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| |  | You can park in the shaded blue areas for just $5 this summer. (photo courtesy of the Mayor's Office) |
| 🚘 What if You Could Park Downtown For Only $5? | Mayor Mike Johnston announced a big new idea to make thousands of downtown parking spaces just $5, a project coined "Mayors Park $5." The city is teaming up with SpotHero, an Uber-owned parking reservation app, on a pilot program that began on Monday and lasts through the end of September. [CBS News] | - 3,000 parking spaces are currently available with 5,000 total becoming available by the end of the summer. The parking area covers from Wazee Street to Broadway, and 14th Street to 20th Street, neighboring Coors Field. [Westworld]
- How to take part of the deal: Download the SpotHero app, or book a spot via their website. The offer is available from morning to late afternoon Monday through Friday, every weeknight beginning at 4 p.m., and for 12 hours on Saturdays and Sundays. Using the promo code MILEHIGH5 will waive a 99-cent service fee. [SpotHero]
- Downtown could benefit: After the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed Denver's downtown, the area has struggled to regain foot traffic. City leaders hope lower parking costs will encourage more people to visit local restaurants, shops, and attractions throughout the summer. [Westworld]
- How the mayor thinks about parking: On today's podcast episode, we sat down with Mayor Johnston to discuss his personal relationship with parking and whether he sees this new program as a parking policy or a downtown revitalization policy.[ 🎧City Cast Denver]
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| | | Join us at the Vail Wine Classic, August 6-8 for a weekend of wines from around the world, food from top Vail restaurants, and an escape from summer heat! Craft your own weekend adventure with the various unique events throughout the weekend. Use code citycast at checkout for $10 off. |
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| What Denver's Talking About |
|  | Proposals to ask voters to redraw the state's electoral maps were rejected by Colorado's Supreme Court. (Douglas Sacha / Getty Images) |
| ❌ Colorado Redistricting Plan Rejected | Yesterday, the Colorado Supreme Court rejected proposed ballot measures that would have asked voters to approve the redrawing of the state's electoral maps. Backers hoped new maps would allow Colorado to elect as many as seven Democrats to the U.S. House in the 2028 elections. The decision comes as several states have pursued mid-decade redistricting efforts, initially spurred by President Donald Trump's successful push for Texas to redraw its electoral map last year. [The Denver Post] | - Why did the justices say “no”? In two unanimous rulings, they decided that the proposed measures violate a state law requiring ballot questions to address a single issue.
- Supporters of the proposals respond: Curtis Hubbard, spokesperson for Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, said the justices essentially sided with Republicans. He added that “while Trump and his MAGA allies regularly sidestep the law and ignore voters, efforts to respond have once again been dealt a legal setback over a technicality.”
| | 🎟️ What if Denver Increased Taxes on Large Venues, Stadiums? | Denver City Council members Sarah Parady and Flor Alvidrez proposed a new tax last week that would generate $30 million per year for transportation and safety infrastructure. Their proposal, which would go to voters in November if the rest of council approves, would tax tickets under $100 at 5%, tickets priced $100-$250 at 10%, and tickets over $250 at 15%. [9News] | | 🏠 ‘Modular’ Affordable Housing Rises on 8th Avenue | A new housing project in the Santa Fe Arts District is demonstrating a faster, more cost-effective approach to building affordable housing. Nearly complete apartment units were built offsite, then transported and stacked into place over the past couple of weeks. The whole 54-unit building is expected to go up in about six months, allowing the developers to make more money while charging below-market-rate rents. [Axios Denver] | | 📣 DPS Superintendent Calls Out School Board | Earlier this month, Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero sent a lengthy email to school board President Xóchitl Gaytán, citing a variety of concerns about the board's governance. Among his top complaints, Marrero accused the board of violating his contract, not holding itself accountable, and getting too involved in DPS administration. He also announced separately he is looking to leave the district and is a candidate for the superintendent position at Miami-Dade County Public Schools. [Chalkbeat] |
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Before I go, I wanted to quickly clarify the big story in yesterday's newsletter which may have caused some confusion. Denver's DMV is not operated by DOTI and was not subject to layoffs last year, but instead had a handful of vacant positions eliminated. Thank you to reader Olivia V. for bringing this to our attention. |
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