OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

South Platte River Committee Meeting - June 24, 2026: IGA for Wynkoop Crossing Bridge

Council CommitteesWednesday, June 24, 2026
BodyDenver, Colorado
SessionCouncil Committees
DateWednesday, June 24, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 58:44
Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Welcome back to this bi-weekly meeting of the South Platte River Committee of Denver City Council.

0:10

Join us for the discussion as the South Platte River Committee starts now.

0:17

We have a little confidence.

0:27

Good afternoon, everyone.

0:29

Hi.

0:31

Thanks for joining us.

0:32

This is the South Platte River Committee meeting of June 24th.

0:37

Thank you all for being here.

0:39

We have one action item today.

0:41

No items on consent, so we don't need to worry about those.

0:45

But before we go into our presentation for action item, let's do introductions and we'll see if we have any council members online.

0:54

We do not.

0:55

So we'll start in the room and I'll start to my left.

0:58

Councilman for David, I'd like you to strike seven.

1:02

Thank you.

1:03

And I represent West Denver District 3.

1:05

I'm Councilwoman Torres.

1:07

Obviously, we need one more here in order to vote on your action item, but we can get started with your presentation.

1:12

So I'll turn it over to you if you wouldn't mind doing introductions.

1:21

Okay, I am Andy Rockmore.

1:24

I'm a principal of Shears I can rock more architects.

1:28

Good afternoon.

1:29

Thanks for having us here today.

1:31

Stephen Wilson with community planning and development.

1:34

Dan Rasnik with Shears I can't rock more architects.

1:39

Great, shall I begin?

1:40

Yes, please go ahead, Stephen.

1:42

Thank you.

1:43

So thanks again for having us.

1:45

So we're here today to present uh the intergovernmental agreement for the Wine Coop crossing pedestrian bridge.

1:51

So is the agenda for today will provide a little bit of background.

1:55

The council request uh the actual proposal um and then the uh details of the IGA.

2:03

So the request uh is to approve Bill 260923, which is an intergovernmental agreement between uh the city and Cronkey Sports and Entertainment Metropolitan Districts uh number two and three.

2:20

Stick with that one.

2:26

Great.

2:27

Uh so in terms of background, as you may recall, we had a big night um back in November of 2024, and on that evening we presented and city council approved uh more than six items for ball arena.

2:39

Um, it's just a reminder of some of those items.

2:42

The site was rezoned from former Chapter 59 uh into a Central Platte Valley zone district, a zone district specifically for the area.

2:50

Uh the development agreement um was approved that formalized the affordable housing commitments, uh the signature park, and a list of community benefits uh investing.

3:01

The arena trust agreement was approved, ensuring that the Colorado Avalanche and the Nuggets will remain uh in Denver at that location until 2050.

3:09

Uh a viewplane modification was approved that unlocks the opportunity for additional housing within the project, and then specifically additional affordable housing opportunities.

3:19

The metropolitan service district uh plan was approved.

3:23

Um, and although not a codified requirement, a community benefits agreement that was larger and better than any that had been done in the city prior.

3:32

Since then, we've done lots of work also.

3:34

Uh so updates since 2004 include uh finalization of the metropolitan district election forming the districts, uh completed development agreement amendments, including uh adding language for uh the environmental provisions and for easements, uh completion of an infrastructure master plan, application of the Phase 1A site development plan, uh, right-of-way vacations and dedication applications that will come to you uh in future requests.

4:04

Um and then uh application for a tier three encroachment, and then the last item which brings us here, which is the intergovernmental agreement.

4:12

Um, and with that, I'll turn that over to my uh applicant, Andy Rockmore, to give a little background on the project.

4:20

Thank you.

4:21

We many of you have um seen this uh structure and its importance in our city.

4:29

So, but I will give a high level of all the componentry and the uh design vision, the intent that has uh created it.

4:38

This image shows the intensity of the forthcoming development around ball arena.

4:45

Uh but today, as Stephen alluded to, we're focused mostly on the wind coop crossing at Spear Boulevard.

4:54

And uh this image better shows uh the challenge of this structure.

5:01

It is positioned in the middle of three extremely sensitive contexts, and it seeks to unite those and resolve a lot of different aspects and functional requirements within each.

5:19

To the right on the screen is the historic Lodo neighborhood.

5:24

We cross Spear along Wine Coop and into a new emerging mixed-use district ball arena.

5:33

This is in a lot of ways similar to what this city endeavored to do 25, 26 years ago with the Millennium Bridge along 16th Street crossing and connecting neighborhoods, the Highlands neighborhood to downtown Denver and Lodo.

5:50

Thanks.

5:52

This shows the structure quite well.

5:55

And those different contexts, which also actually each have its own jurisdictional requirements and approvals, which have been a hook of a lot of fun.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Civic Infrastructure█████████████████████████████████████████████46%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████████████23%
Contracts And Procurement███████████████15%
Procedural█████████████13%
Environmental Protection███3%
Summary of Proceedings

South Platte River Committee Meeting Summary - June 24, 2026

The South Platte River Committee of Denver City Council met on June 24, 2026, at 1:30 PM (MDT) to consider one action item: approval of Bill 26-0923, an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Kroenke Sports and Entertainment Metropolitan Districts No. 2 and 3 for the Wynkoop Crossing pedestrian bridge over Speer Boulevard. The bridge is part of the Ball Arena redevelopment approved in November 2024. Committee members raised procedural concerns about the IGA not being available in Legistar until the meeting started, leading to a motion to postpone the vote.

Consent Calendar

  • No items on the consent calendar.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public testimony was heard.

Discussion Items

  • IGA for Wynkoop Crossing Pedestrian Bridge: Stephen Wilson (Community Planning and Development) and Andy Rockmore (architect) presented the IGA. The bridge is designed as a civic gateway, with a single thrust arch, brick pavers, ADA-accessible helix ramp, and integrated lighting. It will connect Lower Downtown (LoDo) to the Ball Arena district, crossing Speer Boulevard. The IGA grants easements to the districts for the bridge landing on city property near the downtown children's playground. Key terms: permanent easement consideration of $3,498,432, temporary construction easement consideration of $30,000 in design services for playground improvements, and the districts assuming all maintenance and safety responsibilities (routine and long-term capital). The IGA also designates the bridge as a regional improvement, permitting the districts to levy an additional 5 mills for 25 years on taxable property within the districts to help fund design and construction. The project timeline is tied to the 2028 Democratic National Convention. A future tier-three encroachment permit for the portion over Speer Boulevard will be presented to the committee on July 22, 2026.
  • Procedural Concerns: Several councilmembers (Torres, Hinds, Sandoval) noted that the full 29-page IGA was not uploaded to Legistar before the meeting, violating a recent council rule requiring contracts to be available for review prior to committee. The document was available on SharePoint but not discovered in time. Chair Torres offered options: waive the rule and vote, or postpone to allow a week for review.
  • Maintenance and Safety: Councilmembers Hinds and Sandoval emphasized the importance of clear maintenance responsibility. Presenters confirmed the metropolitan districts will handle all bridge maintenance, including security, storm sewer, and capital repairs.
  • Tree Removal: Council President Sandoval noted the tree removal plan (Exhibit E) showing 39 trees, two stumps, and one former tree location, including several English oaks. She requested a commitment to replace removed trees. Staff explained that forestry evaluates tree value and the project pays mitigation fees, which go to the city's general fund. A specific fee estimate was not provided at the meeting.
  • Playground Improvements: Councilwoman Alvidrez questioned whether $30,000 for design services for the children's playground is sufficient. Presenters clarified the funds are for conceptual planning for future playground upgrades, not construction, and that all affected sidewalks and paths will be restored or improved.
  • Bridge Name: Council President Sandoval suggested that the bridge should have an official name (not just "Wynkoop Crossing") and noted that the Parks and Public Works departments have a naming process.
  • Committee Member Support: Several members (Watson, Torres, Alvidrez) praised the bridge's inclusive design (no elevators, ADA accessibility, CPTED principles) and the collaborative community process. No formal opposition was expressed.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to Postpone: Councilmember Hinds moved to postpone Bill 26-0923 to a date certain (the next South Platte River Committee meeting on July 1, 2026, as a consent agenda item). Councilmember Alvidrez seconded. The motion passed 5-0-2 (Flynn and Parady absent). The IGA will therefore be placed on the consent calendar for the July 1 meeting, with any councilmember able to pull it for further discussion by close of business June 25.
  • Future Agenda: A tier-three encroachment request for the portion of the bridge over Speer Boulevard is scheduled for the July 22, 2026 South Platte River Committee meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome back to this bi-weekly meeting of the South Platte River Committee of Denver City Council. Join us for the discussion as the South Platte River Committee starts now. We have a little confidence. Good afternoon, everyone. Hi. Thanks for joining us. This is the South Platte River Committee meeting of June 24th. Thank you all for being here. We have one action item today. No items on consent, so we don't need to worry about those. But before we go into our presentation for action item, let's do introductions and we'll see if we have any council members online. We do not. So we'll start in the room and I'll start to my left. Councilman for David, I'd like you to strike seven. Thank you. And I represent West Denver District 3. I'm Councilwoman Torres. Obviously, we need one more here in order to vote on your action item, but we can get started with your presentation. So I'll turn it over to you if you wouldn't mind doing introductions. Okay, I am Andy Rockmore. I'm a principal of Shears I can rock more architects. Good afternoon. Thanks for having us here today. Stephen Wilson with community planning and development. Dan Rasnik with Shears I can't rock more architects. Great, shall I begin? Yes, please go ahead, Stephen. Thank you. So thanks again for having us. So we're here today to present uh the intergovernmental agreement for the Wine Coop crossing pedestrian bridge. So is the agenda for today will provide a little bit of background. The council request uh the actual proposal um and then the uh details of the IGA. So the request uh is to approve Bill 260923, which is an intergovernmental agreement between uh the city and Cronkey Sports and Entertainment Metropolitan Districts uh number two and three. Stick with that one. Great. Uh so in terms of background, as you may recall, we had a big night um back in November of 2024, and on that evening we presented and city council approved uh more than six items for ball arena. Um, it's just a reminder of some of those items. The site was rezoned from former Chapter 59 uh into a Central Platte Valley zone district, a zone district specifically for the area. Uh the development agreement um was approved that formalized the affordable housing commitments, uh the signature park, and a list of community benefits uh investing. The arena trust agreement was approved, ensuring that the Colorado Avalanche and the Nuggets will remain uh in Denver at that location until 2050. Uh a viewplane modification was approved that unlocks the opportunity for additional housing within the project, and then specifically additional affordable housing opportunities. The metropolitan service district uh plan was approved. Um, and although not a codified requirement, a community benefits agreement that was larger and better than any that had been done in the city prior. Since then, we've done lots of work also. Uh so updates since 2004 include uh finalization of the metropolitan district election forming the districts, uh completed development agreement amendments, including uh adding language for uh the environmental provisions and for easements, uh completion of an infrastructure master plan, application of the Phase 1A site development plan, uh, right-of-way vacations and dedication applications that will come to you uh in future requests. Um and then uh application for a tier three encroachment, and then the last item which brings us here, which is the intergovernmental agreement. Um, and with that, I'll turn that over to my uh applicant, Andy Rockmore, to give a little background on the project. Thank you. We many of you have um seen this uh structure and its importance in our city. So, but I will give a high level of all the componentry and the uh design vision, the intent that has uh created it.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com