austin

Austin

chicago

Chicago

denver

Denver

lasvegas

Las Vegas

madison

Madison

nashville

Nashville

philly

Philly

pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

portland

Portland

saltlake

Salt Lake

seattle

Seattle

twincities

Twin Cities

We make podcasts and newsletters that connect people with the cities they love.

City Cast Denver

The Denver Broncos officially announced this week that they have chosen the vacant 

 as their preferred location for a new stadium, a massive project that reportedly will be privately funded. So, what does the move mean for the city and its beloved football team? Here’s everything you need to know.

There’s been a national trend of sports teams looking to expand their prospects with entertainment districts surrounding state-of-the-art stadiums, and it sounds like Broncos ownership is no different. Plus, the average lifespan of a sports stadium is only a few decades – Empower Field at Mile High opened in 2001 and while it is less than 30 years old, newer arenas of this size offer retractable roofs, better seating, and other amenities Denver doesn’t currently have.

The West side was once the epicenter of Denver's Chicano Movement and is already in a fight to preserve that history, so a development of this magnitude would have some serious implications. Broncos ownership currently owns around 100 acres in Burnham Yard — considered part of the historic West side as well as being a place of significance in 

 — and is looking to acquire more land for what it hopes to develop into an entertainment district with retail and housing around the new stadium.

As with any growing community, some neighbors are excited at the prospect of new amenities and better walkability, but others say they feel somber and fear 

 to live in the neighborhood. For their part, the Walton-Penner ownership group see themselves as a community partner looking to build their vision with input from folks who already live there. Much like the community-involved negotiations happening at Kroenke Sports & Entertainment’s neighboring redevelopment around Ball Arena, Broncos ownership says it is “fully committed to a strong and inclusive 

There’s a collective sigh of relief that the team plans to stay in Denver. 

 had been rumored as potential relocation options, but the most excited Denverite was perhaps Mayor Mike Johnston, who touted his administration’s efforts to keep the team within Denver proper during his latest State of the City Address.

Mayor Johnston told Denverite that the city would get possession of the 80 acres around Mile High when the team moves, and that 

 to make way for future development like parks and housing.

The short answer: it’s projected for 2031. The team is obviously keen on making it happen, but there are a lot of things that must be done before the new stadium becomes a reality — more on that below.

CU Denver professor of public affairs Dr. Geoff Propheter told us “everyone is just speculating up the wazoo,” adding that the team’s announcement is all about political momentum.

Councilwoman Jamie Torres — whose district includes the proposed stadium site — 

 that City Council would have four key decisions to make in the coming years: an approval of the small area plan for Burnham Yard, rezoning of the land, possible tax incentives for the urban renewal plan, and a development agreement. The team will also have to hash out a community benefits agreement with the current residents of the La Alma Lincoln Park neighborhood.

In the short term, expect a lot of town hall meetings and community engagement. The project has a lot of energy, but it’s nowhere near the goal line.

RE: New Broncos Stadium

What Do You Think About the Broncos Moving? 💬

What You Need to Know About The Broncos Move to Burnham Yard

What Denverites have been wondering. We break down why things in Denver are the way they are and how they work.

Denver, Explained

Is Denver ready to say "Yes, in my backyard?" A new poll from housing advocacy group YIMBY Denver of almost 300 likely voters tried to answer that question — and found strong support for building more housing in the city. City Cast Denver sat down with YIMBY Denver president Ryan Keeney to find out more about the poll results.

“We're very excited about the results of this survey,” Keeney said. “The headline here is that there is strong public support for increased housing density among likely Denver voters.”

Keeney and the YIMBYs see increasing the housing supply as an urgent issue. “170,000 people are projected to live east of E-470 and south of DIA by 2050,” Keeney told City Cast Denver. “I think that is unsustainable from a climate perspective, and I don't think that's the number one place people really wanna live. I think if we allowed the types of buildings that would accommodate people in Denver’s central historic streetcar-oriented neighborhoods, they would come."

The ultimate dream? “YIMBY Denver's North Star is that everyone who wants a home in Denver should be able to have a home in Denver, whether they already live here or whether they want to live here,” Keeney said.

YIMBY Denver commissioned the poll from Change Research, which surveyed 297 Denver voters between March 20 and 22, with a margin of error of 6.9%. We’ve presented a selection of the results below and a link to the full crosstabs below.

Do you support or oppose “allowing more housing in all Denver neighborhoods?”

Which of the following comes closest to your view?

27% said Denver neighborhoods with the lowest housing density should be prioritized for homebuilding to ensure growth and the addition of new housing units in those neighborhoods.

45% said Denver should get rid of anti-growth rules across all neighborhoods to allow for the addition of new housing units. Neighborhoods where there is more demand for housing units can grow and become more dense.

28% said adding new housing units isn’t a priority for Denver right now.

Do you support or oppose the City of Denver building and owning mixed-income housing in Denver, including both affordable housing and market rate housing, if the effort required a one-time expenditure of city funds and no permanent tax increase?

Do you approve or disapprove of “buildings of up to six units on residential property in any neighborhood in the City of Denver?”

Show me all the numbers! 

Paul Karolyi contributed to today’s YIMBY Denver segment.

A new poll from YIMBY Denver of almost 300 likely voters found strong support for more housing in the city.

New Survey Shows Broad Support for Increased Housing Density All Across Denver

In a win for housing advocates, state lawmakers passed 

, or the “For Cause Eviction” bill, which intends to protect renters from biased or discriminatory lease termination. It’s just the latest of several tenant protection bills that have been proposed to state legislators in recent years as Colorado grapples with an increasingly challenging housing market. But as local renters wait out the legislative slog, they are taking the fight for their rights into their own hands — with tenants unions. Popping up with increasing frequency across the Denver metro, we’ve seen examples in 

A tenants union is formed when a group of renters residing in the same housing complex informally band together to collectively organize for better living conditions. Like a labor union, the goal is to push for change and exercise their rights as a united front. They are typically made up of people living in the same building or complex, but they can also be renters living in the same city or neighborhood.

As a group, or sometimes through a designated spokesperson, the union works to negotiate with landlords to address common concerns — unprecedented rent spikes, prolonged maintenance, safety issues, etc. Like a labor union, tenants unions can file complaints with the city, picket, campaign for political changes, or organize a rent strike.

 help renters understand their rights and can help those interested in forming their own union.

👉 Also: A local guide of renters’ resources

Several tenant protection bills have been proposed to state legislators in recent years as Colorado grapples with a housing crisis. But as local renters wait out the legislative slog, they are taking the fight for their rights into their own hands — with tenants unions. 

Denver Tenants Unions, Explained

Should You Form a Tenants Union? What You Need to Know. 

 that would facilitate denser construction of apartments and condos near rail lines and high-frequency bus routes in Front Range cities — a top priority for Governor Jared Polis. While the bill offers financial incentives for municipalities that choose to embrace higher density neighborhoods, controversially, it could also 

 highway funding from cities that don’t participate.

 strongly encourage local governments to rezone for more transit-oriented development, also known as TOD, or risk losing funding for other, more car-centric developments. TOD is a hot topic in the legislature — so to better understand the implications of this bill, you first need to understand TOD.

To put it simply, transit-oriented development is when dense housing options (think apartment buildings and condos) are built around public transit in a way that makes using it easy and safe. It’s kind of the opposite of suburban neighborhood building and planning, which focuses on prioritizing cars as the main form of transit.

Just some of the benefits to TOD include easing traffic congestion, reducing carbon output, creating housing options that don’t require residents to own a car, and creating neighborhoods that are more easily accessible to people of all abilities. Basically, TOD centers a pedestrian’s experience in a community, instead of prioritizing cars.

TOD requires cities, public transit agencies, and both public and private developers to work together to create communities that prioritize buses and trains, biking, and walking or rolling as forms of transit. While Denver still has quite a ways to go when it comes to growing as a less car-centric city, there are quite a few TOD projects you can see across the city right now — think the 

 in La Alma Lincoln Park or most of what we know today as the 

🔎 Learn More About HB24-1313

Hear from transit experts on what Denver could do differently when it comes to embracing multiple modes of getting around. 👇

TOD — everyone's talking about it — but what exactly is it? And why do Colorado lawmakers think we need more of it?

What is Transit-Oriented Development?

Renting in Denver feels darn near impossible these days. According to a new renter migration report from Apartment List, nearly half of Denver metro apartment renters are 

 for somewhere cheaper. If you’re trying to hang tough in Denver’s market, here are some resources that can help.

Denver’s Temporary Rental & Utility Assistance (TURA) program: 

This program offers up to six months of rental assistance, water and utility assistance, and/or relocation assistance to eligible households. You can 

. Families applying do not need to disclose documentation status.

 to fight and prevent eviction regardless of documentation status.

This non-governmental nonprofit provides eligible low-income households with information and resources around 

, including foreclosures, evictions, and landlord-tenant disputes.

 eviction defense, affordable housing, landlord disputes, and housing discrimination.

A free online service that runs users’ information against eligibility qualifications for more than 40 federal, state, and county programs to 

 is a safe space where Denverites can post their tenants rights questions — from HOA complaints to landlord disputes — and source local housing-related tools and advice.

, nonprofits, and organizations geared toward housing assistance for Coloradans.

Renting in Denver feels darn near impossible these days. If you’re trying to hang tough in the local market, here are some resources that can help.

Resources for Denver Renters

Make Denver better, one neighbor at a time. Find volunteering opportunities, ways to get involved and give back, and more.

Help Your Denver Neighbors

Help Your Neighbors

In the wee morning hours of Tuesday, January 23, the City of Denver 

 — a method used by the city’s Department of Housing Stability to get an idea of how many Denverites are currently experiencing homelessness. Here’s how it works.

The city deploys 25 two-person teams to walk the streets literally counting the people living outside and staying in homeless shelters. How can they be sure they count everyone? They can’t. But they do their best, so it’s a rough estimate. The numbers are also only reflective of a single night in January.

Per the parameters set by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Denverites included in the count may fall under different terminology depending on their situation.

People staying with family or friends don’t qualify as unhoused and are 

People living on the streets in sanctioned 

unsanctioned encampments are considered “unsheltered.”

People staying in shelters run by homeless service providers are marked as “experiencing homelessness 

People living on government-run campuses (like Denver’s tiny home micro-communities) are considered “sheltered” …

 in tiny homes or sheds are “unsheltered.”

In the week following the count, about 10% of the people tallied will be surveyed about their lives. The number will also inform the city’s housing efforts, like Mayor Johnston’s next House1000 initiative.

Citizen status is not considered in the count, so the tens of thousands of migrants who’ve recently arrived in Denver and have no place to go will likely have a significant impact on the survey’s results.

🔎 Read More on This Topic from Denverite

Denver's annual Point in Time Count is a method used by the city’s Department of Housing Stability to get an idea of how many Denverites are currently experiencing homelessness. Here’s how it works. 

How Does Denver's Point in Time Count Work?

The weather is getting colder, and for most of us that brings cozy evenings by the fire or snuggled up under a blanket. But for the thousands of people living unsheltered on Denver’s streets, it’s a matter of survival. Here are a few local resources that help people stay warm this winter.

Give (or receive) old or new tents, tarps, sleeping bags, blankets, coats, gloves, and beanies through local organizations like 

 also collects donations — with drop-off locations all across the Front Range — to ensure all Coloradans have access to a warm winter coat at no cost

In the event of dangerously low temperatures, the city utilizes rec centers as “warming shelters.” When the city activates its warming shelter protocols, information will be available on the 

walk-up shelters and “Front Door” referral centers

 (or texting 898-211) will get you connected to health and human services programs in your local area.

housing

What You Need to Know About The Broncos Move to Burnham Yard

New Survey Shows Broad Support for Increased Housing Density All Across Denver

Should You Form a Tenants Union? What You Need to Know.

Latest articles

What You Need to Know About The Broncos Move to Burnham Yard

New Survey Shows Broad Support for Increased Housing Density All Across Denver

Should You Form a Tenants Union? What You Need to Know.

What is Transit-Oriented Development?

Resources for Denver Renters

How Does Denver's Point in Time Count Work?

Help Denver's Unhoused Folks Keep Warm This Winter

Latest articles

What is Transit-Oriented Development?

Resources for Denver Renters

How Does Denver's Point in Time Count Work?

Help Denver's Unhoused Folks Keep Warm This Winter