🚔 Racism inside DPD?

🚌 New Arrivals in Denver Slow Down — For Now

Last week, city officials reported the number of new arrivals from South and Central America staying in Denver shelters dropped below 1,000 for the first time in six months. The temporary lull will give the city a chance to shift from an emergency response to a “long-term programmatic model response” before the next influx of arrivals, which city leaders believe could come in late spring. [Axios Denver]

• The impact: Since that first bus of new arrivals came in December 2022, the city has spent about $61 million on sheltering and services for them.

🚨 Retired Police Sergeant Sues DPD

Former Denver Police Sergeant Carla Havard, a Black woman, is suing the Denver Police Department on claims of racial discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct. Havard alleges that when she brought her complaints to the internal affairs bureau, she faced retaliation that made it impossible for her to find other work in security or law enforcement. [Denver Post]

🏙️ The Push to Slow Growth in Lakewood

A group of Lakewood activists is petitioning to change the city’s development laws. Their proposal is to require a certain amount of open space with every multi-family development project. The group argues that current city law — which allows residential developers to pay cash in lieu of including park space — is disrupting the natural habitat and turning Lakewood into a “concrete jungle.” [Denverite]

• The bigger picture: Growth and affordable housing are statewide hot button issues right now, and many housing advocates are pushing for more high-density, multi-family development.
• One out-of-the-box idea? Radical parking reform. [City Cast Denver 🎧]

Inside the Two 'Green' New Buildings Rising in Denver

Two new, distinct buildings are climbing toward the Mile High sky. There’s the Populus near Civic Center Park, a hotel claiming to mimic the look of an aspen tree. And there’s One River North, a towering, glimmering structure with a massive crag across its exterior in RiNo. Both are unique looking and both claim to be “green.” Denverite senior reporter Kyle Harris shares his thoughts and reporting on these new architectural additions and digs into what it actually means to be “carbon positive.”