DNA Agrees to Sell Rocky Mountain News Building

DENVER-The Denver Newspaper Agency has reached a tentative agreement to sell the Rocky Mountain News building at 400 W. Colfax Ave. to Denver for $16 million. In addition, the City of Denver will give the DNA free rent on the building until at least March 2004. The agency, which handles all the business aspects of the News and the Post, is looking for a building to house both papers and the DNA.

The City is purchasing the News’ building as a potential site for a new justice center that would include a jail. “This is an important next step in the development of our company,” said Kirk MacDonald, president and CEO of the DNA. “Not only does it make sound financial sense to consolidate our facilities, but being in one location will help us improve operating efficiency, improve communications between our employees and give our customers a centralized location to do business with us.”

MacDonald would not say when the agency would settle on a location for a new facility. “When that decision is reached, our employees will be the first to know,” he says.

In addition to the building at 400 W. Colfax, the DNA also operates from The Denver Post building at 1560 Broadway. That facility, and the agency’s production facilities at Fox Street, Washington Street and West 53rd Place are not affected by the proposed transaction with the City of Denver. The DNA, as publisher of the two newspapers, is equally owned by MediaNews Group, parent of The Post, and E.W. Scripps Co. of Cincinnati, which owns the News.

Mayor Wellington E. Webb says the City will finance the purchase through certificates of participation and also will use $1 million in federal funds designed for use by the Denver sheriff’s office. The Denver City Council will now consider the transaction with first reading this Monday.

“The approval of this transaction will pave the way for the much-needed development of a new justice center,” Webb says. “A single owner willing to sell over five acres only one block from city hall offers the City the opportunity to return city hall to a civic building and enhance our civic complex. This undertaking should compliment the city’s recent investments in the Civic center such as the new art museum, public library and the new Webb municipal office building.”

Manager of Safety Tracy Howard noted that purchase of the land is the first step in a long and complicated planning process. “We are working closely with the Golden Triangle Neighborhood Association to develop a criminal justice center that enhances the vitality and safety of the neighborhood,” says Howard.

The City notes that the current Denver city jail operates at 150% of capacity and the current Denver county jail operates at 140% capacity. A new Justice Center would permit the City to nearly double overall jail capacity (from 1508 to 2720) without adding uniformed officers. It would also eliminate prisoner transfers by bus (165 to 250 pretrial inmates daily) and the infamous “prisoner shuffle” in hallways.

The DJC would also include 24 Criminal Courts attached to the jail and another 12 Juvenile Courts nearby. This would create expansion space in the city and county building for non-criminal court, administrative and city council growth and the location facilitates ease of access by other departments such as District Attorney, City Attorney, Police, Public Defender and Probation).