The Denver City Council approved a resolution Monday night, clearing the way for an additional cash infusion to provide “activation activities related to the reopening of the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver.” 

Council Resolution 25-0191 amends a contract with the Downtown Denver Partnership, adding $1.5 million – for a new total of $1.9 million – for events and permanent installations that draw crowds, as well as increased safety and operations, according to city documents.

The resolution, a late filing by City Council President Amanda Sandoval, conjured mixed reactions among some council members.

At-Large Councilmember Sarah Parady called the resolution out, citing concerns with “the budget environment that we’re in and that we’re going into.”

“I don’t feel like this is a use of funds that I can vote yes on tonight, not for any lack of excitement about the revitalized 16th Street Mall,” she said. “It’s just a matter of priorities.”

Parady argued that basic needs such as shelter, rental assistance and health care should be of greater concern.

“I know this is kind of a really meta kind of economic argument that we have to spend money in this way to attract businesses to the city, to attract sales tax, but I just start to question whether that gets attenuated compared to the very direct kinds of needs that we could be spending our scarce dollars on,” she said.

“Revitalizing downtown helps the residents from all over the city, not just downtown,” said District 10 Councilmember Chris Hinds, referring to the revitalization of downtown as a necessary economic engine that strengthens the city as a whole.

District 8 Councilmember Shontel Lewis asked the Johnston administration to consider more options other than “pouring (money) into a strategy that continues to fail us.”

“I have a hard time approving this when the voters just recently approved $500 million in funding for downtown through the DDA,” District 7 Councilmember Flor Alvidrez said. “So, I will be a no on this tonight.”

The resolution passed 10-3, with Alvidrez, Serena Gonzalez-Gutierrez and Parady voting no. 

Also on the council’s approved list was another liability settlement involving the Denver Police Department. The $800,000 expenditure resolves a liability claim in the shooting death of 30-year-old Duane Manzanares, Jr., who was shot multiple times by Denver police officers in June 2021, according to court documents. 

Approval of the expenditure brings the city’s total for police liability settlements for 2025 to $4,352,500, according to Lewis, whose office tracks such data.

“I want to be clear to everyone watching that we are paying attention,” Lewis said. “We are watching how the city spends our money down to the penny, and we are making decisions for the future with this knowledge.”