A drone photo from RiNo looking toward downtown Denver in March 2020. (Courtesy Guerilla Capturing)
A number of local development firms, along with Oakwood Homes founder Pat Hamill and Airbnb, have donated money in support of a Denver ballot measure that would increase sales tax to garner funds for income-restricted housing.
Ballot measure 2R would increase sales tax in the city by 0.5 percent — that’s 5 cents on a $10 purchase — and use the funds to “expand and preserve affordable housing for low- and middle-income families and individuals,” according to the ballot language.
The measure was introduced and has been championed by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, who is in his first term, and the vote could be seen as a referendum on his administration.
A committee called Affordable Denver has been established to advocate for the passage of the ballot measure 2R. That committee had raised $1.35 million as of Oct. 14, according to Denver records.
No committee has been established in opposition to ballot measure 2R. But four Denver City Council members — Flor Alvidrez, Kevin Flynn, Stacie Gilmore and Amanda Sawyer — voted against putting the measure on the ballot in August, arguing the effort was rushed and lacked specifics regarding how the funds would be used.
“I take my responsibility of good governance really seriously, and I can’t explain what this is going to look like to my constituents,” Gilmore said during the August vote.
As of Oct. 14, 13 donors had donated at least $20,000 to Affordable Denver. The top three accounted for more than half the money raised by the committee.
1. Action Now Initiative LLC: $250,000
2. Healthier Colorado: $240,000
3. Gary Advocacy LLC: $200,000
4. Patrick Hamill: $50,000
5. James Kelley: $50,000
6. Airbnb Inc: $50,000
7. Issues Mobilization Committee: $25,000
8. Colorado Low Income Housing Campaign: $25,000
9. Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck: $25,000
10. Amacon Management LLC: $25,000
11. Elevation Community Land Trust: $24,450
12. AEG Presents: $20,000
13. Apartment Association of Metro Denver: $20,000
Gary Advocacy is an affiliate of Gary Community Ventures, a nonprofit that Johnston led before becoming mayor. Hamill is the founder of Oakwood Homes. Amacon is developing a large downtown condominium project. Elevation Community Land Trust aids in the development of income-restricted housing.
A number of local development firms have contributed smaller amounts.
Delwest Development Corp. and Ulysses Development Group, both of which develop income-restricted housing, each donated $10,000. East West Partners, which will redevelop the west end of the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, and Kentro Group, whose projects include redeveloping former Colorado Department of Transportation properties, came in at that level as well.
Revesco Properties, the firm behind the River Mile project, donated $5,000, as did the namesake of L.C. Fulenwider Inc. Continuum Partners, Urban Ventures and the Urban Land Conservancy also donated $5,000.
A full list of donors can be found here.
