The Vibrant Denver Bond: What’s Included in the $950 Million Ballot Proposal
On August 5, 2025, Denver City Council officially approved the Vibrant Denver Bond package for placement on the November 4 ballot. If approved by voters, this $950 million general obligation bond will fund more than 60 public infrastructure projects across the city — all without raising property tax rates.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s included, how the projects were selected, and what voters can expect to see.
Photo by Developing Denver
What Is the Vibrant Denver Bond and Will Appear on the Ballot?
The Vibrant Denver Bond is a capital investment plan aimed at repairing, replacing, and building essential public infrastructure; including roads, bridges, libraries, recreation centers, housing facilities, and health clinics. It’s the latest in a series of citywide general obligation (GO) bonds that are used to fund long-term public assets. This bond will be paid for using Denver’s existing debt capacity, meaning no increase to property tax rates. As previous bonds near completion (like Elevate Denver and RISE), this new bond keeps investment flowing without changing the tax rate.
The $950 million bond will be split into five separate ballot questions, each tied to a project category:
Transportation & Mobility — $441 million
City Facilities — $244 million
Parks & Recreation — $175 million
Housing & Sheltering — $59 million
Health & Human Services — $30 million
Voters can approve or reject each category independently.
How Projects Were Selected
The city began with over 1,000 project ideas submitted by residents, agencies, and city departments. Through months of technical review, community engagement, subcommittee evaluations, and council debate, that list was narrowed down to the final set of shovel-ready projects. Each project had to meet specific criteria:
Be ready for construction in the near term
Serve a public need and align with existing city plans (CIP, Blueprint Denver, etc.)
Be part of city-owned infrastructure
Have a long lifespan (10+ years)
Advance equity, economic vitality, or quality of life
Photo by Developing Denver
What’s in the Bond: Project Highlights by Category
Transportation And Mobility
$500K - Highline Canal Trail and Dahlia St. Pedestrian Crossing Improvements
$1.5M - Pedestrian Safety Improvements on Holly St, 6th Ave, 8th Ave, Uinta St, and Exposition Ave.
$2.75M - Traffic Signal Improvements for District 11
$3M - Citywide Pedestrian Crossing Safety Improvements
$5.7M - 1st & University Intersection Improvements
$7.6M - 38th and Blake Underpass Improvements
$15M - Construction of safer intersections on Evans Avenue
$18M - 13th and 14th Avenues Safety Improvements from Colorado Blvd. to Quebec
$29M - Santa Fe Streetscape and Multimodal Safety Improvements
$29.3M - Repairing 6th Ave and Lincoln St Bridges over Cherry Creek
$50M - 6th Avenue Viaduct Repairs and Mobility & Access Improvements
$55.3M - Design and construction of multimodal improvements on West 38th Avenue
$75M - Completion of the GES Marion Underpass
$89.2M - 8th Avenue Viaduct & Multimodal Improvements
Parks And Recreation
$500K - Southwest Outdoor Pool Improvements
$750K - Harvey Park Improvements
$1M - Hirshorn Park Playground Replacement
$1M - Platte Park Playground Replacement
$1.5M - Cherry Creek Trail Lighting Improvements
$1.5M - Lindsley Park Improvements
$1.5M - Montbello Civic Center Park Shade Plaza
$1.5M - Southwest Auto Park Tennis Court Renovation
$1.6M - Garland Park Playground Replacement
$1.9M - Southwest Bike Pump Track. Location TBD through public engagement.
$2M - Cook Park Outdoor Pool Improvements
$2.25M - Washington Park Indoor Pool Improvements
$2.5M - Montbello Recreation Center Improvements
$2.75M - Eisenhower Outdoor Pool Improvements
$2.85M - Emporia Park Buildout
$5M - Sloan’s Lake Aquatic and Environmental Improvements
$5M - Sun Valley Riverfront Park
$7M - Echo Lake Lodge Improvements
$15M - Aztlan Outdoor Pool Rebuild & Replacement
$70M - Park Hill Park Buildout
$20M - Southeast Recreation Center and Skate Park
Housing And Shelter
$10M - Build a new library with co-located housing on the east side of Denver
$11.4M - Affordable Housing and Sheltering ADA and Safety Improvements
$45M - Investment in land, buildings and/or site preparation to provide affordable housing
Arts And City Facilities
$1M - Improvements at the 303 ArtWay, a four-mile pedestrian and bike loop
$1M - Renovation of the Arie P. Taylor Senior Center
$1.6M - Creation of a new ideaLAB at the Green Valley Ranch Library
$2M - Improvements to the Bear Valley Branch Library
$3M - Denver Art Museum Capital Maintenance & Improvements
$3M - Denver Bontanic Gardens Capital Maintenance & Improvements
$3M - Denver Center for the Performing Arts Capital Maintenance & Improvements
$3M - Denver Museum of Nature and Science Capital Maintenance & Improvements
$3M - Denver Zoo Capital Maintenance & Improvements
$4M - Loretto Heights Theater Parking & Structure
$4.4M - Renovation and historic preservation of the Decker Branch Library
$10M - Renovation and improvement of the Denver Animal Shelter
$10.9M - Renovation of the Montbello Branch Library
$12.3M - Renovation of the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library
$20M - Design and construction of a new American Indian Cultural Embassy
$20M - Boettcher Concert Hall Capital Maintenance & Improvements
$75M - Construction of a new First Responder and Public Safety Training Center to modernize training for the Denver sheriff, fire and police departments
Health And Human Services
$10M: Creation of a trauma-informed, safe space for vulnerable youth through the Denver Children's Advocacy Center
$20M: Construction of the Denver Health Sam Sandos Westside Family Health Center
Projects Total: $838,000,000
Project Administration and Contingency: $112,000,000
Bond Total: $950,000,000
The Bigger Picture & What’s Next
Denver’s total project list comes to $838 million, with an additional $112 million set aside for administration, contingency, and bond issuance costs, bringing the full bond total to $950 million. This bond would not affect the city’s general fund or staffing budgets. Instead, it uses capital investment to drive long-term improvements to public infrastructure, while creating construction jobs and future tax revenue.
Voters will decide on the Vibrant Denver Bond in the November 4, 2025 municipal election. Each question will appear separately, and residents can choose which categories they support.
To explore the full project list and bond dashboard, visit: denvergov.org/vibrantbond
We’ll continue to track key projects, funding updates, and ballot coverage leading up to the election.
All project information was sourced from publicly available site plans, renderings, and permitting documents.
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All project information was sourced from publicly available site plans, renderings, and permitting documents.
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