Denver approves $20 million bond agreement for Boettcher Concert Hall
The agreement covers repairs and improvements and outlines at least $120 million in planned funding. A North Capitol Hill housing contract remains pending in the latest records reviewed.
Denver approved a $20 million bond-funded agreement for repairs and improvements to Boettcher Concert Hall on Aug. 24, and Mayor Mike Johnston approved it Aug. 25.
The approved ordinance says the $20 million will come from general-obligation bonds approved by voters through City-referred Question 2D on Nov. 4, 2025. The agreement is between Denver and the Colorado Symphony Association.
The ordinance outlines at least $120 million in planned funding: $20 million in voter-approved bonds, $85 million identified by the city’s Department of Arts and Venues, and at least $15 million that the Colorado Symphony has voluntarily committed to raise. The record does not establish that all of the money has been raised, transferred or spent.
The council also authorized an exception to Denver Revised Municipal Code Section 2-275, the city’s standard public-building naming procedure. The ordinance identifies licensing naming rights as a potential source of private funding but does not name a sponsor or estimate naming revenue.
The available ordinance does not state the agreement’s term, payment schedule, project milestones, matching-fund requirements, or accounting, reporting, audit and enforcement provisions. It also does not specify sponsor-selection criteria, public review, restrictions or revocation terms for naming rights. The council approved the agreement in the form filed with the City Clerk under Filing No. 202685266; the available record does not include a separately executed agreement.
The approval comes as the council considers other housing-finance actions.
On Aug. 10, Denver approved $1 million in financing for an East Colfax apartment property. Resolution 26-1091 authorized a $900,000 loan and $100,000 grant for 1371 Xenia St. The loan has a 30-year promissory-note term, and the resolution requires rents affordable to qualifying households, according to the council record. A December 2025 case study from Enterprise Community Partners identifies the property as a 23-unit building serving households earning at or below 50% of area median income.
On Aug. 18, the Community Planning and Housing Committee approved by consent Resolution 26-1188 for filing. The resolution authorizes a $4,522,862 contract with the Northeast Denver Housing Center through 1600 Pearl LLLP for a North Capitol Hill project. The contract runs through Dec. 31, 2042, and includes a 60-year affordability covenant, according to the committee minutes.
As of Aug. 19, the official Legistar record listed the resolution as “Approved for Filing,” with no final full-Council action recorded. Related project material describes the city-financed portion as a 60-year cash-flow loan supporting 133 income-restricted units — 113 new and 20 rehabilitated apartments — according to Assembly USA. The Northeast Denver Housing Center, however, describes the broader 1600 Pearl Street Apartments as a 158-unit development with 138 new and 20 preserved units. The available records do not reconcile those figures or specify detailed rents, bedroom mix or occupancy requirements for the city-financed units.