Colorado Real Estate Journal - August 19, 2015
When Kelly Leid was asked how many meetings he has addressed to promote Mayor Michael B. Hancock’s vision to reshape northeast Denver, Leid answered: “Probably 1,000.” And if you have attended any commercial real estate gathering in recent months, you know that if that is an exaggeration, it’s not by much. “It’s easily been in the hundreds,” Leid said. Leid, head of the North Denver Cornerstone Collaborative created by Hancock in January 2013, is everywhere. Leid’s role has become even more crucial recently, since Hancock announced that there will be a November ballot issue to fund an $865 million makeover of the National Western Stock Show complex. The vote to extend the lodging and car rental taxes, mostly charged to visitors, will raise an estimated $476 million. “Kelly is on the road constantly,” Hancock said. “Kelly is the key person meeting with key constituents and stakeholders on this issue. Kelly knows more about the National Western Center and the financing, and the stacking strategy for funding it than anyone. And he is doing a phenomenal job.” Leid’s latest role in the Hancock administration highlights six projects that make up the NDCC: • National Western Stock Show, • Interstate 70 reconstruction, • RTD station development, • Brighton Boulevard redevelopment, • River North, and • Elyria-Swansea and Globeville neighborhood plans. “Great cities begin with great city planning,” Hancock said when he appointed Leid from the director of Development Services for the city to the NDCC. “Six primary projects with the potential to transform this corner of our city have in some cases included over a decade of planning,” Hancock said. “The time is now to establish deliberate connections that create place, drive job creation, generate substantial economic activity and attract investment,” Hancock continued. “I can think of no one better equipped to bring the partners together for our mutual benefit than our own,” he said. Hancock said Leid has exceeded his expectation. Leid is able to take complex ideas and boil them down to their essence, making them understandable to those wellversed to what is happening in Northeast Denver. “What had been happening in Northeast Denver was a train wreck and Kelly is playing a very crucial role in explaining to people the challenges in Northeast Denver and the steps my administration is taking to re-invent that entire Northeast corridor to a very grand scale,” Hancock said. “We are very fortunate to have him,” Hancock said. It’s not a hard sell for Leid. “I totally believe in the mayor’s vision,” Leid said. “He is very genuine in what he wants to accomplish in the city and especially in Northeast Denver. I see my job is helping to bridge the public and private sectors. I also will tell you the mayor if a very fun guy to work for.” Hancock and Leid met when Hancock was on the Denver City Council, representing District 11, which covers Northeast Denver. Leid at the time was heading the education foundation for Oakwood Homes, a position he held from 2002 to 2008. “The issue back then was that part of Denver had become disconnected from the rest of the city,” Leid said. Leid helped bring new schools to neighborhoods such as Montbello and Green Valley Ranch. While the Denver Public Schools, not the City Council, is in charge of schools, the council often works closely with DPS. “Making sure kids in his district, especially kids of color succeeded, was always very important to Michael,” Leid said. Shortly after he left Oakwood in 2008, Leid did a “short stint” at the Colorado Department of Education. When Michael Bennet left as superintendent of DPS to join the U.S. Senate, Bennet’s successor, Tom Boasberg, reached out to Leid. “I realized I really should be with DPS,” Leid said, given how closely he had worked with it when he was with Oakwood Homes. As director of operations at DPS he was involved with all of the buildings, dealing with issues such as ventilation, bringing in natural light and even the color of walls that would best further the ability of children to learn. He brought the first LEED-certified buildings to DPS and worked closely with integrating charter school buildings into the system. “I loved my job at DPS and was very happy there,” Leid said. Then, his old buddy, who was now the mayor of Denver, reached out to him. “To make a long story short, after several conversations with the mayor and learning about his vision, I joined the city,” Leid said. His first job was as director of Development Services, where he worked on things such as building permitting, inspections and zoning. His current job is much more high profile. “I like to say that I come home exhausted at night, and when I wake up in the morning, I can’t wait to get started again,” Leid said. Leid, 49, has two “beautiful” children, Campbell, who is 12, and Brody, who recently turned 9. “My wife’s name also is Kelly, which can be a bit confusing at times,” he said. When not working, he loves to coach his son’s baseball team and attend his daughter’s swim meets. “Campbell is a competitive swimmer and I am her biggest cheerleader,” Leid said. Leid also is an avid runner. “When I was in my late 20s and early 30s, I ran six marathons, but now I do 5K's and 10K's,” Leid said. “I love to get out and run. It’s my favorite way to clear my head.”