On the morning of September 2, Mayor Mike Johnston stood near the jetty at Sloan's Lake Park with Parks and Recreation executive director Jolon Clark and council members Amanda Sandoval and Jamie Torres, announcing a $50 million plan to fix the lake. Johnston joked the goal was to make the water "fall-in-able, if not swimmable." A few feet away, the loop trail kept doing what it always does on a Wednesday: joggers, strollers, a guy throwing a frisbee for a dog who was very clearly not allowed in the water.
That gap between the press conference and the park is the whole story. The plan identifies funding sources and a mechanism to direct them. But the timeline attached to it means almost nothing about your actual relationship with this lake changes for at least another two years, maybe longer. Permitting isn't expected to wrap until 2027. Construction doesn't start until 2028. The dredging and shoreline work, once it begins, is expected to take about 30 months on its own. Meanwhile, everything that already governs how you use Sloan's Lake right now was true in July, was true in 2019, and is still true today.
The Funding Plan Has Sources, but the Water Still Needs Work
The funding is more interesting than the headline number suggests, because none of it comes from a new tax. The plan would draw up to $40 million from the St. Anthony Urban Redevelopment Area, a tax increment financing district set up back in 2013 to redevelop the old St. Anthony Central Hospital site after the hospital relocated to Lakewood. Johnston said that project ran so far ahead of schedule that the city found itself with surplus dollars to redirect toward the lake. The remaining $10 million would be split evenly between the city's wastewater fund and the voter-approved Vibrant Denver bond package.
| Funding Source | Proposed Amount | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| St. Anthony Urban Redevelopment Area (TIF) | Up to $40 million | Surplus from a nearby redevelopment project that outperformed its own schedule |
| Denver wastewater fund | $5 million | Stormwater filtering before it reaches the lake |
| Vibrant Denver bond (voter-approved, 2025) | $5 million | Shoreline restoration and erosion control |
The plan still has two hurdles. The Denver Urban Renewal Authority board was expected to take it up as early as September 14. After that, it needs Denver City Council approval before anything moves toward permitting. If both go through on schedule, the city is targeting 2027 for contracting and federal permitting, with dredging and shoreline work starting in 2028.
What Was Already True Before Anyone Said $50 Million
None of the rules that shape a walk around Sloan's Lake are changing this fall, because none of them were waiting on this announcement.
- Swimming has never been allowed here. It's a rule that surprises newer residents more than it probably should, given how much the lake looks like it should invite a swim.
- Dogs need to stay out of the water entirely. Blue-green algae shows up when the lake gets warm, and it's dangerous enough for pets that the standard advice is simple: don't let them drink it or wade in it.
- Kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards are fine, hand-launched only, permit required. Sloan's is one of the only Denver park lakes where that kind of boating is allowed at all, which is a real part of why it draws the crowds it does.
- The loop trail runs a little under 2.6 miles.
The reason for all of this sits in a number the city itself put out with the announcement. Many areas of the lake now average just 2.5 to 3 feet deep, down from a historical range of 8 to 12 feet. That drop is not a recent event. It's more than a century of stormwater carrying sand and street runoff from a watershed that spans parts of Denver, Edgewater, Lakewood, and Wheat Ridge, all draining into one basin that never had a way to flush itself out. Clark told reporters after the announcement that the short term wouldn't bring much visible change, and that the priority through construction planning is keeping the park open and usable the whole time.
The Neighborhood Is Building an Economy That Doesn't Wait on the Lake
While the water works out its sediment problem on a decades-long clock, the businesses ringing it are running on a completely different one. Odell's Sloan's Lake Brewhouse, at 1625 Perry Street, is Odell's second Denver taproom, built around a 10-barrel pilot system that brews beers available only at that location, with a rooftop patio positioned squarely for lake views.
Across Sheridan Boulevard, the Edgewater Public Market has grown into a genuine food hall, with vendors like Black Box Bakery and Saigon Noodle Club pulling their own foot traffic independent of anything happening on the water. A few blocks further into West Highland, Paperboy opened this spring in the old Rooted Craft space, its first location outside Texas, joining a stretch that already includes Root Down and Linger.
None of that growth is contingent on the lake's depth or water clarity. People are building a social and commercial life around Sloan's Lake as a view, a backdrop, a place to end up on a Saturday, while the lake underneath quietly becomes a smaller, warmer version of the thing that drew everyone there in the first place.
The Festival That Shows the Gap Best
The clearest illustration of this split is the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, which has been held at Sloan's Lake since its inception in 2001 and just marked its 26th year on the water. In 2025, an algae bloom got bad enough that the city barred all events on the water entirely, pushing the festival, normally a July fixture, into September that year. Organizers have said openly they've considered moving it somewhere else for good if conditions don't improve.
This year the festival landed in a late-August window, August 29 and 30, with a Year of the Fire Horse theme built around energy and resilience. That timing doesn't mean the underlying problem got solved. It means this particular summer's algae levels happened to allow it. Festival organizers have said they stay in close contact with the parks department about the lake's long-term health, which is really just another way of saying they're watching the same numbers as everyone else who lives here.
What Actually Changes for You Between Now and 2028
Nothing changes on the ground this month. The rules you already knew, keep the dog out of the water, bring a permit for the kayak, stick to the paved loop, apply exactly as they did before September 2.
What's actually worth watching is the approval process itself and what happens to the advocacy behind it. Kurt Weaver, executive director of the Sloan's Lake Park Foundation, has spent five years pushing for an investment like this one. If the project moves forward, he's said the foundation's role shifts into something smaller and more local, closer to a neighborhood watchdog than a fundraising campaign.
As Denverite reported, Weaver asked:
"Can we plant some more trees? Do we need more benches? Are the soccer fields upkept?"
That's a fair summary of what changes first: not the water, but the smaller maintenance details a "Friends of the Park" group would chase down while the bigger project works its way through permitting.
The lake will look and behave the same way this October as it did last October. What's different is that a two-decade push for real investment finally has a number and a funding source attached to it, even if the water itself won't feel any different until sometime after 2028.
If you're weighing a move near Denver's west side neighborhoods and want a read on how a story like this actually plays out for property values, park access, or long-term livability, that's a conversation worth having before you tour a single house. The Colorado Agents know this stretch of the city block by block. Get in touch when you're ready to talk specifics.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
