Voter Bond Blessing To Bankroll Projects Citywide

by Valley Gadfly | Dec 15, 2025 | Main Articles

Bond’s $1 Billion Package To Fund Streets, Bridges, Parks, And Playground

by Glen Richardson

Walk The Walk: Santa Fe Art District —home of the First Friday Art Walk — will receive just over $29 million in bond funds.

Denver voters approved the November 4, 2025 Vibrant Denver bond package, giving the city $950 million of long-term debt to pay from projects citywide.

The bond bucks will pay for repairs and im­provements to roads, bridges, parks, playgrounds, and community spaces without adding new taxes. Mayor Mike Johnston says the package will “create 7,000 new jobs, and generate $1.8 billion in economic activity.” The city is expected to pay off the debt over six years.

The most funding — about $441 million — will go toward transportation and mobility, meaning streets, bridges, and traffic safety improvements. Here’s a look at the projects having the most impact near Cherry Creek North and the Village of Glendale:

Signals, Crosswalks

Big Bucks Change: With $89 million of funding, the eastern portion of the 8th Ave. Viaduct will be removed.

Funding to make traveling through the intersection at 1st Ave. and University safer is budgeted at $5,700,000.

Signal improvements and ­geometric changes are among the modifications plan­ned. One of Cherry Creek North’s busiest intersections, designs aim to improve safety for people driving, walking, bicycling, and taking transit.

Pedestrian crossing safety improvements citywide will get $3 million. Crosswalk markings, signage, and rapid flashing beacons will be funded.

Santa Fe Upgrades

Upgrades to Santa Fe Drive through the heart of the Santa Fe Art District from 6th Ave. to 13th Ave. is budgeted at $29,085,000. The district comes alive each month as thousands descend upon the street for the First Friday Art Walk from 5:30 to 9 p.m.

Wider sidewalks, landscaping, and improved public spaces are planned. Aimed at improving the experience for people walking on Santa Fe, it also seeks to improve safety, while enhancing the district’s identity, history, and culture.

Projects along east-westbound Evans Ave. are budgeted for $18 million. Improvements will design and construct enhancements to signals and pedestrian crossings. Work will be on Evans Ave. from Colorado Blvd. to S. Downing St. and I-25 to Quebec St. Another $1,500,000 will fund neighborhood road safety projects. The project will prioritize, design, and construct improvements on nearly a half-dozen streets. Traffic calming — physical design, signs, and painted markings, and pedestrian safety enhancements — will be constructed on Holly St., 6th Ave., 8th Ave, Uinta St., and Exposition Ave.

Cherry Creek Bridges

Go Broncos: The Denver Broncos plan to make Burnham Yard — less than a mile from Empower Field — their new home.  Photo: Gabriel Christus

Denver’s two bridges over Cherry Creek are funded with $29,375,000. Both the Lincoln St. and the 6th Ave. bridges are over 65 years old, and at the end of their serviceable lives.

Both are in poor condition, and on the verge of being load posted with restrictions on emergency vehicle access. The two structures carry major arterial roads through a heavily traveled part of the city.

Moreover, they provide a critical connection to the Denver Health complex. Both are designated as emergency response routes. Replacement of the two deteriorating bridges is critical to maintaining safe and reliable connections.

6th Ave Viaduct

Bond Business: Mayor Mike Johnston talked up the bond initiative prior to the November 4th voter approval. Photo: Kevin J. Beaty

Repairs and access improvements for the 6th Ave. Viaduct are allocated at $50 million. The 6th Ave. Viaduct is one of the busiest roads in Denver’s central core, carrying about 64,000 vehicles a day. It is a critical east-west connection that supports the movement of people and goods between the city, region, and the state.

Piers have deterioration with no load idleness and have high criticality and consequences of failure. Failure of the bridge — or even load rating it — would have major consequences for the region.

Funding will complete structural repairs; create additional connectivity and access points. It will also fund pre-design for the future replacement of the bridge. The project also provides funding for emergency repairs — deck repairs and joint replacements — plus work to maintain connectivity, capacity, and efficiency of the transportation network in the near-term and into the future. Moreover, it will help the city reduce its liability and risk associated with the viaduct.

8th Ave. Viaduct

Boettcher Bucks: Bond funding earmarks $20 million for improvements at Boettcher Concert Hall in the DCPA complex.

The 8th Ave. Viaduct, with $89,200,000 of funding, will leave the western portion of the viaduct and remove the eastern portion. The eastern portion will be reconstructed as an at-grade roadway after it ramps down over the Consolidated Main Line.

The 6th Ave. and 8th Ave. projects will benefit the Denver Broncos’ plan to build a stadium in the area. Denver officials, however, contend the viaducts need fixing nonetheless. The Broncos want the new stadium in Barnham Yard ready for the 2031 season.

The 8th Ave. bridge — it carries about 14,500 vehicles a day — is considered a couplet partner to 6th Ave. that’s essential to connectivity into Denver’s central core during 6th Ave. reconstruction. Work will provide sufficient clearance for Cherry Creek Trail users, and be built in accordance with floodplain requirements.

Boettcher Concert Hall

Bond funding earmarks $20 million to support maintained and improvement projects at Boettcher Concert Hall in the DCPA complex. Tasks include roof repairs, safety system upgrades, plus electrical and mechanical improvements.

The Denver Animal Shelter on W. Bayaud Ave., is allocated $10 million. Included are improvements of the existing animal shelter to mend spaces for dog kennels and-or runs, as well as enhancement to the lobby and clinic spaces.

The Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Zoo, and Denver Museum of Nature & Science each receive $3 million. Funding will support repairs and improvements. Included are safety upgrades, roof repairs, plus electrical and mechanical improvements.

Year-End Rent Rise Rattles Outlook For 2026

by Valley Gadfly | Dec 15, 2025 | Main Articles

Slight Metro Rent Rate Up-Tick Expected; Denver Ranks 20th Among Nation’s Rental Markets 

by Glen Richardson

Unclear Market: The Denver rental market is in flux which has rental property owners of all price points concerned.

Denver’s year-end rents will surge slightly — forecasts to be up 0.8% — as 2025 comes to a close. The upbeat is being supported by an improving supply-demand balance.

Metro rental rates, however, are down $71 since the second quarter of 2024, and $46 lower than the same period in 2023. Denver ranks 20th among the nation’s metro rental markets, with median rent for a one-bedroom at $1,760.

Property management company Keyrent­er Denver says, “The Mile High’s rental market lately is like trying to hit a moving target. Vacancy numbers, rent trends, and development stats are shifting fast. Many landlords are noticing the ripple effects firsthand with slower lease-ups, more tenant inquiries, and a noticeable change in momentum.”

Upturn In 2026?

Downtown Digs: CoLab Apartments on Osage St. downtown has units for rent ranging from $935 to $2,176.

As of October 2025, the average rent in Denver was $1,627 per month. The national average rent price in the U.S. is currently $1,629 per month, which puts Denver rent prices $2 lower than the national average.

According to MMG Real Estate Advisors, Denver’s rental market is expected to shift from softness in 2025 to a moderate rent recovery by early 2026. They forecast a 2% to 3% annual rent growth.

Mountain region cities have seen a significant drop in rent costs over the last year, with prices in Denver down more than most. According to a report by rental website Zumper, rent prices in the Mile High City have gone down by 7.3% since September 2024.

Supply Surge

Ventana Venture: The Ventana at Colorado Station has studios to 3-bedrooms with rates at $872 to $2,315 per month.

The first half of 2025 reshaped Denver’s rental landscape. Apartment vacancies climb­ed to around 7%, marking the highest level since 2010. The spike was driven by an unprecedented flood of inventory — 20,000 new units were delivered in 2024 alone, with another 8,000 hitting the market in early 2025.

As supplies surged, average rents fell by around 3.6% year-over-year, with figures ranging from $1,733 to $1,824, depending on location and unit type.

Cushman & Wakefield even ranked Denver’s second quarter absorption among the top six quarters ever recorded nationally. Denver’s appeal as a relocation destination is holding firm.

Mobile Market

Glendale Glamor: The Phenix at Infinity Park on E. Mississippi Ave. in Glendale has 1 & 2-bedrooms renting from $999 to $1,669 per month.

Renters in Denver aren’t staying put for long. More than half move to a new place in less than two years, making the metro one of the most mobile rental markets in the U.S., according to RentCafe.com.

Denver ranks 5th among the nation’s “move-easy” hotspots. In Denver, 53% of renters move to a different apartment within two years. That’s up 19% in five years, even as the renter population dipped slightly. The local housing supply grew by nearly 10%, giving renters more choices and flexibility.

In Denver, Gen Z renters (78%) move the most, though they’reswitching their homes slightly less often than before. Moreover, Millennials (60%) remain just as mobile as before.

Safety Comes First

Creek Contrast: Rental options in Cherry Creek North range from Clayton Lane where 2-bedrooms bring $3,800 to 205 Columbine St. where 2-bedrooms are $6,500.

Most renters’ ideal apartment is one that offers style plus suburban comfort (41%). That’s followed by mixed-use convenience (33%), and eco-friendly living (28%).

When choosing neighborhoods, renters say safety comes first at 54%. Walkability and proximity to shopping and public transportation are also high on their list.

Budget-friendly neighborhoods (40%) adds to rentability — whether quiet or lively — where affordability meets comfort.

Stiff Competition

Despite the softening in rent and rising vacancies, leasing activity has remained robust. MMG Real Estate Advisors and CBRE — a real estate service & investment company — reported nearly 6,000 net absorbed units in the first half of the year.

Data from Institutional Property Advisors and MMG shows that older apartment buildings and C-class condos — especially those without amenities or recent updates — are struggling the most.

These units face stiff competition from newer, more incentivized alternatives, and are often where vacancy has climbed the fastest. Rent compression in these segments has been sharper, and in some submarkets, leasing speed has slowed considerably.

Pipeline Shrinks

Buildup Boom: More than 8,000 new condo-apartment units hit the Denver market in early 2025, reshaping Denver’s rental landscape.

A key turning point this year is how Denver’s construction pipeline is finally shrinking, albeit from previously record-breaking levels.

Denver-based CoStar Group — a commercial real estate data & analytics company — says that while approximately 19,000 new apartment units were delivered in 2024, the forecast for 2025 was a sharp drop to around 6,600 completions.

Upshot: The oversupply wave is receding, but not overnight. With 2025 completions expected to be nearly two-thirds lower than the previous year, inventory pressure was expected to begin easing by the fourth quarter. That shift — if actual — sets the stage for stabilization and early 2026 rent recovery.

Upgrades Help

For rental property owners, the next six months will be ideal for making smart, cost-effective improvements that boost tenant satisfaction and property performance. Whether it’s replacing aging fixtures, improving curb appeal, or upgrading outdated appliances, small enhancements can set a property apart.

Owners, property professionals suggest, should reach out directly to current tenants and ask if there are any minor upgrades they would like, items such as fresh bathroom flooring or better lighting.

Sometimes, they point out, low-cost improvements are all it takes to encourage a long-term renewal. That they note, can save far more than a full turnover. That’s especially true in today’s competitive environment.

Occupancy Drops

Metro apartment supply jumped 1.67%, more than double the 0.75% increase recorded last year. For renters, that meant more listings to choose from. As a result, 57% of renters renewed their leases, 0.9% fewer than last year.

The added supply was enough to pull occupancy down to 91.8%, compared to 94.3% a year ago. This season, seven renters competed for each available apartment, down from 10 last year. Apartments leased in 41 days on average, compared to just 35 a year ago.

Denver’s Rental Competitiveness Index (RCI) dropped to 67.9, down from 78, showing that the market is still competitive but significantly less intense than a year ago.

Rental Rates

The vacancy rate in Denver is the highest in the metro at 7.7%. The metro vacancy rate — the percentage of empty apartments on the market — is higher than at any time in the past 15 years.

Near the end of 2025 there were a total of 440,521 rentable units on the market. Nearly 31,000 apartments were unoccupied on any given day. Most often, vacant units are ready and waiting for their next tenant. The higher the vacancy rate, the better the deal for renters.

Median rent in the city of Denver for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,653. Apartments built before the 1970s are averaging $1,586, while newer units with more amenities are averaging as much as $2,340 a month.

Police Drones Over Denver In December?

by Valley Gadfly | Nov 17, 2025 | Main Articles

They Can Capture Audio, Video Images; Denver Police To Use As First Responders 

by Glen Richardson

Drone Duo: Denver Police Sgt. Jeremy Cain (left) and Det. Jeremy Casias fly a drone outside of the Cherokee St. headquarters.

Already using Flock license plate cameras at intersections, the Denver Police Department appeared set to launch Flock’s “Aerodome” flying drones by December. Neither Denver nor Colorado regulates how police use drones.

The Denver Police Department has sign­ed a free trial contract with Flock to use the company’s Aerodome flying drones — a “fully automated air support system” — that can reach crime scenes faster than police can often arrive. By deploying a drone to an incident scene ahead of ground units, it can provide real-time information.

Should you call 911, a drone would likely show up before an officer does. That’s especially true if the scene is being managed or secured by officers. Police drones are also used in specific scenarios, such as monitoring large events or providing aerial support in ongoing operations.

First Responders

The Denver Police Department has been exploring the utility of drones as a “First Responder” program. The department wants to improve its capacity to provide public safety services to the Mile High City.

“We saw benefit in these opportunities and have entered into a no-cost contract with Flock for a pilot package to evaluate its program,” according to a department spokesperson. The Denver Police Department is also in contract discussions with other venders to support a pilot program.”

The Flock drones are capable of capturing audio, video images, and other data that will be retained for 30 days. They look similar to consumer drones, with four propellers and a camera unit.

Dashboard Data

According to the contract, recorded images will be subject to Colorado Open Records Act requests. Once the police begin using the drones, the department plans to create a dashboard showing data about drone flights. Drones can be used to search for missing persons, respond to emergencies, document crime and crash scenes, and assist with bomb threats or “high-risk tactical situations,” among other uses. In some cases, they might be used to chase suspects.

In addition to surveillance, police can use drones for monitoring large crowds, assist in search and rescue operations, and gathering evidence. Federal and state laws govern the legality and extent of surveillance use. A warrant is often required for targeted surveillance, but permitting can be crucial in many circumstances, and state laws play a significant role in defining limits.

Thus far, about 65% of drone deployments are to assist in searches for suspects and during investigations. They have also been used in searches for missing people about 12% of the time.

Privacy Concerns

According to information obtained through an open records request by Denverite — Colorado Public Radio’s news website — the most recent contract with Flock will run through next August. If the city likes the product, it would begin to pay for Flock drones starting in 2026.

The company claims the technology makes policing more efficient and safer. However, advocacy groups argue the use of drone first responders — especially connected to a network of license plate readers — raises privacy concerns.

Moreover, the Electronic Frontier Foundation — a non-profit digital rights group based in San Francisco — argues that “integration of Flock’s ALPR technology with its Aerodome drone equipment is a police surveillance combo poised to elevate privacy threats to civilians.”

Sound, Lighting

Homeowners can often identify a police drone by its maneuverability, quieter, higher-pitched sound, and specific lighting. Police drones can make sudden, sharp movements, unlike planes and helicopters.

They often have a single, less-visible anti-collision light compared to the standard flashing lights on manned aircraft. In high-tech situations, police may also be using specialized equipment, and you might see them using a “Drone as First Responder” program, where the drone is deployed to a scene before officers arrive.

Police drones may be equipped with specialized payloads like thermal cameras or high-resolution zoom lenses for specific tasks like crime scene mapping. These programs deploy a drone to an incident scene ahead of ground units to provide real-time information.

Night Identity

Unmanned Aircraft: Remotely piloted police drones can make sudden, sharp movements, unlike planes and helicopters. Photo: Denver Police Department

At night, surveillance drones can look like moving lights, sometimes with steady white lights or flashing red and green ones. They may also appear as a heat signature to thermal cameras, even in complete darkness.

Drones can be distinguished from stars and planes by their movement patterns. They may hover, move in strange ways, or follow specific, repetitive paths that aircraft cannot.

Some drones can hear conversations, especially through an open window or with specialized equipment, but most standard drones cannot eavesdrop through walls and have difficulty recording clear audio over their own rotor noise. Some commercial drones can record audio. Police or military drones may use advanced directional microphones to listen in, though these are not common.

Data Sharing?

Denver Police Drone: These small, unmanned, weapon-free aircraft support a variety of missions in Denver.

Earlier this year, Denver City Council refused to renew a contract with Flock after members raised concerns about the company’s data-sharing policies. Flock’s CEO came to Denver to lobby lawmakers about the technology.

However, Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration renewed the contract for less than the monetary amount that triggers a council vote, and the council may yet reconsider the larger contract.

Some groups — including the Party for Socialism & Liberation — have been rallying for the city to cut contracts with Flock, citing civil liberties concerns. Supporters, however, say they appreciate how police can use the technology to solve crimes. Arvada police officers recently used Flock cameras to track a stolen car after a carjacking and shooting.