🚠 Does the 16th Street Mall need a gondola?

🚠 Is the Plan for 16th Street Mall Missing a Gondola?

The 16th Street Mall has been reopening slowly as renovations wrap up, but 30% of storefronts along the corridor are still vacant. While the area works to bounce back, one Denverite has a big dream to bring people downtown involving an intricate gondola system, moving sidewalks, and a new way to look at the city. [City Cast Denver 🎧]

🍻 Open Alcohol Consumption Areas Coming to 16th Street

The Mayor’s office is “ironing out details” for a plan to allow visitors to certain parts of 16th Street Mall to openly drink boozy beverages. The move is part of the revitalization of 16th Street Mall, which will (hopefully) fully reopen later this month after years of construction. [Denverite]

• Incentives for Retailers: In an effort to address vacancies downtown, the Downtown Development Authority is offering retailers grant funding for business improvements and hired a full-time “retail advocate” to pursue contracts to fill empty storefronts. [Denver Business Journal 🔒]

⚖️ Denver Sues Trump Admin Over Lost FEMA Funding

The city joined a lawsuit against the federal government after it lost a $24 million grant to help shelter migrants. The Trump administration has withheld federal funding from cities who don’t cooperate with their immigration policies, but the lawsuit argues Trump cannot seize the funding since it was authorized by Congress. [Denver Post 🔒]

🎫 RTD Giving Drivers Report Cards

RTD officials launched a new campaign to fight car thefts. Using a “report card” system, drivers who park in RTD lots get graded for how well they protect against break-ins by locking doors, not leaving packages in sight, and rolling up car windows. The lots are selected randomly, but RTD says it aims to give every car in the selected lots an evaluation. [Denver 7]