Denver will break ground Thursday on the first of 90 projects funded by a $1 billion bond approved by Denver voters Tuesday, Mayor Mike Johnston announced.

At a news conference Wednesday, Johnston thanked voters for their support of the new six-year general obligation bond, which will fund a wide range of capital repairs and improvements to the city’s infrastructure and community spaces.

The borrowing package will create 7,000 local jobs, generate an estimated $1.8 billion in economic activity, and deliver long-lasting improvements that make Denver’s neighborhoods safer, “more connected and more vibrant for everyone,” according to a statement from Johnston’s office.

The new debt would be paid off over a period of six years and would cost the city approximately $1.8 billion.

“All of these projects will be open to the public within six years”, Johnston said. “And the great news is we are not wasting any time in getting to work; we will actually do our first groundbreaking on a bond-funded project tomorrow.” 

Denver Health will break ground for its new 82,500-square-foot Sam Sandos Westside Family Health Center, marking a significant investment in healthcare for the West Denver community.

Denver Health officials said the new facility on Federal Boulevard will expand patient capacity by 30%, serving more than 33,000 patients annually with enhanced services including pediatric and adult primary care, dental, OB/GYN, physical and occupational therapy, and advanced imaging, such as CT, X-ray, ultrasound and mammography.

Bond funding for the health center will account for $20 million of the estimated $100-$115 million project, which will be built on the current clinic’s parking lot and is projected to open in 2027. 

The new center will retain the name of Sam Sandos, honoring Denver’s first Latino councilmember and the clinic’s historic role serving Spanish-speaking communities since 1968. 

Johnston added that residents will soon be able to track the status, cost and delivery dates of all 90 bond projects, in real time, over the next six years through a public dashboard.

The dashboard is anticipated to be launched sometime within the first quarter of 2026.

“We feel like Denver has worked hard to build and to own this package,” Johnston said. “We want them to be able to monitor it, celebrate it, and push it, over the next six years.”

Nicole Doheny, the city’s chief financial officer, said that Denver will issue a portion of those bonds over a six-year period. 

“We expect to go to the first issuance in the first quarter of next year,” Doheny said. “The money will go to each project, in each year of the six years.”

A Johnston spokesperson confirmed that all projects would be put out to competitive bid, in accordance with the city’s standard processes.

Even as Denver faces a tighter budget and flat revenue in 2026, along with the loss of 169 employees due to layoffs, Johnston said he remains confident in the city’s capacity to deliver.

“We spent the last nine months planning for that delivery strategy, as we were planning for this bond to go through,” Johnston said. “That’s why you’ll notice there are a smaller number of projects. I think the last bond was about 500 projects; this one is about 90.”

This is not the city’s first accelerated general obligation bond package, according to District 3 Councilmember Jamie Torres. 

“We’re about to wrap up the RISE Bond, and we’ve already seen things come through for our community through that, including the Westwood library, so we know how to deliver for Denver voters and residents through six-year bond packages,” she said. “This one, however, is four times as big, so it is still incredibly ambitious. But we know we can get it done.” 

As envisioned by supporters, the RISE Denver GO Bond, approved by voters in 2021, is a multi-year, $260 million general obligation bond designed to drive economic recovery by creating thousands of jobs, investing in local businesses and bringing infrastructure and community assets to historically underserved areas of the city.

“There were so many different projects, and we all worked to make sure that all communities got served in one way or another,” Torres said of the “Vibrant Denver Bond.” “Some things – we’ve been waiting for years to see completed – among those, the Santa Fe Streetscape project. 

Torres said that after 10 years of effort, the La Alma Lincoln Park residents will soon have sidewalks wide enough for two people to walk side by side, curb cuts that accommodate strollers and wheelchairs, and features that benefit people with disabilities. 

“For me, the biggest excitement is we now get to press ‘go’ on all of these things that Denverites want, Johnston said.