Denver Mayor and City Council Meeting - Quarterly Goals Update and Stadium IGA Discussion - April 29, 2025

The meeting on April 29, 2025, began with announcements from council members and a discussion of the stadium IGA (item 250555) regarding potential tax increment financing (TIFF) for a proposed women's soccer stadium. The majority of the session was dedicated to a quarterly update from the mayor on the city's 2025 goals across six strategic pillars. The meeting concluded with a unanimous vote to enter executive session to discuss pending litigation.

Announcements

• Councilwoman Sawyer announced a successful community cleanup with over 80 volunteers, upcoming East Park and traffic study meetings, and a personal birthday note.
• Councilman Watson promoted the Colfax Marathon weekend (May 16-18) and challenged the mayor's team to a relay race.

Discussion Items

Stadium IGA (Item 250555) - TIFF Reimbursement Discussion

Councilwoman Sandoval called off the item to seek clarification on a follow-up email from the Department of Finance indicating the ownership group's intent to seek TIFF reimbursement for the stadium itself (estimated $150–200 million) once existing infrastructure obligations are satisfied.

• Tracy Huggins, Executive Director of DURA, explained that the existing urban renewal plan prioritizes reimbursement to the metropolitan district for infrastructure. Any reimbursement for stadium costs would require amendments to the infrastructure master plan and other documents, which would come before council.
• Dan Barrett, advisor to the ownership group (CAA Icon), confirmed the group intends to seek TIFF reimbursement for the stadium and will engage DURA on eligibility.
• Councilwoman Sandoval noted the economic impact study projected $135 million in sales/use tax revenue and $359 million in property tax revenue, but Chief Economist Lisa Martinus Templeton confirmed those figures do not account for substitution effects (only ~10% net new revenue estimated).
• Councilman Sawyer clarified that the infrastructure master plan is not directly approved by council but is referenced in documents that council will vote on, allowing future discussion.

Quarterly Update on Citywide Goals (Q1 2025)

Mayor presented progress on six goals, noting the data reflects activity through March 30, 2025.

• Vibrant: 10 community meetings held, over 3,000 survey responses for the comprehensive plan (Vibrant Denver Bond). 16th Street reopening targeted for May 31, with final blocks by July.
• Affordable: 170 affordable units brought online (target 3,000 for the year); most projects open in H2 2025. Applications open for commercial-to-residential conversions downtown.
• Safe: Shootings down 16% year-to-date; homicides down 56%; homicides involving firearms down 65%. Downtown Action Plan launched with mounted patrol, bike patrol, and STAR responders.
• All In Mile High: 1,000 people experiencing homelessness brought indoors in Q1; 500 exited to permanent housing. Councilwoman Lewis raised concerns about service quality at sites, urging partnership with smaller nonprofits and faster invoice payments. Councilman Watson requested tracking of housing retention ("stickiness").
• Climate Resilient: 616 clean energy systems installed (heat pumps, solar arrays, EV chargers). Tree planting planned in spring and fall; none in Q1.
• Family Friendly: 12,000 of 60,000 kids in high-quality out-of-school programming. Summer job fairs: 660 high school students hired toward 2,000 goal; $500 bonus for youth, $1,000 stipend for employers. Councilman Cashman raised concern about rising chronic absenteeism in DPS (37.6% in 2022-23).

Key Outcomes

• The stadium ownership group confirmed intent to seek TIFF reimbursement; DURA will evaluate eligibility for public purpose costs. Any amendments to the urban renewal plan will require council approval.
• No formal votes were taken on the stadium or quarterly update.
• The council unanimously voted to enter executive session (5-0? All in favor, none opposed) pursuant to DRMC 234A to discuss pending litigation and legal advice.
• The next quarterly update will occur in Q2.