Dave Query, owner of Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar, expressed relief after conveying his concerns about downtown Denver’s deteriorating state to Mayor Mike Johnston, labeling the area as “completely falling apart.”
“Is writing a letter and copying 140 people on it the best way to go? Sometimes,” Query said about the email he sent in early February. “Sometimes you got to make a lot of noise. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”
Query’s optimism about LoDo’s future stems from an increased police presence announced by Johnston during a news conference earlier this month.
The plan includes a four-person, mounted horse patrol unit, 10 additional officers, and the establishment of a safety hub kiosk at 16th and Arapahoe streets, aimed at improving conditions along the 16th Street Mall.
Johnston also highlighted enhanced private security, alongside expanded mental health and paramedic support for the area.
“That’s all we were asking for,” Query stated. “Let’s reinstate law and order down here so that if people need help, they get the help they need and they’re not just left on the corner to just be unhinged for hours at a time.”
In addition to the increased police presence, Query is hopeful that downtown infrastructure, including sidewalks and trees, will receive necessary maintenance.
This year marks the first time the city will be responsible for sidewalk repairs and maintenance, following a 2022 ballot measure.
Query noted that improvements have already begun, highlighting that a decrepit Westword distribution box in front of Jax, located at the corner of 17th and Wazee, and a dumpster that occupied two parking spaces have been relocated by the city.
“This is your marquee, showcase, tourist destination,” he remarked.
“When you’ve got big roll-off dumpsters, the parking meters are bagged, the sidewalks and the curbs are all cracked, the tree wells are broken, and some of the trees are dead. It’s like, ‘Wow, this place really needs some love.’ And they’re promising that love.”
In early March, Query and a group of LoDo restaurateurs and business owners met with Mayor Johnston, Police Chief Ron Thomas, and Adeeb Khan, the director of Denver’s Economic Development and Opportunity office, to discuss his concerns.
The group spent 90 minutes going line-by-line through Query’s February letter, during which city officials agreed with most of the points raised and committed to creating a plan addressing his primary requests, including increased police presence, better infrastructure, and parking solutions.
Query described a second meeting with the officials on April 2, following Johnston’s announcement, where they outlined a strategy connecting the new initiatives to his original complaints.
Despite the positive interactions with city officials, Query emphasized the need for follow-through on their commitments.
He critiqued measures like Colorado’s use of personal recognizance bonds, which allow individuals to be released from jail without bail, as long as they promise to appear in court.
“(Cops are) walking into situations where they don’t have the authority they need to do the job, to enforce the laws,” he said. “They’re just there to be babysitters at times.”
However, Query believes that the increased police presence downtown could create a deterrent effect.
“I do think (more police downtown) will create an uncomfortable situation,” he explained. “Nobody wants to party with their parents, so you go to where your parents aren’t.”
Regarding parking challenges, Query is optimistic that the added patrols will lead to better enforcement of parking meters that are marked with yellow no-parking bags from Wednesday through Friday.
He noted that the city often fails to remove the bags as planned, leaving meters bagged through the weekend, which effectively eliminates parking availability.
Moreover, Query suggested that moving food trucks to areas in front of empty storefronts rather than in proximity to open retailers could help free up more parking spaces.
He referenced successful models in Seattle and Portland, Oregon, where dedicated parks and alleys for mobile kitchens exist.
“It’s not a light switch. It’s going to take a minute, and that’s cool,” he said.
“Of course, it’s going to take a minute. But just the whole energy and positioning and what seemed to be a real forthright commitment to, ‘Yes, we hear you. Yes, we agree with some, if not most, of what you’re saying, and that we’re committed to making it right for downtown.’”
image source from：https://www.denverpost.com/2025/04/14/denver-restaurants-lodo-police-mike-johnston/
