The Denver City Council on Monday approved a $2 million grant agreement which will pay for services rendered to homeless people in the city.

The council also approved the preservation of an historic structure in the Washington Park neighborhood. 

The $2 million grant agreement was called out by District 8 Councilwoman Shontel Lewis due to a concern over the oversight of the money being spent. Under current city rules, the City Council must approve any contract that may require it to spend $500,000 or more, according to a 2020 executive order. 

Lewis wants to change that threshold, though her office could not provide further details. 

“I’m calling this out now not because I doubt that (Denver Department for Public Health and the Environment) will find qualified contractors, but rather because this is the last time this is going to come before city council,” Lewis said. “And I’m concerned about the oversight of this money… One of my main budget proposals this year is to rethink how the city does contracting to provide us with more oversight.”

The council unanimously approved the agreement. The money is reserved for “micro-communities” started under Mayor Mike Johnston as part of his “House1000 Behavioral Health and Substance Misuse Program.” The Department of Housing Stability plans to manage about $852,000 of grant money, per city documents. The remaining $1.1 million will be managed by DDPHE. 

One of the public hearings Monday concerned the preservation of 2323 E. Dakota Ave., which the owners and city planners said is historically significant.

The home is called the Casper Forman and Nancy Lee Hegner House, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 31, 2023, according to a city staff report.

“This is one of those iconic modern houses where if you’re interested in modern architecture, you were aware of this house,” Thomas Simmons, who prepared the designation application, said. “I think the word I would use to describe the design is uncompromising.”

The home is possibly the first example of the “International Style” design in Colorado, and was designed by Casper Hegner, according to city staff.  For nearly two decades, actor and producer Barry Lorie lived in the home, from 1965-1985.

The council unanimously approved the designation.

District 6 Councilman Paul Kashmann encouraged residents “to drive by the house… (It) is really perched on a beautiful site.” He remembers biking past the home many times, thinking about how unique it is. 

“I want to thank the owners for offering this gift to the city,” he said. “It’s a beautiful piece of property… I’m very happy to support this application.”