Inside the Neighborhood Fight Over an $800M National Western Center Expansion

Back in 2015, Denver voted to extend tourism taxes to pay for the expansion of the National Western Center in order to keep the Stock Show from leaving town. But earlier this month, City Council twice delayed a vote that would release $800 million of that money. They were listening to pushback from community members who say they want the National Western Center Authority to commit $16 million to help mitigate displacement and gentrification. The Authority says they’ve already offered plenty of community benefits. So ahead of council’s final deliberation on the issue on Monday, host Bree Davies is sitting down with both sides — first, Steve Nalley is chief real estate officer of the National Western Center and second, Alfonso Espino from the GES Community Investment Fund.

We discuss the 2015 vote in this episode quite a bit. Check out the ballot language for yourself to see what voters approved back then. 

What do you think about the community leaders’ $16 million ask? Should they get the money? And who should pay? We want to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418

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