Monthly Archives: July 2009

About 100 volunteers took to the streets of Globeville this past weekend to participate in an Extreme Community Makeover (ECM) cleanup event. It was ECM’s second visit to Globeville this year (the first was in April) and drew about the same number of participants. The volunteers were split up into 4 groups and sent out to paint over lots of graffiti, fix some fences, haul off some dead trees, and provide repairs and paint for a number of homes. There are pixs at the end of this post.

Most of this past weekend’s activity was near Argo Park, at 47th and Logan, and took place in an area roughly two blocks by four blocks. Globeville is one of ECM’s two target neighborhoods for 2009; the other, Lincoln Park / La Alma, is also in District 9. There will be more volunteer events later in the summer, so keep an eye on this space for updates.

You can get more information about ECM at the organization’s website. Thanks to Angela Bomgaars of ECM for the pictures below.

Members of the Zoning Code Task Force have proposed a new timeline for review and approval of the New Zoning Code. Judy supports the new timeline, which would ensure that all neighborhood organizations, developers, businesses, and other stakeholders have enough time to participate in the process and provide their input.

The Task Force has worked hard over the past four years to assure active public involvement, and its members are concerned about the large number of tasks that need to occur before formal City Council consideration. Neighbors, developers, architects, and others are all calling for a bit more time. Consequently, the Task Force has proposesd a revised schedule that provides extended periods for the following two critical steps:

1. Comprehensive testing and modeling of the draft code standards, with adequate opportunity for city staff to work with key stakeholders and code user groups, such as the AIA, HBA, ULI, and Board of Realtors, to assure the practical success of those standards; and

2. City Council opportunity to hear directly from their constituents and accordingly have revisions made to the draft code and map before the formal hearings begin.

Under the revised schedule, there would be another round of public meetings and workshops on the code during August, with ongoing testing and modeling to take place through September. After that:

• On October 16, the next draft of the New Code — incorporating the public’s feedback and suggestions, as well as any changes that arise as the result of testing / modeling — would be completed.
• During November, the City Council and Planning Board would hold joint public hearings on the new draft of the Code.
• By December 16, final proofing and revisions would be completed, and the final draft of the New Code and Citywide Zoning Map would be formally submitted to the Planning Board.
• On January 6, 2010, the Planning Board would make a recommendation to City Council.
• At that point, the Code and Map would start to make their way through the Council’s approval pipeline, going through committee, public hearing, and final approval during the first two months of 2010.

As noted above, Judy supports this extended time period, in order to ensure that everybody within District 9 has enough time to study the Code provisions and offer feedback and suggestions. For complete information about the code, visit http://www.newcodedenver.org.

Judy is actively seeking opinions and input about the Code from District 9 constituents, so be sure to share your thoughts w/ her via e-mail, phone, or in the blog comments.

A few days remain during the open-registration period for neighborhood organizations. The period ends on July 31, i.e. Friday.

Registered neighborhood organizations (RNOs) receive notification of zoning map amendments, zoning variance applications, liquor and cabaret license applications, and various other filings and proceedings that affect their area. In order to be considered for registration, organizations must agree to comply with the regulations of the Neighborhood Registration Ordinance (Revised Municipal code, Section 12-91) that state:

• The organization will be open to any owner of any real property or resident located within the neighborhood boundaries of the proposed organization.
• The organization will be a general purpose group formed for the purpose of collectively addressing issues and interests common the area.
• The organization will assign a contact person who can be notified by phone, e-mail and mail of upcoming events affecting our neighborhood.
• The organization will hold a meeting at which all members may vote at least once in each calendar year and at least 12 members must be in attendance at the annual meeting. All meetings shall be open to the public.

Registered neighborhood organizations (RNOs) are required to re-register once a year during the months of December or January. Instructions about how to register are at this page. The list of registered neighborhood groups is maintained on DENVER MAPS, which may be seen on DenverGov at this link.

Just a reminder that Judy will be participating in a public meeting about Union Station tonight, with Mayor Hick and others. The presentation will focus on two main subjects: 1) the financial situation, and 2) the public space design process.

Mayor H will talk briefly at the start, and then Judy will be in on a panel discussion with mayoral aide Diane Barrett; Jerry Glick of the Denver Union Station Project Authority; and Tom Gougeon of Continuum Partners, the Master Developer of the site. The discussion will be followed by questions and answers.

The event runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Union Station Advocates (USA) will be hosting “Revelation Re the Station” this Thursday, July 23, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Oxford Hotel in LoDo. Judy helped organize the meeting and will be at the event, along with Mayor Hickenlooper and many other civic leaders who’ve been involved in the ongoing redevelopment effort at Union Station. There will be a presentation of news and updates regarding the station, followed by a Q and A session.

If you care about the Station, and/or about FasTracks or the Central Platte Valley, you won’t want to miss this meeting. Appetizers will be served, and there will be a cash bar as well. Reservations are recommended (make them online at info@unionstationadvocates.org). For more information, check out USA’s blog at www.unionstationadvocates.blogspot.com.

Information on the Northwest Corridor of FasTracks, culled from RTD’s July FasTracks update newsletter:

In cooperation with the BNSF Railway, RTD has identified the Northwest Rail proposed commuter rail track alignment. Click here to see a map — the proposed new track location is highlighted in blue, and the FasTracks Stations along the corridor are noted with red and blue icons. The corridor tracks will be shared by BNSF freight and NWR commuter rail vehicles.

The project team is preparing to hold a series of public workshops in the coming months to discuss project impacts. In the fall, a Draft Environmental Evaluation (EE) will be released, and another series of public meetings will take place to collect comments on the Draft EE. The impacts analysis for is underway, and the upcoming Public Workshops will share more information about that analysis with you. To get advance notification of workshops, send e-mail to nwrail@rtd-fastracks.com.

Be sure to read the report from the New Zoning Code workshop, if you haven’t already.

Big doings in Globeville this weekend: It’s the annual Orthodox Food Festival and Old Globeville Days celebration. It’ll be happening at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Cathedral and Globeville Argo Pari, 47th and Logan; hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. tomorrow, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The festival features a wide variety of ethnic foods and a full-service bar; there’s also music, art, crafts, historic tours, and folk dancing, with danceable tunes from Willie and the Po’ Boys to wrap things up on Saturday night.

And while we’re on the subject, don’t forget that Globeville will be getting an Extreme Community Makeover next Saturday, July 25. You can still volunteer (if you haven’t already) by sending e-mail to randy.swearingen@ecentral.com. More info on the event is here.

About 100 District 9 residents attended Wednesday night’s workshop on the New Zoning Code. Nearly every neighborhood in the district was represented; residents were there from Baker, Ballpark, Chafee Park, River North, Elyria Swansea, Globeville, Highland, Sunnyside, Sun Valley, Downtown, Platte Street, La Alma Lincoln, and Auraria.

About 20 Community Planning and Development employees were on hand, led by Peter Park, the director of Community Planning and Development. He gave a quick but detailed presentation about the new code, explaining that one of its major goals is to reduce the number of structures (both residential and commercial) that are designatd as “non-conforming.” When a structure is non-conforming, people face more difficulties obtaining financing, getting building permits, insurance, and so forth. Judy endorses this goal and wants to ensure that, when all is said and done, the new code classifies more properties as “conforming” than the present code does.

After Peter’s remarks, everyone broke into neighborhood groups to examine the drafts of the New Code maps — one for each neighborhood. Each group went over its map, street by street, and considered whether the proposed zoning was appropriate; CPD staff monitored the discussions and took notes, including participants’ suggestions for possible changes to the maps. The space provided by Asbury Event Center was ideal for the breakout sessions, and the nearby Little Man Ice Cream shop (owned by Highland neighborhood leader Paul Tamburello) sent over ice cream for everybody.

It was a productive working session — and only the beginning of the discussion. At the end of the night, each neighborhood chose an organizer to continue gathering feedback about the Code from residents his/her neighborhood and ensure that it gets funneled to Judy and to the planning department. So if you didn’t make the meeting last night but would like to get involved going forward, contact Judy’s office and we’ll put you in touch with your neighborhood’s organizer, or an appropriate person from Community Planning and Development that can answer your questions.

Given the complexity of District 9’s zoning in various neighborhoods, it will take time and citizen participation to reap the full benefits a code rewrite can offer. So look for more updates on the process, including notices about additional meetings. In fact, you can mark your calendar right now for the next District 9 working session, scheduled for August 26th from 6pm to 9pm at the Asbury Event Center.

And remember, you can always submit your comments and concerns on the user-friendly Zoning Code website, www.newcodedenver.org.

Busy weekend ahead in District 9. Judy’s office is co-sponsoring three big events:

FRIDAY: Celebrating Community Resource Fair. Judy will be co-hosting an information fair at the Aztlan Rec Center in Sunnyside, at 4545 Navajo Street. There will be free barbecue, music, games, and a bike rodeo, along with booths that have information about the City’s social service agencies and resources. It runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Judy’s co-sponsors include the Quigg Newton Family Counseling Center, DPD District 1, and the Aztlan Rec Center.

SATURDAY: Latino Rhythms. This is the 6th iteration of this annual live music event. It’s totally free, and it features food, kids’ activities, community booths, and lots more. Judy’s office is co-sponsoring with Denver Parks and Rec, the La Alma Rec Center, KBCO, KUVO, and Viva Colorado. The event runs from 4 to 8 p.m. at La Alma / Lincoln Park (11th and Mariposa); featured musicians include Jazz del Barrio, Fiesta Colorado, Sabor de la Calle, and the Rick Garcia Band.

SATURDAY: Dog Days of Summer. The Commons Park area will “go to the dogs” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the Dog Days of Summer, an event to help promote responsible pet ownership in Denver. This event is designed to showcase City services that are available to pet owners, and to preview the dog park master plan, the new Animal Shelter, and the off-leash park that’s being built at 19th Street and Basset Street. Denver Animal Care & Control staff will be on hand to offer low-cost pet vaccinations, microchips, and licenses. They also will be finding homes for some great adoptable pets. Judy is co-sponsoring this event with Denver Parks & Recreation, Environmental Health, Public Works, the Greenway Foundation, and Earthforce.

One final reminder: The District 9 public workshop on the New Zoning Code takes place tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. at Ashbury Events Center, 30th and Vallejo. More info here. . . . . and while you’ve got your calendar open, you might want to mark down tomorrow night’s event: a public meeting to present transit architecture design concepts for Union Station, hosted by DUSPA (of which Judy is a member). That will be held at RTD headquarters, 1600 Blake, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

The Denver Planning Board approved the FasTracks Station Area Plan for the 38th + Blake Street station. This is a big win for District 9; the final version incorporates a lot of feedback from neighborhood leaders, business owners, and residents who took part in the planning sessions. It keeps the positive momentum going for everything that’s happening in Swansea/Elyria and River North. You can find the approved version of the Station Area Plan at this link.

The plan still has to be shepherded through the Council’s approval process, beginning next Monday when Judy’s FasTracks Committee considers the plan. There may be a courtesy hearing before the full Council, with public comment; we’ll keep you posted.