by Mark Smiley | Aug 20, 2026 | Main Articles
Jobs, Housing, And Redevelopment Form City’s Strategy For Reviving Urban Core
by Mark Smiley
Denver leaders are confronting a downtown economy that looks markedly different from the one that existed before the pandemic. Office towers remain partially empty as hybrid work continues to reshape the workplace. Restaurants and retailers have had to adjust to reduced weekday foot traffic, while declining commercial property values have created additional concerns for property owners, lenders, and city government.
The Johnston administration’s response is an ambitious combination of job creation, business recruitment, housing development, and public investment designed to help downtown adapt to those changes. In July, Mayor Mike Johnston unveiled the Denver Jobs Agenda, a $100 million economic development initiative with a goal of creating 10,000 jobs over three years. The program includes workforce development, incentives for businesses, and a $40 million effort to attract major employers to Denver or encourage existing companies to expand.
At the same time, Denver is supporting efforts to give obsolete or underused office buildings a second life as housing. One of the most prominent examples is High Fidelity Plaza, where the Downtown Denver Development Authority approved a $63 million low-interest loan toward the redevelopment of two largely vacant office towers at 621 and 633 17th Street. Plans call for the buildings to be converted into a mixe
d-use development containing more than 700 apartments as well as restaurants, retail, childcare, and other amenities.
The two initiatives illustrate Denver’s broader strategy: attract more employers and workers while simultaneously creating a larger residential population downtown. City officials believe those goals can complement rather than contradict each other. More employers could increase daytime activity and support downtown businesses, while additional residents could create demand for restaurants, stores, and services during evenings and weekends. A more diverse mixture of workers, residents, and visitors could also make downtown less dependent upon the traditional five-day-a-week office population.
That dependence became a significant weakness after 2020. Denver’s downtown office market continues to struggle with elevated vacancies as employers reconsider how much space they need in an era of hybrid work. Properties that once commanded significant prices have changed hands at substantially lower valuations, creating challenges for building owners and lenders and potentially affecting the city’s commercial property tax base.
The situation has left Denver facing a question confronting downtowns throughout the country: What should a central business district become if office workers no longer fill its buildings five days a week?
The Johnston administration has chosen to take an active role in answering that question. Rather than relying exclusively on private investment and market forces, the city is using incentives, loans, and economic development programs to encourage both employment growth and redevelopment.
Office values in downtown Denver have fallen dramatically since the pandemic, with some properties selling for a fraction of their previous value. City officials hope redevelopment incentives and office to residential conversions will help reverse the trend.
Supporters argue that government involvement is warranted because allowing large portions of downtown to deteriorate could have consequences extending well beyond individual property owners. Vacant buildings can reduce surrounding property values, weaken nearby restaurants and retailers, and diminish tax revenue. Those conditions, supporters contend, can discourage additional private investment and create a cycle that becomes increasingly difficult and expensive to reverse. From that perspective, public investment today could help protect a much larger economic asset over the long term.
The strategy nevertheless raises legitimate questions about how much financial risk taxpayers should assume. Critics question whether public money should be used to provide incentives to corporations or financing for privately owned real estate developments, particularly when Denver faces other demands on city resources. Homelessness, public safety, aging infrastructure, and neighborhood services remain significant concerns throughout the city.
There is also debate over whether office-to-residential conversions will meaningfully address Denver’s housing affordability problem. Many apartments created through such projects are expected to rent at market rates rather than being dedicated primarily to lower-income residents. Supporters of the conversion strategy counter that adding residents at a range of income levels can still strengthen downtown by increasing the number of people patronizing businesses and using the area outside traditional office hours.
The debate therefore extends beyond whether individual projects are worthwhile. It centers on what role city government should play in reshaping downtown during a period of unusually rapid economic change.
At first glance, spending money to attract office employers while simultaneously helping convert offices into apartments can appear contradictory. The city’s approach, however, reflects an acknowledgment that downtown Denver will probably need both. Not every office tower is obsolete, and employers will continue to require office space. At the same time, the pre-pandemic model in which tens of thousands of commuters arrived downtown each morning and departed each evening appears unlikely to return in exactly the same form.
A successful downtown of the future may therefore need a broader mixture of employment, housing, entertainment, restaurants, retail, and public spaces. The Denver Jobs Agenda represents an effort to strengthen the employment side of that equation, while office conversions such as High Fidelity Plaza are intended to strengthen the residential side.
Whether those investments will generate enough private development and economic activity to justify their cost remains uncertain. That makes accountability and measurable results particularly important.
Mayor Mike Johnston has made downtown revitalization a major focus of his administration, combining job-creation programs, business incentives, and redevelopment financing in an effort to attract employers, residents, and investment to Denver’s urban core.
The Denver Jobs Agenda comes with a clearly stated target of creating 10,000 jobs over three years. Redevelopment projects can likewise be evaluated by the housing they produce, private investment they attract, occupancy they achieve, and economic activity they generate. Other measurements will take longer to assess, including commercial property values, retail occupancy, downtown foot traffic, and tax revenue.
Those benchmarks should eventually provide a clearer picture of whether Denver’s strategy is producing a lasting recovery and whether the public investments are encouraging economic activity that otherwise would not have occurred.
Denver’s leaders are betting that a combination of jobs, residents, and private investment can create a downtown that is less dependent on the traditional office economy. Supporters see public involvement as necessary to accelerate that transition and prevent further deterioration. Critics question whether taxpayers are assuming too much of the cost and risk for projects involving private businesses and property owners.
Both sides agree on at least one point: downtown Denver remains an important economic and civic center whose future will affect far more than the property owners and businesses located within its boundaries.
What is clear is that Denver is no longer waiting for downtown to return to its pre-pandemic form. City leaders are committing significant public resources to help shape what comes next. The next several years should determine whether that investment succeeds in creating a more active and resilient downtown, and whether Denver taxpayers receive an adequate return on one of the city’s most ambitious economic development efforts in years.
The 28-story office tower at 621 17th Street is one of two historic downtown buildings slated for conversion into housing as Denver attempts to revive its struggling central business district after years of elevated office vacancies.
by Charles Bonniwell | Aug 20, 2026 | Main Articles
Both City Councils Extract Major Additional Concessions From Xcel Energy
by Charles C. Bonniwell
Safe & Reliable Energy: Xcel Energy crews work from bucket trucks to repair and maintain electrical equipment on a utility pole. The work is part of ongoing efforts to maintain reliable electric service and infrastructure in the area.
Once every 20 years certain utility companies are required to get the approval of municipalities to use their streets, rights of way and other easements for their transmission lines and the repair of the same. Both cities require the approval of the respective city councils and the voters of each jurisdiction.
Both Denver and Glendale last approved these contracts back in 2007. The municipalities receive in exchange for use by Xcel important financial compensation over the 20-year period, which in the case of Denver alone is $180 million in the form of general revenue, dedicated underground funds, and infrastructure savings.
But cities also view the negotiations as a rare opportunity to extract additional concessions from the public utility. Last year Mayor Johnson’s administration took the lead in the negotiations to obtain additional concessions.
Last year, by a 7 to 6 vote, the City Council refused to refer the proposed Franchise Agreement for various reasons, including the failure of the Johnson administration to include council members and their staffs in negotiations with the utility.
The council members who were against referring the Franchise Agreement to the voters said they wanted to have additional time to receive public input. They also believed that not enough was accomplished for clean energy and climate resilience goals.
Minimum Disruptions: It was important for Glendale during negotiations to get assurances that repairs would not interrupt the flow of traffic and have the least amount of disruptions.
Moreover, some council members wanted better equity guarantees and utility cost protections for working-class and low-income households.
After months of tough negotiations, a new Franchise Agreement was presented to the Denver City Council on July 27th, which was composed of a Franchise Agreement as well as a companion document titled “Energy Partnership Agreement,” which encompassed many of the new concessions regarding the transaction.
The revised agreement sailed through the city council vote by a 10 to 2 margin, apparently fully satisfying even many of its former vociferous critics.
In Glendale the negotiations were somewhat smoother but not without sticking points. Of significance to Glendale was obtaining broader discretion on how the so-called 1% fee to underground utilities could be utilized by the city. After a great deal of back and forth, a compromise acceptable to Glendale was provided by Xcel.
Glendale stressed Xcel reimbursing the city for its maintaining smooth surfaces on city streets, as well as expert coordination on repair of outages and mandating the quick updating of Xcel’s electric and gas network as it applies to Glendale.
Moreover, Glendale insisted on methods to ensure the mitigation of traffic delays when Xcel is working on streets in Glendale.
The vote was unanimous at the August 4th meeting of the Glendale City Council to send the Franchise Agreement to the voters. In addition, the Greater Glendale Chamber of Commerce approved a resolution urging Glendale voters to approve the submitted Franchise Agreement.
With a broad consensus that the Franchise Agreements are positive developments for both Glendale and Denver, it is anticipated that the voters of both municipalities will approve the Franchise Agreements. Those agreements will go into effect on January 1, 2027.
by Mark Smiley | Aug 20, 2026 | Uncategorized
by Mark Smiley
Mystère: Acrobats soar through the air during a performance of Cirque du Soleil’s Mystère, a longtime Las Vegas production known for its colorful staging, athleticism, and spectacular aerial acts.
Oscar’s Steakhouse: The menu at Oscar’s Steakhouse reflects the restaurant’s classic old-Vegas character. Located at the Plaza Hotel in downtown Las Vegas, the steakhouse is named for former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman.
Oscar’s Prime Rib: A generous cut of prime rib is served with traditional accompaniments at Oscar’s Steakhouse, where classic steakhouse fare and downtown Las Vegas atmosphere come together.
Las Vegas continues to reinvent itself. While gaming remains a major draw, today’s visitors will find world class entertainment, award winning restaurants, and immersive attractions that can easily fill a long weekend without spending much time in a casino.
Our family recently spent three days exploring many of the Strip’s most popular experiences, and several stood out as must-do attractions for anyone planning a visit.
For live entertainment, Cirque du Soleil’s Mystère at Treasure Island remains one of the defining Las Vegas productions. Premiering in 1993 as Cirque du Soleil’s first resident show in Las Vegas, Mystère helped transform the Strip into the entertainment destination it is today. More than three decades later, the production continues to fill its custom-built theater with a dazzling combination of world-class acrobatics, aerial performances, powerful percussion, comedy, and imaginative costumes. Unlike a traditional Broadway-style musical, Mystère tells its story through movement, music, and visual artistry, creating an experience that appeals to audiences of all ages.
The intimate theater allows every seat to feel close to the action, with performers frequently engaging the audience before the show and throughout the performance. Whether it’s gravity-defying trapeze artists, synchronized aerial acts, or seemingly impossible feats of strength and balance, Mystère remains one of the very best values among Las Vegas shows and is an excellent choice for families experiencing Cirque du Soleil for the first time.
One of the city’s newest attractions is Flyover Las Vegas, an immersive flying theater that lifts guests into the air for breathtaking virtual journeys over some of America’s most spectacular landscapes. Combining motion seats, wind, mist, and scents with an enormous, curved screen, the attraction creates the sensation of soaring above mountains, deserts, and iconic landmarks. It is a surprisingly realistic experience and one well worth adding to any itinerary.
The High Roller Observation Wheel at The LINQ offers a completely different perspective. The 30-minute rotation provides spectacular
ICEBAR: A bartender welcomes guests at Minus5 Ice Experience inside Mandalay Bay, where the frozen surroundings, ice sculptures, and specialty cocktails provide a cool escape from the Nevada heat.
daytime views, but visitors who ride after sunset are rewarded with a breathtaking panorama of the Strip’s famous lights stretching for miles.
History buffs should make time for The Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas. The interactive exhibits explore both organized crime and the law enforcement officers who fought it, creating one of the city’s most fascinating museums. Plan on spending at least three hours because there is far more to see than most visitors expect.
While in downtown Las Vegas, consider Oscar’s Steakhouse inside the Plaza Hotel. Overlooking the historic Fremont Street Experience, the restaurant has become one of the city’s premier dining destinations, serving expertly prepared steaks, seafood, and classic cocktails in an elegant setting. Named after former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, the restaurant combines old Vegas charm with outstanding service.
Oscar’s is particularly appealing for visitors who want a taste of the Las Vegas of another era. Located beneath the Plaza’s distinctive glass dome, the restaurant provides impressive views of the lights and activity along Fremont Street while offering a more relaxed escape from the crowds below. The atmosphere recalls the days when a great steakhouse, a well-made cocktail, and attentive service were essential ingredients of a night out in Las Vegas.
The restaurant’s namesake adds considerably to its personality. Goodman served as mayor of Las Vegas from 1999 to 2011 after building a high-profile career as a criminal defense attorney. Known for his colorful personality and enthusiasm for downtown Las Vegas, Goodman became closely associated with the revitalization of the city’s historic core. Oscar’s embraces that connection to Las Vegas history, giving the restaurant a character that goes beyond its menu.
Steaks are naturally the centerpiece of the dining experience, with classic cuts prepared in the traditional steakhouse style. Seafood selections, appetizers, salads, and familiar steakhouse accompaniments round out the menu, making Oscar’s a good choice even for diners who aren’t looking for a large steak. The bar is also an important part of the experience, with classic cocktails fitting comfortably into the
Coca-Cola Store Drinks: Colorful specialty beverages offer visitors a refreshing break where they can sample flavors inspired by Coca-Cola products from around the world.
restaurant’s old-school Las Vegas atmosphere.
There are plenty of excellent steakhouses throughout Las Vegas, particularly along the Strip, but Oscar’s offers something a little different. Its combination of food, history, location, and personality makes the restaurant feel distinctly connected to the city rather than simply located in it. For visitors spending an evening downtown, dinner at Oscar’s can be as much a part of the Las Vegas experience as the neon lights and casinos outside its windows.
Families looking for lighter entertainment will e
Coca-Cola Store: The distinctive giant Coca-Cola bottle marks the Coca-Cola Store on the Las Vegas Strip, a popular stop for branded merchandise, beverages, and unique Coca-Cola experiences.
njoy Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, where remarkably lifelike celebrity wax figures provide endless photo opportunities.
Across the Strip, the Coca-Cola Store Las Vegas is much more than a souvenir shop. The four-story flagship attraction celebrates one of the world’s most recognizable brands, whose products are sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Interactive displays showcase the history of Coca-Cola, while the expansive retail space features exclusive merchandise that can’t be found in most stores. The highlight for many visitors is the popular “Taste Around the World” experience, where guests sample an assortment of Coca-Cola beverages from countries across the globe. Some flavors quickly become favorites, while others surprise visitors with unique regional tastes that are rarely available in the United States. The rooftop offers additional shopping, photo opportunities, and views overlooking one of the busiest intersections on the Las Vegas Strip, making the Coca-Cola Store a fun stop for families and anyone looking for a break from the casinos.
For those seeking a unique experience, Minus5 Ice Experience inside Mandalay Bay lets guests enjoy drinks in a bar constructed almost entirely of ice while wearing provided parkas and gloves. Even in the middle of a 110-degree Las Vegas afternoon, temperatures inside remain well below freezing.
Another standout option for dining is McCall’s at The STRAT. Premium steaks, seafood, and attentive service make it an excellent destination, especially when paired with a visit to the Observation Deck afterward.
McCall’s offers the comfortable atmosphere of a traditional steakhouse while providing a welcome retreat from the activity of the casino floor. The menu emphasizes hearty American favorites, with steaks taking center stage alongside seafood and familiar steakhouse accompaniments. It is an appealing choice for diners looking for a quality meal without some of the formality associated with Las Vegas’ more elaborate fine-dining restaurants.
The restaurant’s location at The STRAT also makes dinner particularly easy to turn into a complete evening. After the meal, head upward to the resort’s famous Observation Deck, where sweeping views stretch across the Las Vegas Valley. Seeing the city from high above is impressive at any hour, but after dark the seemingly endless expanse of neon and illuminated resorts makes the experience especially memorable.
Las Vegas has no shortage of steakhouses, but sometimes the setting surrounding the meal is what makes an evening stand out. At McCall’s, a satisfying steak or seafood dinner followed by a trip to the top of The STRAT offers exactly that combination, good food followed by one of the best perspectives of Las Vegas anywhere in the city.
Getting around the Strip is easier than many first-time visitors realize. Combining the Las Vegas Monorail with the free trams connecting Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur, along with the Park MGM and Bellagio tram, saves both time and money while avoiding traffic.
For families, couples, or first-time visitors, many of these attractions can comfortably fit into a three-day itinerary. With a little planning, it’s possible to experience world class entertainment, exceptional dining, and unforgettable attractions without feeling rushed.
