Denver mayor says 16th Street Mall will reopen this summer, shares safety goals

Denver will plant thousands of trees and decrease its water usage by millions of gallons as the city government emphasizes climate resilience this year, Mayor Mike Johnston announced Wednesday.

That goal, along with a focus on making the city “family friendly,” are new initiatives under Johnston’s administration. As he outlined his goals for 2025 during a presentation at the Central Library, he renewed his long-term plans for alleviating homelessness, making Denver more affordable and vibrant, and boosting safety throughout the city.

“Today is about our belief and commitment,” Johnston said. “In those moments where you feel the most chaos is where the deepest connection to your visions and your mission matters most.”

Johnston also said that the 16th Street Mall would fully reopen this summer after years of construction. That’s a few months earlier than the city had projected on the project website, though officials long have expressed hope for an earlier completion.

After Denver voters rejected a ballot measure that would have increased Denver’s sales tax by 0.5% to pay for housing affordability projects, Johnston said he would find a new way to spur the creation of 3,000 more income-qualified units this year.

Last year, the city saw a decrease in shootings by 23%. This year, Johnston wants to reduce them by another 15%.

The city’s homelessness initiative, called All in Mile High, will strive to bring 2,000 people indoors and 2,000 people into permanent housing. That’s double the city’s earlier goal for this year, as JS reported last week.

Johnston hopes to accomplish the goals around climate resilience by adding 2,000 heat pumps, EV chargers and solar arrays to houses, businesses and nonprofits this year. His administration will also strive to plant 4,500 trees and reduce municipal water use by 20 million gallons.