Denver City Council

Well-kempt mansions dot Montview Boulevard in Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood, but the two-story Italianate house at the corner of Elm Street stands out. It’s surrounded by metal fencing, and the property’s rusty wrought-iron gate and overgrown lawn signal the property’s decay. When Denver couple Mark and Marianne Rinehart purchased the 90-year-old house for $2.5 million in September 2022, they envisioned their “forever home,” with a large yard for their two young sons to romp around. But, then, they consulted builders…

Denver International Airport is preparing to bring in a new firm to operate its shuttle buses. Airport leadership has asked the Denver City Council to award a $371.1 million contract to Connecticut-based LAZ Parking. The contract would run for seven years, with three one-year extension options. A council committee advanced the contract last week. The full council will vote on it in the coming weeks. The shuttles run between the airport’s parking lots and the terminal, serving both employees and those flying in and out.…

Colorado construction contractors could face civil liability for wage theft under a bill previewed by Democratic lawmakers Friday. Details of the proposal are still being finalized ahead of the legislative session that begins Wednesday. House Majority Leader Monica Duran, a Wheat Ridge Democrat, said it is one of the bills she plans to introduce on the first day, and classified it as part of the party’s priority of economic justice. Colorado sees an estimated $728 million in wage theft annually, according to a 2022…

With more renewable energy going on the grid and more vehicles and homes turning all-electric, Colorado utilities and regulators are planning more transmission lines and equipment to handle the increasing demands. But questions about the location of new electric substations, which convert high-voltage electricity to power for homes and businesses, have come up after Xcel Energy-Colorado revealed plans for a substation in Denver’s Elyria-Swansea neighborhood. The area is already home to several industrial sites, some of…

It’s been 10 years since Colorado launched the first legal recreational marijuana market in the world and became a pioneer in drug reform. But when it came to the nascent industry, the first sales on Jan. 1, 2014, were more a starting block than a finish line. In the decade since legalization, Colorado has refined laws, catalyzed new ones and served as a litmus test for the rest of the country as states followed its lead. Today, cannabis is recreationally available for sale in 24 states — where more than half of Americans…

In September 2022, a nearly century-old home in South Park Hill sold for the first time since the 1950s. The new owners paid $2.5 million, records show — for the land. They’d like to demolish the structure and build something much larger, plans indicate. But a handful of Denver residents are pushing to mandate preservation of the home. The property in the 5000 block of E. Montview Blvd., along one of the neighborhood’s stately corridors, is Denver’s latest setting for an owner-opposed landmark application. Three women who…

Ig Eels used to watch people flock to shows from his band Drink Drank Punk whenever they play Carioca Cafe, the downtown dive bar that has managed to hang on over the past few years despite being surrounded by luxury construction projects. But without a cabaret license, Carioca Cafe, a.k.a. Bar Bar, can’t allow the punk-rock guitar player and singer’s house band to perform, despite Drink Drank Punk having played more than 100 shows there since 2013, Eels said. In fact, the bar has never had a cabaret license, according to…