Author: Jon Murray
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$162 million contract approved for DIA train maintenance
The City Council signed off Monday on a $162 million operations and maintenance contract for Denver International Airport’s underground train that comes with promises to boost the system’s reliability. DIA officials also plan to expand the system’s capacity by 2020, with the net addition of 10 train cars to the transportation system linking the concourses to…
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DIA’s underground train will get more cars and maintenance amid airport expansion
Rapid passenger growth is driving big projects at Denver International Airport, from a $650 million renovation of the iconic tented terminal building to $1.5 billion in gate expansions on all three concourses. But those gains in capacity won’t mean much if the airport’s nearly 23-year-old automated train system can’t get passengers to the gates in time to catch their…
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Denver approves first cat-declawing ban in a U.S. city outside California
A newly passed Denver ordinance that bans elective cat declawing has ignited passions — including among cat owners and veterinarians. But the choice was easy for the City Council on Monday night when it made Denver the first U.S. city outside California to ban a procedure that critics see as inhumane and painful to the felines. The…
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Denver heroin users could use supervised injection site if proposal passes
In semi-private booths, each with a chair and a mirror, Denver heroin users could shoot up with clean needles, no threat of arrest and under the supervision of staff trained to jump in with a life-saving antidote in case of overdose. It would look more like a medical clinic than a party lounge, with floors and furniture…
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Denver approves smoking and vaping ban for 16th Street Mall
Smokers and vapers on Denver’s 16th Street Mall are now on notice: Starting Dec. 1, they will need to walk at least 50 feet down a side street before lighting up or puffing. The Denver City Council approved the public smoking ban 9-0 on Monday night, ending a weeks-long debate about how best to ensure that police…
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Denver hopes to turn former East Colfax strip club into affordable housing
A now-shuttered East Colfax strip club that was the site of a murder two years ago could get new life under a proposal that calls for the city to buy the property for $1.3 million and line up redevelopment. PT’s II, long regarded as a neighborhood nuisance, was shut down in the past year. Once the city…
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DIA hiring project manager with $45 million contract, prepares for 26-gate expansion blitz
Denver International Airport’s plan to add 26 gates to its concourses in the next few years will be carried out by a project management contractor that could be paid up to $45 million. That’s the maximum set by a contract approved by the City Council on Monday night — and it likely will end up…
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Denver approves massive 3-day music festival that will start in 2018
Superfly Productions received official approval Monday night to launch its latest large music festival in south Denver. The festival faced a barrage of concerns from many neighbors for months before the City Council voted 10-3 to approve the five-year agreement. The deal paves the way for the entry into Denver of the promoter behind San Francisco’s Outside…
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Feds: Denver I-70 project isn’t perfect, but it’s better for civil rights than alternatives
Federal civil rights investigators found in a review of the plan to expand Interstate 70 in northeast Denver — and lower the widened freeway below grade through heavily Latino neighborhoods — that the project wasn’t without flaws. But in a report that sides with the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration concluded that…
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Gender-neutral rule for single-stall restrooms wins Denver’s OK
The Denver City Council on Monday night approved amendments to the Denver building code that include a streamlined rule for small bathrooms in businesses and other places open to the public. In short: Single-stall bathrooms that had required distinct labeling as “men’s” or “women’s” will become gender-neutral, with new signage for existing restrooms required by May…