Denver’s City Council will hold its regular meeting on Tuesday, beginning at 3:30 p.m. — delayed a day because of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

No proclamations will be issued, and there will be no general public comment at 5 p.m.

On the agenda, the council will introduce 24-1866 —a bill that would create new use limitations for gas stations citywide. The proposal would create a limit on where, and how many gas stations could be developed going forward.

The city’s Land Use Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously recommended the proposal earlier this month that would amend the city’s current zoning code to prohibit new retail gas stations from being built within 1/4 mile of an existing retail station, 1/4 mile of light rail stations, and within 300 feet of a protected or “low-density” residential neighborhood.

Limitations would not apply to gas stations that aren’t open to the public, such as fuel services for government fleets, transit vehicles, or rental car agencies.

If the bill is ordered published, a public hearing on the matter will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. The council will not meet on Monday, Feb. 17, in observance of Presidents Day.

Elsewhere in city council news, Mayor Mike Johnston’s recent veto of a bill that would have removed certain limitations on Denver’s three separate needle exchange programs has folks asking a lot of questions about what happens next.

City officials note that a vetoed bill does not automatically return to the council agenda.

Denver City Council President Amanda Sandoval and the bill’s sponsors — councilmembers Stacie Gilmore, Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez and Sarah Parady — must decide whether or not to bring the bill back before the council.

A joint statement from the offices of Councilmembers Parady, Gonzales-Gutierrez and Gilmore issued on Jan. 15 expressed disappointment and dismay at the mayor’s actions.

“The sponsors and supporters of this bill chose to listen to 30 years of evidence and research that save people’s lives,” Gonzales-Gutierrez said in the statement. “It is common sense to listen to our public health professionals, to our doctors and treatment professionals, to remove the current outdated and arbitrary restrictions we have on where Syringe Access Programs can operate. Despite our disappointment, we will continue to advocate for every tool possible to prevent deaths in our city.”

“Ordinance 24-1791 is the wrong solution at the wrong time,” Johnston stated in a letter to the City Council, announcing the veto about 24 hours after it was passsed. “I support harm reduction strategies and also believe we need to place more emphasis on connecting individuals from needle exchange programs to substance misuse services to help them break the cycle of addiction.”

Johnston’s statement said there was no reason to remove a reasonable cap on needle exchange programs and no evidence that current providers need an unlimited number of sites nor that Denver residents wanted an unlimited number of sites.

If the bill returns, no amendments or alterations may be made, and council members may only make motions to override the veto or postpone the vote.

The City Council voted 8 to 5 in favor of the bill on Jan. 13, with Councilmembers Flor Alvidrez, Kevin Flynn, Amanda Sawyer, Diana Romero Campbell and Darrell Watson casting “no” votes.

Nine votes would be required to override Johnston’s veto.