City Council - Regular Meeting

Hey, Denver. It's time for the weekly general session of your Denver City Council. Tonight's coverage of Denver City Council starts now.

Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for taking the time to join us for Denver City Council meeting. Tonight's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish. Sam or Jasmine, would you please introduce yourself and let our viewers know how to enable a translation on their devices?

Yes. Of course. Thank you. Hello, everyone. My name is Sam Guzman with the CLC joining you virtually through Zoom.

And along with my colleague, Jasmeen, we will be interpreting today's meeting into Spanish. Please allow me a quick minute while I give instructions in Spanish on how to access interpretation. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Sam. Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting of 04/13/2026. Council members, please join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag

of The United States Of America and to the republic for which

it stands. One nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

You. Council members, please join council member Gonzales Gutierrez as they lead us in the Denver City Council land acknowledgment.

The Denver City Council honors and acknowledges that the land on which we reside is the territory territory of the Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples. We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado. We honors elders we honor elders past, present, and future, and those who have stewarded this land throughout generations. We also recognize that government, academic, and cultural institutions were founded upon and continue to enact exclusions and erasures of indigenous peoples. May this acknowledgement demonstrate a commitment to working to dismantle ongoing legacies of oppression and inequities and recognize recognize the current and future contributions of indigenous communities in Denver.

Thank you, council member. Madam secretary, roll call.

Council member Alvisres? Here. Flynn? Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Flores? Here. Watson? Here. Here. Madam president Sandoval? Here. 12 members present.

There are 12 members present. City council has a quorum. Approval of the corrections to the minutes of April 6? Seeing none, the minutes stand approved. Council announcements. Are there any council announcements this afternoon, colleagues? Councilwoman, to start us off.

Thank you so much, council president. I wanted to congratulate since my neighbor to District 6 is not here today, the University of Denver hockey team on capturing their eleventh national championship title this past weekend. What an incredible achievement. Go Pions. Not quite the cashman boys.

I also wanted to acknowledge Earth Day coming up. So join us for a fun and meaningful Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 18 from 10AM to 3PM at the Boathouse At Washington Park. You can stop by and visit with the friends of Wash Park Foundation, enjoy kids activities, food, sustainable trip tips, free tree seedings, pollinator garden seeds, and activities for the whole family. So it'll be a fun Saturday in District 6 Slash 7.

Thank you. Thank you, council president. Councilwoman Sweig.

Thanks, madam president. President. Just Just wanna wanna remind the residents of District 5 that, this coming Sunday, April 19 at 08:30AM, we have our, spring community cleanup day. So this is a really fun day where the community comes together. We clean half of our city owned parks, and repaint a number of our bus stop benches in District 5. So please join us. That is 08:30AM on Sunday, the nineteenth. Just come to Montclair Rec Center. You can pick up some breakfast and your supplies and head on out. If you want more information, you can find it on our social media. Thanks.

Thank you. Councilmember Watson?

Thank you, council president. I wanna read a statement from my office on speaking to the the three shootings and the deaths in in in District 9 and the seven shootings over the past week. Over the past week, our community has lost three neighbors to senseless violence in District 9, and I'm devastated by the recent shootings in 5 Points in the cold neighborhoods. My heart is with the families who lost loved ones, the neighbors who are grieving, and every resident who's feeling fear right now. Every family and neighbor deserves to feel safe in their home, on their block, and in their neighborhood.

Our District 9 Office is working closely to with Denver Public Safety, the the the fall department of Denver Police, and community leaders as patrols increase and these investigations move forward. My focus is on immediate safety support for victims and impacted families and long term violence prevention strategies to help stop this from happening again. Neighbors are invited to an opportunity to come together, ask questions, and stay informed at the upcoming Cole Neighborhood Association meeting on Thursday, April 16 at 6PM at Saint Charles Recreation Center at 3777 Lafayette Street. Community voice as we always elevate, and partnerships are critical in, these moments like this, and I encourage residents to attend. For more information on opportunities to engage in dialogue, if folks are curious about next steps or information, you can always reach out to my office at district9@denvergov.org.

But once again, to all the family members throughout the Denver community, but specifically in District 9, the families who were harmed or touched by these criminal acts in Coal and in Curtis Park know that our hearts go out to you. My office is here to provide support, and so is the city. As much need as much as you need, please let us know. Thank you, madam president.

Thank you for your comments, councilmember Watson. Council pro tem Romero Campbell.

Thank you, madam president. Oh,

okay. Oh, councilwoman Torres. Sorry. Sorry.

Sorry. I'll kick

it later. Thank you so much. Two quick announcements. There will be a, public meeting about the Front Range passenger rail on April 25 in Council District 3 at the Gonzales Library branch at Colfax And Irving. So this is the proposed rail line between Fort Collins, to Pueblo, 01:30PM.

So I encourage folks to attend if you're interested in that. And then secondly, I wanna share a cause for celebration. We have a small parcel called originally Cedar Park, then Crumley Park. Not officially Parkland, but it was a 12,500 square foot corner parcel at Knox And Cedar in the Barnum neighborhood. Neighbor, April Crumley, successfully advocated for the bank who owned it in the nineties to donate it to Denver Urban Gardens who committed to maintain it since 1993.

As many of us know, District 3 is largely a food desert, so we've taken on the task of growing our food wherever we can. Last year, Denver Urban Gardens converted this park to a community garden and food forest, and this Saturday will be the ribbon cutting on the Crumley Park Community Garden. So super excited about that and really proud of the Burnham community for coming together on it. Thank you. Awesome.

That's great. Council pro temer Meru Cum Laude.

Thank you, madam president. I just wanted to take a moment of personal privilege, and last Friday was my senior council aide's chief of staff, Macy Conant's birthday. She is tremendous, a wonderful help, and just wanted

to wish her a happy belated birthday. Thanks. Councilwoman Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Thank you, madam president. Glad to hear. I know the crumbles in in West Denver. That's amazing. Councilman Cashman and I are still taking our tour, I guess, across the city getting collecting feedback on the registered neighborhood organization report that was released after a year long of information gathering.

So last week, we were in Northeast Denver and Northwest Denver. We had great participation folks come through. Everybody is providing feedback on these great boards that we have. So our next upcoming ones this week in Southeast Denver, at the Eisenhower Rec Center, we will be on April 15, which is Wednesday from six to 8PM. And Southwest Denver will be at College Rec Center from six to 8PM, which is on Thursday, April 16. And then we will have a virtual option available April 21 from six to 8PM.

All of these things can

be found online at the Your City Your Voice, website under the denvergov.org. So if you want to sign up to get the Zoom link, you can do that, but we're still collecting feedback. And we also have an online form that people can fill out if they're not able to make it to one of these, one of these options, you can still provide your feedback, and we'd love to hear from you as we continue down the path of addressing the registered neighborhood organization ordinance. Thank you, madam president. Thank you.

I'd love to invite community to join us on Friday, May 1 at Larasa Park for the grand opening of the park. We were done early because we had no snow. So one of the benefits of not having snow is Larasa Park is opening before Cinco de Mayo. So join us Friday, May 1 at 04:30 at Larasa Park, and we'll have a really good celebration, some ceremony, and lots of community members. Seeing no other announcements, there are no presentations.

There are no communications. There are two proclamations being read this afternoon, and now I will read proclamation twenty six zero five eleven, recognizing April 2026 as National Donate Life Month. Whereas April 2026 marks the twenty third National Donate Life Month to raise awareness for organ, eye, and tissue donation, encourage Americans to register as donors, and honor those who have saved and healed lives through the gift of donation. And whereas Colorado leads the nation with nearly 900,000 Coloradans registering to be an organ, eye, and tissue donors at the Department of Motor Vehicle when you registered, when you get your license, a decision that reflects our deep commitment to one another and confirms in all of us and where confirms the good in all of us. And whereas donor alliance in collaboration with community partners educates residents about the life saving benefits of organ and tissue donation, inspires them to register as donors, and encourages them to share their decision with their family.

And whereas one donor can save up to eight lives lives through organ donation, help restore site for up to two people through corneal transplants, and save and heal more than 75 lives through tissue donation. And whereas whereas in Colorado and West most of Wyoming in 2025, a record 314 heroic organ donors made 1,306 saving life saving transplants possible, and 1,880 heroic tissue donors saved and healed nearly a hundred and forty four thousand lives through tissue grafts and whereas registering as a donor gives hope to the more than 1,300 people in Colorado waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant while compassionately celebrating donors and their families for the gift of life. Now therefore be it proclaimed by the city and county by the council of the city and county of Denver that the council of the city and county of Denver formally recognizes the month of April 2026 as National Donate Life Month in the city and county of Denver, and that the clerk of clerk of the city and county of Denver shall affix the seal of the city and county of Denver to this proclamation and that copies be transmitted to Phil Workman and the donor alliance chief administrative officer, Laura Jeffries.

I move that proclamation twenty six zero five one one be adopted. It has been moved and seconded. Comments by members of council, and I'll just start out. Just wanna say thank you to the National Donor Alliance for asking me to do this every year. It rings near and dear to my heart, but it does make me give pause to the person who donated a life.

Because even though one of my dear, bestest friend's life was saved, every year I do think about the person who lost their life and what their family has gone through to make sure that my friend is alive and raising his child. That person isn't living. And I actually didn't start thinking about the guilt that that might come along with living. I hadn't thought about that when my friend was on the organ donor list. I just kept thinking, are we gonna get an organ?

And then after, like, about a year later, I thought, oh, I wonder if my friend has any guilt because this young person lost their life and that they're living. So I know that the donor alliance helps donors, helps families go through that process, and I don't think it's an easy one to go through by yourself. And we need organizations such as yourself to be able to help with that. I think it's a complicated and emotional process. So I just wanna say thank you to the people who you support who are on this side of the veil and living with us, and thank you to the families of the people who are on the other side of the veil with their ancestors, and thank you for providing that support because I really don't think that it's possible to go through this.

Even if you have the best support system, even if you have the best family, even if you have really good friends, I know there's really dark times and loneliness that come along with both sides of that coin, the the coin of life, the gift of life, and the gift of death. And so and both are permanent. Right? You mean that per per permanently gone, and then that means that person has to continually go to doctor. It's not just done once you get an organ.

You go to numerous doctor appointments, and you're watched, and you have a team of doctors where when loved ones love you. So even though you have the gift of it's still a double sided coin. So thank you so much. Really, from the bottom of my heart, I cannot thank you enough. Next up, we have councilman councilwoman Alvidrez. Thank you so much, council president,

for bringing up such an important issue every year. Like, I've shared before, and I'll share again, this is so important. And I think about the fact that my son wouldn't have a grandma. My mom wouldn't have got to meet my son if she wouldn't have been able to get a kidney transplant. And she also gave a kidney to her brother because that's one of the organs that you can donate while you're alive.

And because of that, we had a better chance of her being able to get a kidney one day. And so, yes, it's it's something that I think of every day. She has to take a wide variety of medications every day, so she doesn't reject that kidney, and it it's really inspiring and a good reminder that you can change a life in case something happens. Hers was a a young man that was in a motorcycle accident, and I think about him and his often. I think about motorcycles often. I have loved ones that use them, and it's very scary to me. But thank you for raising up this important issue. And, again, thank you for all your work.

Thank you. President Tsao.

Thank you, madam president. Thank you again for bringing this proclamation. I'm so glad that you do it

every year. And every year,

I have to say the same thing, which this is super awkward, but I have to abstain from this because our ethics rules require that we abstain from voting yes on anything where you have a financial stake in it, and I have a financial stake in a in a transplant company. So with that said, I do also just wanna acknowledge how incredibly important transplants are, how in not just saving lives, but it is so it's so much deeper than that. It is yes. There is a life that is saved. There is also a life that is lost.

But it is so much more extraordinary than that. It is people who have essentially given up and thought that their feud that they were not gonna have a future who are given a new lease on their life. It is so special and so amazing and so sad all at the same time. It's just an incredibly wonderful but emotionally fraught thing. And so I just want to say thank you to everyone who is participating and supporting those who have received transplants, supporting the families of those who have lost loved ones who get to choose to donate those organs.

And I just am so glad that you do this every year and so appreciative that you're forward. Sorry that I'm going to have to abstain because I'm incredibly supportive of this, but I am. Thanks. Seeing

no other comments by members of council, madam secretary, roll call.

Council members, Valpides.

Aye.

Flynn.

Madam Aye. Secretary, close the voting and announce the results.

11 ayes.

11 ayes. Proclamation zero five eleven has been adopted. We now have five minutes for the proclamation ex speech, and I will be asking the, chief administrative officers, so CAO, for the donor alliance, Laura Jeffries up. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Council President Sandoval and City Council members. I am Laura Jeffries. I'm the Chief Administrative Officer for Donor Alliance. And Donor Alliance is a nonprofit organization that facilitates organ and tissue donation for the entire state of Colorado and most of Wyoming. And we also manage the donor registry of Donate Life Colorado that you've probably heard.

On behalf of Donor Alliance or Donate Life, thank you. Thank you for your personal comments as well. It's a lifesaving mission and it is heartfelt by the employees that do the work every single day. And thank you for proclaiming that April is National Donate Life Month. With this proclamation, Denver joins the nation with the national awareness for the importance of organ, eye, and tissue donation.

Since 2003, donor alliance in the nation have been celebrating April to educate our neighbors, our family members about the importance of registering to be a donor. And please share that decision with your family, how important that is. I'm proud to say that Colorado continues to lead the nation and those of us that have checked the box to say yes to organ eye and tissue donation at fifty seven percent. The national average is forty four percent. So I'm so proud to live in this community to help each one of us in our families.

The theme is National Donate Life Month is to shine a light. With this proclamation, you are shining a light on the honor and to honor the generosity of organ eye and tissue donors and their families. And we spotlight those amazing gifts, celebrating the lives of transplant recipients while highlighting the need. As President Sandoval said, 1,300 people just in Colorado, 100,000 nationally. That's more than a fill up the Bronco Stadium.

So that's a lot of people needing all of us. And then tissue gifts, of course thousands are impacted throughout the year. You heard that 144,000 were impacted just in Colorado last year with those donations. So we want to say how grateful we are to our donor and donor families and provide those gifts. Thank you for supporting National Donate Life Month to raise awareness to organ eye and tissue donation.

And what's most important is hear how you personally were impacted, but I'd also ask, Phil Workman, many of you know him and his story, to come to, share a little bit more about him. He is a Advocate for Life volunteer and he's personally in our Denver community sharing the importance. Phil.

Thank you very much, and thank you, members of counsel. I really appreciate, all the comments that everyone said. Pretty much stole my thunder because my story really is, you articulated it so well, and I guess that's why I'm not an elected official and can't get up and say just these great perfect things which are heartfelt as well. So I really appreciate that. My story really though is two and a half years ago, and I have all these stories that I can still tell. And I'm very grateful, and thank you all very much.

Council member Alvideres, would you join please join me in reading proclamation twenty six zero five one four?

Yes, council president. Proclamation twenty six zero five one four honoring Mary Savina Mendoza. Whereas the city and county of Denver takes pride in recognizing the extraordinary contributions of its citizens who have shaped the cultural, culinary, and entrepreneurial fabric of our great city. And whereas Mary Savina Mendoza, knowing known lovingly as Savina, a name she carries after her mother was born on 04/19/1943, the youngest of 13 children, and was raised in East Denver, Colorado, where she attended Manuel High School and began building the foundations of a remarkable life. And whereas Savina embodied resilience, strength, and determination, qualities that would define her life's journey.

And And after marrying Ronald Dean Sewald, built a family and a life filled with love and purpose. And whereas, following the tragic and untimely passing of her husband in 1972, Savina demonstrated extraordinary courage and resolve as a single mother of two young children, six year old and six month old, channeling her grief into purpose by using the proceeds of his life insurance to open La Loma restaurant in 1973, alongside her beloved older sister guided by cherished recipes passed down by their mother, grandma Mendoza. And whereas Sabina cultivated a remarkable and enduring partnership with her sister, Vera, and brother-in-law Art Padilla, who co whose collaboration helped grow La Loma into one of Denver's most beloved and enduring culinary institutions. And whereas in 1982, partner Sunny Brinkerhoff joined the family business, and together Savina, Vera, and Art expanded La Loma to its iconic location on the hill in Northwest Denver, further cementing its reputation as a landmark of tradition, flavor, and authentic Mexican hospitality. The name La Loma, meaning the hill, a reflection of both its geographic roots and the elevated standard of excellence Sabina established.

And

Whereas under the administration of mayor Federico Pena, La Loma earned widespread recognition, winning taste of Colorado honors for eight consecutive years, a testament to its excellence and cultural impact. And after after these repeated victories, grandma Mendoza was invited to step aside from the competition and instead serve as judge, allowing the other others the opportunity to succeed while continuing to elevate the culinary community. And whereas the Brinker the partnership with the Brinkerhoff family has strengthened and sustained the restaurant's legacy, ensuring its continued success for generations to come. And whereas throughout Minilaloma throughout Minilaloma and Sabina's Mexican kitchen locations, guests are welcomed by the portrait of Sabina's mother, grandma Mendoza, displayed in honor of her enduring legacy and the recipes she created, connecting each guest to the deep roots from which this institution grew. And whereas Savina and her family wish to personally thank William, Joe, Mark, Brinkerhoff for their vision in renaming select La Loma restaurants as Savina's Mexican Kitchen, honoring a legacy of fifty years ago that has provided livelihoods and opportunity for generations of families.

And while the beloved house on the hill is no longer, which makes me sad, its heart endures as Savina's kitchen carrying forward her tradition of exceptional food and outstanding service and preserving the everlasting history of Mexican and Latino culture rooted in the cherished recipes that begin on the stove of grandma Mendoza and ensuring Savina's spirit on the story stories live on for generations. And whereas the youngest of 13 proudly carries her mother's name, Savina Mendoza, a tribute that reflects the deep family legacy and the lasting impact she has inspired across generations. Now therefore be therefore be it proclaimed by the Denver City Council that the Denver City Council honors Mary Sabina Mendoza for her her enduring contributions to the city and county of Denver, her pioneering spirit as a Latina businesswoman and founder of La Loma, and her lasting legacy of family, culture, and community. That the clerk and recorder of the City And County Of Denver shall affix the seal of the City And County Of Denver to this proclamation and

that

a copy be transmitted to Mary Savina Mendoza and family. Council member Alvidrez, your motion to adopt?

I move

that proclamation twenty six dash zero five one four be adopted.

It has been moved and seconded. Comments by members of council, council member Almides. Thank you, council president.

This is an honor to bring Savina. I remember the first time I walked into a La Loma restaurant. It was so special to see tortillas being made, like, right in front of me. I think that's something I'd only seen at home or visiting Mexico at that time. It was a very special moment, and to be able to read your story as a single mother of one child, of four children, I can't imagine having that many older brothers and sisters and having these two children, a six month old, you know, to to take care of and still having that dream and that strength to take a challenging moment, a moment where many people give up, a moment where you probably didn't know what to do and turn it into an opportunity that will last for generations.

And that's something that's so important right now as we read every day that big restaurants, legacy restaurants close in the city so often because of lack of succession planning, lack of investment, lack of a lot of the things that your family did here that you were able to do with the help of other people that wanted to see this into the future. And that's the kind of planning and thought and care that it takes to save a legacy restaurant. I admire you and your story so much, and it's an honor to bring this proclamation. Thank you.

Thank you, council president. Thank you. Council member Flynn.

Thank you, madam president. I really enjoyed seeing this on the agenda. Thank you for bringing it forward. Although it was a little bit out of downtown, for those of us who worked downtown for you know, in the eighties and the nineties, it was on our circuit of regular places we would go from a newsroom to we would go up to La Loma or Little Papinas or somewhere up on the North Side to to have a lunch. And just a historical note for the council, and I wish I wish we could do this again.

But once a month, the city council used to go out and have lunch together. And La Loma was one of the places where they regularly went. And during nice weather, we would sit down on the porch there on the I think it was on the south side of the building. I don't remember now because it's not there anymore, generally. But it was always great to go up there and to experience lunch outside of downtown once in a while and and go to a place that had such great food and great company. And so I think that this is a really appropriate proclamation to bring forward and to honor this legacy. I'm so happy to see that it continues, although not on Diamond Hill anymore. Thank you.

Thank you. Councilor Potomacare Campbell.

Thank you, madam president. I just wanted to say what a beloved restaurant restaurant and the story of family coming together around food and having that place and centering incredibly special having grown up here in Denver. My mom grew up on the North Side, and so La Loma was always a place that was a special occasion. We didn't go out to

eat that often, so, you know, special occasion. But

I grew up in Southeast Denver, and there's now a La Loma in Southeast Denver. And it's super exciting for all of us to have a restaurant, you know, represented just outside of the city borders, but still, you gotta claim it. But I celebrated my birthday there, and I did it with my family. And I couldn't do it with my mom this year. But to be able to all be together on a roundtable celebrating and eating and just having that time, thank you to all of you and your family for being able to continue that tradition and make it available to all of us. It's a real gift, and so thank you for that

Thank you, madam president. Thank you.

Growing up in Northwest Denver, working at La Casita, one of the competitors to La Loma, one of my best friend, Jacinda Romero, her mom worked at La Loma as a waitress, and her father, Pat, worked at Romero, worked at La Loma in the kitchen. And so I would go there often and meet with Linda and Pat Romero and running back and forth to Jacinda's house. We lived on Vallejo Street, and we lived a block away. And when we got tired of her mom bringing home food, we would go over to La Casita and get my family's food. And who knew that I would end up marrying the great great grandson of missus Mendoza, the one the family that I had.

And so now my husband and I joke that we've had to blend two family, very deep root family, green chili recipes together and came up with our own. And I think we coined it, if I remember right. And he makes it one way. I make it a different, but it it's the blend of our own. And I've just had the really lucky opportunity to know Mary's sister.

She was my husband's grandma and know this family very intimately, and they immediately brought me in. And Mary has donated time on my campaign. She would sit there and she make calls with my mom. And so thank you all for giving back to Denver in such an authentic way and showing up and putting Denver on the map. I really do believe it was these two restaurants that put Denver on the map for green chile and that what we're known for. So it's an honor to be part of this proclamation. Seeing no other members in the queue, madam secretary, roll call.

Gonzalez? Aye. Hines? Aye. Lewis? Aye. Parody? Aye. Romero Campbell? Aye. Sawyer? Aye. Torres? Aye. Watson?

Aye.

Madam president Sandoval? Aye.

Madam secretary, close the voting and announce the results. 12 ayes. 12 ayes. Proclamation zero five one four has been adopted. Council member Alvidrez, would you like to call up to accept the proclamation?

I would like to call up herself.

Well, I wanna thank you all and all the employees that we brought up to have their families join us also. This is great. I love it. I thank my son for introducing me to all of this, But thank you. You don't know how much I appreciate the acknowledgment and what my mom started and what I get to finish. Thank God. Anything else?

That is wonderful, mom. Members of council, after working for two mayors and two governors, I just want to pause and say what I learned over the years is council's such a hard job, but it's also the most rewarding job. So I just wanted to thank all of you for pausing for a moment to recognize history. And one of the things I learned from my mother was, it's true, on Thanksgiving, she would make us all go into work. I am gonna bring her up on child labor laws because I did bus tables in second and third grade and fourth grade four nights a week.

I'm kidding. But the history is unbelievable because she taught me on Thanksgiving we would actually stop and it was our turn to serve the staff because they were our family. And so they would come in, and if they had they brought in 20 people, it didn't matter. It was our turn to cook for two days and then serve them on Thanksgiving. And the Brinkerhoffs, I wanna thank Sonny Brinkerhoff, Joe, Mark, and William.

We just had a lunch down at Savina's at Couch Rock, and they brought in Carmelo from La Loma right here by the Brown Palace, which is now Savina's. And the staff today, we had lunch with them, and they talked about how wonderful the ownership was because they felt like they were treated with dignity and respect. So I just to all of you, I just wanna say thank you very much. It means so much. Joe sells our work there.

Dennis Gallagher named the Carne and Sadapes. I mean, the history goes way back. And so, to all of our friends across the city and Gonzalez family because it's so amazing how many people we know because of the restaurant. And so, I wanna acknowledge my my my family or my sisters here and it all started with the tragedy when my dad passed away, but the memories outweigh that. So on behalf of our family, thank you very much.

Thank you.

We're gonna pause just for a second as we do a transition. Madam secretary, please read the bills for introduction.

From the community planning and housing committee, 26Dash0389, a bill for an ordinance changing the zoning classification for 1057 South Gaylord Street in Washington Park with a reasonable condition. 26 dash zero three nine two, a bill for an ordinance changing the zoning classification for 5101 through 5115 North Milwaukee Street in Elyria, Swansea. 26 dash zero four three one, a bill for an ordinance authorizing a moratorium on data centers. From the governance and intergovernmental relations committee, 26 dash zero three nine zero, a bill for an ordinance amending the classification and pay plan for employees in the career service and for certain employees not in the career service. And from the Parks, Art, and Culture Committee, 26 dash zero four two two, a bill for an ordinance approving a proposed donation of surplus American bison from the city and county of Denver to American Indian tribes and American Indian nonprofit organizations.

Okay. Council members, this is your last opportunity to roll out an item. Council member Gonzales Gutierrez, will you make the motions for us this evening?

Yes. Council president pro tem Romero Campbell.

Now I will do a recap. Under resolutions, council resolution 26 dash zero five zero eight has been called out for comment by council member Lewis. Council resolution twenty six zero three nine four has been called out for a vote by council member Gilmore, and council resolution twenty six zero four three zero has been called out for questions by council member Flynn. Under bills for introduction, no items have been called Under bills for final consideration, no items have been called out. Under pending, no items have been called out.

Madam secretary, please put the first item on our screens. Council resolution twenty six zero five zero eight, a resolution authorizing and approving the expenditure of payment from the appropriation account designated liability claims, the sum of $32,000 and no cents made payable to Savannah Yaturia and Bacchus Shanker in full payment and satisfaction of all claims related to civil actions civil action captioned Savannah Yaturia versus Jody Yenes Yenesa, and City Council of Denver, which was filed in the Denver District Court of the State of Colorado. Case number 2025CV034627. Council member Lewis, please go ahead with your comments on council resolution zero five zero eight.

Thank you so much. So after consistent feedback from my constituents, I see it as my responsibility to ensure that the public is aware of every tax dollar being approved as an expenditure in payment of funds for a settlement with the city and county of Denver. My office is tracking every dollar by department and as a running total. With the approval of 260508 tonight, the city will approve settlements in the amount of $32,000 to settle cases brought against the Department of Transportation of and Infrastructure. The approval of these items tonight brings the twenty twenty six total for taxpayer dollars and city settlements to $479,500.

The funding is drawn from a liabilities claims pool of money that is refilled when necessary from the city's general budget and does not come out of the agency's specific budgets. Therefore, we must pay extra attention to this budget in this budget environment that we are watching out for how the city spends our tax dollars, and we're making decisions for that making decisions for the future with this knowledge. Thank you.

Secretary, please put the next item on our phones. Council resolution twenty six zero three nine four, a resolution approving a proposed agreement between City and County of Denver and Gilmore Construction Corporation on call airside facility maintenance and repair services at Denver International Airport. Council member Gonzales Gutierrez, would you please put council resolution zero three nine four on the floor for adoption? I would say council

resolution to

be six zero three nine four be adopted.

It has been moved and seconded. Comments by member of council on council resolution zero three nine four. Councilmember Gilmore. Thank you, council president pro tem. This business is my brother in law's construction business. Therefore, I will be standing on this tonight.

Thank you.

The secretary, roll call on council resolution three ninety four. Council members Alvidrez.

Flynn? Aye. Gilmore? That's dame.

Gonzales Gutierrez?

Aye. Hines? Aye. Lewis? Aye. Parody? Aye. Romero Campbell? Aye. Sawyer?

Aye.

Flores? Got it. Aye. Watson? Aye. Madam president Sandoval?

Aye. Madam secretary, close voting with results.

10 ayes.

10 ayes. Resolution zero three nine is adopted. Madam secretary, please put the next item on our screens. Council resolution zero four three zero, a resolution approving a proposed agreement between the city and county of Denver Mountain Parks Foundation for the seasonal operation of the Mountain Blue Sky Recreation Area under the permit issued to the Denver Mountain Parks Foundation by the United States Forest Service through 12/31/2029 in Mountain Parks. Council member Flynn, please go ahead with your questions on council resolution zero four three zero.

Thank you, madam president, and with apologies to Parks and Rec for the late notice. There's just some clarity I'd like to get about this transaction. I understand Shannon Dennison may be online. Is that or she may be here.

I was able to be

here in person.

Okay. Well, I prefer online, but thank you for being here. The collection collection agreement agreement we we have have with with the the Forest Forest Service now, what scope do we do, and what expanded scope are we gonna ask the Mountain Parks Foundation to do, and how much revenue will we derive from it?

Thank you for the question, and good afternoon, everyone. I'm Shannon Dennison. I'm the director of Denver Mountain Parks. The scope of the current collections agreement that we have with the National Forest Service allows them to collect a fee for Summit Lake on behalf of the city and county of Denver and perform some maintenance activities and then remit a portion of that back to us. We still have enforcement obligations, cleaning obligations at Summit Lake Park, and it doesn't include, Echo Lake Park. And my apologies. You had a a list of questions. I was wondering if you might break those down individually for me.

Well, did they send you what I sent over? Is

that Yes. Okay.

Yes. And I'm happy to

We currently

do up

there. We do more than just Echo Lake Lodge and Echo Lake Park. We do the Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area as well for the Forest Service, or does the Forest Service do anything itself?

It's a little bit confusing. So Denver Mountain Parks and the Forest Service have had a collaborative partnership for over a hundred years. We have two properties on the mountain. We have Echo Lake Park, and we also have Summit Lake Park. Summit Lake Park is inside the fee area on Mount Blue Sky, so you have to go through the fee station in order to get up to Summit Lake Park.

We manage both parks. We, are responsible for maintenance, operations, enforcement, and resource protection at at both locations. Over the last few years, the Forest Service has operated the fee station, collected fees, and has done some really basic toilet pumping, excuse me, toilet cleaning. We still do the toilet pumping and emptying trash and doing a very limited fee vehicle enforcement. And the rest of the responsibilities for the management of Summit Lake Park were still, maintained by the city and county of Denver and Denver Mountain Parks.

So there was a lot of duplication of efforts on the mountain between the Forest Service and between Denver Mountain Parks. Over the last century of operations, there's been a little bit of a flip flop in who's being the lead at any given time between Denver Mountain Parks and the Forest Service. Denver Mountain Parks was the lead for about the first thirty years or so, and then the Forest Service has been the lead over the last few decades, and now Denver Mountain Parks is is gonna be taking the lead again if this agreement is approved.

I don't know if you're able to answer this or if from your own knowledge or if you hesitate, but what's prompting this? Is it the cutbacks at the federal level, especially with the forest service that's prompting them to kind of I don't wanna say dump this on us, but to present us with this great opportunity,

maybe is the way

to say it.

There were several things that sort of all happened at the same time. One is that the forest service has indeed lost some capacity, capacity, but there is precedent for this. Pikes Peak is managed in a very similar way. Pikes Peak is owned by the Forest Service but managed by the city of of Colorado Springs. There's also a similar agreement in place in Glenwood Springs for transportation and operations at Hanging Lake.

So the Forest Service does rely on their partners when there is local expertise, and this is a case where Denver Mountain Park says have a lot of expertise in management of that site. We already have a strong presence on a daily basis for the management at Echo and Summit Lakes. There was also some staff turnover and an opportunity to rethink how are we delivering services to visitors and how do we ensure that they have a good experience. When we had two different agencies trying to manage the same areas, it was very confusing for visitors. The fee structure was not clear, and I think that it didn't always give them a great experience.

And this will streamline it and simplify it for visitors. It's also a great opportunity with the bond investment that will be going into Echo Lake Lodge, and it's really an opportunity to reimagine how we're managing and making best use of Mount Blue Sky. It was at one time proposed to be Denver National Park, and so there's a strong Denver presence up there already between the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Denver zoo the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, University of Denver has a presence up there, and Denver Mountain Parks. So this really makes a lot of sense.

Do you have to hire for students and

staff? We will. Yes. And there will be revenue from the fee structure to help cover that staff.

Under that what what that revenue will be?

We estimate the revenue will be around $900,000 a year. And for this first year, we estimate our cost to be around $450,000 We hope to staff up a little bit more next year.

I got say Kate Fritz. Could you from the Denver Mountain Parks Foundation. I love the foundation. I love the work we do, so this is in no way meant to be any criticism. That's right. But does the foundation do any management Currently of our operations at any of our mountain parks?

Currently, the foundation does not. Thank you for your question, and thank you for the opportunity to be here. The foundation does not do any type of management in this way. Under this agreement, the foundation will be the permit holder but will delegate to the city all operational responsibility. So the the foundation serves simply as an administrator of this contract and of this relationship.

It really if you think about the way that the foundation was conceived in 2004 and and going forward, this is really the embodiment of what the foundation is supposed to be. We are here to facilitate things that the city cannot, for whatever reason, accomplish on its own, in a direct way. And so that's the the role that the foundation will be playing. We have, a, a contract controller, CPA, who is available to us to help with any accounting and reporting requirements that we will have and to make sure we've set up structures and program sort of, processes so that we can manage that. We also are growing our volunteer capacity.

So I know one of your questions was with respect to the cleanups. We are increasing our volunteer capacity now so that we can backstop the city where needed, to be able to facilitate anything that happens in that regard where there's additional sort of volunteer people needed for cleaning making sure that things are cleaned, though I doubt that that will be the case, because the city's really got this in hand.

I read in in the documents that there's we expect about a 100,000 well, we experience about a 100,000 visitors there per year. Is that the number I recall? So will we will we be able to keep up with the demand for cleaning the restrooms and emptying the trash and and operate the shoot the shooting range still being operated up there? Or is that

All good questions. So, yes, we will be able to keep up with the maintenance on the mountain. The shooting range is a separate facility that's still owned and maintained by the Forest Service, and this does not involve the shooting range.

Okay. Thank you. Thank you thank you for your answers. That a lot more clarity for me. Madam president, this is a great example of where the ordinance we passed just last week providing contracts up front will be a great help. It was once I delved into it, it was very confusing. And so I had a constituent reach out to me. So I apologize for the late notice, but thank you for being here.

You're very welcome.

Thank you for the questions.

Another

question for you on it. So

I think Denver Parks

and Rec, you all worked on the renaming

of Mount Evans to Mount Bluesky. Is that correct?

We did not work on that. We did provide support for the renaming, but that were directly involved in. Okay.

Alright. Great. Well, so it is renamed, though.

Yes. And so there was conversation about since

Denver Parks and Rec Parks is managing the entrance to the site, etcetera, and the city is generating revenue. Where are the conversations about enrolled American Indian tribal members having free access?

The contract and the permit both provide free access for enrolled tribal members to the mountain. It's a very important place, and we know that it's very relevant and important to our local native community, and so they will not be required to pay a fee to access the site.

And how are you going to assure that that happens? Is there registration that folks will get a placard, or are you how will that happen?

Typically, if they can show tribal ID at the at the entrance station, they'll be granted passage through.

Okay. So is there a plan, for Denver Parks and Rec to, share that more broadly with the community, especially, community in the Denver Metro Area, but also the entire state since that's, a pretty big amazing precedent to be able to do. Are there plans for maybe flyers to be shared with all of our council offices, letting community members know that if they decide to go up there, they need to take their tribal enrolled cards so that they can gain

free access.

We are very happy to do some increased outreach and communication about that once if this is approved by counsel. I think that's our trigger point to really start ramping up our communications about this externally. And I would love to provide some written information and flyers and get this out to the native community because I think it is really important, and it's something that I'm really proud of that we were able to accomplish.

Definitely. Congratulations. Thank you so much. Thank you. No other questions.

Thank you. Go back to my screen. This concludes the items oh, oh, this concludes the items to be out. All bills for introduction are ordered published. Council members, remember that this is a consent or black vote, and you will need to vote aye. Otherwise, that this is your last chance to call out an item for a separate vote. Council member Gonzales Gutierrez, will you please put the resolutions for adoption and the bills on final consideration for final passage on the floor?

I move

that the resolutions be adopted and bills on final consideration be placed upon final consideration and do pass in a block for the following items. Series of 26, zero three zero three eight two, zero three eight three, zero three nine three. That's rolling. 0385, zero three eight six, three 0387, 0 399, zero three nine eight, 0402. Getting stuck here.

0403, 0404, 0406, 0407, 0408, 0409, 0410, 0411, 0412, 0413, 0414, 0415, 0416, 0417, 0418, 0419, 0420, 0423, 0430, 0388, 0397, 0342, 0379, 0381, 0395, 04 0004010508036618 oh, 251861252086260336.

Thank you. Madam secretary, roll call.

Council members Alvidrez. Aye. Been seconded

and sorry. It has been moved and seconded. Now, madam secretary, roll call.

Thank you. Council members Alvidrez.

Aye.

Flynn? Aye. Gilmore? Aye. Gonzales Gutierrez? Aye. Hines? Aye. Lewis? Aye. Parody? Aye. Romero Campbell? Aye. Sawyer?

Aye.

Torres? Aye. Watson? Aye. Madam president Sandoval?

Aye. Madam secretary, close the voting and announce the results.

12 ayes.

12 ayes. The resolutions have been adopted, and the bills have been placed upon final consideration and do pass. Tonight, there will be a required public hearing on council bill zero two zero six, changing the zoning classification for 3601 North Monaco Street Parkway in Northeast Park Hill, a required required public public hearing hearing on zero two zero seven, changing the zoning classification for 2625 East 23rd East 3rd Avenue in Cherry Creek, and a required public hearing on council bill zero two zero eight, changing the zoning classification for multiple properties in Bear Valley, College View, South Platte, Harvey Park, Harvey Park South, and Martson Martson. If there are no objections from members of council, we will recess until 05:30. Before reconvening the regular meeting, city council will provide a half hour general public common session to hear from the public on city matters, except for any matter that is scheduled for a legally required public hearing.

The general public comment session will begin at 5PM.

Hey, Denver. Here's what's happening around the mile high this week. What's a better sign of spring than tulips? The Botanic Gardens is going to be full of them and more. They'll be blooming all across the gardens. As you explore, keep an eye out for pockets of other colorful spring flowers in the ground and in the trees. Experience an unforgettable evening of hand selected films. Celebrate

We have three required public hearings tonight. As a reminder, council members need to turn on their video on turn. Ma'am? Yes, ma'am.

We have we have proclamation stuff.

Oh, sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Yes. I actually

here. Council

will now reconvene from our earlier session. There is no unfinished business from earlier session. There are two proclamations being read this evening. Council member Watson, could you please read proclamation zero five one two?

Thank you, madam president. Proclamation number two six zero five one two, honoring the life and legacy of Creighton c b Jones junior. Creighton c b Jones junior was a pillar of Denver's historic 5 Points neighborhood whose life and leadership helped shape the cultural and economic foundation of black commerce in the city for decades. And whereas alongside his wife of seventy years, Betty Whitaker, he cofounded C and B Cleaners in 1958, building not only a successful small business, but a vital community institution that served as a gathering place, resource hub, and symbol of self determination, and whereas mister Jones embodied a build your own table philosophy, creating opportunity where none existed and opening doors for generations of entrepreneurs, neighbors, and community members. And whereas as president and treasurer of the Five Points Business Association, he served as a trusted connector and quiet strategist, helping broker relationships, support black owned businesses, and strengthen the economic vitality of Five Points during its historic peak.

And whereas his business became an unofficial town square where stories, wisdom, and community ties were shared freely, reflecting his role as both a businessman and a steward of a neighborhood history and culture. And whereas mister Jones' life expand and reflected critical chapters of American history, including the errors of segregation, the civil rights movement, and the evolution of black enterprise in Denver, making him a living archive of community memory and resilience. And whereas he was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and mentor whose values of integrity, loyalty, and service continued through his family and many lives he touched. And whereas Creighton C. B.

Jones junior passed away on 12/16/2025 at the age of 90, leaving behind a legacy that remains woven into the fabric of Five Points and the city And County Of Denver. Now therefore be proclaimed by the Denver City Council section one, the Denver City Council recognizes and honors the life and legacy of Creighton c b Jones junior and his indelible impact on the Five Points community. Section two, that the clerk and recorder of the City And County Of Denver shall affix the seal of the City And County Of Denver to this proclamation and that a copy be transmitted to the Jones family.

Adopted.

It has been moved and seconded. Comments by members of council. Council member Watson.

Thank you so much, president, and I'm so pleased to see so many members of the Jones family here tonight. First and foremost, the Five Points community has been called the Harlem Of The West. And the reason why it was called the Harlem Of The West was a place and space that black communities not only felt safe but are celebrated. It was a place and space where black communities elevated commerce, family life, recreation in our own communities without having to rely on others to lift us up, to give us a hand, or anything we led. Mister Jones and his family have been stewards of that history.

They have been stewards of a history long forgotten and now a more gentrified Five Points. It is my opportunity as the city council member representing the fine District 9, including 5 Points, that at any time, any moment, every day that I can to work alongside families to elevate those stories, to elevate those histories so those names do not go un un unspoken and do not go and that do not become forgotten. I had a a wonderful walk with miss Kim Ray as she we walked around 26 And Welton right at the points, and hearing her voice, spoken word, the history of her family, and the importance of the role her family has played on that trip. And it is because of your leadership, your grandfather's leadership then, your leadership now, and that of your families is why we sit here in honor of calling his name and and reminding folks of the great legacy, not only your family, but so many African American families that have long been lost. But, hopefully, with these types of proclamations, these members their family's history and legacy will be remembered.

Thank you, madam president.

Councilwoman Kennedy. I

just wanted to say I'm sorry for your loss. You had him for so long, and the loss was so recent. And also that from what I know, he definitely passed his values on to his family. We see faces that we know very well around here, and it's pretty beautiful to get to hear about your ancestor. Thank you.

Thanks, council member Watson. Thank you. Thank you. Madam secretary, roll call.

Council members Alvidrez? Aye. Flynn? Aye. Gilmore? Gonzales Gutierrez? Aye. Hines? Aye. Lewis? Aye. Parody? Aye. Romero Campbell? Aye. Sawyer? Aye. Suarez? Aye. Watson? Aye. Madam president Sandoval?

Aye. Madam secretary, close the voting, announce the

results. 12 ayes.

12 ayes. Proclamation zero five one two has been adopted. We now have five minutes for the proclamation acceptance. Council member Watson, who will you be inviting up to accept the proclamation?

Yes. Council president Kim Ray and any members of our family who would like to join her. You have a few moments to to share your thoughts.

Thank you.

Good afternoon. Councilmember Watson and members of City Council, on behalf of my family, I want to thank you for this incredible honor. We are deeply grateful to Councilmember Watson for recognizing the life and legacy of my grandfather, Creighton Jones Junior, in such a meaningful way. To see his story lifted up by the city of Denver means more to our family than words can actually express. My grandfather believed in this community.

He believed in the five points.

And he

believed in people and showing up, mending a hand, and building something that will last beyond himself. To our family, he was a husband, a father, a grandfather. To this community, he was a steady presence, a mentor, and a friend. It is truly humbling to know that his impact is remembered, not just by us, but by the city he loved and the community he helped shape. And I want to also take this opportunity to also honor my grandmother.

She wasn't able to attend tonight. Her name is Betty Jones. But for seventy years, she stood beside him as a partner in life and in business and in community. And so much of what he built, they actually built together. So thank you for honoring his legacy and in doing so honors honoring theirs. So we are so very grateful. Thank you and all children. We've got three generations here tonight, so thank you.

Any other words?

As my daughter stated, My father built some very strong children. We are all leaders. And without his words, one of the things that I can remember him always saying, and I think I was eight years old, he said, when you get up in the morning and you get dressed and you leave that house, you're to leave an impression, a legacy, and you do your best. He said if you're going to do no matter what you do, that means he's been sweeping the gutters of the street because I didn't realize he was getting up at 7AM in the morning and going down on the 5 Points and sweeping the streets to make sure that they was clean before everybody start working. But he said, when you do that, you do your best.

You don't do it because you feel like everybody wants you to do it. You do it because you want to do it and that you want everyone to know that the five points meant something. Up until the day he died, he wrote down the five points every day. And we did that last journey for him, his last ride. The five Points is his heart, and he'll never, I don't think to the he'll always love the five points because that was his home.

That was our home. When I tell people, I was raised up in I slept in Park Hill, but my home was the 5 Points because that's where we've been since 1958. Thank you.

Thank you. Other last words?

I'm the daughter of Craig Jones, Jr. I have my sisters, my nieces, my nephews here. And I didn't realize how much my father meant to me until he passed. And as my sister stated, he and my mother are instilled in our hearts, in our souls, in the work we do, in our fingertips, in the feet. We don't stop.

I don't care how tired we are. We still go, and it's because of my parents. My father was a hard man, and he was strong, strong man. He cared about Five Points. He cared about his family, and he wouldn't do anything.

He would do anything to make sure that we were fed. No matter what my father did, it was always his best, and it was all he knew to raise eight kids, not on welfare, not on food stamps. He did it all with his own two hands. And I remember he would change tires if anybody could come and talk with him. It was a counseling office as well, and they just talked with him, just somewhere to go.

And I remember any time of the day, he would open his doors and let somebody come and talk with him, just a ear. Five points. Unfortunately, don't have that now. It wasn't the normal mom and pop shop. It was a place to go when you had nowhere to go and no one to talk to.

That is what my mother and father built and instilled with us that we also know no matter what. You could come and talk to us, and we all have a ear. So thank you for recognizing my father, recognize the hard work he and my mother's done, and putting this in place for him. You don't know what this means to us. Thank you.

Hello. I'm Debbie's first daughter at birth. And I was hard of hearing, but I was always following him, and I call him Betty. You know? Mom's Betty.

And so, anyway, I follow everything he do. Everything he do, I've I always try to get his disapproval of. And I remember he get the kids because we were too young or at school. He would get the kids and then put them to work, he needs around in the back, you know, around the cleaner, whatever, and pay them to, you know, to get them motivated to work, and they would keep on, you know, as they got older. And he would have like, his friend, you know, they need money, and and they overloaded with clothes.

He would have them help, you know, work and even a retired guy just to be there. You know? So now as we got older, people would see us. One of the customers would see us, and then they run down to him and say, I seen your daughter here. I seen your son here, but they can never say we did anything wrong.

Uh-huh. So as, you know, they retired and, you know, and I I seeing how hard they work, we we will be there past midnight so that he can fit the pipe when if something goes wrong to get the cleaner going the next morning. You know? He can't let this money stop. Sorry about that. And so, anyway, I called them 80 going on 18 after they had closed the business because they were in the street every day. And I'm calling, like, where y'all been? You know? And I'm I'm the parent now. So he he come up with all the ideas.

He you know, getting the the cleaner, you know, decorated first, and then they got the money from the government to, you know, have everybody can, you know, upgrade the outside to make make it really look nice because he he believed in trying to make everything look right and and get our business going and then RTD. They lost money because of the light rail. So thank you guys for helping them, know, to keep us going. Let me see. Who else? But other than that, you know, everything every everywhere I go, it was like he was at the back of my head.

You

know? Don't do that that you know? Gotta get approved. And and so he made me the person I am. He protected me. And and and then we all go there every Saturday after, you know, and after school helping him because he believed we're supposed to be there to help. And then the other kids that took you know, didn't get that, you know, opportunity. So he always say, honor that father, that mother, and your life, you know, lives long. And everybody was coming to them as a married Catholic. Why?

You know? So so everybody come there to get advice, and and and and they were always about investing, investing, investing, not just working. You know? They had the trucking. They had the sandwich shop. They had the beauty salon, and they've just been believing we should work hard and keep investing. So mhmm. Thank

you.

Council member Watson in Parity, would you please read proclamation zero five one three?

Happily. Proclamation twenty six zero five one three, celebrating the tenth anniversary of Prodigy Ventures. Whereas 2026 marks the tenth anniversary of Prodigy Ventures, which has supported young adults primarily from Northeast Denver through workforce writing programming that prepares them for success in the twenty first century economy. And over the past decade, nearly 300 young adults, ages 18 to 24, have participated in its apprenticeship programs within craft coffee houses. And whereas Prodigy Ventures has reinvested more than $2,500,000,000 in wages into the local economy through its apprenticeship model, generating an estimated $2.10 in local economic impact for every dollar invested.

And whereas

Prodigy's three craft coffee houses serve as vital community hubs, providing hundreds of community groups with free meeting space each year and fostering a culture that honors diverse lived experiences through intentional relationship building and shared responsibility. And whereas Prodigy Ventures offers a comprehensive twelve to eighteen month apprenticeship program in which young adults develop both technical craft and professional skills while also receiving holistic support services, including access to mental health counseling, one on one coaching and mentoring, and job placement assistance. And

Whereas Prodigy's programs and spaces are rooted in the concept of spiritual hospitality, creating environments where individuals feel safe, valued, and empowered to be their full and authentic selves. And whereas Prodigy Ventures is committed to investing in the potential

of young people really shortcuts.

Sorry. Cultivating an environment where individuals can realize their inherent greatness while upholding a shared standard of excellence in both customer experience and craft coffee. And whereas Prodigy Ventures continues to be recognized as a high quality craft coffee house in Denver and values its out long standing partnership with the city and county of Denver. Now therefore be proclaimed by the city and county of Denver, section one, that the Denver City Council recognizes April 2026 as Prodigy Coffee Month in celebration of its ten years of impact and continued contributions to the community. In section two, that a clerk and recorder of the city and county of Denver shall affix the seal of the city and county of Denver to this proclamation and that a copy be transmitted to Jesslyn, and I'm gonna destroy your last name.

Shahrizil? Shahrizai. Shahrizai. Shahrizai. Yep. Executive director of Prodigy Ventures. Thank

you. Council member Watson, your motion to adopt.

I move that proclamation number two six zero one five three be adopted.

It has been moved and seconded. Comments by members of council. Council member Watson?

Oh, and

council member Perry go first.

Council member Perry.

He just pointed me. So, yeah, I can keep this really simple. I really just am so impressed by the way that this nonprofit operates. And the the reason that I have become such a fan is just because I'm basically a customer. I am in there every single morning. I'm looking for all the familiar faces. My kids go to school across the street from the Global location. I also go a lot to the one on 40th Avenue. And I first time I walked through the door was probably random thing, but then you immediately notice everything about the mission is all over the walls and you know? And you can tell when you're walking into a workplace that people are where people are treated well and where they're proud and happy to work.

And so it is the best place to go and chat with the employees because they're great. They're prodigies. They're amazing. And so I've just, like, had a really wonderful time having prodigy brighten my morning for a very long time. So I'm super tickled to get to cosponsor this with councilmember Watson. Thank you.

Thank you, councilmember Parity. And and I would add, I before I was in this seat, I would go to the the prodigy on board. And I began going to the one in Globeville in the process of of of of of of being elected to this seat. And the one thing that I always recognized, once I hit Prodigy, especially one in Globeville, every little nook and cranny, there were community members having dialogue. It wasn't just you weren't just there sitting, drinking coffee, and eating sweet sweets.

You were there to talk and to engage. I think the last time I was there a few months back, there were four different meetings in different corners, and the office was filled with another group of community members. That speaks to the importance of this community gathering space, not just a coffee house. You're a place where people feel welcomed, where people feel loved and listened. You're a place to organize, a place to have birthday parties, and to do all the fun things. And so thank you so much for always being that welcoming spot in in Globeville and all the other communities that you're in, and congratulations for your tenth year anniversary.

Thank you. Councilmember Hine. Thank you,

madam president. Thank you both for sponsoring this. You have a bunch of us elected officials here at the table. So not only is it a community powerhouse, it is a political powerhouse. I had not heard of Prodigy until Leslie Herod invited me to to break bread there and and have a cup of coffee. And and so we've got a bunch of local electeds here. Certainly, you are a political powerhouse as well. So all the community meetings that you're talking about, you know, you your reputation is is throughout the city and beyond. So thank you so much for your tenth anniversary. Here's to another ten years. Thank you, madam president.

Thank you. Council proctor mayor Campbell.

Thank you, madam president. I just wanna say, Prodigy Coffee House has just been a staple in, I think, community and being able to have a place to connect. I moved our nonprofit organization just about a block and a half away during 2020 off of 40th Street. And it was, I think, a a labor of love for the for Prodigy to stay open and to be able to just work with the young people. I echo the sentiments about just the young people that we met that were working there and the job training was just tremendous.

And I think not only good conversations with those who were, you know, on the counter, working behind the counter, but also those opportunities to meet and just build community. So congratulations to you in ten years, and here's to another ten. Thank you, madam president. Thank you.

Seeing other speakers in the queue, madam secretary, roll call.

Council members Alvidrez? Aye. Flynn? Aye. Gilmore? Aye. Gonzalez Gutierrez? Aye. Hines? Aye. Lewis? Aye. Parity? Aye. Romero Campbell? Aye. Sawyer? Aye. Torres? Aye. Watson?

Aye.

Madam president Sandoval?

Aye. Madam secretary, close the close the voting and announce the results.

12 ayes.

12 ayes. Proclamation zero five one three has been adopted. We have five minutes for the proclamation acceptance. Council member Watson and Parody, who will you be inviting up to

I'd love to welcome them up as well. All right. Thank you. Thank you so much, madam president and city council. So excited to be here this evening to accept this proclamation. I'm joined here tonight with some of our apprentices, board members, and staff. And we're just grateful. We see a lot of familiar faces we see in our shops every day. And we it just speaks to how much of importance goes into community. Ten years is nothing to sneeze at, not as a nonprofit and certainly not as a small business.

We survived COVID. We're working through tariffs, and we continue to rise to the occasion of the growing need for workforce programs, particularly for young adults in Northeast Denver. Prodigy was born out of the realization from a group of educators, some who are here with us today, this evening, who are still staying with us and still committed to this impact, that there is a gap in traditional workforce traditional work and education systems. We've curated a community that's really rooted in spiritual hospitality, where we're creating a space where folks can truly and authentically be themselves. And you see that every day in the way that the apprentices show up and in the way that community is welcomed into those spaces, whether it's the free meeting rooms that we are hosting hundreds of community groups every year or if it's folks in nooks and crannies having important conversations.

Again, thank you so much. We're going to have a tremendous community celebration on Saturday, April 25 at 04:00 at our original shop at 40th in Colorado. Most of your staff have heard from members of our board and community. We would love to have you join us for that and help celebrate such an important feat. So thank you. And anyone else? Yeah. I knew Michael Guzman wanted something.

Hey, y'all.

I'm so glad to come in front of you as a member of the board of directors for Prodigy, their treasurer this year supported by, the board. And I work behind the scenes with wonderful people who volunteer their time, effort, and their talent, and their treasurer to make this a reality. But the superstars are our apprentices. And so I just want to say thank you very, very much for honoring our traditions. You know spiritual hospitality is a particularly unique and focused way of doing things within the Latino and the indigenous community, and that is how we open our doors.

But we bring everybody in. It's not just part of the community. In a traditionally red lined district where we have suffered injustice. Prodigy brings hope, and that hope is immeasurable in a time where we face so many difficult decisions that we have to make as a community, but Prodigy brings it home. And how much can be resolved over a cup of magic water or herbal tea when we take a minute to sit back and enjoy each other's company and actually get to know each other. The relationships here are what matter, and we see our young people going forward present representing their communities, representing our cultures, and bringing it home. So, to all of you, welcome anytime. Love to see you there, and thank you again so much.

Thank you so much. We have three required public hearings tonight. As a reminder, council members need to turn their vote on turn their video on during the vote. For those participating in person when called upon, please come to the podium. On the presentation monitor on the wall, you will see your time counting down.

For those participating virtually when called upon, please wait until our meeting host promotes you to speaker. When you are promoted, please accept the promotion. Turn your camera on if you have one and your microphone. All speakers should begin by telling begin their remarks by telling council their name and cities of residence, and if they feel comfortable doing so, their home addresses. If you are available if you have signed up to answer questions only, state your name and note that you are available for questions or comments from council.

Speakers should have speakers will have three minutes. There's no yielding of time. If translation is needed, you will be given an additional three minutes for your comments to be interpreted. Speakers must stay on the topic of the hearing and must direct their comments to council as a whole. Please refrain from profane or obscene speech and refrain from individual or personal attacks. Council member Gonzales Gutierrez, will you please put council bill twenty six zero two zero six, changing the zoning classification for 3601 North Monaco Street Parkway in Northeast Parkfield on the floor for final passage. I move that council bill

zero two zero six be placed upon final consideration in due test.

It has been moved and seconded. The required public hearing for council bill zero two zero six is open. May we please have the staff report?

Hello, everyone. My name is Joe Green with community planning and development, and I just wanted to start by saying that this is a tough one. So staff has recommended denial, and planning board has unanimously recommended approval. So we'll walk through it. You should have documents of deliberation in your staff packet, which walks through planning board's argument, but I'll also try to point out both sides as I walk through the review criteria.

So getting into it. As always, we'll start with a request, exactly what the applicant's proposing, and then we'll get into the location and the context, and we'll talk about process that the application has been through thus far, and then we'll get into the review criteria. So starting off, the lot is currently vacant. It's just over 6,000 square feet. It's on the corner of Monaco And 36, and they're requesting to go from E S U D X to E T U C.

So what that means, we have a single unit district in the urban edge neighborhood context, There's a minimum lot size of 6,000 square feet. So basically right now they can build a house with a detached accessory dwelling unit on a lot, a minimum lot of 6,000 square feet. They're proposing to go to a two unit district, also in the urban edge neighborhood context. It has a slightly smaller minimum lot size, 5,500 square feet, and this would allow them to build a duplex or a tandem house. And each of those units could have an accessory dwelling unit.

This is along Monaco Parkway. It's a designated parkway. So this has a 20 foot setback. This would apply to the current zoning or the proposed zoning. We just wanted to call it out to note it. Getting into the location about where we are exactly in the city, Marin Council District eight, council member Lewis's District. We're in the Northeast Park Hill neighborhood. You can see the big area kind of pointing to it there. And as I said, the existing zoning is ESUDX. You can see from this map that it's kind of surrounded by ESUDX as well.

And there's some two unit zoning just to the Southwest. And if you went just a few blocks off the map to the right, you'd also see a chunk of ETUC two unit zoning. But when we look at the existing land use, there's quite a bit of duplexes in this area and multiunit in this area. So on the block itself, there are eight duplexes across the street. There's multiunit uses.

Behind it, there's multi unit uses. And you can kind of see those uses scattered throughout the area. You can see a picture of the vacant line on the top picture there, a picture of some of the single unit houses on a single unit house that's kind of representative of the single unit houses in the area. Then we have some multifamily across the street as a garden for an apartment building and triplex. So getting into the process, the application has been through standard process.

It came in back in September 2025. We had a bit of a delay. Planning board in February. It was noticed that the owners had yard signs up pretty much that entire time, then we met the committee on March 3. So the applicant does have

a letter of

support from the Northeast Park Hill Coalition, but we haven't received any other comments from any other of the RNOs or any neighbors. The applicant did do some door to door knocking, especially to the adjacent neighbors. And she's here today, so we can ask her about how that went. And then, again, as I said, planning board unanimously recommended approval. I'll walk through a little bit more in a little bit more detail as we get into the review criteria about exactly what they said.

Again, I'd urge you to read those documents of deliberation. I don't wanna put words in their mouth, and I'm sure I won't cover everything. But they generally said that the Park Hill neighborhood plan supports this rezoning. And because the Park Hill neighborhood plan supports this rezoning, it also meets Blueprint Denver's guidance about how to apply residential low future place types, which we'll talk about in just a minute as well. So getting into the review criteria, as you all know, there's three review criteria that we have to find to be true in order to say yes to a rezoning.

We'll start with consistency with adopted plans. In this case, we have three plans. They're kinda hard to see on the screen, but we have comprehensive plan 2040, big citywide plan, blueprint Denver, a citywide land use neighborhood plan, which was adopted in 2000. So it's quite old. We're gonna walk through all of those.

So starting with comp plan 2040, kind of big picture, it talks about the need for a mix of housing types in all neighborhoods and that we should promote infill development where we already have infrastructure and services. So kind of at a high level, we think that the application is consistent with this plan. When we dive a little bit deeper into Blueprint Denver, designates this area as the urban edge neighborhood context, which generally talks about single the two unit district in the urban edge neighborhood context. We generally find it to be consistent with this guidance. When we look at the future place types that Blueprint Denver has, it calls it residential low, so it envisions it to be single and two unit uses on small and medium lots, and it talks about how duplexes can be thoughtfully integrated if they're found to be compatible.

So, again, this is a two unit size. It's generally going to meet this guidance. But when we look kind of on that same page where it talks about future play slow, it has this very specific guidance about how we should apply that guidance to rezoning applications. And it says that two unit uses are not appropriate in all areas. And unless there's an existing pattern of two unit zoning, that request is gonna depend on the small area plan or significant neighborhood input.

And the small area plan or that neighborhood input need to show an intent to set a new zoning pattern for the area. So that leads us to the first question. Do we see an existing pattern of two unit zoning? So there's the the zoning map. When staff looks at it, we see an existing pattern of single unit zoning despite there being a lot of duplexes in the area.

That's the existing use. That's the kind of the current built environment. When we just look at the zoning pattern, we don't see a pattern of two unit zoning. So then the follow-up question is, does the neighborhood plan state an intent to set a new pattern for the area? So I have a little bit more on the neighborhood plan coming up, but at a high level, there's about three policies that talk about a compatible mix of housing types and densities, and then it talks about protecting single the single family character in the Park Hill neighborhood.

So while it has some language about incorporating a mix of housing types, we don't believe it's specific enough to meet Blueprint's Denver's guidance about setting a new intent for a new zoning pattern in the area of two units. So we don't think that the neighborhood plan is calling for a new pattern in the area. And then the second question, is there enough neighborhood input to show an intent to set a new pattern in the area? So we do have a letter of support from the Northeast Park Hill Coalition. We don't have a whole lot of information about neighbors in the neighborhood.

We have the kind of r I o letter. We haven't received any public comments. So we don't think that this is enough outreach to, again, set that intent that duplexes should be allowed throughout the neighborhood. So we do not think it's consistent with Blueprint Denver. And I'll walk through planning board's argument here when I get to the Park Hill neighborhood plan because they have the policies laid out a little bit more.

So these are the policies. There's a lot of words up there, but, again, I just wanted to show the three policies. The first three policies talk about incorporating housing density mix in the neighborhood. They kind of talk about it in different ways, but all three of them mention that. And then you have that bottom policy that talks about protecting the single family residential character in Park Hill.

So when staff is looking at this, you can see that it does call for that housing mix in the neighborhood, but when you look at the neighborhood, especially at the residential part of the neighborhood in Northeast Park Hill. It already has a mix of housing density. There's areas that allow two units. There's areas that allow row homes. There's areas that allow multiunit. So we think that this plan guidance was implemented as a part of the 2010 zoning code update. It's also worth noting here that before 2010, this whole area was zoned r two in the chapter

59 zoning code, which would have allowed duplexes and small scale multiunit.

Zoned So then the last bit of guidance that protect the single family residential character in Park Hill reinforces that the uses are kind of separate from each other. When planning board read this, they thought that the first three policies there that I listed, the rezoning is very clearly consistent with. And when they talk about the single family residential character, they note that where it says specifically, it talks about rezoning from r three, which would allow a lot more intense multifamily uses to r two, which would have allowed the duplexes and small scale multifamily. And they said that because when it it's specifically saying to rezone to R two down from R 3, that those uses, duplexes, small scale, multifamily, are actually considered part of the single family character of Bart Hill. Well, at least some board members said that.

So then looking at the public interest, does this does this rezoning further the public's interest? It obviously could further the public interest by adding additional housing options, but most of our plans, especially Blueprint Denver, talk about a citywide approach for incorporating this type of housing into single unit neighborhoods, and it wants us to consider things like affordability and neighborhood compatibility. So we think it would be more in the city's interest or in the public's interest to implement it at a holistic citywide approach. And then finally, we have the consistency with the purpose of intent statements found in the Denver zoning code. Generally, it's consistent with with most of those.

When we look at the specific intent of the UTUC district, it talks about those two unit uses and the lot size. Again, those two unit uses. Blueprint Denver is very specific about when we should allow those. So because this doesn't align with that plan language, we don't think it meets this criteria either. So with that, we recommend denial based on finding the review criteria have not been met. I'm available for questions. The applicant is here in person. And thank you very much.

Thank you so much. We have two I think we have two. We have two individuals signed up to speak this evening. First up, Jesse Paris.

Yes. Good evening members of council, those watching at home, those in the council chambers. My name is Jesse Lashawn Paris, and I'm representing for Black Star Action Movement for Self Defense, Positive Action Committee for Social Change, as well as the Unity Party of Colorado, the Northeast, now North Park Hill Coalition, Frontline Black News, tobacco's black experience enhanced the revolutionary agenda, and I reside at the roach and bedbug infested Legacy Lost in Darryl Watson's district of District 9, defined District 9, historically black District of 5 Points. I'm in full support of this rezoning tonight. As I just stated, I'm a part of the coalition that gave a letter of approval to this.

We need more housing options in the city and having grown up in that area of Park Hill and been a recent resident prior to living in Five Points. I was tired of seeing that vacant lot. That vacant lot has been vacant for years, so I'm glad to see the city is finally doing something with it. I just wanna know exactly what's gonna be here. Is it gonna be a ADU? Is it gonna be roll homes? Is it going to be duplexes? It's gonna be a combination of both because I don't really get that from the presentation. They said it allows for the uses of all the above, but I didn't really get that from the presentation. So if the occupant or the person that's presenting can answer those questions, I would greatly appreciate it.

Otherwise, I'm in full support of this. I'll see you on the next one.

Thank you. Next up we have Elizabeth Hennessy.

Hello. My name is Elizabeth Hennessy, and I am an architect and a contractor, and the owner of 3601 North Monaco Parkway. When we bought this property, we had the intention of building a prototype net zero duplex. That's something that we're kind of into as a construction firm. I've always been familiar with Northeast Denver.

I know that Northeast Denver has a strong, healthy component, duplex multifamily zoning component. I know that because when I moved to Denver many years ago, lived in a duplex on 32nd And Pontiac. The issue of what happened to the R2 zoning that was in place between 1940 and 2010 kind of is intriguing. The community was totally built out by 2010, and yet the 2010 zoning ordinance decided to forbid any new duplexes being built in that community. And I just was kind of confused about what happened to a duplex.

Why were they all of a sudden not worth building? So, I did ask Round. I got no feedback, and I can only assume that in 2010 that a middle income person could buy a house in Denver. That is not the case anymore. Fifteen years later, we need duplexes.

We need duplexes because duplexes are affordable, less expensive, and mostly we need more affordable housing. Two units per lot instead of one. I want to point out the 3600 Block Of Monaco has 23 lots. Eight or 10, depending on your point of view, are duplexes. The duplex the lot that I want to develop has a duplex to the North, a triplex to the East, a duplex to the South, and two triplexes across the street.

It is difficult for me to understand why adding one more duplex to this mix is a problem, and I think that when you consider how much desperately we need affordable housing, the solution is, as will be recommended in Denver's own plan for unlocking housing choice. It is time that we go a little bit easy on the single family zoning. Thank you.

That concludes our speakers. Do we have questions from members of council on council bill two zero six? Councilman Lewis, start us off. Thank you.

Thank you. So I see from the existing land use map that there are 17 lots that have either double or multifamily units. CPD's analysis of the existing zoning shows that none of this use is permissible under their current zoning. Is that

correct? It's almost correct. So if you have an existing duplex or if you have existing multi, basically, if it's been if it was legally established and it's been continuously operated as that use, you can rebuild it just as it was. So you couldn't build it on a vacant lot, but if you tore down a duplex, you could rebuild a duplex.

Okay. Thank you. So we have a bunch of land use that does not correspond to the zoning that is in place now. And so can you talk to me about how we got here? Yeah.

JAMES guess two parts. So first, we can rebuild those things. But yeah, the property and all the properties around it were rezoned in 2010. And I have a little bit of information about how that rezoning what the criteria were for that rezoning, for the 2010 rezoning as a whole. So basically in 2000, we had the Park Hill Neighborhood Plan, which had those policies that I talked about.

In 2002, we had a Blueprint Denver citywide plan that called this area single family residential. There is a single family duplex designation in that plan as well. So this was specifically that single unit only recommendation. So this plan came out two years later after that Park Hill neighborhood plan. So there was first criteria is adopted plan guidance for the 2010 rezoning.

The second was the existing zoning and existing entitlements. And then the third criteria was the existing conditions. So like what was there now, all of those duplexes in this case. So I think taking the citywide guidance of the single family residential along with different ways of interpreting the Park Hill neighborhood plan, maybe they meant that duplexes should be incorporated everywhere. Maybe they meant that they should be have a mix of housing throughout the neighborhood, maybe not all next to each other.

And then looking at the existing entitlement, they eventually landed on this single unit zone district, and I wasn't there, obviously, but that's kind of my understanding of how that happened, if that was your question. Did I get that right?

Okay. You answered it. So the small area plan mentions the preservation of single family character and yet the area around the lot are not single family use. The small area plan also states a goal to zone for a variety of compatible housing types and densities. And so how does CPD resolve that contradiction?

Yeah. It's definitely difficult. We talked about this one a lot, as you can imagine. I think the I think I lost the strain of your question a little bit. Could you tell me one more time? I apologize.

Area plan mentions the preservation of single family character, and yet the area around this lot are not single family use. The small area plan also states a goal to to zone for a variety of compatible housing types and densities. And so how does CBD resolve that contradiction?

So I think with the compatible uses and types, I think, again, we're reading that plan guidance as more holistic across the whole neighborhood. So, you there's some places that allow duplexes just down the street. There are some places that allow row homes. So kind of across the whole thing, there's a compatible mix of housing types, but not necessarily integrated. As far as this area not having single unit uses, I'd say that the what you can see if you look a little bit more broader at the zoning in the in the neighborhood, like the areas that were rezoned to two unit, like the entire block is two unit in those areas.

So, again, not exactly sure how those got mapped. This there's obviously a lot of duplexes on this block. But it looks like just from looking at the map that the rezoning was really focused on kind of areas that were entirely two unit keep two unit, and then matching the single unit zoning that's just to the south in Park Hill for the rest of the neighborhood. But I don't know if that answers your question to your satisfaction. Just a little bit. Oh, yeah, sorry.

Yeah. I I guess I'm Hi, president. I guess I'm trying to figure out how you I mean, if you look at if you look at the map and this is the area in my district that has the majority of duplexes and multifamily housing. And so it feels like a contradiction, but it feels like a contradiction that we're not addressing in real time. And so I just I just wonder how you all how you all think about that as you all are making the decisions to move forward a recommendation or to oppose such. Yeah.

I think it's difficult when the we have such an old plan. Obviously, the there's a new plan coming for the area that will sort a lot of this out, hopefully. But when we have a really old plan with zone districts that don't even exist anymore, We're kind of analyzing an old plan with a new lens, and the plan is just so specific about existing zoning pattern, not an existing uses. And the Park Hill neighborhood plan is just not specific enough. We have other plans that are so specific that when we land, it's just, you know, matching what's there right now and hoping that a plan soon will kind of iron things out.

That's it. I don't have any other questions.

Councilmember Flynn?

Thank you,

madam president.

Through the near Northeast area the NPIs, one part of the website says coming soon, but I understand the initial scoping has been done. Correct? So it's underway.

I still don't understand it. I don't know if it's at a public release. Yep. Can you answer that one? Yes.

Speak into the mic until we have a yeah. You could totally raise it. We just have a hard time hearing in this room. Thank you.

Go ahead. It sounds like

it has been publicly released that the plan is is out there. Yeah. It

is twenty five years old. Right? Yes. So it's a little dated. So it needs updating, so I'm glad you're doing that.

But the guidance and blueprint is pretty clear that about establishing a new pattern, what's the intent, what's the process for rezoning. And if this were a year from now when we have the Near Northeast plan in place, we don't know what it will recommend here. But in the interim, when the criterion is consistency with adopted plans, I would have to say I would have to agree with the planning office. So I'm wondering if you could discuss was this brought up at all at the planning board, the fact that blueprint says this, but you're voting that?

It certainly was discussed, and they asked me a lot of questions, as you'd expect. I think they just found that the Park Hill neighborhood plan did support it, and therefore, Blueprint Denver supported it. They just disagreed. Okay.

I think that's all I have for questions, madam president.

Thank you. Councilman Lewis?

Yeah. Just to more specifically, for you, councilman Flynn, the first near northeast advisory committee is actually on the twenty second. So it's kicking it's we're here just to provide you with updated information. Thank you. That's it. Thank you.

Seeing no other questions. The public hearing is closed. Comments by members of council on council bill zero two zero six. Council member Lewis?

Yeah.

Sorry. Thank you. Coming a little slow. So I'll be supporting this because I believe that the rezoning meets the plan guidance of blueprint blueprint 2040 in the small area plan and also meets the existing neighborhood context of the neighborhood given that there are 17 lots with this kind of use in the immediate area. The small area plan specifies that the residential character of the neighborhood should be preserved.

The rezoning accomplishes that, and it preserves a use type that is already present in the area and in keeping the residential context. Additionally, while the small area plan does not state that single single family areas should be preserved, that same recommendation of the small area plan also mentions that in order to accomplish the goal, higher in higher intensity zoning ought to be down down zoned into the zoning that converted this use type at the same time this small area plan was passed. And so in other words, the area plan seems to endorse the use of multi multiunit residential types such as a duplex in order to keep the residential character of the neighborhood. And so I'm in favor of this rezoning, and I encourage my colleagues to support that. Thank you.

Thank you. Next up, council member Alvidrez.

Thank you, council president. I had a very similar issue to this in my district previously, and it is very hard to understand how we can have in my case, it was two houses on one lot, and they wanted to put a duplex. So what you said about some of these houses being able to rebuild wasn't the case for this instance. And I think that when our residents are out in their neighborhood and there's duplexes everywhere and they can't build a duplex, it's very confusing. And when you talk about the existing context of a neighborhood and we can literally go and see duplexes, it makes it it makes these votes even harder.

And I understand better now than ever why you recommend to know on this, but it doesn't make sense to me. It doesn't make common sense to me. And that's concerning to me when I think about the context of the neighborhoods and the fact that this is the kind of density people want. So we struggle with that context. People talk about density, and they think about high rises everywhere. But then we do the gentle density, and that's illegal as well. And I think that's very frustrating for the people. So I all support in voting yes just as I did in my district when this came up. Thank you, council president.

Thank you. Council member Flynn?

Hey, madam president. It may very well be that the near Northeast plan will recommend a a change here in this area, but I think we have to wait for that. In the meantime, we don't stick with our criteria, one of which is consistency with adopted plans. And the that consistency requires that we when there's a rezoning, I don't have that is there an intent to establish a new pattern? We don't know that yet.

We don't know that yet because we haven't done the broad community outreach on it yet. And so if we're coming here a year from a year and a half from now, we're probably it might be appropriate, but I don't feel that we should prejudge that and and approve a rezoning that, in my view, does not is not consistent with the guidance and blueprint. And so I agree with the staff, and I'm not be a vote a no vote on this. Thank you.

Thank you. Council Mentors.

Thank you, madam president. I'll be supporting. I this one, I was comparing to another one that we had a few months ago where we had this difference of opinion. And in that case, there were literally no other duplexes, not just on that block, but in that area. And I find that to be the biggest difference from what I see here. I also find it really ironic that the one letter of opposition came from a nearby neighbor who is also a duplex. I'll be supporting.

Stop. Thank you.

Council member Waxman.

Thank you, council president. I I wanna start saying first, my first home in Whittier was a duplex. And I just think the opportunity from unlocking housing choices to I don't believe the adoptive plans are consistent. And when it's inconsistence when there's inconsistency, I think there's opportunity to look at the former not former, the current Park Hill plan that asks for this level of of density. And all of the the development around there has that similar density, and so I will be supporting this. I think it's a a good use of lift base, and we're we're coming Northeast plan to make sure

we have some consistency within our area of plans. Thank you, madam president.

Thank you. Council member Hynes?

Thank you, madam president. I sat on before I was elected, I sat on blueprint twenty nineteen. And, you know, in part of the sausage making process, you you see the the a couple 100 pages in in each of these plans, and sometimes you see things that seemingly contradict other pages in the same plan. And so so I I don't I'm not sure that I disagree with CPD. It's that maybe I'm interpreting some of the language in a slightly different way.

And and so that's that's both the magic and the curse of having 200 pages in a citywide plan and often another 200 pages. You know, when I was elected, we were in the middle of the East Central area plan. There's also a couple 100 pages where you could find things that said yes and no at the same time. And it and in many ways, you know, it it'll it intentionally had some room for interpretation, but so that is both the blessing and the curse. And but that is we have three charges, legislation, the budget, and land use.

And so, hopefully, we're kinda leaning in one into those three charges include including land use. As as an aside, I wouldn't make this decisions based on the the intended building because this is about the zoning of the parcel, not about the building itself. But I would think it's very much in the public interest given our climate right now that we have more architects that are interested in net zero homes. So thank you for that. That's not a criteria that I'll use to judge, but I wanna compliment you nonetheless. Thank you. I'll be supporting you.

Thank you, madam president.

Thank you. Councilman Tzuyu.

Thank you, madam president. Thanks, CPD. I so appreciate you. I'm gonna vote with you guys and say no tonight, but I'm just gonna be very honest with you. I I hate that that for the reason that everyone, you know, here has talked about.

But I will say, you know, we have property owner in District 5 who came. We have an area plan, the Near Southeast area plan, which recommends duplexes in specific neighborhoods, and she wanted to build duplexes and was told no for other reasons. So, like, we have to be consistent for the people who come in front of us even when we don't want to. Because, just because this project is absolutely fantastic and, and we all want it to be built for all the reasons we've talked about, it is not fair to the other people who come in front of us who get told no because what they wanna do is inconsistent with the adopted plan. And I will also just say I wish there was someone from the mayor's office here so I could stare them down and point out that this is why we desperately need updated area plans for a 100% of the city because Blueprint Timber says one thing above all else.

It says look to the small area plan, and this small area plan says no. And that is an absolute shame, but I have to be consistent in my vote even though I don't want to, so I'll be a no tonight. Thanks. Thank you. Councilwoman Parity?

Yeah. I I will just say quickly that just as in committee, I was persuaded by reading the details that are on one of the slides here, But as as planning board was that actually when we talk in these documents about the single family residential character of Park Hill, that is intended to include duplexes, are single family homes. So I in context, especially the language that talks about to when it said protect the single family residential character of Park Hill, it goes on and says specifically extend R two zoning to area zoned R 3. R 2 is two unit. So that that's basically what persuaded me. It's just it's just that reading along with the other the other factors and public good public interest and all that. Thank you. Thank you.

Seeing no other members in the queue, madam secretary, roll call.

Council members Albidrez?

Aye.

Flynn?

Aye.

Gilmore? Gonzalez Gutierrez? Aye. Hines? Aye. Lewis? Aye. Parody? Romero Campbell? Aye. Madam Pro Tem?

Aye.

Thank you. Sawyer? Aye. Torres? Aye. Watson? Aye. Madam president Sandoval?

Aye. Madam secretary, close the voting and announce the results.

10 ayes.

10 ayes. Council bill zero two zero six has passed. Thank you all very much. Council member Gonzales Gutierrez, will you please put council bill zero two zero seven changing the zoning classification for 2625 East 3rd Avenue in Cherry Creek on the floor for final passage. I move that council vote two

six zero two

zero seven be placed on final consideration and do pass.

It has been moved and seconded. Required public hearing for 0207 is open. May we please stop may we please have this dock report?

We may have some technical difficulties. Is still as well.

Yep. Tim will help you. We we could phone a friend. Alright. Thank

you. Thank you. Good evening, council. My name is Will Prince. I will be presenting the, staff report for 2625 East 3rd Avenue.

I request to rezone from CCN with conditions to CCCN four. This evening, I'll review the request, the location and context, the process, and of course, the review review criteria. Some background on this property. Again, the request is rezone from former chapter 59 CCN with conditions to Denver zoning code urban centers, Cherry Creek North 4 stories. This property is a corner property with just under 19,000 square feet, and is currently office and retail, and the request is to rezone to redevelop as a mixed use option that includes condo housing.

Continuing on to the location and the context. This is located in Council District 5 with Council Member Sawyer, and is located in the Cherry Creek Statistical neighborhood. As for the existing zoning, again this is CCN with conditions, former chapter 59, and the surrounding areas predominantly CCCN 4 as well as 5. We have GRH 3 to the north, a few p u PUDs, as well as CMX 5. And for reference, the existing zoning is related to ordinance two thousand seven zero zero two two five, related to the existing former Chapter 59 Cherry Creek with conditions, which is in your application packet.

Also, this site is applicable to the Cranmer Park Viewplane. This being a four story district, it would still comply with this viewplane. Continuing on to the existing context with land use. Again, this is commercial retail, is the majority of 3rd Avenue, and we have multiunit residential to the north, some mixed use throughout, and then also quasi public with a park and school nearby. Looking at the building form and scale, we have the subject property here at the bottom right.

We can see a two story commercial building. Along 3rd Avenue, we have various sizes, but we have a common one story commercial nearby, as well as the two and a half story townhouses that we see to the north. Continue on to the process. This received its informational notice at the November. It was noticed for planning board in January and had its public hearing on February 4, where it had a unanimous recommendation for approval.

It was held at the CPH committee at the March and was noticed for this hearing at March 21, and we are here today for the city council public hearing April 13. As for public engagement and public comment, the applicant has done public outreach to the surrounding area, and this includes one Arno letter of support from CCNA. They have also worked together for a neighborhood agreement that was also included as part of the packet. And there have been five comments in opposition, two from the same person, a total of four people altogether in opposition, stating concerns of height, traffic, and buffering in green space. There have been a total of eight comments in support.

And then also, we did receive a request for a protest petition packet that was made, but it was not received in time to complete the service to provide the packet in time for the deadline one week prior to this hearing. The requester was informed of this, but they were also informed that they may continue to submit comments or sign up for the hearing. Excuse me. Continuing on to the review criteria. As with all applications, I'll review the three criteria for review starting with consistency with adopted plans and starting with comprehensive plan 2040.

This meets several visions, and the proposed rezoning furthers Comp Plan 2040 by enabling a mixed use development at an infill location where infrastructure is already in place, and will allow for the increase of additional housing and commercial opportunities to improve the vibrancy and economic vitality of the commercial corridor and surrounding neighborhood. Looking at these visions individually, vision two, strong neighborhoods in authentic strong and authentic neighborhoods meets two goals in particular. Goal one, create a city of complete neighborhoods, and goal two, enhance Denver's neighborhoods through high quality urban design. Vision three, connected safe and accessible places meets goal three, to maximize the public right of way to create great places. And vision four, economically diverse and vibrant, meets goal one, to ensure economic mobility and improve access to opportunity.

And then lastly, vision eight, environmentally resilient. Meets goal eight, to clean our soils, conserve, and grow responsibly. Continue on to Blueprint Denver. This site is identified as urban center for its neighbor context. This context contains high intensity residential and significant employment areas, and typically contains a mix of uses with Good Street activation and connectivity.

Continuing on to Excuse me, Future Place. This is identified as a community center, which has a mix of office, commercial, and residential uses. Buildings are larger in scale than local centers and are into the street and other public spaces, and there is a strong sense of urbanism. Heights and future place type in this future place type are generally 12 stores, but we'll review the more detailed criteria in this Cherry Creek North plan. And then lastly, future street type.

East 3rd is a main street collector, and Clayton local. As for the growth area strategy, this again is identified as community center and corridor, we anticipate 20% of jobs and 25% of housing by 2040. And there are some additional Blueprint Denver policies that we would like to highlight for this rezoning that are implemented through this, including general policy one, promote and anticipate planned growth in major centers and corridors and key residential areas connected by rail service and transit. Also, general policy three to ensure Denver zoning code continues to respond to the needs of the city, highlighting strategy a to rezone properties from former chapter 59 to the Denver zoning code. And the remaining two, housing policy number eight, to capture 80% of new housing growth in regional centers, community centers, etcetera.

And then lastly, design quality and preservation policy number three, create exceptional design outcomes in key centers and corridors. Moving on to the Cherry Creek area plan from 2012. The site is highlighted in the red boxes for these maps that proceed on the next page. But this has been identified as areas of change, and then also the Cherry Creek Shopping District. This The shopping district sub area has two additional goals.

Goal two, make reinvestment economically viable in the entire district, and goal four, in particular for this site, transition from higher buildings along second to lower buildings along third. Continue on with Cherry Creek area plan. Featured land use map identifies this as town center, includes a mix of uses for housing, commercial office, and hospitality. And then maximum height maximum building height, this site is identified as four stories. So based on all that those information from the three plans, we find it consistent with both comp plan 2040, Blueprint Denver, and the Cherry Creek area plan.

Continuing on with the remaining criteria, we believe this will implement public interest by allowing a mix of up mixed use opportunity in the commercial corridor for for housing and additional commercial uses, especially near transit and other amenities. And this is also consistent with neighborhood context zone district purpose and intent, and will meet the regulations of c CCN four. So from that, from the staff report and information shared this evening, CPD recommends approval of the application, finding all review criteria have been met. Happy to answer further questions, as well as the applicant is here in person as well. Thank you.

You. We have

how many people? A number of people in the we

have 11 people here for speakers. So let's go ahead and get started. Trent Ambler.

Hello. I'm Trent Ambler. I actually own and live directly across the street at 324 Clayton Street. I'm just here to suggest that you guys vote to support. I'm in favor of this rezoning, I think for several reasons.

It's an old building. It's old zoning, and it's as is kind of a problematic property. The way that the parking lot spills out into the alley, the way traffic flows, there's a blind corner around there, foot traffic and vehicle traffic. Also, it's unique in that it's inconsistent with pretty much all of the rest of 3rd in its zoning. There's been several recent rezones on 3rd To C C N 4.

C C N 4. Sorry. The Mendocino Farms Building is, I think, the most recent one that was redeveloped. These projects that one is office. These guys, I believe, are gonna go more residential, but these projects actually enhance the neighborhood. They bring new use cases, new restaurants, new retail, Specifically, they're gonna go residential, it's gonna bring residents to the area. So I suggest, yes, I'm in favor.

Thank you. Next up, we have Rick Verpe. Sorry if I didn't pronounce your last name correct.

You pronounced it perfectly. Thank you. Thank you to the council. My name is Rick Murphy. I'm here on behalf of the Clayton Court Townhouse Association, which is the HOA for the seven townhomes that are directly to the north of the subject property.

Also with me is Mr. Scott Robinson, who owns the townhome that is directly to the north of the property. He was going to speak tonight, but I guess there was some issue with sign up, so if the council would allow him, he would like to speak as well. But I'll proceed with my now two and a half minutes of time to just state the position of the townhouse association, which is that the townhouse association is certainly in favor of development and improvement of properties nearby and in the neighborhood, But the townhouse association would like to consider for the City Council to impose a reasonable condition on the development. And that relates to the current zoning, which was approved in 2007, which allowed for development of this property, probably in a very similar way that the current developer would like to develop it, but with the preservation of a 29 foot setback, essentially, from the northern property line.

Under current CCCN4 zoning, it would be a 10 foot setback that would be required. So, what we're talking about is essentially a 19 foot setback, additional setback on this approval as reasonable condition. The reasons for that are that while overall the context of Cherry Creek is, and Cherry Creek North, is that more and more has been developed, more restaurants, more housing has, or condo housing anyway, has come to the area, in this specific spot the property borders townhomes to the North. It borders Bromwell Elementary School to the Northwest, and it's a unique portion of Cherry Creek North where the context of the neighborhood is really defined by the elementary school and really defined by the residential neighborhood to the North. And if this development is allowed to go all the way to that 10 foot line, then it's going to severely impact the traffic flow, particularly during pickup and drop off time for the school.

It's also going to impact the neighboring property owners who purchased their homes, in part in reliance on the fact that they knew that this condition was present for the potential development of this property, that 29 feet would be maintained. If that's changed, then it sort of deprives these property owners of the benefit of their bargain. This is an up zoning from its current condition and would allow a lot more density, a lot more height, and impact the solar bulk plane, particularly with regard to Mr. Robinson's property, which is the one directly to the north. So we would request that the city council approve with conditions, and that condition being maintaining the 29 foot setback requirement and green space from the 2007 ordinance.

Thank you.

Thank you. And for the individual who'd like to speak, if you wanna go back to our council secretary, the one with the computer, she can help you and add you to this link. Next up, we have Jesse Paris virtually.

Yes. Good evening, members of council, those watching at home, those in the council chambers. My name is Jesse Lashawn Paris, and I'm representing for Black Star Action Movement for Self Defense, Positive Action Committee for Social Change, as well as the Unity Party of Colorado, the Northeast Denver Residence Council on North Now it's North Park Hill Coalition. Frontline black news, the revolutionary agenda, Shabbat's black experience enhanced. And I reside at the roach and bedbug infested legacy laws in the Fine District 9, the Vonson's District of District 9, the Fine District 9 historically black District Of 5 Pumice.

And I am also a candidate on the ballot for House District 8. I'm gonna ask the usual questions that I usually ask when it come to these kind of rezonings. What is the AMI level for this housing? Cherry Creek, I'm guessing it's gonna be at least 80% to a 110 AM percent AMI. Has there been a has there been a traffic study done? Has there been a community benefits agreement signed? And has there been a parking study done? If someone could please answer those questions, I would greatly appreciate it. Alright. I'll see you on the next one.

You. Next up, we have Daniel Nichols.

Hi, guys. Thank you. Appreciate you taking the time. I signed up just to really answer questions. Our team is gonna kinda answer everything and and give the presentation as well as city staff pretty much said everything that we wanted to. You know, this process has been about a year and a half now, public outreach, and have met with most of you and then hopefully answered a lot of the questions. Met with the neighborhood association, the bid steering committee, and tried to answer every question and tried to work with as many people as possible. So, you know, I appreciate your time on this. We hope to have your support on this. And any questions you guys have during the process, happy to answer. Thank you.

Next up we have Melinda Humphrey.

Follow from everybody. Hi. Good evening. My name is Melinda Humphrey. I'm a current resident and homeowner at 250 Columbine Street, and I have been for the past twelve years. I've lived in District 5 for over twenty six years. I'm very familiar of this property that we are discussing this evening. I'm here to support to state my support for the rezoning of 2635 East 3rd Avenue. Allowing this property to move into the Cherry Creek North mixed use brings a property into alignment with the current zoning framework used today throughout the Cherry Creek North neighborhood. The rezoning would improve clarity, predictability, and consistency in how the property can be used and developed in the future.

Currently, the Cherry Creek North or excuse me, the Cherry Creek Dance Building is no longer serving its highest and best use, and the rezoning is the first step towards giving this corner of Cherry Creek new life. And new life on this corner is great for all residents and visitors of the Cherry Creek North neighborhood. The current owners of the property have been have prioritized community engagement from the beginning of their rezoning efforts. They have gone above and beyond to communicate transparency with nearby residents such as myself and within the neighborhood groups. They have shown their commitment to being good neighbors and long term stakeholders in the community, and updating legacy zoning parcels into the Cherry Creek North Zone District is a logical and necessary step in the future of the neighborhood and would ensure that consistent rules and predictability development patterns have been shown through across the district.

So thank you for allowing me to be here tonight. Thank you for your time and your consideration. I am in support of the rezoning efforts. Thank you.

Next we have Moas Bay Show. Next up, we have Peter Wall.

Good evening, council members. Peter Wall here on behalf of the applicant. Happy to answer any questions you all may have this evening regarding our community engagement process. There's a couple of folks online that signed up online to speak, but I don't think they're able to make it. One is Stephanie, the longtime owner of Cherry Creek Dance. She's owned the property and the business since 1993 and wanted to convey her support for this rezoning tonight. And the other is Daniel Lewis, who is the adjacent property owner to the west across the alley, who also wanted to have us convey his support as well. And, again, here to answer any questions you all may have.

Raters virtually. Lou?

Yes. Thank you, madam president

and counsel. My name

is Lou raters. I live just in the block north of the subject property at 444 Clayton Street in Cherry Creek, and I have been involved in zoning matters, in Cherry Creek for a long time. I'm currently the chair of the zoning committee for Cherry Creek North Neighborhood Association. We take these rezonings very seriously. We do a tremendous amount of outreach through the registered neighborhood organizations.

And in this case, we, we even flier all of the neighbors at the townhome complex across the street. We had, meetings set up. We did enter into a good neighbor agreement. That was a question of one of the speakers. And it was a community benefit agreement that addressed what would be the common concerns that were expressed by the opponents, including making sure that this property was developed in a way that gave extra consideration to those townhomes, including that the setbacks, if this is residential, those can be utilized.

If it's commercial, those setbacks are not. This is, a situation where the new zoning will meet a GRH three, meaning that there's increased setbacks and then step backs. So we have greater breadth for distance between the buildings. We also asked for higher and more robust landscaping to help separate. We asked that the retail on the main level would be on the corner of Clayton And 3rd, So it would be set back a little bit from the residential portion of the neighborhood.

So and these are conditions that we agreed to with the understanding that this developer who who knows Cherry Creek very well, they've been in this family business of developing in the neighborhood for a long time. They're trustworthy. They agreed to those conditions. They signed the community benefit agreement and have worked very hard to make sure that the process was very inclusive. I I do believe that the condition that was on there was not for future.

It was for a potential expansion into a basically a performance portion of the building, which never occurred. So the additional area that they're talking was 29 feet was never even needed because they never did make the change that was being asked for at that rezoning. So I believe that we have thought to carefully address the concerns of the entire neighborhood and and specifically those in the immediate proximity of this property. So, we have, taken this out to the neighborhood. We strongly support it, and we encourage counsel to

do the same. Thank you.

Thank you. Next up, we have Katelyn

Good evening, Madam President and Counsel. My name is Kaitlyn Quander. Quander. I'm the Land Use Counsel to the applicant. My address is 675 15th Street in Denver, 80202. As you heard, the applicant did extensive outreach to neighboring property owners, tenants, and residents. This included multiple meetings and presentations to the Cherry Creek North Neighborhood Association, and we appreciate their association vote and also the letter of support. And thank you to Lou Raders who just spoke. She kind of covered everything I was going to cover. As she noted, because of some of the concerns raised by the townhome owners to the north, the neighborhood association requested and we agreed to enter into that development and community benefits agreement.

This is signed by both parties and it will also be recorded and run with the land. Honestly, Lou Raiders kind of covered a lot of the conditions that are within it, so I will not repeat myself. But we really did spend a lot of time thinking about how can we mitigate any concerns related to those townhomes to the north that have that GRH three. It's a protected district, so you have a setback and then that upper story step back to really decrease that. And one of the association's points was that if you use those patios, it can kind of be noisy towards those homes.

So one of the restrictions is that we cannot use those upper story setback patios for any kind of commercial. Like if it was an office outdoor patio, it cannot be used that in that way. And so that restriction would run with the land to try and kinda mitigate any concerns of noise or impacts to the north there. I would also notice note that it includes a partnership with the townhome owners to the north to underground the utilities that are along that alley. So as part of their construction, if the townhomes want to join and kind of underground all the way up, we can make that happen.

Good neighbor construction practices, regular presentations, and continued communication with the association as the design evolves. And then I'll just note that there is, in Cherry Creek North, a design review board. This project would go through that process as it typically does. There is that additional level of high quality design. I will stop there, but certainly available to answer any questions about the community benefits agreement or the kind of historic old zoning with conditions and the reasoning. Again, Lou Raders touched on that history too, so I didn't need to. We believe it meets all the criteria and we request a vote yes in favor this evening. Thank you.

Thank you very much counsel, I appreciate all the work you do. I'm the adjacent homeowner to this proposed development and there's a few things that they have done a lot of outreach, they have done a lot of things, but it feels like there is a process here that is flawed. And when I say that, I appreciate everybody's work here, but it's a given that this is going to go through, and I don't understand how that works. When I speak like that, what I'm saying is the planning board had it done, Lou Raiders had it done, but I gotta tell you, when I bought my property in 2017, there was an ordinance that I read that said there's a 29 foot easement, not exactly an easement, but it basically said that, and it said nothing will get built here. And it said it runs with the land, it said it runs with who owns it today and who will own it in the future.

And you're changing that. And that's not fair to homeowners who buy certain pieces of property with existing things that are showing what it is. When there's a few I mean, the person who's the president or the chair of the planning board is the attorney who's, you know, presenting for the applicant. It just feels like we're on greased slides, and I don't have any place to go with this. It just doesn't feel right.

What I would like to make sure that you understand is that when we bought these properties, it had this there and it showed it. I'd also like you to understand that what we're asking for is the barrier that's currently there. And that barrier, if you because it's a step zoning, it's not going to take very many feet off of their total development. And I would love it if they could tell me exactly what that was. But if you took that 29 feet because the first, you know, 10 feet plus the next 15 feet, you're not going to get on Levels 3 And 4 anyway.

So there's only a four square foot, a four foot difference for 105 feet. So 800 square feet on Floors 3 And 4, which is the most valuable for them. They probably don't even care about it on the 1st Floor because the retail never works and nobody likes having to build it because they can't do it as well. And so what we're asking for is a very minimal thing relative to the whole development, and I'd like you to consider that, and I'd like them to consider that.

All right. Thank you so much. Do we have questions from members of council? Councilwoman Sawyer.

Thank you, madam president. Question will I I I wanna talk about the waiver. Sure. So the waiver is existing in the current zoning, and it is for that 29 foot buffer zone between the parking lot that is the current Cherry Creek Dance parking lot and the townhomes. This is the first time during this rezoning process.

It was the first time I've ever heard that the reason that waiver exists is because because there was planned development for the Cherry Creek Dance site that was gonna be like a like a recital area and that it never happened. Do you do you know where that came from?

Do you

know anything about that?

Well, first, just to clarify, it's a condition. It's not a formal waiver. That's fine. Yeah. But as for the development history, that's I don't know, further beyond that other than the historical information that's been provided. Thank

you.

I'm Peter Wall on behalf of

the applicant.

We know about that from kind of two sources. One's Lou Raiders who's been working on zoning issues in Cherry Creek North for a very long time. So trust very much in Lou in seeing that condition come into fruition in 2007. And then also from Stephanie herself with Cherry Creek Gainesville.

Property owner.

Yep. You got it.

Okay. Great. Thank you. Okay. So is there in moving to the Cherry Creek the the current Cherry Creek zoning, the CCCN zoning that covers everything else inside the Cherry Creek Business Improvement District area, which this is, Was there discussion about potentially adding that waiver, keeping that condition to this zoning? What does Blueprint say about that?

Well, with the CCN district, the standard setback for rear is zero, but with the protected district, it is 10. As for beyond that, that has not been discussed or did not come up through the process of pre application or the rezoning process. I don't believe there's anything definite in blueprint the benefits agreement. But regarding blueprint, we don't have visions or calls related to that specifically.

Okay. Peter, maybe you should just come closer instead of having to walk all the way back up. In your commute no. You can come all the way to the mic. I'm asking you this question now. So because you guys you were the ones who negotiated the community benefits agreement. Correct?

Yes. That's correct.

Okay. Great. So if it's not if this 19 feet, which is what we're left talking about here, is not in the the condition is not remaining in the zoning, but it is addressed in the community benefits agreement. Is that right?

It's not it we're we're not adding that addition. There's the 10 foot that's in zoning, and then there's the step backs that go with the CCCN four zoning, but that additional 19 feet is not addressed. What is addressed is that 10 feet that you have, that that separation from the protected district, we have enhanced landscaping standards to actually create additional buffering between our building and then mister Robinson's property that he owns to the north of us.

Owns but does not live in.

Correct? I

know that.

I believe that's accurate, correct.

Okay, correct.

Define enhanced landscaping. Landscaping. Like, what does that mean?

Yeah. I probably will defer to to Caitlin. We can give you the exact language, but it's vegetation that's above and beyond what code requires and particularly from a height and growth standpoint and also making sure that it's well maintained. The goal was to actually create additional privacy between the 27 feet of the back of the building, which is the first that's how high you can go, and that's the first step back. So they actually create some additional, you know, separation between the two, but give them that additional privacy. And it was done so in order to add some additional green vegetation that we'd have to maintain in the foreseeable future.

That was my next

question is who's going to maintain it, because that current 29 feet is not maintained.

It's That's just JULIEN why I wanted to be very clear on that about maintaining it.

JULIEN Okay. Thank you.

JULIEN And Caitlin Quanderer, the only other thing I would add is that that landscape plan with the taller shrubbery enhanced landscaping, that plan needs to be submitted to the Cherry Creek North Neighborhood Association and reviewed and approved by them before it's implemented. So they could certainly comment and want a different type of tree or something taller, and

we would work through that with them.

Okay, great. And then, Caitlin, one other, I think, additional question for you. Do you have a sort of draft basic architecture design of what's being built there, or are you just which you do not have to, under our zoning code rules, come with a design and present it here. Are you just at this time asking to move this parcel into the Cherry Creek North zoning but without a specific plan yet in place?

And I'll maybe have

Daniel come up, and he can talk about the current status. But they have Shares Atkins, as the architects and have had done some kind of preliminary massing, and that's what was shared with the Cherry Creek North Neighborhood Association in those meetings. But I think that's about where they are. Okay.

Great. Daniel, did you have anything you wanted to add to that

then? Mean,

I I Wait.

No. You gotta come up because

Well, sorry. Sorry. You're right. Because online. Yeah. Got it. Yeah. I mean, I think that it's one of our kind of public outreach things as well. I mean, you know, the two kind of options right now for us are office and residential. And I think that what we've heard from the neighborhood and and from the community is that we want more residential in the area. I mean, so right now, because we didn't know which direction this was gonna go, we didn't wanna spend the money. We didn't take the time to really create a in-depth plan yet. But the concept is residential, and that's what we're hoping to do.

Okay. Really appreciate that. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

Council member Flynn?

Thank you, madam president. Well, was there any discussion? And if I had read through the whole staff report, I might have seen it. And I didn't read through the whole thing. Of this ordinance that mister Murphy sent to us in his written comments 2007 by which it looks like there's a a restriction running with the land that the 29 feet will not be built on.

Was there any discussion at the planning board or at CPD about the applicant that says you can't build on this? Because it seems to me that this request meets the criteria and and it's consistent, but there is this restriction. It's not a matter of the rezoning. The rezoning doesn't you remove the the ordinance, but there's an ordinance that was passed. I'm looking at it here.

So Yeah. From some of the planning board discussion and just general discussion, we believe that the the condition runs with the zoning, not the land. It's tied to the

council in 2,007 passed an ordinance that said no permit shall be issued in except in strict compliance with the aforesaid reasonable condition. Said reasonable condition shall be binding upon all successors and assigns of said owner, who along with said owner shall be deemed to have waived all objections as to the constitutionality of this reasonable condition. So I don't believe if I vote aye on this that I'm overriding a law that passed nineteen years ago. But explain that to me.

Do want yeah.

Do we have Nate Mucero, or is supposed

to be I do.

Can I get Can I phone a friend? Nate, are you with us?

5050.

Bergeron, is there do you see an attorney online? Thanks, Sarah. Okay. Nate, will you accept the promotion?

Yes. Hello, members of the council. They just promoted me. Sorry for the delay there. Nathan Lucero, assistant city attorney. I so the question, councilman Flynn, just let me repeat it, and you tell me if I got it wrong. You're asking about the ordinance which speaks to the reasonable condition that was pays placed on the property when the property was rezoned previously. Correct?

Yes. So now

we're in front of council, or this application is in front of council to change that zoning. So Denver is very unique in that it allows zoning with waivers and conditions. And in this case, it had a condition that custom zoning is now. There's now a request before council to change that zoning. And the present application before council does not have a condition attached to it. Does that answer the question?

I I think so. I I still have a problem saying this this bill removes that condition. But thank you.

Thank you. Councilmember Hynes?

Thank you, madam president. So, Nate, I don't even know where to look. I'll just look over here. So if we're voting on land use, I I mean, I tend to agree with council member Flynn that I think it meets the condition. Like, how critical I mean, I wonder if I'm trying to decide if this ordinance, which council member Flynn read part of, how critical is it oh, now now I've got a camera somewhere.

How how critical is it for this for us to consider this? I mean, in some ways, I think it might not even be worth considering. Either it is or it isn't, I still think it meets the criteria whether this ordinance is attached or is removed based on our vote. It's do do you you understand the nature of the question?

Councilman Hines, thanks for the question. So I think the best way to think about this is, that the ordinance which councilman Flynn read from is a zoning ordinance for this property, and it is a custom zoning. So think of it as a zone or a PUD zone district. Council sees those from time to time and changes the zoning to a standard Denver zoning code zone district on a fairly regular basis. We have a similar situation here where the zoning is a zoning with a condition, which is a custom zone district, and now council is being asked to consider rezoning the property to a standard Denver zoning code zone district.