💸 New Retail Coming to 16th Street Mall

The Downtown Denver Partnership has picked two new businesses for the second round of its retailer pop-up program meant to revitalize the 16th Street Mall. Ana’s Norwegian Bakeri and Abstract Denver will receive six months of free rent (up from three offered in round one last year). However, all three shops that were part of the 2022 program have since closed, citing safety concerns and late-night altercations with unhoused neighbors. [Denver Business Journal 🔒]

🏠 1741 Gaylord Isn’t Safe Quite Yet

City Council voted unanimously last month to preserve the Dutch Colonial Revival-style mansion at 1741 Gaylord St., marking only the second owner-opposed historic preservation in Denver history. But now, owner Mike Mathieson has sued for the right to demolish the home and build an apartment building. He argues that one council member should have recused herself and that one of the past residents of the home was likely a member of the Ku Klux Klan. [BusinessDen 🔒]

🖥️ Tech Layoffs Continue

Once touted as a “unicorn” for its $1 billion valuation, the Denver-based education tech company Guild laid off 12% of its workforce last week, eliminating 172 of 1,400 jobs across the country. This marks the latest local tech company to announce major layoffs recently, as workers across the industry brace for a slumping market. [The Denver Post 🔒]

If there’s one thing Matt Stone and Trey Parker know how to do well (I mean, besides create a super sensational 26-season adult cartoon), it’s generate a buzz. At the time of writing this newsletter, Casa Bonita has still not announced an official opening date, but I was invited to a press preview of the new and improved Pink Palace last week. So I’ve got some fresh, hot deets:

🎧 First impressions: I called up my audio producer Paul Karolyi from the parking lot. You can hear my first impressions of what I saw on the City Cast Denver podcast.

🔎 What’s changed? Aesthetically, hardly anything! (At least, in the areas we were allowed to snoop.) There are a few new, still-on-theme decorative pieces, especially along the entrance line, but mostly the place is just … sparklier. And waaay cleaner. (But yes, it still smells like an indoor pool.) The changes were mostly minute and safety-related: Widen the waterfall pool, replace the cliff rocks, add more ADA-compliant features, etc. However, there were a few big changes worth noting:

1. A plate of food (ordered at an old school cash register just inside the door) is no longer required for entrance. Instead, there is an actual ticketing booth with eight windows selling admission that will include your entry, your food, and all the magical entertainment that awaits you inside. (Pricing not yet disclosed.)
2. Instead of waiting in a dark, damp hallway for your food to shoot out of a hole in the wall on a plastic lunch tray, acclaimed local chef Dana Rodriguez tore down some walls so you can watch your dinner being plated (which, as she’s alluded to before, will be entirely made from scratch in-house).
3. Speaking of the food … While I didn’t get to try anything more than a sopapilla, the CB team did share some photos, and it looks waaay tastier than the mediocre school-lunch-style Mexican food they served previously. There will also be gluten-free and vegetarian options!

🍌 What about Black Bart’s Hideout? What about Chiquita?? While I didn’t visit Black Bart’s hideout myself, press photos do show the fan-favorite feature intact. The fate of our favorite table-dancing gorilla remains unclear.

🗓️ How and when can I get in?? TBD. The CB team has described this as a “soft opening.” The restaurant will open with limited dinner hours, and the first guests will be pulled (randomly?) from the Casa Bonita email list. No walk-ins. Lakewood Mayor Adam Paul recently told us it would be opened to the public in a “phased approach.”

🎧 That’s all we know for now. But while you wait and speculate, listen back to our last couple years of Casa Bonita coverage:

• Inside the Fight to Save Casa Bonita - 04/15/21
• Why Casa Bonita is Text Book Fun (And Why Matt and Trey Couldn’t Ruin It If They Tried) - 10/06/21
• BONUS: Is Casa Bonita More Fun Than Meow Wolf? Or Lakeside? - 10/06/21
• Could the Words ‘Gourmet’ and ‘Casa Bonita’ Really Go Together? - 11/19/21
• Casa Bonita’s Food Needs Help! Chef Dana Rodriguez to the Rescue - 11/22/21
• Hungry for Casa Bonita Updates? We’ve Got a Spicy One - 08/16/22

The countdown is on, Election Day is a week away, and punches are being thrown. Here are the latest developments in Denver’s runoff races:

🚔 Johnston goes on the offensive: During a recent debate, Mike Johnston reminded voters that his opponent, Kelly Brough, said she supports reinstating qualified immunity for police officers. In response, Brough’s team clarified she supports qualified immunity except in cases where an officer violates a person’s constitutional rights.

📺 Brough supporters air an attack ad: An outside spending group supporting Brough aired a TV ad attacking Johnston’s credentials. Johnston’s team and his backers have called the ad factually inaccurate and “a new low for campaigns.”

🏟️ Johnston changes his mind: Johnston appears to have changed his position on using taxpayer dollars to fund a new Broncos stadium — he now opposes it. Brough supports it if approved by voters.

🤝 Backroom dealings: According to Brough’s campaign team, state rep. and former mayoral candidate Leslie Herod only gave Johnston her endorsement on the condition that she was guaranteed a high-level position in his administration. Herod and Johnston deny the claim.

🌯 The important questions: At a “Hot Ones”-style debate hosted by City Cast Denver, we discovered two previously unreported stances from both mayoral candidates: 1) Johnston prefers ranch with his hot wings, while Brough is a bleu cheese fan. 2) Both prefer Chipotle to Illegal Pete’s.

🏙️ Don’t forget about city council: There are three city council seats up for grabs — districts 8, 9, and 10. Here’s what’s at stake in those races.

🎧 ICYMI: Listen to our recent interviews with Kelly Brough and Mike Johnston

🗳️ Election Day is Tuesday, June 6. Here’s when, where, and how to cast your vote 👈

🍩 Voodoo Doughnuts 20th Birthday | Tuesday | All Day

To celebrate the occasion, Voodoo Doughnuts is offering $2 Mini Bacon Maple Bars all day long at all locations and through third-party delivery services! [All locations; $2]

🌮 Comedy and Tacos at Adobo | Tuesday | 6:30-8 p.m.

Catch nationally touring comedians and local comic legends at Adobo’s monthly comedy nights — plus, tacos on the cheap! [West Highland; Free admission]

🎨 Free Day at Clyfford Still Museum | Wednesday | 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Explore the latest art exhibits on display at Clyfford Still for free! [Civic Center; Free]

🧘 Yoga + Beer | Wednesday | 6-8 p.m.

Get over the mid-week slump with an hour-long yoga sesh, capped off with a complimentary beer from Windfall Brewing. [Westminster; $7]

Today on the City Cast Denver podcast, host Bree Davies is talking with Chris White, the CEO and co-founder of Shinesty, the fastest growing apparel company in Denver specializing in novelty underwear and raunchy, over-the-top designs for the kind of theme parties millennials love.

A big thank you to City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi for helping write today’s newsletter, so I had time to focus on Casa Bonita.

— Peyton Garcia