The coming year promises to be a doozy nationally, too. So what might we here at a mile high do to make life better for all, and not just the one-percenters among us? Here are ten ideas...and they're just the start:
Welcome Back the Broncos Bandwagon
Let's start easy — with not penalizing those fair-weather fans whose Broncos flags haven't seen sunlight since Peyton Manning left the Mile High. Yes, the behavior of such fans is a bit wishy-washy, and the orange-and-blue faithful have every right to be a little resentful. But in a year when patience is probably going to be greatly required and in short supply, Denver shouldn't sweat the small stuff. Celebrate the Broncos' first winning season in a while. Look forward to watching Bo Nix make a name for himself. Enjoy it, football fans, and embrace everyone who wants to join in.
For the Love of God, Just Finish the 16th Street Mall, Already
Everyone in Denver is sick of the renovation of the 16th Street Mall. For those who work in or live near downtown, this project seems interminable, even if it's really only a few years old. Part of that impression probably stems from all of us being shut-ins courtesy of COVID when it got underway — but whatever the reason, it's time for it to be done. And it's supposed to be, in 2025. Don't let that deadline — which at one time was 2022, then 2023 — get pushed back again.
Bring Back the Mizpah Arch
There's been so much time and energy and public money spent on redeveloping the 16th Street Mall, but this relatively minor expenditure would pay off big dividends in local history and the revitalization of LoDo. The arch only stood from 1906 to 1931, but those were vital and seminal times for Denver as a city, and the brightly lit steel structure that guarded the entrance to Union Station was one of its most famous symbols. Emblazoned with the word “WELCOME” on the arrival side and “MIZPAH” (which means "watchtower" in Hebrew) on the other, it greeted those arriving in Denver and offered a traveler's blessing to those departing. With all the work being done in and on Denver, this is one element that deserves a comeback.
Expand and Re-Emphasize Mass Transit
The Colfax project is an important one, despite the terrible effect it may be having on some beloved Denver retail. The Bus Rapid Transit project will establish a middle lane for buses only — something that will improve both driving conditions on Colfax and RTD staying on schedule. It will also be expanding service — providing around-the-clock service and buses arriving at stops about every four minutes on weekdays. It's vital that these steps are made, to turn around the precipitous drop in ridership with RTD. We need more mass transit, not less — and while that's going to cause some growing pains, it's worth it. (Also: Resolve to buy some stuff from Cap Hill Books.)
Re-Examine Rent Control
Denver owes it to the city's significant population of renters to follow up on the 2023 repeal of the 1981 "Rental Housing Act," which essentially banned rent control. At that time, it was a Boulder issue, which is probably why the rest of the state didn't much mind. But it's surely spread to being a Denver issue now, as well as that of other neighboring cities.That 2023 victory didn't install rent control, it just lifted the ban on a municipality imposing it. Given that landlords have survived rent control in other metropolitan cities (New York City, D.C., San Francisco), it's time for Denver to give it a try.
House People, Full Stop
Every time we do one of these resolution lists for Denver, the homelessness issue is addressed in some way — because it's an ongoing and growing challenge. There are a lot of complex issues surrounding exactly how to solve the issue, and most people involved have their hearts in the right place. But then there are those who blame the unhoused themselves, or clutch their NIMBY philosophy of empty platitudes. Thoughts and prayers, right? None of the rest of us are quite sure how to explain to you that you should care about people.
Crack Down on Crime
It's become a little more complicated to talk about crime, since the GOP has a headlock on it as a red-meat issue. So no, this isn't about bullshit issues like immigrants eating pets or some racist-dog-whistle boogeyman. Crime overall might be declining both nationally and locally — Axios reported this past summer that crime rates were falling, though it remains higher than pre-pandemic levels — but Denver still has work to do. That's perhaps best measured in the effects of the crime that does exist. Much-loved 13th Avenue pizza joint Benny Blanco's closed in 2024 in part because of a street attack perpetrated on one of its owners, and the F-Bomb Reading Series drew the curtain after more than a decade for a lot of reasons, but one of them was concern about the Mercury Cafe's location at 22nd and California streets. Denver needs to solve those problems to allow local businesses — including the beleaguered but beloved Mercury Cafe — to remain part of a vibrant city fabric.
Address Food Deserts
With the demise of the merger of supermarket super-giants Kroger and Albertsons, maybe we can get back to making sure there are stores accessible to everyone. Downtown Denver is pretty sparse in terms of shopping options, despite a massive influx of new residents in the past couple of years, and a $570 million influx of investment to make downtown more livable and more enticing for families would seem tailor-made for bringing in a grocery store. At the same time, the city needs to focus on other places where residents need access: Globeville, Elyria-Swansea, Skyland, Clayton and parts of Park Hill could use attention, too.
Stop Prioritizing the City Beautiful Ethos
Stay with us here: We're not saying we don't need to invest in beautification projects. There's a quality-of-life issue inherent in those projects, and it's important to support public art. But we also have to make some hard decisions. For example, do we really need to rotate the amphitheater in Civic Center Park? How do we balance city beautification projects with, you know, just helping some of our fellow Denver residents to simply live? It's a strange dynamic, when the city is rousting the homeless out of a park because it wants to spend money on making the city prettier.
The Kindness Rocks Project is just one of the ways we can all support each other in small but important ways.
America has made its choice for national leadership over the next four years, and a lot of it won't be easy, let alone kind. We here in Denver have the privilege of living in a more progressive environment, but we're going to need to take care of each other, and any vulnerable people who come here for respite or care. Oddly, this sentiment will piss off some readers who exhibit a need for subjugation both politically and economically. If you're in that group, ask yourself this: Why are you triggered by a call for simple kindness?
If nothing else, that's something we can all work on in 2025, and in years to come. So get out your old magazines (including copies of Westword) and cut and paste a few vision boards of your own for 2025.
