Vibrant Denver bond: What it is and how we got here

Denver voters will decide this fall whether to authorize Vibrant Denver, a proposed package of nearly $1 billion of long-term debt that could steer the city of Denver’s construction plans for years to come.

Mayor Mike Johnston has described the proposal as a catalytic investment in the city’s future. If it’s approved, the plan could bring changes to roads, cultural institutions, parks and more.

But the proposal comes amid a financial storm for the city. Facing a slowing economy and growing expenses, Denver recently laid off about 170 employees and slashed its proposed 2026 budget.

Meanwhile, the bond process, which officially kicked off in February, has come with plenty of conflict over which projects made the list, and which did not.

Here’s what to know about the 2025 Vibrant Denver bond.

The package is split into five ballot measures.

Five separate proposals would authorize up to $1 billion in long-term debt for the city. Each measure would focus on a specific type of project.

Voters can vote “yes” or “no” on each individual set of projects. If one fails, the others can still pass.

For specifics on each measure, check our voter guide pages:

What is a general obligation bond?

General obligation bonds are a common way cities fund capital improvements without dipping into their general funds. Essentially, the city takes out a loan that it pays down using property taxes over decades.

Taxes would not rise if the Vibrant Denver bond passes; the city would instead keep them at their current levels.

The city already collects 6.5 mills of property taxes specifically to service this kind of debt. The city has capacity for new debt because it has made progress in paying down old debt.

If some or all of the bond package fails, the city would continue to collect the 6.5 mills, using that sum to pay down its existing debt faster.

If the full package passes, the city would take out about $1 billion in long-term debt to pay for projects outlined in each ballot measure. The city would pay up to about $900 million in interest on that debt over the course of several decades.

The city has described many of the projects as “shovel ready,” though historically it has taken years to complete bond project packages.

These are the biggest items in the bond package:

The nearly $1 billion package includes 58 projects at a variety of prices. Here are some of the blockbusters:

$89 million for the reworking and partial teardown of the 8th Avenue viaduct and $50 million to repair the 6th Avenue viaduct (2A)
$75 million for a new training center for the police, sheriff and fire departments (2D)
$75 million for the Marion Underpass and related connections in Globeville-Elyria Swansea (2A)
$70 million to build Park Hill Park (2B)
$55 million for the West 38th Avenue multimodal transportation project (2A)

Denverites wanted to see spending on parks, playgrounds and greenery.

In the months after the bond’s announcement, the city met residents and asked about their priorities.

Survey results showed that parks, playgrounds, trees and trails ranked highly, followed by “street, bridge, bike, and pedestrian safety."

The final bond package doesn’t perfectly mirror those findings. The bond’s most expensive measure would provide $441 million for transportation and mobility projects. The second-most expensive category is the parks and recreation ballot measure, which would include $175 million.

Nearly 40 percent of the parks and rec package would be for Park Hill Park, which is planned on the site of the old Park Hill Golf Course.

Planners started with nearly $6 billion of ideas. Whittling down that list was brutal.

Committees composed of Denver residents and city officials came up with over 220 potential projects. If all of those projects were built, it would have cost the city some $6 billion, far more than the city’s current debt capacity of roughly $1 billion.

Ultimately, the vast majority of those projects were cut, but not without fierce arguments. In particular, the Denver Clerk and Recorder criticized the mayor’s office for not funding a new elections security facility.

Some members of Denver City Council said the process lacked transparency, was rushed and failed to accurately reflect the needs of communities. At times, members of council threatened to oppose the bond.

However, Denver City Council voted to put all five bond measures on the November ballot, though some council members voted against moving forward with the transportation, parks and facilities packages.

Who’s for it?

The bond is one of Mayor Mike Johnston’s most ambitious plans to date. He and his allies argue the city can’t pay for these projects without taking out debt. They say it’s a vital stimulus for the city’s economy — one that can only be funded by bonds.

“You actually have to try to drive growth,” Johnston told Denverite and Colorado Matters in August. “That brings the economy back. And for us, that does mean creating jobs and investing in projects that drive economic growth. A bond does that. This will create almost 10,000 jobs.”

The inclusion of dollars for affordable housing builds on Johnston’s focus on housing and homelessness. Last year, he ran a proposal to raise sales taxes to pay for affordable housing. That ballot measure failed, but Johnston said he remained committed to finding affordable housing solutions.

The campaign for the Vibrant Denver bond has raised over $1 million, as of their October campaign finance disclosure. Financial supporters include some of the city’s cultural institutions, like the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and the Denver Botanic Gardens. It has also drawn support from businesses like SEMA Construction and Shanahan Development.

“This is your park. Your road. Your library. Let’s make them even better,” an ad paid for by the Vibrant Denver campaign said.

Endorsements include:

Former mayors Federico Peña, Wellington Webb, Bill Vidal and Michael Hancock
Former mayor and U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet
Attorney General Phil Weiser, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette and District Attorney John Walsh
Nine of 13 Denver City Council Members
A variety of current and former city and state leaders

The Denver Post Editorial Board also endorsed the project.

Who’s against it?

A group known as the “Citizens for NO New Debt” is the bond’s only organized opposition campaign. The group has spent about $1,300 to oppose the bond. The group’s founder, Jason Bailey, has aimed his criticism towards the city’s relationship with banks.

“This is how the banks make enormous profit, by taking our money. Banks pay for nothing,” he wrote after the bond was approved for the ballot by Denver City Council.

Both the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance and the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s office were disappointed to see their big projects excluded. The Clerk and Recorder criticized the mayor over the decision, but the DZCA has still endorsed and donated to the bond effort.

Meanwhile, some residents and commenters say they’re concerned about a lack of transparency and a lack of projects for some areas.

Individual projects also have attracted criticism, including expensive bridge improvements that could benefit the Denver Broncos’ efforts to build a new stadium.

Historically, Denverites have passed bonds.

Denver voters approved bonds in 1989, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2017 and 2021, to name a few. But they have occasionally rejected individual measures, including a 2021 proposal to build a sports arena.

The question is whether voters will be impressed by the bond’s ambitious project plans — or worried about spending big in an uncertain economy.

Ed. note: This guide was updated to note that the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance endorsed the bond package.