Get a recap of community engagement last fall and preview what's next

Starting in September of last year and through the fall and early winter, city staff were out in the community, sharing potential recommendations for the plan and listening to what people in all four Near Northwest Area Neighborhoods had to say.

We are grateful to everyone who took the time to participate and provide feedback on the draft recommendations. We heard from hundreds of community members at virtual and in person public events, through online surveys, meeting with community groups, and talking to residents one-on-one and in focus groups on specific topics. An in-depth overview of how we reached the community and what we heard is now available online. Read on for a few higlights and information on this week's steering committee meeting.

Download Community Engagement Summary

Land Use & Economy:

Highlights from Feedback

• Work on balancing preservation with other goals for the neighborhood like creating more walkability, promoting fewer cars, and creating housing options for people.

• Need to emphasize multiple cultures and heritages, including Native American, Italian, Irish, Polish, Jewish, etc.

• Continue to encourage density and limit development restrictions that add to time/cost of projects delivering more housing.

• Consider ways to encourage single-level homes, institute a maximum home size, and encourage solar/environmental design.

• Increase access to historic preservation tools and general resources for the "fixing up" of existing homes. Tax credit process takes too much time/effort.

• As numbers of renters rise, provide wealth building education not related to property ownership.

• Provide wholistic business support to help fill ground floor and small commercial spaces to avoid vacancy.

• Bring essential services to communities, such as grocery stores and laundromats, not just coffee shops.

• Continue to brainstorm on and refine the location and form of a potential Chaffee Park "Town Square".

Mobility and Quality of Life:

Highlights from Feedback

• Consider noise from I-70 impacting desirability of shared street activities on Central St.

• Improve bus connections through and within the area and micro-mobility options to fill gaps.

• Increase focus on northern part of Chaffee Park, especially safety on 52nd Ave, regional connections and access to Clear Creek Federal Light Rail Station.

• Slow vehicle speeds overall.

• Improve crossings and safety on Federal Blvd

• Build more protected bike lanes and keeping modes separated.

• Address issues for cyclists moving from Highland and Jefferson Park towards downtown or accessing the regional trail system.

• Improve bicycle infrastructure along Tejon St., especially to compliment Pecos St. and Inca St.

• Expand the tree canopy, with emphasis on choosing drought and disease tolerant varieties and investing in care and maintenance.

• Explore if the city can influence the private sector to advance food access goals. Many food access models, including healthy corner stores, are not affordable or economically viable without heavy subsidy.

• Support service staff and providers to reduce turnover. Help them find housing in the neighborhood.

What's Next? Public review of the draft plan is coming soon. Get a preview of the roll out

The Near Northwest Area Plan Steering Commitee will be discussing the overarching strategy and timeline for the release of the first draft of the plan. Members of the public are welcome and encouraged to join the meeting to stay up to date on the planning process.

Join the meeting this Tuesday!

Steering Committee March Meeting

6-8 p.m., Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Virtual meeting via Zoom

Join meeting via Zoom

Watch livestream via Councilwoman Sandoval's Facebook page

February 2023 meeting recap

The committee met virtually Tuesday, January 24. Attendees discussed the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure's 38th Avenue Corridor Study and the mobility section of the upcoming draft plan. Watch the video replay (below) or download the staff presentation.

About the Steering Committee

The steering committee is a group of residents, local business owners and representatives of neighborhood groups and community organizations from every neighborhood in the planning area. Their role is to help guide the planning process, support public engagement and help create consensus at key points in the process. Meetings are open to the public, and all community members interested in staying up-to-date on the planning process are invited to attend and observe.

Learn more about the committee

Visit the plan webpage

En Español

About the Near Northwest Area Plan

The Near Northwest Planning Area is made up of the Northwest Denver neighborhoods east of Federal Boulevard: Chaffee Park, Sunnyside, Highland, and Jefferson Park. As part of the Neighborhood Planning Initiative, this project provides an opportunity to create a long-term vision for these neighborhoods that furthers citywide goals and priorities while addressing local neighborhood needs.

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