Hey there. Denver council made another little step in its discussion about affordable housing last night: We're seeing pretty explicit support for the city to come up with another $150 million for housing. We've also got a ton of other growth news, some interesting reads on transportation and one of Allan's first longer pieces for Denverite.
Housing:
Denver’s elected leaders on Tuesday approved the course for the city’s next five years of spending on affordable housing. Even as they did that, Council President Albus Brooks basically promised to double the affordable housing fund. (Denverite)
Denver is going to stop talking about "areas of change" and "areas of stability" and start looking at growth in a more nuanced way. (Denverite)
The steward of Larimer Square says it's time to start "envisioning a new Larimer Square." Specifically, the vision includes two towers with hotel rooms, condos, apartments and green spaces. (Denverite)
Boulder may double the fee that commercial developers pay toward affordable housing, Alex Burness reports. It's already eight times higher than Denver's fee. Council members want to intentionally discourage commercial development. (Camera)
We've got more details and renderings of the proposed downtown skyscraper right here. (Denverite)
Law:
In Denver, the mayor picks the sheriff, but there's a new push for the city to start holding elections for sheriff, like they do in most other Colorado counties. Allan reports. (Denverite)
Rep. Mike Coffman was booed at a town hall meeting as attendees demanded gun control. Here's a detailed account from Nick Riccardi (AP)
Transportation:
Uber will roll out an "Express Pool" service that cuts prices by 50 percent if users are willing to walk a couple blocks. This could help it run its carpool routes more efficiently. Like a bus, but presumably it's on-demand rather than running on a fixed schedule. Cathy Proctor reports. (DBJ)
Fewer people are driving to work in Seattle, despite massive jobs growth. They've done it by building out transit and pushing companies to subsidize transit passes. Laura Bliss reports. (CityLab)
Health:
Health care costs in Colorado are way above those in four other states examined in a recent study. In the mountains, that's due to high medical costs. In Pueblo, it's because people use medical services more heavily. (DP)
Fun:
For 10 days, starting today, 10 films by mostly local artists will be projected on buildings throughout the RiNo Art District. (Denverite)
The Way Back will reopen at its new Tennyson Street location on Feb. 27, and it'll have a new executive chef for the occasion. (Denverite)
Solera is closing on East Colfax to make way for a new restaurant, which we don't know much about yet. (Eater)
Denver broke a record low for this date as temperatures dipped to -7 this morning. (KDVR)
Dylan Owens has a list of new music venues. The one at The Stanley looks really cool. (The Know)
Lindsey Vonn took bronze in the women's downhill with a rather nice run. Men's hockey is out. (CPR)
In memoriam:
Colorado lawmakers took a moment yesterday to honor the legacy of Daddy Bruce Randolph. (Denverite)
