After years of grassroots organizing and significant investment from major foundations, long-held dreams are beginning to take shape in northeast Denver’s Montbello neighborhood, including affordable housing, a business development hub, a grocery store stocked with fresh produce, and eventually a vibrant community arts center.
Denver’s unusually warm and dry winter has many people worried about the potential for drought and fire danger this summer. At a recent meeting of Lowry United Neighborhoods, Denver Fire Chief Desmond Fulton and Denver Water’s Bea Stratton briefed residents on current conditions and shared tips for how to prepare for the spring and summer months.
The flames from a fire at the Bluff Lake Nature Center in Denver could be seen for miles. The 5.5-acre fire brought out firefighters from both Denver and Aurora late Tuesday evening.
On a snowy Saturday, tribal leaders toured a proposed site for a new American Indian Cultural Embassy in northeast Denver. The $20 million project is part of the Vibrant Denver Bond package passed by voters in 2025.
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One by one, as names were called, individuals lay down on the pavement in front of Denver’s City and County Building, holding flowers over their chests. The action was part of a “Die-In” protest organized by Denver Streets Partnership to honor the 93 pedestrians, cyclists and motorists who were killed on Denver streets in 2025.
East Colfax residents are shaping how millions of dollars will be spent to improve the city of Denver. The participatory budgeting program, known as the Denver People’s Budget, launched its third cycle in October, giving residents decision-making power over how $2 million in infrastructure funding is allocated.
“We screwed it up,” admitted Amy Ford, executive director of the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. She was talking about the project to transform 13th and 14th avenues from one way to two way in the East Colfax neighborhood.
About 100,000 people a year visit Bluff Lake Nature Center, and those visitors were at the center of the campus improvements unveiled February 14: restrooms, water stations, an accessible ramp, and stairs.
It’s an enormous task: fixing or upgrading more than 1,400 miles of sidewalks and constructing 318 miles of new ones within the next decade. The effort is part of the city’s Sidewalk Enterprise Program, launched after Denver voters approved a 2022 ordinance to create a dedicated sidewalk fund supported by property owner fees.
A change in traffic patterns in the East Colfax neighborhood has neighbors upset and asking for better communication about infrastructure changes in the future.
Denver is taking the research out of reusability. The city’s Reuse Business Directory connects people with businesses that help shoppers save money, reduce waste, and positively impact the climate.
