September updates

IMG_1443September, 2018

Greetings! The CPW RNO board met at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at Thin Man/St. Mark’s Coffeehouse. In attendance were Mike Fatica, Janna Goodwin, Jo Untiedt, Allison Osborn, Patricia Chapman, Brendan Cady and Alyssa Knutson.

Part of the discussion concerned the RNO itself, which is renewing its membership, reviewing its structure and status…and finding its legs. Key questions involve incorporation (or not), fiscal management and neighborhood/member representation in related, City-wide organizations and initiatives.

CPW President Mike Fatica and Board Member Jo Unteidt recently met with District 9 Councilman Albus Brooks, who (among other things) advised participation by CPW/RNO members in Inter Neighborhood Cooperation (INC).

  • INC represents 20 RNOs and can strengthen our neighborhood’s communication with the City. We do not currently have representation on that body. They meet on the second Saturday each month.

Councilman Brooks also recommended that CPW encourage neighbors to familiarize themselves with Denveright and the Sherman Street proposed rezoning/development (and its impact the corridor on Sherman from Colfax to 20th Street)– and to get involved.

  • CPW/RNO will plan a community meeting to discuss the proposed rezoning and development (TBA, in October; watch for info on Facebook and for a flyer in your mailbox).

Other topics included a follow-up on a Denver Post story about the mitigation of groundwater concerns at the site of the City Park Golf Course project.

  • A letter to the CPW RNO from Director of Public Information Nancy Kuhn, Denver Public Works, confirmed that testing at the site revealed levels of manganese in groundwater that were below allowed levels for drinking water but higher than allowed for release into storm sewers (so the water is now being filtered). Low levels of uranium were found which did not exceed allowable levels for drinking water or for filtration, so the only filtering being done is for manganese. No information contradicted that which was reported in the Denver Post article and there appears to be no cause for concern.

Topics the board has not entered into in-depth but which have been on the table included:

  • The I-70 redevelopment impact on York St and the surrounding areas—how traffic has been negatively impacted, and also the noise variance.
  • The proposed redesign of the Dustin Redd playground in City Park

Want to find out more? Contact us HERE!

 

Notice of City Park West RNO meeting March 2nd at 7:30 pm

Meet your District Attorney Candidates! Our March meeting will be on the 2nd at 7:30pm, 3014 East Colfax, Southside Bar and Grill. Topics discussed will include: District Attorney candidates: Helen Morgan & Beth McCann, candidates for District Attorney City Park Neighborhood Advisory Committee Other Neighborhood Issues And next month, at the April Meeting… Storm Water Runoff Project – Platte to the Park Hill. Next month at our April meeting, organizers from the Storm Water Runoff project now under development will provide a presentation of their project. This plan directly affects the CPW neighborhood, and we encourage anyone to read up on what the city is planning, and to attend the presentation. They intend to make a decision very soon and the window for feedback is closing fast. More info here: https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/denver-department-of-public-works/projects/current/platte-park-hill-stormwater.html Other exciting news in and around our neighborhood: News from Historic Denver on a solution for saving the historic Tavern Building on 17th Avenue: “The Tavern Building, and the adjacent one-story building to the west, is part of a series of streetcar commercial buildings that line this section of 17th Avenue. To preserve the exterior of the buildings and honor the existing street pattern and pedestrian experience, SLC has agreed to explore in good faith a site plan that pulls the new structure back from 17th, retaining the Tavern building and the most significant aspects of the adjacent one-story building, as well as the traditional scale of 17th Avenue. SLC can do this by shifting some of the units that would have been built along 17th by adjusting the zoning to allow for two more floor plates. However, it is important to note that even with these additional floor plates, the project will not exceed the current height limit set by the existing zoning, which is 110 ft at the northern portion of the site and 70 ft at the southern, 16th Street edge. A zoning change is only required to allow for the additional floor-plates, and would not result in additional maximum height. This means that what could have been an 8-story, 110 foot building at 17th will now be a 10-story, 110 foot building pulled back from 17th, stepping down to a six story, 70 foot building at 16th. Historic Denver supports this proposal and has entered into a legal agreement with SLC outlining the details. SLC and Historic Denver have further written and agreed to execute a second, even more detailed, Preservation Agreement that will protect the Tavern Building long into the future. The Preservation Agreement would take effect if the re-zoning solution is approved.” For more information: http://www.historicdenver.org/programs/current-issues/historic-tavern-building/ Denver Walks Supports City Funded Sidewalks 2,500 residents have signed the Denver Deserves Sidewalks petition, and 30 organizations have provided letters of support (see the full list on the WalkDenver website). By their estimate, it would cost residents $1.25 per linear feet of frontage annually, and the city would pick up the tab for sidewalk repairs. Here is their petition: https://www.change.org/p/denver-city-council-denver-deserves-sidewalks Vision Zero recently rolled out Vision…

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