DENVER — This week, sidewalk repairs started in Denver’s Berkeley neighborhood as part of the city’s sidewalk improvement project.
In 2022, voters approved a citizen-led ballot initiative transferring the responsibility from property owners to the city to build new, and repair, sidewalks.
Construction for the overall project began in July and the Sloan’s Lake neighborhood was the first to receive repairs.
Denver7 spoke with residents in the Berkeley neighborhood who said these repairs are a long time coming and will make a huge difference in everyday life.
“Before the repairs, they were really bad,” said Ryan Walters, who has lived in the Berkeley neighborhood for about three years. “... We had to get an off-roading stroller just to go through the neighborhood."
Walters also mentioned that during the winter, the uneven sidewalks posed other challenges, including “six-inch drop offs” that make it difficult to clear any ice away.
Another resident, Maegan Rathmann, shared similar excitement
“I have three kids, and often we are on rollerblades or scooters or bikes, and there's been a lot of tripping and falling and just injuries from sidewalks being very bumpy and cracked," she told Denver7.
Rathmann has lived in the neighborhood for four years.
But even people who didn’t live in the neighborhood noticed the need for repairs.
Leslie Harrison lives in Longmont, but has been coming to the Berkeley neighborhood for walks almost every day for the past couple of weeks.
“You have to watch where you're stepping so you don't stumble,” he said. "... And I noticed some are getting broken up with some repairs that are going on right now. And so they're worse right now."
Property owners are helping to pay the cost after Denver City Council approved a flat fee in 2024. Property owners that have 230 feet of frontage or less will pay an annual flat fee of $150. Those with more will pay a $150 flat fee plus an additional "impact fee" of $3.50 for every foot over 230 feet.
And for Rathmann and Walters, they think it’s worth it.
“Sometimes, when it's for your personal neighborhood, it seems like, 'OK, this could be for a good reason,'” Rathmann said. “I think in the past, I don't know if it was in this neighborhood — they've said if there's sidewalk problems, it's on you as a homeowner. And we have never been in a place where we've been able to afford to fix our sidewalks, so it just seems necessary.”
“I'm glad the city's taking care of that, because I think a lot of the homeowners — I don't know if it's really fair (or) feasible for all of them to cover that expense,” Walters added.
Billing for the project began in January 2025.
Once repairs are completed in the Berkeley neighborhood, crews will begin construction in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, where the city has already begun identifying areas for repairs.
The city says more areas in Denver will be added to the list for repairs "as time and funding allows".
Updates will be posted through the city's webpage for the project.
