Save the date. Former US Senator Hank Brown will be the keynote speaker at the annual luncheon of the Cherry Creek Chamber of Commerce.  The luncheon will be on February 17th at the JW Marriott Hotel.
 
 

The owners of the Argonaut Wine & Liquor store opened their new location for business recently. Totaling 40,000 square feet, the store at East Colfax Avenue/Clarkson replaces their former location that was on the same block.  They would like to remove the old 20,000 SF building, but the Main Street Zoning along Colfax discourages parking lots on the street to make it pedestrian friendly.  The store reportedly shares some parking with a nearby church and they haven't yet asked the city to demolish the old building.
 
Gart Properties has announced a $25 million renovation project for the Denver Pavilions retail center in downtown Denver along the 16th Street Mall. While a date to begin construction on the improvements has not been announced, plans include updating the entrance along 16th Street so that it is more inviting and accessible, improving the landscaping and flooring within the center, and possibly adding an entrance to the center from 15th Street.
 
The Denver City council, at the request of property owners, approved a 208-acre area in the West Washington Park neighborhood for a change of zoning to R-1. The new zoning will prevent the construction of multiplexes and duplexes in the area, which is bordered by Cedar Avenue, South Downing Street, Mississippi Avenue and the alley west of South Clarkson Street.  Proponents wanted to preserve the character of the neighborhood and opponents argued that property values would be reduced.
 
The site of Annie's Cafe at Colorado Boulevard and East 8th Avenue has had the buildings demolished and is to become the location of a new extended stay hotel by developer Charlie Biederman. To begin construction early in 2009, the 160-room Marriott Residence Inn hotel will provide lodging for the nearby hospitals and the proposed redevelopment of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, which has moved to Fitzsimons.
 
The Denver City Council has given its approval to Shea Neighbors for their proposed redevelopment plan of the 32-acre site at 9th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard that was the former home of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. To begin construction following receiving possession of the property in February 2009, the site is proposed to be developed with a mix of residential (1,200 units), retail (150,000 SF) and office space (500,000 SF).  The development will take several years and reportedly may reduce traffic because of the previously high traffic at the medical center.
 
The Colorado Historical Society will move its Colorado History Museum from 13th Avenue between Lincoln/Broadway to 12th Avenue between the same streets to make way for the new Colorado Justice Center to be built on the northern site.  The new "History Center" will emphasize public service, transparency and sustainability and will also be the new home of the State Historical Fund and the Office of Architecture and Historic Preservation.  The 6-story building will include a 400-seat auditorium and is budgeted to cost $109 million.
 
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper proposed replacement of the Denver Mayor's residence now at Cableland, with the Grant Humphries Mansion next door to the Governor's Mansion on Capitol Hill.  But the Colorado Historical Society, owner of Grant-Humphries decided to retain the availability of the 12,600 SF mansion for broader use by the public as an event center.  Philanthropist Bill Daniels donated Cableland, a 19,500 SF palatial residence on Leetsdale Drive overlooking Burns Park to the city for use as the mayor's residence when he died in 2000.  No Denver mayor has occupied Cableland as a residence and it is used as an event center as well.
 
Denver City Council Member Jeanne Robb says, we often hear that the parking kiosks in Cherry Creek won't take change.  Well, Denver Public Works Right Of Way Enforcement (ROWE) is willing to deal with change and is piloting new "smart" parking meters for the next six months in the downtown and Cherry Creek North areas in an effort to explore ways to make parking more convenient.  The new meters are solar powered, wireless and accept Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards, as well as nickels, dimes, quarters and dollar coins.  The smart meters also communicate with the Public Works ROWE meter technicians by sending alerts when a meter is jammed, near coin capacity or has a low battery, creating a more nimble and effective department.  
 
On November 12, Denver Smart Meters went live across the Downtown area.  The meters were installed on ten blocks in the downtown area.  The meters were only installed on one side of the street to allow drivers to choose if they would like to pay at the smart meters or at the traditional coin only meter.  After the pilot period is complete, the smart meters will be evaluated based on common-sense factors including ease of use, efficiency, durability and reliability.  In mid-December the Smart Meters were installed in Cherry Creek North on Detroit Street between 2nd and 3rd.
 
Essential to the pilot is receiving feedbackabout the smart meters from the drivers using them. Council Member Robb asks, "Tell us about your smart meter experience by taking a quick survey online at www.DenverMeter.comor receive a hard-copy of the survey by calling 311."
 
The smart meters have a digital display screen, which allows ROWE to change the message according to the circumstances. For instance, the display may read "No Parking - Street Sweeping," saving drivers a citation.  On Sundays and holidays when parking is free, the display may read "Free Parking Today" and the smart meter will reject payment.
 
A public hearing on the Denver Civic Center Design Guidelines has been scheduled by the City and County of Denver Department of Community Planning and Development through the Landmark Preservation Commission for 1:00 pm, Tuesday January 6 in the Conference Room 4.F.6-4.G.2, Wellington Webb Office Building, 201 W. Colfax Ave.  The guidelines will control design review of projects located within Denver's Civic Center.  The proposed guidelines are also available on the City's website at
 
http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/470/documents/civicCenterDraft10_2_08.pdf

The Denver Living Streets Initiative Presents Dena Belzer and Brad Segal speaking on "Living Streets as Economic Catalysts" on Wednesday, January 28 from 7:30 - 10:00 am at the Oxford Hotel Ballroom, 1600 17th St.   The Living Streets Initiative at:
 
http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/644/documents/LivingStreetsOverview.pdf

 Tickets are $35.  To view the invitation click:
 
http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/644/documents/BelzerSegalFlyer2.pdf

 
For more information on the Denver Living Streets Initiative, click:
 
http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/livingstreets
 

The Transit Alliance is ramping up to train 50 more citizens next spring about the relationship between transportation, community development and quality of life.  As you may know, this is becoming a critical issue in our region as we will have more than 90 transit stations in less than 10 years through the completion of FasTracks.  No one else in the nation is doing what we are here in Denver, and this is exactly why the Transit Alliance Citizens' Academy was born.

The Citizens' Academy hosts a maximum of 50 participants over seven weeks to discuss the complexities of combining transportation and community development to support the regional success of TOD across the Denver metro area.  The program is designed to be very interactive and includes presentations from TOD experts, participant activities, and hands-on learning.

 

The cornerstone of this unique program is that participants take their new knowledge and put it into action.  All participants are required to design individual action plans that they implement upon completion of the academy. 
Citizens' Academy participants are selected on the basis of demonstrated leadership ability and commitment to make future contributions to transportation and community development in the Denver region, with particular emphasis on development taking place around transit stations both existing and future.

 
The Spring 2009 Academy will meet for seven consecutive weeks from 6 - 9 p.m. beginning Feb. 25 and ending April 8, 2009.  All sessions will be held at the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce located at 1445 Market Street in downtown Denver.  To be considered for the spring academy, applications must be received by 5 p.m. Feb. 4, 2009.  To learn more, or to apply for the Citizens' Academy, visit: www.transitalliance.org/Academy
 

If you have additional questions, contact Transit Alliance Assistant Director Cady Dawson at 303-880-8874 or cdawson@transitalliance.org.

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) is inviting letters of application from individuals interested in serving on the volunteer FasTracks Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC). The Board of Directors recently expanded the CAC from eleven to seventeen members and will appoint six additional members in March 2009. The FasTracks Citizens Advisory Committee advises the District on matters relating to the implementation of the voter-approved FasTracks Plan. The mission of the Citizens Advisory Committee is:

Appointment are made to ensure a broad representation of stakeholder interests, to achieve diversity, and to provide geographical representation within the district. Selection criteria considered by the nominating committee include, residency within the Regional Transportation District, a demonstrated interest in public transit and/or the FasTracks Plan, previous community service, experience in working with local jurisdictions on regional issues and professional expertise.

To apply submit a one-page letter to Roger Sherman, RTD FasTracks Team, 1560 Broadway, Suite 650, Denver, CO 80202, email to

 

roger.sherman@rtd-fastracks.com

 

or fax to 303-592-5460 by close of business Friday, January 30, 2009.  Include a brief statement of interest in serving on the committee, specific qualifications for serving on the committee, highlights of related experience and expertise and a resume if available.

 

If the Transit Alliance Citizens Academy or the FasTracks Citiizen Advisory Committee a bit too much to bite off and your are interested in transportation oriented development, the Denver Regional Council of Governments has an extensive library on the topic.  Among its resources is:
 
Capturing the Value of Transit - a November 2008 paper prepared for the United States Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration by the Center for Transportation Oriented Development.  This paper describes the influence of transportation oriented development on property values - essentially the effect is positive.
 
http://www.drcog.org/documents/Capturing_Value_110508_FINAL__2_[1].pdf

Much more is available in the library at:
 
http://www.drcog.org/index.cfm?page=Resources