Meeting Notes: Steering Committee Meeting 1
Date:
Time:
Location:
Attendees:
March 26, 2015
7:00 pm
Denver Design District, 575 Bannock Street Denver, CO
list attached
>Urban Designers
>Planners
>Landscape Architects
Meeting Kick-Off
Councilman Nevitt welcomed the stakeholder group and provided introductory
remarks. He noted the history of lengthy planning and development processes
associated with the site and related missed development opportunities. He asked that
the team and stakeholders be expeditious in this planning process.
David Gaspers, Senior City Planner with City and County of Denver and Project Manager
for the Station Area Plan, led introductions around the room. David began the
presentation with an overview of Denver’s TOD Strategic Plan and the identification of
steps in the station area planning process.
Chris Parezo, Consultant Project Manager from Civitas, highlighted members of the
consultant project team, provided an overview of Civitas experience and expertise and
discussed the team’s approach to the planning process and initial thoughts on the site
location and features. Beth Vogelsang, consultant team Stakeholder and Community
Outreach lead, explained the engagement process including coordination with
stakeholders, technical working group and surrounding community. She gave a high
level review of the project schedule and timeframe for coordination and engagement
meetings.
Comments/Discussion
Charlie Busch, West Washington Park
 Are we replacing the entire GDP? The neighborhoods worked on the
previous GDP process for a long time and fought for some very important
items, including a design that steps back away from Broadway, open space
and walkability, preserving the view plane and parking requirements. It is very
important that the Baker Neighborhood not have to absorb the parking
demands of this future development.
 Step back heights along Broadway.
 Think about role of open space / public realm including pedestrian scale
streets.
 Connectivity to the surrounding community is very important.
 Parking must be addressed on site, avoid spillover parking in neighborhoods.
 Coloradoans do not easily give up their cars. If the public cannot get to their
train, the train system will not work. We should look to best practices and
lessons learned from other cities.
 A lot of time was spent on transportation in the previous process. We talked
about what the design meant to the calculation of traffic related to the
development. This went on and on and will that happen again?
 (Traffic modeling is not typically part of the station area planning process.)
1200 Bannock Street
Denver, Colorado 80204
Tel 303 571.0053
Fax 303 825.0438
www.civitasinc.com
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I don’t see bikes going up and over a 20’ high pedestrian bridge. There are
real challenges with the reality of those bridges over an RTD light rail corridor.
The Alameda Station Area Plan and GDP had an interlocking process so that
GDP was able to get started before the finalization of the Station Area Plan.
Are we going to do something similar here? Yes, we will try to do that.
Tim Lopez, Baker
 We worked on this for so long and identified many community concerns and
priorities including: Height restrictions; connections for bicycles across Santa
Fe and I-25; environmental considerations for the site and surrounding
affected area and increased traffic on Broadway.
 We know what’s important to this Baker community and for now, those of us
involved in the previous process are the guiding light for this future
development. We want things cleaned up for future folks.
 One other recommendation – could we post upcoming meetings and materials
on the website so that community members who are interested can attend as
they like?
 The neighborhoods will fight for what’s important to them.
 Traffic is a primary concern.
 North/south and east/west bicycle connections are very important.
 Review EPA(?) study for bikes and access to river (verify).
Councilman Nevitt
 Thinking back on the previous GDP process, we may have missed something
important. The station was left alone and the GDP focused on the surrounding
area development. But, you’ve elevated the station as the center of activity.
As we move forward, the station itself is a place, and the energy from that
place needs to radiate through the site.
 Station is the heart of the plan.
 Bicycle connections are imperative.
 Station is important to West Wash Park as well as other neighborhoods.
 We serve on the Board of Transportation Solutions and the morning of April
nd
2 there will be a discussion of the conundrum of parking, with experts on the
parking subject.
Bill James, RTD
 Parking is a key word. As we’ve been transitioning to different modes,
parking is changing. We are thinking more of first mile, last mile connections
and conditions. This process will be a great platform in which to look at
parking.
 Very important for this station to accommodate bus, trains, cars and
pedestrians.
 Connection from Civic Center to I-25 / Broadway Station is very important.
 There is a sea-change of modes of transportation.
 Parking is always an issue and needs to be addressed.
 There should be incentives for public/private partnerships.
Eric Williams, Frontier
 This is a different world then when the first GDP was developed. We will be
looking at this property differently but it doesn’t mean that all of the ideas and
priorities identified in the previous GDP will be tossed out in this GDP.
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Existing GDP no longer applies, functionally obsolete (boundaries, economy,
structures have changed)
Envisions a true TOD development at this site.
Station must be the ‘Heart’ of the development.
North/south and east/west connections are very important.
Lucy Dinneen, Cadence Capital
 What is the funding mechanism for this site? How big can we think? The
planning and development of the site is supported by a partnership between
the City and RTD.
 Is there a plan to involve CDOT in this process?
o (Yes, they will be represented on the Technical Working Group.)
 What other studies are underway that will affect this one?
o (RTD’s Civic Center Transit District Plan and Denver’s Broadway
Corridor Study are concurrent studies that will be part of looking at
this entire corridor from this station to Civic Center downtown.)
Scott McFadden, 1000 South Broadway
 I led two previous development projects and the timing of those processes
differed dramatically. I would hope that we keep an eye on the public
financing and private financing needs and how the actual project gets built.
 Timing is critical to project success.
 One project in the vicinity took +/-4 years from purchase to opening; another
project took +/- 1 year.
 Getting public finance, DURA and City all on same page is critical for a
successful project. Public financing requirements can hinder redevelopment.
Brad Weinig, Enterprise for Affordable Housing
 This station really is the next biggest thing to DUS. But I want to keep
something in mind in the planning for this site. DUS is great but it is like there
is an invisible line around it, because of the cost of office space, residential and
dining near the station. DUS is missing the inclusivity that allows everyone to
live, work, play and participate in the site. I hope that we don’t end up with
something similar at this location.
 Inclusivity needs to be incorporated at this station.
 Provide access to affordable housing and jobs.
 Open space needs to be designed for a variety of users.
Dan Cohen, D4
 Connectivity is extremely important but we should also look at the long-term
goals for RTD parking, and water quality around the site. The configuration of
parking can be a barrier to connectivity and RTD needs to be at the table.
Janice Finch, Public Works
 I-25/Broadway Interchange construction between 2017-2018
 Broadway/Mississippi RFP will be out soon (construction?)
Next Steps:
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The consultant team will be scheduling stakeholder interviews in the next two
weeks and will be emailing members of this committee.
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The consultant team will be interviewing various City departments and
stakeholder agencies.
Initial project information and the presentation from the first Stakeholder
Steering Committee will be posted to the website.
Attendees:
Chris Nevitt, Council District 7
Valerie Kerns, Council District 7 Aide
David Gaspers, CPD
Caryn Champine, CPD
Ryan Winterberg-Lipp, CPD
Emily Silverman, Public Works
Janice Finch, Public Works
Chris Parezo, Civitas
Beth Vogelsang, OV
Mike Cerbo, West Washington Park Neighborhood Association
Charlie Busch, West Washington Park Neighborhood Association
Ernest Archuleta, RTD District C
Dan Cohen, D4 Urban
Lucy Dinneen, Cadence Capital Investments
Kim Tatsch, Cadence Capital Investments
Kiely Wilson, Pando Holdings
Eric Williams, Frontier Redevelopment
Bill Sirois, RTD TOD Division
Bill James, RTD District A
Feven Netsanet, Council At-Large (Kniech) Aide
Charlie Knight, Platt Park Peoples Association
Tim Lopez, Baker Historic Neighborhood Association
Scott McFadden, 1000 South Broadway Apartments
Derek Medina, Athmar Park Neighborhood Association
Marty Lavine, Broadway Merchants Association
Todd Snyder, Shames Makovsky
Jeff Walker, RTD District D
Brad Weinig, Enterprise
Molly North, Bike Denver