John Rebchook is a former Rocky Mountain News reporter with more than 30 years of experience in writing and communications... 
City Councilwoman Robin Kniech addresses issues swirling around the proposed RedPeak apartment project north of West 32nd Avenue near Lowell Boulevard.
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Denver City Councilwoman Robin Kniech, in a letter to a West Highland resident, said she wants to make it clear that there is no council voted scheduled on church sites near West 32nd Avenue and Lowell Boulevard, which are ground-zero for a dispute that is pitting many neighbors against a developer, RedPeak Properties.
Denver-based RedPeak plans to build three, 5-story apartment buildings with 160 energy efficient units on parcels along Lowell Boulevard, Meade Street and Moncrieff Place, just north of West 32nd Avenue. The 160-unit is considered too dense by many residents, including resident Jessica Key, who had written Kniech about the development and received a detailed response from Kniech. Key posed the letter on the Highlands Mommies website.
Many residents would like to see the sites down-zoned from its current U-MS-5 zoning, which permits five-story buildings on the sites. The City Council rezoned the land from R-4 last year, before Kniech, a lawyer, was elected.
Kniech plans to attend a meeting with RedPeak executives on Nov. 16 and in the letter to Key said she expects to more details at that time, but said she wanted to respond to Key’s concerns outlined in a letter before that meeting. The meeting is scheduled from 6 p.m to 8 p.m. at 2945 Julian St
“Development projects only require a council vote if they are requesting a change or exception from the law, since none are planned council has no formal vote on this project,” Kniech wrote. “That does not mean however that we cannot engage in constructive dialogue with our city staff and developers on ways they can include community input into their planning, ways they can plan for and mitigate potential impacts to neighborhoods, and otherwise ensure the best design and construction processes. I fully support such a dialogue and will urge the developer to address the priorities you have identified in dialogue with the community and with the public.”
Building “tiered, like a wedding cake”
Kniech went on to say that the intent of the MS-5 or Main Street zoning, “is to provide a better pedestrian experience with the result being similar to other parts of the district, where shops have lots of windows and the building is set right next to the sidewalk. The building itself is tiered, like a wedding cake, with residential levels being set-in further back from the lower stories near the sidewalk at the main street level. Additionally, for the main level and upper stories there is a set-back requirement where the property is adjacent to residential areas. So current zoning would absolutely not permit a five-story façade right next to the sidewalk.
“It is also important to note that the zoning for this site has long been for higher, more dense development, even prior to last year’s rezoning,” she continued. “The prior zoning was R4, which did not have a restriction on the number of feet/stories a structure could be built to, even more dense than the new zoning, and without all the modern urban design requirements that are going to help us work with this developer to improve the look and feel of the property. So the city’s long-term land use planning has long contemplated a more intensive use on this location.
She noted that some constituents have questioned why past or present zoning called for more height and density at that site. “Although these decisions were made prior to my being elected to office, I have carefully tracked the success and failure of our local business districts in residential neighborhoods in Denver.
Higher-density developments draws customers
“First, thriving local business districts are a very positive factor in homeowner property taxes. Keeping businesses open and attractive keeps values up,” Kniech continued. “In areas where we’ve had a lot of out of business restaurants and stores, vacant storefronts etc., property values decline. As you know, 32nd and Lowell has some rock solid anchors that have done well over time. But it has also had a lot of businesses that churn in and out as they fail to keep enough customers to make ends meet. There are two things that a business district needs: 1) enough customers, 2) who have money in their pockets. I’m working hard on growing industry in our local economy, but given a national recession there is less a city can do on #2. But we do have some influence on #1 bringing more customers to an area. In places where we have brought in new, higher density housing, those residents become customers who can WALK to their local businesses, so they use them more and the area is more likely to succeed. The other way is to try to use marketing or other methods to bring folks in, sometimes on bike or bus, but often in Denver this still is by car. Specifically I have taken note of the concerns that have been expressed about the parking related to the new apartments that will be built, good questions that I believe the developer has begun addressing with plans for 215-225 parking spots (more than 1 per unit), and this is something I will continue to ask them to address in dialogue with the city and community.
“But imagine how many frequent customers you will be bringing in to businesses who will be able to have their car parked in their residential spot, versus how many spots it would take to bring in that many customers from other neighborhoods who would mostly be driving. Again, I believe the questions about traffic and parking are important. But I also think that the connection between residential development and successful businesses and property values are also important benefits of new development, not to mention the importance of maintaining a vibrant city with lots of housing options that welcomes single younger folks, divorced people, or retired people who don’t want to keep up a yard anymore — folks who can’t live in single family homes.
“Main streets with a mix of uses are a better place for multi-family properties than the middle of residential blocks, so our goal needs to be to find ways to incorporate a mix of housing into our neighborhoods in the best places we can figure out, and with the best design elements that help it transition and connect. I respect the mixed feelings around this kind of change, and have heard passionate questions and feelings on both sides, I’ll continue to hear your feedback and make sure your questions are answered.”
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Where is Susan on this issue?
Agreed that multi-family properties that truly are on a Main Street can add diversity and bolster the integrity and livelihood of a community, however Kniech says that “Main streets with a mix of uses are a better place for multi-family properties than (note the word ‘than’) the middle of residential blocks”. She’s referring to MS5 properties that actually sit on a Main Street. None of the three property parcels touch a main street. Two are mid block on local residential streets, the third parcel sits mid block on Lowell, which is a residential collector (AGAIN…NONE SIT ON OR TOUCH A MAIN STREET!!!). The current zoning is not correct.