Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper said Tuesday the city will implement a new housing plan, launch a youth initiative to coordinate after-school programs and build a luxury hotel at Denver International Airport as he looks ahead to his second term.
Hickenlooper outlined these goals during his annual State of the City address to the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. The mayor also touted his plan for a proposed bond and tax package that voters will see this November.
He asked the chamber and citizens to “invest together in the common good” and said the bond plan “sends a message about who we are and who we are to become … the infrastructure bond initiative says that Denver is a place that wisely invests in its future.”
The speech was Hickenlooper’s second major address in just over a week. But unlike last week’s inauguration address, the mayor previewed some of the programs he plans to introduce in his second term.
The mayor and his aides have said for weeks that this year’s State of the City would not have blockbuster announcements such as last year’s Greenprint Denver plan for conservation or the initiative to plant 1 million trees.
But the mayor did announce a program to facilitate nonprofit groups, Denver Public Schools programs and volunteer efforts in what he called the Child/Youth Friendly City Initiative.
“We will be launching a comprehensive doorbell-to-school bell approach for our children,” Hickenlooper said. “This means that city services will be coordinated and drive specific outcomes for young people including after-school and recreational activities. ”
And he said the city will put together a housing plan “for residents of all incomes.”
For the business community, Hickenlooper said “in the coming years, we will implement a ‘Grow Our Own’ initiative – strategically supporting business efforts to buy, hire and expand locally.”
The mayor gave the keynote address at an event for about 600 people that also featured University of Colorado Director of Business Research Richard Wobbekind, Greenwood Village Mayor Nancy Sharpe and Colorado Health Foundation president Anne Warhover.
Wobbekind told the chamber he expects the state to outperform the national economy.
Chamber president Joe Blake spoke after Hickenlooper and had only praise.
“Your vision, your clarity … has made this city a better place,” he said addressing Hickenlooper. “You have made public service something to always aspire to.”
Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at 303-954-1657 or gmerritt@denverpost.com.
This article has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, due to a reporting error, it incorrectly attributed a quote made by Compass Bank president Rafael Bustillo to Rob Cohen.
