Denver officials presented a proposed $950 million general obligation bond package to the city council on July 28, and held a lengthy public hearing that brought dozens of residents and neighborhood groups to the microphone to press competing priorities.

Patrick Riley, the city’s Vibrant Denver bond program manager, told council the proposed package distributes roughly $950 million across five broad categories: transportation and mobility ($428,420,000), parks and recreation ($174,750,000), health and human services ($30,100,000), city facilities ($252,430,000) and housing and shelter ($64,300,000). Riley said the program follows a citywide outreach campaign that drew more than 6,200 survey responses and more than 1,000 participants at public meetings.

At the public hearing, residents and advocacy groups urged different allotments. Bike and pedestrian advocates pressed for larger, clearly funded protective bike lanes and neighborhood street-calming projects; Bicycle Colorado’s executive director said he was “baffled” by the lack of funding for high‑comfort bikeways and urged the council to “significantly increase the funding” for bike safety. Several speakers, including those who witnessed recent collisions in Barnum and other neighborhoods, asked the council to reallocate bond dollars toward protected bikeways and safety improvements on Thirteenth and Fourteenth Avenues.

Housing advocates and community organizers urged more deeply affordable housing and stronger city control over permanently affordable units. Community members and nonprofit leaders also asked the council to maintain funding for community projects in historically underserved neighborhoods — for example the Montbello Placita and Park Hill regional park conversion were cited repeatedly as investments with direct neighborhood impact.

Several speakers and tribal leaders also urged support for a proposed American Indian Cultural Embassy and said the bond could fund a long-awaited, city-supported tribal presence. “The proposed American Indian Embassy would allow the Cheyenne and Arapaho and other indigenous people of this land to reclaim a small part of what was once theirs,” said Eleni Slavenidis of the Sand Creek Massacre Foundation.

Councilmembers introduced and debated several amendments during the meeting’s legislative session that would reallocate funds — including proposals to shift money from the housing bucket into transportation projects focused on Thirteenth and Fourteenth Avenues. Some amendments advanced; others failed after roll-call votes.

City staff emphasized that the bond package is one of many financing tools for long‑range city needs and said the package was sized to maintain fiscal discipline while enabling projects to be delivered within a multi‑year timeframe. As the council finalizes the list in coming weeks, it will take account of project scopes, grant opportunities and community requests raised during the hearing.

Council scheduled subsequent votes and opportunities for amendment as it moves toward a final referral of the specific ballot questions to voters.