City Council Public Hearing set for Nov. 16

City Council hearing set for November 16

Following the Denver Planning Board's approval of the East Area Plan, City Council will hold a public hearing and vote on whether to adopt the East Area Plan at its meeting Monday, November 16.

This final phase of the planning process is the culmination of three years of hard work by community members in South Park Hill, Hale, Montclair and East Colfax whose efforts and input have resulted in a truly community-driven long-term vision for these neighborhoods.

City Council Public Hearing

5:30 p.m., Monday, November 16

Virtual meeting via Zoom

Submit comments to dencc@denvergov.org.
Sign up to speak at the hearing. Speakers may sign up beginning at 4:30 p.m. on the day of the hearing.
Watch the hearing live on Denver's Channel 8 or online at Denver8.tv.
Register for meeting on Zoom.

Council members will vote on adoption of the plan and may also consider separately whether to reverse a change to the plan made by the Denver Planning Board as part of its review and approval of the draft plan last month. At the City Council public hearing, members of the public who sign up to speak may address the amendment made by the Planning Board and the plan as a whole. Read on for details on the change.

What does the plan do?

The plan addresses key neighborhood needs—helping local businesses remain and thrive, affordable housing, preserving the diversity of East Colfax Avenue as well as neighborhood architecture, trees and open spaces, and making it easier and safer to get around—by providing policy recommendations that will guide city decision-making over the next 20 years.

Key plan recommendations:

Help current residents and small businesses stay in the community long-term by connecting them to resources and making more housing options available and afordable to families and individuals.
Ensure the East area is an inclusive place in the future by increasing the amount of afordable housing using all available methods.
Make Colfax Avenue a street that brings the East area’s diverse community together.
Celebrate the architectural history of East Area neighborhoods by encouraging the preservation of existing homes and requiring complementary design of new housing.
Preserve trees and landscaped areas. Create new parks and community-gathering spaces and use green approaches to storm-water management to make the East area safe from fooding, healthier, and more climate resilient.
Save lives and reduce pollution by making streets safer, slowing down trafc, adding protected bike lanes, completing the sidewalk network, and improving bus connections and reliability.

Details on Planning Board's change to the plan

The Planning Board voted October 7 to approve the East Area Plan with the condition that a line be removed. The change deals with the plan's strategies and guidance on additional housing options in residential neighborhoods in the East Area. Specifically, the condition called for the removal of a line about areas that are currently predominantly single-unit housing: "Single unit areas should remain primarily single unit."

The line appeared on page 39 of the plan as guidance for a recommendation on housing options in residential neighborhoods. See panel for full context.

From page 39 of the Land Use and Built Form section of the East Area Plan:

Recommendation L6

Policy: Ensure East Area neighborhoods are inclusive places by thoughtfully integrating compatibly-designed missing middle housing and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in appropriate locations.

Background: The character of many of East’s neighborhoods is defined by the older houses, which tend to be smaller than what would be built today. Smaller houses tend to be a more attainable choice and provide more naturally affordable options. In East Colfax and the eastern portion of South Park Hill, smaller houses on larger lots make those houses particularly at risk of being demolished and replaced with a larger, more expensive homes. Residents are concerned about the trend of less affordable housing options and losing the historic neighborhood character that could change due to the intensity of new construction. Many existing homes are large enough to accommodate multiple units or contain elements that facilitate multiple units. With affordability and neighborhood preservation concerns, thoughtfully allowing additional units can help preserve neighborhood character while expanding housing options.

A. Consistent with adopted citywide policies in Blueprint Denver, integrate missing middle housing with rules to preserve valued neighborhood characteristics and address unique issues in the East Area as follows:

Single unit areas should remain primarily single unit. [This line was removed.]
Design requirements to ensure that new construction is compatible with unique setback, height and massing characteristics of East Area neighborhoods (see Policy L5).
Regulations that discourage replacement of smaller homes with larger homes that may be less affordable.
Stormwater management, particularly in flood prone areas.

Visit the East Area Plan webpage

About the East Area Plan

The East Planning Area neighborhoods—South Park Hill, Montclair, Hale, and East Colfax—contain many great community assets, including historic parkways, the Rose Medical Center, Johnson and Wales University, and many unique, locally-owned businesses. The area is experiencing some significant changes, such as the 9th and Colorado mixed use project, as well as plans to add Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along Colfax Avenue. Two of the four neighborhoods, South Park Hill and East Colfax, have out of date plans, while Hale and Montclair have no plans at all.

The Neighborhood Planning Initiative provides a great opportunity to establish the community’s vision for maintaining and enhancing the quality of life in these neighborhoods for decades to come.

For more on how to get involved and stay up to date on plan news :

Forward this email to others with interest in the East Area
Visit the plan webpage
Contact Senior City Planner Elizabeth Weigle