In a room packed with city leaders and officials, Mayor Mike Johnston said Wednesday that Denver is on a “big trip” together, with the GPS pointed towards making Denver the best city in the country.
In his first major public address of 2025, Johnston laid out his administration’s goals for the year. But before he got started, he described President Donald Trump’s administration as a metaphorical “blizzard” that threatens his road trip.
“You get an hour into that trip, and then the storm comes, and you find yourself in the middle of a blizzard, and it suddenly makes you wonder where you're going and how you get there,” Johnston said.
Johnston identified six goals he’d like to be judged on at the end of this year’s journey.
New funding for neighborhoods
Johnston praised the creation of a $570 million plan for the Downtown Development Authority, passed by voters in 2024. He said during its conception, his office was given the “really unique gift” of getting to talk with downtown residents about what they need — something that he wants to replicate in other parts of the city.
“We want to go to those neighborhoods and say, what are the key investments we need to make Montbello vibrant to make Sun Valley vibrant, to make Lowry vibrant?” he said.
The downtown spending is being funded by a portion of taxes paid in the area. Johnston didn’t say if a similar model would be used elsewhere.
Johnston also wants to continue growth in downtown, particularly on 16th Street Mall, which is set to fully reopen this summer.
Searching for a new housing strategy
The mayor previously hoped to use a new sales tax to fund tens of thousands of affordable housing units. That plan was rejected by voters in November. Johnston said that’s forcing him and the city to pivot to other solutions.
“It means we now look at other innovative solutions we can use to build these units and then find a way to scale them,” he said. “So you'll see us stay focused on affordability this year as well.”
Johnston still wants to see 3,000 units of affordable housing added in 2025. That’s almost twice the number that came online in 2024, according to a city data dashboard.
That could hit a snag, he said, if Trump’s proposed federal grant freezes, which the president rescinded on Wednesday, is reintroduced and implemented.
Reducing shootings by 15 percent
Crime as a whole was down across the city in 2024, according to the Denver Police Department’s crime database. Despite that, violent crime rose slightly due to an uptick in aggravated assault and robbery.
Johnston said the city will maintain a focus on reducing violent crime, specifically gun crime. He wants to bring gun crime down by an additional 15 percent, on top of the 23 percent reduction in 2024.
Johnston didn’t say exactly how that would happen.
In addition, he said the city will launch a new strategy to address non-violent crimes.
Regarding pending federal immigration raids, Johnston emphasized that he would not stand in the way of deporting violent criminals, but said he’d oppose attempts to raid hospitals, churches and schools.
He also said he would defend immigrants who have applied for asylum or work authorization.
“We think those folks deserve their day in court,” he said. “That is the American constitutional requirement.”
Shelter and homes for 4,000 people
While the city’s strategy on homelessness is shifting, the goal remains the same: getting people experiencing homelessness off the streets and into permanent housing.
This year, Johnston described an ambitious vision of bringing 2,000 people into shelters and connecting 2,000 people to permanent housing.
For comparison, over the last 18 months, Johnston’s efforts have brought about 2,200 people indoors, of whom about 850 are now in permanent housing.
The city has ended its $10 million-a-year lease to operate a hotel shelter in Globeville as it prepares for a new phase of its homelessness program, known as All In Mile High.
Heat pumps, transit and bikes
Johnston said his administration will subsidize 2,000 heat pumps, electric vehicle chargers and solar arrays in Denver homes. He also aims to reduce water usage and expand the city’s tree canopy. He didn’t say where the money for the efficiency improvements would come from.
Johnston also added the city’s transportation and climate departments will focus on moving Denverites away from single occupancy vehicles and towards public transit and city bikeways.
The best place to raise a family?
Johnston officially introduced a new goal to his agenda: making Denver “the premier city in America for raising a family.”
“We think that part of what makes any city vibrant is that you love to raise kids there,” he said.
Johnston, a former teacher and principal, said he wants Denver Public Schools to connect 5,000 children to after-school programs.
“That means after school, that means weekends, that means summer,” he said. “That is also a great protective factor for young people's mental health. The more connected they are to other experiences, other peers, other adults, those are all anchors for them in the storm to make sure that they are healthy and growing.”
Johnston also wants to expand the city’s youth employment program to place 2,500 teenagers and young adults in summer jobs or career training.
