🛍️ Would you live at the Denver Pavilions?

⛽ $4 For Gas — In This Economy?!

Last Tuesday, the average price for regular gas in Denver was $3.90 per gallon. A Conoco station — known for maintaining prices sometimes a whole dollar more than the rest of the local market — at East Speer Boulevard and 4th Avenue was touting $4.49 per gallon last week 😳 [Denver Gazette 🔒]

• How did we get here? Records from GasBuddy show the average price of regular gas in Denver on Feb. 24 was $2.47 per gallon. By the end of March, it was $3.90 — roughly a 60% spike in just one month. Soaring gas prices across the nation can largely be credited to the war in Iran. [Reuters]
• Flashback: The current state of gas prices is nerve-wrackingly reminiscent of the nation’s highest ever record set in June 2022 during the early months of Russia’s invasion of Iran. The price in Denver at that time was $4.92 per gallon. [USA Today]
• When will they drop? Last week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he is “optimistic” gas prices could return to the $3 range sometime this summer if global oil supply conditions improve. An analysis by one local economics expert seems to back up that estimate. [9News; Denver7]
• Hot fuel tip: GasBuddy is an app that can help you compare nearby gas prices. Google Maps functions similarly when you simply search “gas” in your area, listing the most recent price for most stations on the map.

🛍️ What’s Next for the Denver Pavilions?

A panel of urban land use experts laid out their recommendations for the former downtown outdoor mall — a pitch which included a public plaza, retail/restaurant/performance space, and the addition of roughly 1,200 residential units at an estimated cost of $500-615 million. The panel cited Cincinnati’s Fountain Square and midtown Manhattan’s Bryant Park as inspiration for the vision. A full report for the project is expected to be delivered to the city in the next two months. [Denverite]

💰 Don’t Count on a TABOR Check Any Time Soon

Gov. Jared Polis is proposing $306 million in savings, which would be used to cover the state’s budget deficit, by canceling TABOR refunds for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 fiscal years. The governor’s proposal says the state overpaid taxpayers that amount in the last fiscal year due to late federal budget changes. Though state budget staff warn the move might not be legal. [CO Politics 🔒]

🏆 Ball Arena Announces Free Avs, Nuggets Playoff Watch Parties

Feeling FOMO from the weekend’s playoff action at Ball Arena? Great news — you can watch the first two rounds of the Avs and Nuggets home playoff games live and FOR FREE on 20-foot screens (one for each team) in the brand new “fan zone” outside the stadium. You’ll have to grab tickets, which are being released in batches and getting scooped up quickly! Spectators are invited two hours before the game starts to enjoy a live DJ, food trucks, giveaways, and mascot appearances. [Denver7]

• Mark your cal: Here are the playoff schedules (and streaming options!) for both teams. [9News]

🪧 Threat of Merger Looms Over Sheridan Teachers Strike

As the Sheridan School District teachers strike drags into its third week, lawmakers have suggested merging the tiny southwest metro district with a larger neighboring one if district leadership and the teachers union can’t come to a new contract agreement soon. [CPR]

• Meanwhile in DPS: A Denver school district community committee is recommending district leaders adopt a “bell-to-bell” ban on cell phones, smart watches, ear buds, and other technology. The district’s school board is also revisiting an old discussion on what to do with vacant school buildings. [Chalkbeat]

☕ 2 Denver Cafes Ranked Among World’s Best

At this month’s World of Coffee event in San Diego, two Mile High cafes were named in the “Top 100 Coffee Shops in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.” Queen City Collective Coffee (a City Cast Denver team fave) landed at No. 61, and Sweet Bloom Coffee ranked No. 43. Only 30 of the shops on the list are in the U.S. Honorees were first nominated, then a panel of “specialty coffee experts” decided the final cut. [Westword]

• Get more: Check out our coffee nerd’s guide to Denver. [City Cast Denver]

📬 Huston Lake Update, South Broadway Archetypes, and More From the Mailbag

Can you legally hunt beavers in Colorado? Is there any hope for Huston Lake’s future? Will Peyton Manning’s new restaurant serve chicken parm? We open up the City Cast Denver mailbag and hear from readers and listeners on these hot topics of the last few weeks and more! [City Cast Denver 🎧]