nonprofit stations.

You might have seen in the news that we had a pretty dramatic funding loss from the US government.

And even despite that funding loss, we have invested significant amounts of money and time to continue our partnership with the five points bid, which has manifested through the First Friday's events that our Toro brought up and a couple of other folks brought up earlier, as well as becoming a presenting programmatic partner for Juneteenth, which means that we're helping to augment the cost of it in order to provide free programming for hundreds, well, actually, about 30,000 folks over the course of the weekend, which is really spectacular.

Um, and not every city is able to do that.

That's also something that we at our radio station really um take pride in supporting culture, community, and music for the greater Denver area, but no neighborhood represents it more fully and robustly than five points, and we want to be a part of continuing that um momentum really that's been happening.

I also want to bring up just very briefly um for folks who may have joined this bid late in the game that um Norman Harris, who has been name-checked about 37 times tonight, has only really been running this since 2024.

So, in order to really see what can possibly happen with him at the helm, I strongly recommend that um we renew this five points bid.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, we have my Marsha Fields.

Next up, we have Terry Bedaska.

Next up, we have Fatima Dickerson.

Can you hear me?

Yes, we can.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Hi, good evening.

Thank you, everyone, for your support for the bid.

I am a Denver resident.

I have been in um the Five Points neighborhood my whole entire life.

I'm actually over here at the Glenarm right now in community working out.

I am co owner of Welton Street Cafe.

We are celebrating 40 years in Five Points.

And five points has always been a place of connection for people, especially Black people, but with the redevelopment and the vibrancy that we have coming.

The Welton Corridor is inviting for everybody.

I hope that you can support the bid's renewal because we need this organization to lead us into the future into a more vibrant direction.

If we don't have the bid, I don't see any of the preservation efforts that have been put forward to even continue.

So I would like to thank Norman Harris for all of what he's doing right now.

He is doing awesome.

He is putting so much effort into making sure that the businesses are getting what they need, the events that are happening in the neighborhood and just being a presence that is accessible for everybody to be able to get to have lunch with Norman and make sure that they're attending our meetings.

So thank you, the bid and Norman Harris for everything, and I do support the renewal of the bid.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, we have Samora Orr.

Next up, we have Brittany Cousin.

Hi, good afternoon.

My name is Brittany Cousin, and I live in District 10.

So I'm a couple blocks from Welton Street.

And I wrote a couple of notes down because I'm in strong support of the renewal of the Five Points Bid.

I'm originally from Atlanta, and so when I moved to Denver, I found it difficult to find a place where I was connected and a place in a community where I could find home.

That definitely changed when I found Five Points.

Five Points gave me something authentic, a sense of culture, community history, and belonging.

The energy on Welton Street, the businesses, the music, the events, the people, it really does create something special for you if you spend some time in the neighborhood.

It's incredibly incredibly encouraging for me to see a diverse range of businesses and business owners on Wilton Street.

That kind of representation matters.

Strong and stable local businesses help strengthen schools, families, and the broader community.

When you have consistent leadership, long-term investment, and business owners rooted in the neighborhood, communities are able to grow in a healthy way.

And the five points bid helps support that.

As a young entrepreneur, I find it encouraging to know that there's a place where I can grow and start a business in a community where leadership understands the real challenges that minority small owned businesses face.

Because many people leading and advocating for this neighborhood have lived those experiences themselves.

As a young woman, it's also encouraging to know there's a neighborhood that's still diverse in Denver where I could one day raise a family and feel connected to people and culture around me.

It says a lot that tonight 48 people signed up to speak.

That alone shows something powerful.

The energy is here.

People care deeply deeply about this neighborhood, and the five points bid has inspired many of us to not just join and show up today, but to stay engaged in the community and continue investing our time, voices, and support.

I understand the importance of questioning where your dollars go.

As someone who tries to be both frugal and socially responsible, I do understand that accountability matters, but I also echo what Alba said earlier.

What would this neighborhood look like if the bid didn't exist?

And what will be lost without the coordination, advocacy, investment, and stewardship that the bid provides.

Collaboration takes intention and community takes intention.

So I hope we can channel this energy in the room tonight to continue partnerships and actions, not just for today, but for the next 10 years if the bid gets renewed.

It's incredibly important for the growth and sustainability of Denver as a whole that we continue to support neighborhoods that reflect cultural expression, history, and identity of the city.

Five points is one of those places.

So again, I'm in strong support of the five points bid.

Okay, thank you.

Margin Kirsch.

Hello.

My name is Dr.

Margie Karish, and I am a professor at the University of Denver, Daniels College of Business.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

And hello to all the students who are watching online.

Over the past two years, over 350 students in my courses at the University of Denver have engaged with the Five Points community with business owners and with the Business Improvement District Board, including Mr.

Norman Harris.

The students are away to work on a real life challenges and have the work they're doing make a difference in community.

Together, we are honored to support the renewal of the five points bid.

When Norm invited me to discuss the D use how the D students could support the Welton Street Corridor's goals, I did not realize I was looking two years ago, would change so substantially in the time we've worked together.

New businesses have opened, closures are down, the momentum is building.

Through 12 courses over six quarters, the students have conducted research using method and structure, gathering data for the bid board, their communication of the corridor stakeholders provided the bid with tools for listening and quantifying the desires and dreams of stakeholders along the corridor.

As a student said, our project with five points allowed me to communicate with people in a part of Denver I was not aware of before.

In addition, the students participated in Shark Tank style competitions for activating economic development along the corridor, welcoming civic leaders across Denver, including from the Denver Arts and Venues, Renew Denver, Dito business owners along the Welton Street corridors, member of the bid board, and others.

Students competed for the best proposal, providing ideas for what their demographic is looking for, such as vintage clothing and authentic experiences and connection and shared spaces to extend economic engagement with younger audiences for long-term growth.

And finally, the guiding light for DU students has been viewing trust as an infrastructure along the corridor and not a cultural byproduct.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to share this unique and dynamic area of the town with the youth who are our leaders of the future.

The knowledge they gained and their love for five points came from understanding the deep historic cultural legacy of the space, speaking with the people they met, and being part of the momentum behind this dynamic, exciting part of Denver.

Thank you.

That concludes our speakers.

Do we have questions from members of council on Council Bill 0486?

Councilmember Watson.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Before I ask my question, just want to thank everyone in the audience and those virtually for the questions you've asked and the many meetings we've held coming towards this bid renewal.

Ask Mr.

Harris if you don't mind coming up for a quick second.

I have a few questions on the economic impact of the bid through their term.

And would hope that you can provide us some numbers and then also speak to the process the bid used for coordinating assets to go across all of the businesses on the bid.

Can you first speak to share with us any numbers that you or your team may have on economic impact or things generated from the bid, the bid board, co-created by businesses as far as a demonstration of impact of the bid?

Yeah, definitely.

And um just appreciate the opportunity and definitely want to address uh the impact that we've had because there's never enough money, right?

And so true, our operating budget this year um, I believe is uh 275,000.

That's the money that's collected through the 10 mil levy.

Um, however, this year alone, um, we have secured in grants over 125,000.

Um that's been money that's been used to support some of the cultural programming efforts that are happening on the corridor, and we're just in June still, or sorry, just in May, still working on sponsorships and grants to help justify the work that we're doing.

Last year, that number um was 190,000 in grants that we bought in uh for corridor activations for murals for landscape improvement that didn't just come off of um our general fund.

But beyond just those dollars, what to also what I also like to speak to is some of the other investments that we have helped galvanize for the corridor, specifically speaking about the next step studies with RTD and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.

So RTD has committed uh between 750,000 and 964,000 for a study of Welton Street.

If you guys are aware, there have been studies of what the future, how the main how Welton Street should be configured since I believe 2011.

And those studies have uh resulted in um different uh papers and documents that have just made it to the backs of folks um filing cabinets.

Um but through quite a bit of aggregate advocacy with uh partnership such as um folks at Curtis Park Neighbors and just really galvanizing our community.

We um drafted a white paper and had community meetings and were able to actually put Welton Street at the forefront of the minds of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure and RTD to actually commit dollars for needed impact that's going to change the characterization of the street that actually makes it more beautiful, more walkable, more green infrastructure.

Um we have worked with also the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure who has committed dollars to um improving some of our street corners, which right now are just have um bow bots, but now we'll have green infrastructure and um and other uh uh trees grown.

We've also advocated the support of um the Denver Urban Renewal Authority, um that's um sorry, Denver Urban Renewal Authority or Denver Renewal Dura.

Um, and um what that resulted in was I believe about 200,000 in um grants for businesses along five points, and so just a really good example of how that had an impact.

Um, one of the grants that I'm really most power uh most proud of the businesses that received a grant was Urban Sanctuary.

So Urban Sanctuary is a black owned yoga shop that um is on 27th in Welton.

Um Ali Duncan got a grant from Dura and actually expanded her business across the street.

So now she has two um yoga spaces, one for hot yoga and one for era yoga in five points with a grant that she got from Dura.

Um we met with Dora probably five or six times and really impressed upon them the importance and need for them to prioritize some of the businesses on five points, especially when consider some of the investments that they've made across the city.

Um we also worked with Oedit in um 2024 with a um uh a grant program that they had, in which I believe about 200, 250,000 were committed to small businesses on five points, including Welton Street Cafe, um, which predated them opening and their new uh location.

So um I definitely understand that um that uh we have property owners, we have business owners who are um paying hard-earned money into the bid through the mill levy, but I would you know definitely, you know, state that um I believe some of those numbers justify that we are bringing in more value um not only on the short term with grants and um foundational support with some of the work that we're doing with the University of Denver, some of the work that we're doing with Metro State, um uh that out that is even larger than um our operational budget.

So I hope that that answers your question.

Venues and other uh dollars that are brought in.

I know that some of the speakers spoke to the transition of uh Jazz Fest.

Yeah, so um, you know, I was I've worked um and had a relationship with Denver Arts and Venues since 2013.

Um, you know, I've worked with Arturo and the Great people at Denver Arts and Venues as an organizer of uh of the Jazz Fest, and no one was more hurt to find out that it was just not sustainable to have um Jazz Fest continue.

Um, but through that relationship, we were able to um get Denver Arts and Venues to invest a portion of that money, I believe it's about 250,000 to cultural programming specific to five points.

Um and so 125,000 of those dollars comes to the bid, and that's what helps us do um program first Friday.

We're actually expanding that program to Saturday, and then another hundred thousand dollars is granted to um individuals who have ideas for jazz and jazz-related activations along the corridor, which also um reminds me um the uh vibrant um the vibrant Denver bond package uh which we advocated for, I believe, has 12.3 million dollars earmarked for uh the um Blair Um Blair Caldwell African American Research Library, which desperately needed to be um you know worked on.

Uh and so since 2024, uh since I assumed this role, we've had the opportunity to have the mayor uh come to five points, and we've had the opportunity to work with our council people to really reiterate that um there is a there is a um there's a big impact when we continue to say we'll get to Welton Street next.

There's a big impact when a business owner or property owner says, Hey, maybe I'll just you know fix the roof next year or next decade.

Um and what we have been you know um making sure people are aware of is that the time for five points is now, and that there's no better time for us to continue this momentum than now.

Um I'm gonna be here in a couple of weeks actually speaking about um hopefully getting your all's um approval for um TIFF financing for the Rossonian Hotel.

Um and I'm turning 50 this year, and for 50 years, um I've you know either been pushed by a stroller or walked by that building and seen absolutely no activity.

And um I'm so thankful that in my lifetime we'll be able to see um you know this cultural icon, this this this place in five points actually become alive, but it's more than just the Rossonian, it's businesses like Raw's place called the uh the cipher, it's businesses like um Moulu's place uh the culture bar um that are really the fabric of what makes our corridor unique, and so um we admittedly have a lot of work to do, but uh we we work with passion and we put this neighborhood first and just again have the you know thankful that um we have the opportunity to uh to be renewed for another 10 years.

One question on vacancies.

Um I know that um since I've been in office in 2023, the bid has been focused on a concerted effort to make sure that um uh through a a process that um uh vacant um buildings are coordinating with each other to identify.

You heard some of the the folks spoke to what that coordinated process benefited.

Can you share a little bit about what that coordinated process is and the benefits of that process?

So one thing that um we did do is there's a couple of larger property owners who now have the same commercial broker, and um I was able to get my hands on a couple of leases in five points um that were uh were executed before 2024.

And um what you would find on, and we were also able to compare some of the leases that were being executed in five points to other leases across the city, and we're actually having uh creating dialogue between a commercial broker and some of our property owners, and there was a huge delta, huge difference between what some of our property owners were charging on a per square foot basis versus what other property owners in other parts of the city, and really five points was not competitive.

And so it definitely is a was a challenging conversation to have with a property owner, but also having data to support the fact that we need to be more creative in some of our leases, or else we're just not going to bridge the gap.

We're gonna have spaces that are gonna sit empty for the next 10 years, and folks like Lulu, folks like Raw have benefited from having those conversations with property owners to say that there's got to be a more creative way to create a lease that's gonna create the runway that's gonna give a small business the opportunity to start.

Um so um, yeah, that's just another method of some of the work that we've done that actually takes time.

Um, and uh I'm proud to say that we've we've got new businesses open, but it is a partnership.

It is, you know, bringing not only the property owner together but the business owner together and a commercial broker to kind of understand that that we cannot move all we cannot we cannot all move forward unless we are all on the same page.

Final question I have the greatest respect for Dr.

Cousins and um the history and legacy of their family.

Um Dr.

Cousins and a few of the business owners that have spoken to me over the last year aren't satisfied with the bid.

Some of the businesses on 20th specifically um aren't satisfied with what it has delivered, what you and the uh business approvement district, the board, what what's your response to them on their concerns and the way you are looking at the future of this renewal?

What are you thinking or seeing that will be different?

Well, I I see this process, if if anything, I'm really appreciative of this process because it has put us in a position to listen, and so um the first thing that I was trying to explain when I was um talking before this is that um I do believe that our board and our board processes do need to be more transparent.

Um, so immediately, and I've been chatting with our board members about this.

Um, we do need to provide more understanding of how folks can be a board member.

I do believe that um we do need to expand the opportunities um for people to be on the board um along with um we need to um we do I do think we need to be more accessible and and when I say more accessible that you know comes into you know the times that the board is meeting to allow more folks to um come and and and participate and share their thoughts.

Um, you know, right now I believe we meet on um you know the second Wednesdays of the month, which was kind of like a system that was inherited.

Um but what I so I think that addresses some of the concerns um with the sermon's concerns of the folks for 20th, which I certainly understand because it's such a long corridor.

Um, you know, one of the things that we've been doing with the uh property owners is just being, you know, overly transparent with the services that they're getting.

Um I've put some of our stakeholders in group text messages with our maintenance folks who are sending daily text messages showing the streets that they're clean, um, and uh I've worked to at least be um to to be there to to speak to them and talk to them and say how can we deliver more value?

Um so you will see this with uh some of the landscape improvement projects that we have slated for this year, which focus more on some of the the edges of the corridor versus just the core.

Um, but I do believe that what this just generates is what what this um what we have to do is continue to have conversation for me to understand as a leader how we can better best serve them.

Thank you, Norm.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Except we have counselment works.

Thank you so much.

Um Norman, I have a couple of questions for you.

Um just hitting on a little bit of the opposition, it seemed like it was from like the 20th end of Welton.

And just looking at I think the um satellite images one thing that strikes me because we, you know, we just we went through an uphill climb with the Santa Fe Business Improvement District as well.

These are not everybody's always happy with how our bids perform and and who they serve.

One of the things I'm noticing though is towards that end you have a lot more um non-commercial like activation.

And I also noticed that there it carries over some of the Erapaho square zoning whereas on the other side of really 23rd and park it's mixed use zoning.

Has that ever been has that that ever come up as an issue for attracting businesses because those parking lots are are like a lot of space right like you're not gonna get a lot of traffic goers if you've got that.

We decided that on 20th and Walton so right on the intersection with Broadway I believe we have an eight story multifamily development that's um underway which I think will help start to change the character of 20th Street.

But agree with you 100% I don't think it's a zoning issue.

I think it's an economic issue with some of the vast parking lots that are between 20th and park avenue in terms of um folks finding the sweet spot for for development so yeah I would much rather see something other than you know parking lots at the moment.

But at what I'm also trying to focus on is what I can control which is at least having an understanding of what we can do now to meet the needs of that of the street that's you know further south in the condition that they're that they're currently in what I think that looks like are probably lighting um again landscape improvement improve um maintenance services but um I can tell you for at least on 20th Street that there is a uh parcel um that I think you guys are gonna hear about pretty soon because it's up for prop one two three um in terms of um development on 20th and Walton.

Something we just want to come up to speed on and President Sandoval helped create it.

It's the eighth design overlay that the city adopted and her office built it um and it requires street level activation.

One of the things that because we applied it on Santa Fe Drive after she applied it on Tennyson is I know that things will be developed on Santa Fe Drive.

In our art district is loss of commercial space on the first floor.

And so if it's not required, they're just gonna build residential and you have an opportunity maybe to have some continuity of commercial space that's offered up because it's required in the zoning and so it may not be today or tomorrow but those parking lots are going to turn over one day.

And it can either be a big residential building or it can be residential with mixed use on the bottom.

So just something to think about it worked well in terms of even our property sizes and ours are much smaller than yours.

So I I would just encourage you to see if that's something that would work for that uh that corridor okay um I do have one more nope I assulted thank you thank you.

We have Councilman Parity thank you thank you so much.

Um, I'll try to keep those super quick.

My questions are also for you.

Um, I've been in hearing from some of the um members of the bid.

I've heard the same concern about boundaries, and I think essentially that's not an issue for the renewal, but I hope it gets looked at.

Um, because with the renewal, we're just um it's an up or down vote.

You know, we're we can't go back and touch the ordinance.

What we're voting on actually isn't the ordinance language or the boundaries or any of that, it's just the tenure extension, and um I will be a yes on that.

Um, but I wanted to say you know, I think that issue deserves consideration.

Um, and then in addition to that, was curious um if you have feelings about moving towards an elected board, um, and also what the current rules are for term limits on the board.

So um, you know, as I think I stated that um my thoughts are that are my personal thoughts or that our the board size is actually adequate for I was asking about elected versus appointed though, not the size.

So should property owners and business owners actually elect board members as opposed to the well my understanding of how this works right now is that the mayor appoints board members, correct?

It would be a change to the ordinance.

Right, so um no, I I would support the property owners and business owners being having a voice, um a direct voice on who the who is on the board.

No, can you?

Wants to say something about this too if that's okay.

Um I think we can speak in a um and I we do have Brad Neiman from the City Attorney's Office.

Uh uh remote, might be able to speak to that just a little bit more.

Is there an issue?

Sorry.

I'm confused about what we're asking for to speak to.

And if it's not possible for members to be elected legally, that would be interesting, but right on.

I got it.

Grad?

Hello?

Yeah.

Hi.

Sorry.

Greg, did you hear councilman parody's question?

Yes, I did.

Okay.

And uh, yeah, so so it would be it is an option for the uh for the bid board under the state statute.

The creation ordinance currently contemplates the uh an appointment by the mayor and confirmation by city council.

Um, so it would just have to be change in the creation ordinance if that is the direction that the the bid board wishes to go.

And then there would have to be some logistics that would need to occur as well to make sure that there's the proper um turnover because it'd be it would be certainly changing the changing the current process.

And Brad, thank you so much for that.

I understood that, which is why I was asking Mr.

Harris if he was open to that process.

Um that was the question.

I'm just trying to keep this quick because it's late.

So the answer is yes, I'm open to the program.

Thank you so much.

Um, and then the other question I have is do you know what the current term limits are on the board for board members and how those are set?

I believe they're set at three terms, but I I'd have to double check.

Another concern that I've heard, so I would just ask that that be raised up as well, and that was it.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Madam President.

Thank you.

Councilman Gonzalez, good day.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um I I thank you, Councilman Parity, Councilman Torres for the questions.

I think a lot of that answers the same questions I have.

I guess one question is around the um is passing this evening.

Understanding that that is then after it passes that an amendment can then be brought forward by the bid.

And so my question is, is are you willing to engage in those conversations with um the folks that have you know come with concerns uh around things that they would like to see maybe differently?

Is that something that you're willing to come to the table to bring forward an amendment after all of this?

100%.

Okay, thank you for thank you for that.

Um and I'm trying to think if there was one other question that I had.

Actually, that's it.

Thank you, Madam President.

See no other questions in the queue.

The public hearing is closed.

Comments by members of the council on council bill 0486.

Councilmember Watson, do you want to start us off?

Yes, Council President.

Thank you so much.

Um, I I want to first say once again, thanks to everyone online, everyone here for um speaking, and like I said, the uh the months of dialogue that we've been having about the five points bid.

I moved to Denver in 1987, a little skinny boy from the West Indies, 17 years old.

And I lived downtown.

But I was aware of five points because of attending CU Denver, All-Center Area Campus.

I would walk because I was too young to drive.

And sit there with my friends on the regular.

Many of y'all have been around who know what Capri Chicken was and is.

Those are my haunts.

As a young black man from Island, 99% of the folks look like me, from the doctors, the lawyers, the folks on the streets, like my mom would say, the knuckleheads, and everyone else, all looked like me.

The place and space where I found my people, where I found my center, was a Walton Street corridor.

Up and down that corridor, a young 17-year-old is where I lived, where I haunted, um, where I saw my people and I felt enriched.

Um, there was not a five points bid uh back then.

Um what I saw from my own eyes were individual businesses with folks with grit, with focus with love of five points, individually, or in some level collectively, trying to speak to a city that has chosen to not invest in it, that has turned their back at investments from whether it was for land use, whether it was for abandoned homes that are on the strip, or abandoned businesses.

The investment was left up to individuals to compete against folks who are better served, with better attorneys, better connected, um, and five points continue to flow up and down based on the multi-decades.

I remember um Federico Pena famously said, I think it was in 85, 86, that he was going to reopen the Rasonian, was one of his promises as mayor.

That was many, many, many eons and mayors ago who've made the similar promise of we will someday support the community.

So five points rise again.

Um, and time and time again, community members have been that those promises have not been kept, and the community has left with the remnants of whatever this city government provided to five points.

Um I remember seeing a light at the end of the tunnel when Tracy Winchester uh took over um five points and began a collective of bringing businesses together, uh, small groups of businesses that wanted to have a unified voice when we spoke to the city, when we spoke to the Department of Transportation back then when we spoke to each of the businesses and entities that wanted to invest in five points.

Tracy with her wit, um with her humor, with her straight focus on making sure that we had a uh vibrant five points.

She began the good work of really pulling this community together and fighting for the dollars that we deserved in five points.

I remember following her was Will Alston, and he had another level of strategic organization uh for five points and five points businesses.

Uh Mr.

Allison is a businessman, and he's also a jazz artist.

And so five points was in his heart as a hard of the West as an important place and space to make sure that we have thriving businesses.

But because both of those entities, amazing leaders, Tracy Winchester and Will Alston, amazing heart, amazing love, amazing promises once again from the city.

There was no direct connection, no clear governmental expectation for how dollars should be invested, how should they be spent, and how can they fight against the larger entities across the city that was soaking up all the dollars?

And as Will Alston's work concluded, the five points bid grew out of the ashes.

Grew like a Phoenix with a focus of a coordinated process of businesses that's in an intergovernmental agreement that we can work directly with city agencies for direct dollars to be found and be provided to five points, as evenly as it does, to Cherry Creek, as evenly as it's done, to Colfax, as easily as it's done, to Rhino, which is part of Five Points, but they got their bid first and got direct investment, coordinated process, street updates, walkability, all of those funds because they were working coordinatedly as businesses and not as individual business members who loved the art district.

And the work began in you with Norm Harris as the executive director of Five Points Bid.

I hear clearly, Dr.

Cousins and the other business owners who are not satisfied that the investment of their dollars that they're receiving the correct benefit.

As I look around this street, and yes, I've been haunting those streets since 87.

I've lived in Whittier a few blocks away since 97.

I've loved and lived on those streets.

Has been just part of the process.

The coordinated work for if you live in Five Points, you know, every spring, let's start, say February, March, when the snow is melting and the rains begin.

Where did it flood?

For a decade, decade and a half, two decades.

Right at the point, 26.

You would have a river, a pool at the points.

There was not a coordinated process to ensure that stormwater drainage, whether it was from the Platte Park Hill process or any of the others, came to Five Points specifically.

They always stopped in Downey.

It was through the bid and through the coordinated process that made sure that those city investments were supplied, and that one little corridor, with no reason, no one business would have had the power to bring the city's focus on that.

When Jazz Fest concluded, and our hearts were broken because there was not direct investment to businesses.

There's no one business that could have coordinated that approach, and now it's $750,000 in three years with a guarantee and a requirement at 95% of those dollars go to businesses and or jazz artists.

That could not have been negotiated by an individual business, but it was negotiated by the business improvement district.

When I needed a partner to fight for bid funding, and the idea that Denver Libraries was not going to get large portions of funding within the bid, there are other libraries that needed it more than Blair Calwell.

We leaned on the five points bid and brought together not only businesses but residents and every former mayor that has promised five points to come together to make sure that we got 12.3 million dollars for Blair Calwell.

Jamika and her amazing team at Blair Colo Historic Library would not on their own have been able to convince the bid group, the bid board, to invest that 12.3 or so many competing efforts and trillion billions of dollars asked for with a small amount, millions, hundreds of millions, not a small amount, but a large amount, but not much, not much, for five points.

But the bid provided that opportunity.

I say to my friends on the corridor who are not seeing the benefits right now.

I say that the bid has proof in a put-in.

They've demonstrated with I would say nine new businesses opening and the restoration of several businesses along the corridor.

The dream of the Rossonian opening in my lifetime is real because of this.

The whole properties, the development, the first TOD development on the 30th and Downing Strip, was about to go into bankruptcy.

Their condos, nor their residential residence apartments, were going to maintain it with a relationship with Hope properties that just was not development dollars.

There wasn't funding.

The economy wasn't going to provide it.

The first housing development would have been lost.

This summer, we leaned on the bid to come in and provide clarity of process to help us with coordinating with a developer that could come in and purchase the entire building.

Once again, hope properties on their own could not have done that and saved those tens of homes, those condos, as well as mixed use.

The power of the individual businesses on that corridor, your strength should be that should be a demonstration of value of the years of work that you've done.

And I know that you some folks in the audience aren't feeling the outcomes, the investment.

But what I am saying is that the bid is the venue, is the avenue, is the leverage to get these things done.

We would not have moved the needle in the last four or five, six, ten years, if not for the bid.

And I asked my colleagues as we go through the list of the ways in which this corridor has elevated, has received investment, long lost, that this bid is part of the solution.

I have the commitment from Norman Harris and the board to look at the amendments to the originating documents, and we will continue, if this passes tonight, starting tomorrow, discussing what that looks like.

And that is my commitment to you, Dr.

Cousins, as I've made to you, face to face.

We will sit and have this discussion to make sure that your needs are met and those of other businesses who are not seeing the outcome that I see.

I want to thank everyone once again for speaking, for being here tonight.

I asked my colleagues to provide the opportunity for next 10 years for us to have the corridor that we deserve, corridor that other little black folks from the West Indies or wherever that moves here.

A place that feels, smells, tastes, like our home with the investments from this city to ensure that we continue moving forward.

Like so many art of corridors within this city, and it's through the bid that we're gonna make this happen.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Councilman Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Thank you, Madam President.

I'll be very quick because I appreciate everyone that has been here that came out tonight, stayed uh as late as you have alongside with us.

Uh I want to thank the property business owners that reached out to my office and took the time to sit down with me to express your concerns.

I also want to thank Norman, uh, the bid for your work as well.

And uh, you know, I think that this process has brought to light the need to ensure that there are transparent and equitable processes.

I've heard tonight a commitment to bringing forward an amendment to address said concerns that have been brought to light.

Um, but I also heard that there is a commitment to making board meetings also more accessible, and I just want to say that out loud right now that that was something that was committed to tonight to work on that.

Um I look forward to seeing all of those things done very soon here in the near very near future.

Uh, I will be supporting tonight for that reason.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Height.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, I uh just want to explain my vote.

I think that I heard maybe three groups of uh of people testifying tonight.

Uh first group, large group in favor of the bid, uh maybe second group, some people from out of state having trouble understanding how they really connect to uh to this conversation.

There are only a few of them, uh, and then some business owners that felt like they weren't getting their value from the bid.

Not that they're opposed to the structure of a business improvement district, but that they're opposed to what the value they're getting right now.

So um, so it seems to me a bid that works for you is something that even the detractors are interested in.

So I I think I'm gonna vote tonight in favor of a bid.

I think as we uh as council member parity uh, you know, suggested maybe an elected board as opposed to an appointed board, but a way for uh, you know, way for there to be additional democratization of um, you know, who gets to decide where the funds get allocated.

I think that makes a whole lot of sense.

But as Councilmember Watson shared, there is value in the instrument itself.

And I don't think the detractors are saying that there's no value in the instrument.

They're just saying they want more out of it, and I think that's a fair fair ass.

So I'll be voting in favor of it tonight, and I hope we do see additional uh modification to democratize how investment happens with the bid in the future.

Councilmember Lewis.

Uh, thank you all so much.

I really appreciate the opportunity to uh speak um and to also hear the questions that were being asked by folks.

Um what I heard um tonight in terms of the responses to some of the questions that council members asked is that the investments are doll of dollars for some of the folks that were that are within the bid are not benefiting their businesses, and what I hope to hear um either from board members, the executive director, or even from the council member of this district is how they would proactively address it.

And I didn't hear anyone say like what does that value look like, and that was disappointing for me.

Um, in the same vein, I heard um Council um Menheims mentioned that there was a lot of um folks who had come from out of town, either out of the city and county of Denver or out of the entire state that were speaking to the support of the bid, and I was quite confused by that, um, particularly as someone who was born and raised um in five points that um five points 20 decades ago to today is actually quite different, and so speaking on what you knew and what you have experienced is quite different.

Um I did hear this commitment around the amendments, and I what I didn't hear was uh plan in terms of what it will look like when you all bring the amendments forward, what the timeline will be, who will be involved, what that looks like in terms of involving those who have um expressed some concerns regarding the bid.

And then finally, I did hear a commitment around making the board meetings more accessible again.

Um the specific language was we are going to look at that and to look at something is not a plan, it's not how you get things done.

Um and so what I am hoping to hear as a council member is more of the plans to be able to get some of these things done, and so with that, I will absolutely be a no on this.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um, thank you all for coming out.

Thank you all for going the distance and still staying here.

Um over 50 speakers is a lot for all of us to sit through um and to digest and figure out um what goes in my brain.

I I usually do a process like what what are the outlying issues and a councilwoman Torres's um point, we heard a very similar um conversation for the Santa Fe bid not long ago that there were people along the Santa Fe bid who were very unhappy with how some of the how they felt like their money where their dollars were going.

What I don't think the general public understands is you all are self-taxing.

So you already paid 29% property tax, and then you pay another tax on top of that that gets separated out to get to get representation.

Um so I totally if you were here earlier in the night, we worked on an ordinance specifically for general improvement districts and business improvement districts.

They're a fantastic tool.

I have one in my council district.

I actually wish I had more.

Um, because you can do a little bit more with them rather than a local maintenance district that doesn't have as much flexibility.

Um I was a uh been here for a long time.

I was a council aide in 2012 when I start when councilman Montero started helping out set up the um business improvement district for Brighton Boulevard and the general improvement district, and that has had hard times as well.

Nothing has been really easy in these quasi-governmental entities.

I will just say that.

Is someone whose dad grew up for 28th in Downing, he went to enunciation high school.

Then he moved over to the north side, where a lot of Latinos grew up in the in the east side and moved over to the north side as my father did that we all work together.

And when I met with Norman and his team, I said, you know, a 10-year renewal, you all worked up to get to the 10-year renewal for me.

For me, what I would like to hear is what's the two-year after the 10-year renewal?

What's a two-year process?

What's a three-year process?

What's the five-year process so that we're not trying just to build momentum six months before a renewal process?

Um, and that actually to really bring you all into the fold.

So I understand that my vote might not resonate well with you all tonight because I'm going to vote to support it, but I do understand that these are it's a 10-year, it's a really long time.

I was a council aide in 2016 when this got voted on.

I was working for my predecessor.

I would have never thought I was going to be council president.

Someone would have told me that 10 years ago, I'd have been like, nah, you're tripping, I'm not doing that.

Um so things, a lot of things can change in Denver, and a lot of things can be worked out.

But you have my commitment as someone who is born and raised in Denver and loves Denver.

If you have a problem, come talk to us.

You have two at large council members who can help facilitate something, and I know Norman.

I think he will do a great job reaching out and trying to really build consensus and around this, and I will say not all leaders want to lead.

It's really hard to lead because you end up being the one who takes the all the arrows.

And so just Norman, thank you for leading this right now.

And I know you're the type of leader who you're not going to want to stay the leader of this forever.

So finding that pipeline of leadership is something that I hope this bid does, and I hope that all organizations do because it's really hard to find pipelines of leadership.

Um, so with that, thank you all for staying here until the city and county building till 8 15 at night.

Um this is actually really what democracy looks like is us listening to you all, hearing the evidence, and then making the decisions.

So we really appreciate all the work that you have done.

With that, madam secretary, we'll call Council Member Lewis.

Alvidres?

Aye, Flynn.

Aye.

Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Aye, Hines, Cashman.

Aye.

Parity.

Aye.

Romero Campbell.

Aye.

Torres.

Aye.

Watson?

Aye.

Madam President.

Aye.

Madam Secretary, close the voting and announce the results.

One nay, eleven ayes.

11 ayes, council bill 0486 has passed.

On Monday, June 8th, 2026, Council will required public hearing on Council Bill 0557, changing the zoning classification for 8401 East Bellevue Avenue in Hampton South.

There being no further business support.

This body, this meeting is adjourned.