How Denverites want to spend the mayor's proposed $800M bond package

Denver residents have weighed in on how they think the city should spend an $800 million bond package that Mayor Mike Johnston wants on the November ballot.

Why it matters: Johnston has crisscrossed the city selling the bond as a six-year plan to make Denver more "vibrant" — with a promise to follow the public's lead on priorities.

How it works: If approved, the bond would replace existing debt currently being paid off but wouldn't increase property taxes. The final amount isn't set, but city officials peg it around $800 million.

What they're saying: More than 6,000 people have responded to a city survey on how to spend the cash. Parks, playgrounds, trees and trails topped the list, with near-universal support.

• Street, bridge, bike and pedestrian safety projects were a close second.
• Public safety initiatives, including police and fire investments, rounded out the top three.

Zoom in: Residents floated ideas from basic fixes to beachfront dreams, an Axios Denver analysis found.

• "How about creating a big sand beach at Sloan's Lake and [turning] that boat house into a bar/restaurant," one respondent wrote.
• Another pitched: "The Macy's that is going out of business would be a great location for an innovative food hall and library combination."
• "Continued work on the zoo. Bring the polar bears back!" someone else suggested.

What Johnston's saying: "It's a beautiful picture of democracy in action," he told the Denver Post. "There are small everyday things people really care about, and there are big dreams they care about. You see them come together on both."

Yes, but: Democracy's messy. The next step — choosing which projects actually get funded — is where the process could get political.

What's next: Community-led committees will review the survey responses against the city's official Capital Improvement Plan. Their final recommendations head to City Council this summer, according to the mayor's office.

The intrigue: Housing investments were a dividing line, with less consensus among survey respondents.

• Johnston may need to tread carefully after voters shot down his proposed affordable housing tax hike last November.

The big picture: If Johnston's bond package makes it to the ballot — which will be up to the City Council — it would mark Denver's third major bond vote in five years.

Flashback: Last November, city voters approved a $975 million bond package for Denver Public Schools.

• In 2021, they split on then-Mayor Michael Hancock's $450 million bond package, greenlighting most projects but killing plans for a $190 million arena.