Vibrant Denver proposal moves forward, voters will decide in November

CBS News

a day ago

On Nov. 4, voters in Denver will decide on a $950 million bond proposal to revamp portions of the city. The Denver City Council unanimously approved the proposal that allocates that money to 60 projects throughout the city.
The proposal has $70 million allocated for one of those projects, Park Hill Park. It's a vacant lot of grass in northeast Denver that's left Park Hill homeowners like Harrison Hood budding with anticipation for years.
"It's kind of just been sitting there, unused, a little overgrown," said Hood. "I think there's a lot of mindset about this land not being utilized, and there are not many open green spaces in the city left to use, so I think people are ready to add this to the list of parks."
Now, voters will be tasked to decide this November if the rebuild of the former Park Hill Golf Course and countless other projects will be funded through the bond package.
"We have been hearing from the community about safe crossings, about recreation," said District 4 Council member Diana Romero Campbell.
On Monday, the Denver City Council voted unanimously to put the bond package on the November ballot for a vote, despite some criticism that the bond does not include certain projects their constituents would have liked to see move forward.
"This is not a perfect bond, but it is what we have with $950 million," said Denver City Council President Amanda P. Sandoval.
The Vibrant Denver package would set aside $70 million towards the buildout of Park Hill.
Other notable projects include more than $39 million towards backstage expansion and accessibility improvements at Red Rocks, $75 million would go towards a first responder and public safety training center, and $32 million in affordable housing development.
The list, however, extends to millions in mobility improvements across the city, parks and recreation and cultural centers.
"I'm against every penny of it, because government debt makes no sense at face value," said Jason Bailey.
Bailey, who started Citizens for No New Debt, hopes his position against the bond package is something other voters will agree with.
He argues that increasing the city's debt with this bond will cost more to recover over time.
"The solution is sales tax and property tax, that's the only way anything gets paid for," said Bailey. "If we look at the amount of money we've given to the banks for debt service to the city of Denver over the past five years, it's billions of dollars."
For residents who've been waiting for places like Park Hill to transform, however, it's a price they say is worth putting forth for the city's future development.
"We're excited to get some use out of [the park]," said Hood.