Ballot Issue 2D: City Facilities

ABSTAIN, with comment.

Like 2C, most of this ballot issue falls outside of our core focus areas. Because we believe that local zoning, infrastructure, and land use reform require broad coalitions across the political spectrum, we strive to remain nonpartisan and speak only on the projects that directly relate to our mission as an organization. This is especially true for 2D because some of the projects being considered, such as the $75 million police training facility, can be hot-button topics in our current political climate. 

That said, we do want to comment on the few areas of Ballot Issue 2D that do fall within our purview – namely, the $35,100,000 in Red Rocks upgrades and the construction of a $4,000,000 Loretto Heights Theater Parking Structure. 

Both Loretto Heights Theater and Red Rocks are asking the public to subsidize the development of new parking, a request that directly contradicts one of our five key initiatives: End Parking Mandates and Subsidies. 

Using property tax to fund parking developments is not a responsible investment in the city’s economic future – parking costs $5,000-$50,000 per space to build, increases the cost of other city infrastructure by making buildings farther apart, and does not pay for itself. Parking structures in particular require ongoing maintenance, security, lighting, and eventual replacement, all while generating little, if any, revenue for the city. 

Denver is in a housing crisis. More land used for parking means less land for much needed homes and wealth-generating businesses. It also disincentivizes public investments in transit, and given how long Denver residents have waited for reliable transit to Red Rocks, this investment would be a $35 million step in the wrong direction. 

Parking aside, it’s unclear to us why Red Rocks, a world-class, revenue-producing venue, should be funded by a general obligation bond in the first place. GO bonds are long-term debts funded by taxes paid by all Denver property owners. That means every homeowner, renter, and small business in Denver pays for these improvements — even if they never attend a concert — while Live Nation, AEG, and other private promoters continue to profit from city-subsidized infrastructure. 

Red Rocks improvements should instead be funded through a revenue bond, which is repaid through the tickets, concessions, and fees it already generates, so that Denver residents aren’t subsidizing a profitable venue while critical safety projects compete for the same dollars.