Denver Mayor Michael Hancock on Monday said Denver is on the cusp of becoming a competitive player on the global stage but the city still has some housekeeping to do.

During Monday’s state of the city address Hancock outlined a long list of programs and initiatives he hopes the city embarks upon to take Denver to the next level.

“Take a look around you,” Hancock told the audience of civic leaders, politicians and city employees gathered at the Forney Museum of Transportation for the speech. “Our city has come so far, and our future is as bright as our determination is strong.”

Hancock called on businesses, financial institutions and nonprofits to work on some of the biggest problems facing the city — homelessness and lack of affordable housing.

At the same time, he announced programs and initiatives intended to spur business innovation and welcome international visitors.

The annual speech is a chance for the mayor to list his accomplishments and outline plans for the coming year. He thanked voters for passing a measure in November that allowed Denver to keep $68 million in property taxes and touted the new nonstop daily flight to Japan.

Hancock also pledged to enact marijuana laws that will protect neighborhoods.

The venue in the River North neighborhood was chosen to highlight a number of projects Hancock seeks for the area — turning Brighton Boulevard into an inviting gateway to the city, reconstructing Interstate 70 to reconnect the neighborhoods, bringing in new rail stops and partnering with the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo to create a year-round destination.

Hancock’s speech alluded to a joint effort with Colorado State University on the stock show project. Last week, Hancock told The Denver Post that CSU wants to build an animal research and educational complex on the National Western’s grounds that would be akin to the University of Colorado’s Anschutz campus in Aurora but focused on animals instead.

“CSU has a world-class equestrian sports complex, and they want to bring that to Denver,” Hancock said. “Ultimately, down the road, they would look at a veterinary hospital. (CSU president) Tony Frank and his team are very excited about what they can do to establish themselves in Denver over the next 10 to 20 years.”

Amy Parsons, vice president of operations for CSU, on Monday said the university is excited about the collaboration and is involved in a feasibility study for site planning.

“You are going to see a lot momentum and activity on this in the next few years,” she said.

Hancock was most emphatic about changes he said need to be made to help the city’s most vulnerable residents.

The city’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance that requires developers to provide affordable housing units has failed, he said. Denver needs 25,000 more affordable housing units, the mayor said, and he announced a challenge to nonprofits, businesses and banks to help the city build, rehab or preserve at least 3,000 units in five years.

“I have the audacity to believe that anyone who wants to live in the city should not be forced out because of cost,” he said.

Hancock also announced a plan to create a 24-hour “rest and resource” station for homeless people and an indoor/outdoor courtyard area that would also serve the homeless.

“The idea is to create a place for them to go and a place for them to be while they wait for shelter,” he said. “Now, they go to Triangle Park. Our goal is to move them to a safer location.”

Last year, the city implemented a camping ban that targeted homeless people, forbidding them from sleeping on the streets. Controversy has swirled around whether the city’s law was too punitive. Hancock said the police have done exactly what has been asked of them, referring to a report by Denver police that said they make an average of 1,000 contacts with homeless people every three months.

“Since last year, my team has been working hard to increase services for the homeless,” he said. “We can do more. We have to do more. I call on our entire community, including our regional neighbors, to join us as we work to ensure that every man, woman and child has an alternative to living on the streets.”

Other key points made by the mayor in his speech:

• Aug. 3-11 will be designated as Denver Days, in which neighbors will be encouraged to celebrate the spirit of the Mile High City by hosting block parties, removing graffiti or starting neighborhood watch parties.

• The city will unveil a website that will “show exactly how the city is spending your money.” The website, “Transparent Denver,” will allow residents to have real-time access to view the city’s checkbook.

• The Denver Education Compact next month will launch an initiative called “Countdown to Kindergarten” that will ensure that every child has a smart start to school.