OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Denver Transportation Committee Approves JCDecaux Concession, Supports Front Range Rail Proclamation (June 17, 2026)

Council Committees — Wednesday, June 17, 2026
BodyDenver, Colorado
SessionCouncil Committees
DateWednesday, June 17, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:23:04
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

I don't pick the food when I come to these restaurants.

0:02

They pick for me.

0:03

This is not what I was expecting.

0:05

Guess what this is?

0:07

House made spam.

0:08

Never seen housemate spam anywhere before.

0:11

We got a crispy rice cake.

0:14

Interesting combination.

0:14

We got a little bit of peach over here.

0:16

Of course, perfect for this time of the year.

0:20

Oh, we cow.

0:23

That's freaking delicious.

0:24

It really is.

0:26

I gotta be honest with you.

0:27

I'm a huge fan of Chef Russ here.

0:29

He is doing some really creative dishes.

0:31

This is a chilled buckwheat chatara.

0:34

Never heard of that.

0:34

Don't know what a chitar is, but I'd love cold noodles in the summer.

0:38

Just so refreshing.

0:39

And then uh this mushroom broto right here.

0:42

And it's got poached base gallops in it, cucumbers, got some radishes.

0:47

Like it's 98 degrees outside.

0:50

I don't want to eat a hot pasta.

0:52

A nice chilled pasta.

0:57

Delightfully refreshing.

0:58

Absolutely need to put apple blossom on your restaurant list to visit.

1:02

And there's lots of opportunities because they're open for breakfast, lunch, dinner.

1:06

They have two happy hours, an early and a late night.

1:08

Come check them out as soon as possible.

1:13

Research Revival opened in the Hotel Indigo a little less than a year ago.

1:17

Absolutely stunning restaurant in the conversation for best-looking restaurant in all of Colorado.

1:22

And what they do here, small plates, tapas from around the area.

1:27

Not just Spain, but they do the whole Mediterranean.

1:29

So it's a very beverage focused restaurant.

1:32

Gorgeous, stunning drinks right here.

1:34

This actually somehow is a gin and tonic.

1:36

You ever seen anything like that?

1:38

And then I like this little prosecco here pouring into this right here.

1:42

Nice touch.

1:43

They brought me a little bit of everything, and that's what they do here.

1:46

It's about tapas, it's about sharing.

1:47

So you can try a lot of different things, which is the way I like to eat.

1:50

We got patatas bravas.

1:52

We got the salt cod right here, corn and tomato salad, and then some bass crudo.

1:57

Corn, tomato, onion, a little cilantro.

2:00

Perfect little summer dish right here.

2:03

I haven't had a good tomato in so long.

2:05

It reminds me of the farm that my grandparents had in upstate New York.

2:09

I'd go pick the tomatoes right off the vine and just eat it right there.

2:12

That's how good this is.

2:14

Alright, trying this crude right here.

2:16

So much attention to detail on each little plate.

2:20

Super fresh.

2:21

If you've never had crude before, it's sushi.

2:24

Just like sashimi without the rice.

2:26

Don't be afraid of it.

2:27

We can get good fish here in Colorado.

2:29

I think we haven't had um patatus bravas here since uh we were in Breckenridge at Mimo's.

2:35

I think if you're doing the toppest place, you gotta do these.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Contracts And Procurement████████████████████████████████32%
Public Transportation██████████████████████████████30%
Small Business Opportunity███████████████15%
Procedural██████6%
Economic Development████4%
Racial Equity███3%
Parks and Recreation███3%
Transportation Safety███3%
Fiscal Sustainability███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Denver Transportation and Infrastructure Committee – June 17, 2026

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of the Denver City Council met on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 1:30 PM. The committee approved a 10-year concession agreement with JCDecaux Airport, Inc. for advertising at Denver International Airport and heard a briefing on a proclamation supporting the Front Range Passenger Rail District’s proposed special events stations and rail development.

Consent Calendar

  • 26-0613: Approved a $2,337,485.43 contract with Rodriguez Construction Org, L.L.C. for construction of stamped concrete medians along Federal Boulevard (NTP + 270 days).
  • 26-0829: Approved a $1,125,000.00 contract with CHATO’S CONCRETE, LLC for the 2026 Citywide Concrete Panel Repair project (NTP + 120 days).
  • 26-0831: Approved a $12,138,066.51 contract with Flatiron Dragados Constructors, Inc. for CM/GC construction services for the Morrison Road Improvement project (NTP + 424 days).
  • 26-0851: Approved a correction to Resolution No. 0658, Series of 2026, dedicating two City-owned parcels as Public Right-of-Way at West 8th Avenue and North Utica Street. All consent items were approved without objection.

Action Item: JCDecaux Concession Agreement (26-0755)

The committee considered a 10-year concession agreement with JCDecaux Airport, Inc. for advertising services at Denver International Airport (Council District 11). Key details presented by DEN staff:

  • Minimum annual guarantee of $184 million over 10 years, with percent rent of 72.5% on revenue up to $30 million annually and 62.5% on revenue above $30 million.
  • JCDecaux will invest $16 million in new digital advertising assets and remove legacy assets.
  • The contract includes a codified commitment to utilize J. Perez & Associates, a small disadvantaged business, for maintenance, cleaning, and repair services (a floor of 2% of contract value, with JCDecaux stating they expect to exceed 50% of goods and services spending with small businesses).
  • Following contract execution, the Division of Small Business Opportunity (DISBO) will establish MWBE goals for design and construction work.
  • Discussion addressed the federal interim final rule affecting ACDBE certification; DEN is in the process of recertifying 160 firms, expected by Q3 or Q4 2026. The selection process was completed before the rule change, and the contract was deemed best value.
  • The committee also discussed plans for the Pena Boulevard welcome sign light sticks. DEN confirmed the art installation will be preserved; the light sticks will be redesigned and prototyped by Panasonic starting October 2026.
  • Vote: Councilmember Kashmann moved approval, seconded by Vice Chair Hinds. The resolution passed 5-0 (Alvidrez, Flynn, Hinds, Kashmann, Lewis voting aye; Gilmore and Sandoval absent).

Briefing: Proclamation Supporting Front Range Passenger Rail (26-0866)

Councilmember Darryl Watson introduced a proclamation supporting the Front Range Passenger Rail District’s (FRPRD) proposed special events stations and development of passenger rail service along the Front Range. Key points from the briefing:

  • The proposed system, Colorado Connector (COCO), would connect Wyoming to New Mexico via existing rail corridors, with Denver Union Station as the hub.
  • Service could begin as early as 2029, pending voter approval of a district-wide sales tax (currently modeled at one-third of a penny).
  • FRPRD General Manager Sal Pace stated that Denver would receive over $300 million over 25 years in local return funds for station area improvements, including first/last mile connectivity and infrastructure.
  • FRPRD has held 20 town halls with over 2,000 attendees and will hold 10 more in August before a potential November ballot measure.
  • Councilmember Hinds expressed strong support for multimodal transit and noted the importance of the rail system for equity and traffic violence reduction.
  • Councilmember Alvidrez raised concerns about quiet zones, rail crossings dividing neighborhoods, displacement risk, and the need for updated neighborhood plans. She requested further briefing on these issues.
  • Councilmember Flynn asked about the choice of sales tax vs. property tax; Pace explained that voters prefer sales tax and it captures revenue from visitors.
  • The proclamation is not an action item and will be presented to the full council on July 13, 2026.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution 26-0755 (JCDecaux agreement) was approved by a 5-0 vote.
  • Consent items were all approved.
  • The committee discussed and forwarded Proclamation 26-0866 to the full council without a vote; no opposition was voiced.
  • Next steps: JCDecaux contract execution and design work; FRPRD will continue outreach and seek a ballot measure in November 2026.

Meeting Transcript

I don't pick the food when I come to these restaurants. They pick for me. This is not what I was expecting. Guess what this is? House made spam. Never seen housemate spam anywhere before. We got a crispy rice cake. Interesting combination. We got a little bit of peach over here. Of course, perfect for this time of the year. Oh, we cow. That's freaking delicious. It really is. I gotta be honest with you. I'm a huge fan of Chef Russ here. He is doing some really creative dishes. This is a chilled buckwheat chatara. Never heard of that. Don't know what a chitar is, but I'd love cold noodles in the summer. Just so refreshing. And then uh this mushroom broto right here. And it's got poached base gallops in it, cucumbers, got some radishes. Like it's 98 degrees outside. I don't want to eat a hot pasta. A nice chilled pasta. Delightfully refreshing. Absolutely need to put apple blossom on your restaurant list to visit. And there's lots of opportunities because they're open for breakfast, lunch, dinner. They have two happy hours, an early and a late night. Come check them out as soon as possible. Research Revival opened in the Hotel Indigo a little less than a year ago. Absolutely stunning restaurant in the conversation for best-looking restaurant in all of Colorado. And what they do here, small plates, tapas from around the area. Not just Spain, but they do the whole Mediterranean. So it's a very beverage focused restaurant. Gorgeous, stunning drinks right here. This actually somehow is a gin and tonic. You ever seen anything like that? And then I like this little prosecco here pouring into this right here. Nice touch. They brought me a little bit of everything, and that's what they do here. It's about tapas, it's about sharing. So you can try a lot of different things, which is the way I like to eat. We got patatas bravas. We got the salt cod right here, corn and tomato salad, and then some bass crudo. Corn, tomato, onion, a little cilantro. Perfect little summer dish right here. I haven't had a good tomato in so long. It reminds me of the farm that my grandparents had in upstate New York. I'd go pick the tomatoes right off the vine and just eat it right there.

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