DEN briefed council committee on $12.8 billion CIP, electrification needs and utility constraints for airport-area development

Phil Washington, CEO of Denver International Airport, and airport finance and planning staff briefed the Business, Arts, Workforce, Climate, and Aviation Services Committee on an expanded Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) that extends prior five‑year planning out to 2035. Michael Beals, DEN chief financial officer, said the expanded CIP totals roughly $12.8 billion and will be funded through a mix of internal cash, grants and traditional bond issuances.

Beals outlined projects in the CFP’s immediate and future phases: Great Hall completion (including ticketing reconfiguration and new security gates), baggage‑system modernization, legacy concourse renewals, automated guideway transit system (AGTS) vehicle replacements, taxiway and air‑side work, and planning-level work for a potential seventh runway. He said some projects will return to council when contracts and procurement items are ready for action.

Scott Morrissey and airport planning staff described electrical‑capacity planning tied to the CIP and broader electrification of airport uses (employee and passenger vehicles, rental car operations, ground support equipment and potentially electric aircraft). Morrissey said DEN has worked for more than two years with Xcel Energy and that three major projects have entered the Public Utilities Commission approval process; he emphasized the long lead times required for distribution upgrades and the need to coordinate with the utility to time capacity buildouts.

Councillors raised a range of issues. Members sought clarity on how costs for utility extensions and on‑site infrastructure are shared for development on DEN‑owned land. DEN staff said cost allocations are project‑specific; they cited a 73 percent aeronautical share for Peña Boulevard improvements and said the airport is evaluating whether to front utility build‑out costs and recoup them later or require developers to bear those expenses. Jim Starling, DEN’s chief construction and infrastructure officer, noted that remote parcels often lack mains and that initial service extensions can be expensive until development triggers future economies of scale.

Council members asked about wayfinding and language access; Washington said language‑access implementation is not part of the capital line in the CIP but that signage and multilingual wayfinding are included in the Great Hall contract. On sustainability, Morrissey noted DEN currently has about 50 megawatts of photovoltaic capacity across roughly 200 acres and remains open to low‑cost renewables and energy projects. Washington said the airport will pursue feasibility work to examine options for independent power generation—he discussed the concept of a feasibility study that could include advanced technologies (as presented to the committee, the term "small modular reactor" was mentioned as part of a wider discussion of power‑generation options).

Councilors also asked about operational metrics and workforce decisions. Beals described strong liquidity and a high debt-service coverage ratio (citing ratings from Fitch, S&P and Moody's), and Washington said the number of airport employees is substantial—DEN estimated nearly 41,000 total on-airport jobs in the ecosystem, of which about 1,400 are city employees. Committee members questioned why furloughs were applied to some employees given strong airport balance-sheet metrics; DEN staff said the furlough decisions were made at the mayoral level and that furlough savings remain in the airport enterprise fund rather than the city general fund.

Several councilors expressed skepticism about proposed billion-dollar pedestrian-bridge concepts and asked how DEN will ensure reliability and value; airport staff said the concepts are under study, and that DEN continues to track international and seasonal travel demand closely (DEN staff reported a recent flattening in some international travel forecasts). The committee closed after a consent-item check and adjourned; the transcript supplied does not include subsequent council votes on CIP items.