WEST COLFAX NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN .~ Page I
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,~. CREDITS: CITY TEAM Betty "B.J." Brooks, Senior City Planner-Author r}~ Ma~C Leese, Urban Designer ~.-~ Tony Chan, Graphic Artist Mary Avgerinos, Research Assistant Francis Burg, Typist Margaret H. Sperling, Deputy Director of Neighbofiood Planning _.. William Lamont, Jr., Director of Planning and Community Development ~--; The Honorable Federico Pena, M A Y O R ~~ CITY COUNCIL Councilman M. L."Sam" Sandos, District 3 Ramona Martinez, Council Aide, District 3 Councilman William "Bill" Scheitler, Dist~lct 1 Shirley Shiey, Council Aide, District 1 ~~ THE WEST COLFAX STEERING COMMITTEE: Hector Benavidez, Greater Avondale Heights Improvement Association Larry Morris, Greater Avondale Heights Improvement Association Eddie Valdez, Greater Avondale Heights Improvement Association J Jacque Waffis, West Denver Concerned and Active Neighbors Don Morales, West Denver Concerned and Active Neighbors Ron Passarelli, West Colfax Improvement Association Jerry Rosen, West Colfax Improvement Association lry Feldman, Sloans Lake Citizens James P. Adams, Ph.D., Beth Israel Hospftal Harry Yaffe, Ph.D., Beth Israel Hospital Barb Stuart, Sairrt Anthony's Hospital Carole Steele, Sairrt Anthony's Hospital n Barbara Slawinskl, BusinesswomaNProperty owner l.N~ Gertrude Hyman, BusinesswomaNProperty owner Josh Mushell, Jewish Communfty Represerrtative Rabbi Lauer, Jewish Community Representative ~~ Rabbi Lefkovitz, Jewish Community Represeritattve Margarita Aragon, Senior Cttizen Representative Kreg Snider, Public Housing Representative William Ellis, Hebrew Education Alliance Eddie Holtzman, Hebrew Education Alliance Nettie Moore, Southwest ~uadrarrt Represerrtative Kathleen Moore, Northeast quadrant Represerrtative .. ~; a _ ~, rr ~~ ~:~ f ,` 1 REG15 ( CHAFFEE PA K 1 + `~ r« ; _ ~ E ~. r ~ ~. ~ Sw~kSEA ,~ NIi~71~11 h /~~~ r `-~~ ~ ' ~ j BEiiKELEr i SUNNrS~DE Gl0 YILLE ~ ~ ~. 1 1 ~ ~ ~.~~ ,~ ~ ~ ~ r ,~ 1 wig ~~~..~~~~~..~~~~~~~~~T~Z~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ♦ ~ 1 1 . ~ ~. ~ COLE ~ CLAYTON MIGHLANO ~ 1 ~ y WEST HIGHLAND j ~ ~ ~' 1 1 ~ ~ FIvE INTS ~~~~~~~~~~ •~~~~~~ SKYlANO ' i; v~~. `~~ ~ wMITTIER ~ '`~ Q 'j N STA110N~ ~ ' K ~ 1 ~ JEFFERSON ~ ' J SLOA11 LAKE 1 ♦ i ~ 1 1 ~~~~~~~~~' _ ~ tip... ~~.. ~ Q I t ~ J r ♦ ~ 4 ~ 17-rt-i avE m 1 GTY PARK WEST ; 1 iM unta N~~ Q , ~ ~ ~~ 1 ~~~~~ • i~ ", 'WEST COLFAX \ AURAAIA ~ ~ '^ nwC C[hTER~ 1 CMEESYAM PARR ~~* 1 .LEY 1 F y ~•--•~ ~ ~~.` \ LINCOLN PARK ~ - ~ COr~G~E55 r~~~ ~~-~ DRY GULCH ~ ~~ ~ry~a ~~« ~ ~ ; ...~~"~„ ' ....._ GULCH ','/ J b ~ -----`1L7 ~ ,1 ~~~~~~~• 1 1 i / 1 1 1 1 /. r ~ - 1 ~~ ~ COUNTRY C1U8 ~ ~ 1 ~ ~ ~ 1 ~ CHERRY CttEE 1 SPf~R , ~ BARMUM NtEST~ '~ Bi1RMUM 1 VK~R~ ~KER ~ ~ 1 1 Ir ~ ~ ~ ~❑ ~ 1 1 • 1 ~ ~ 1 ~ I ~~ ~ 1 1 ~ 1 ti• J I ! 1 l_\ a 1 ' ~1 ~ ~~ MfESTWWO j AIHAAAR PARK ~ ~~~ g j BELCARO 1 ~ Z 1 '~ ~ ~ ~ ~_ ~ ~ yni 1 1 1 ~ 1 t ~ ~ ~~♦ I ~~ ~ CD~tY•MEi1RIL MAA t FF 1 i1U81' MRt • ~ ~''~EST C~LFA~ NEIGHB~RH~OD r LOCATION MAP .~ ~l `~J WEST COLFAX NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN .~ Page I. INTRODUCTION ~ NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING 1 USE OF THE PLAN 1 NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING PROCESS 2 AN OVERVIEW 3 History 3 Demographic Profile 4 Neighborhood Vision b II. SUMMARY OF CONDITIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5 A. INTRODUCTION 5 B. LAND USE AND ZONING 5 C. HOUSING 7 D. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 7 E. TRAFFIC, TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING 9 ~'~p F. CITY SERVICES/ENVIRONMENT 10 G. COMMUNITY FACILITIES 12 (II. ACTION PLAN ~ 13 ,~~ III. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE WEST COLFAX NEIGHBORHOOD 18 A. INTRODUCTION 18 B. LAND USE AND ZONING 1 S C. HOUSING 19 D. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 21 E. TRAFFIC, TRANSPORTATfON AND PARKING 24 F. COMMUNITY FACILITIES 29 G. CITY SERVICES/ENVIRONMENTAL 33 H. HISTORIC PRESERVATION 38 r IV. SUBAREAS GOALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 39 ~,a SUBAREA 1 - WEST COLFAX CORRIDOR/FEDERAL-SHERIDAN 39 SUBAREA 2 -NORTHWEST QUADRANT 42 SUBAREA 3 -NORTHEAST QUADRANT 43 SUBAREA 4 -SOUTHWEST QUADRANT 44 SUBAREA 5 -SOUTHEAST QUADRANT 45 V. APPENDICES 47 ,~ DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE 47 AGE DISTRIBUTION, W. COLFAX AND DENVER, 1980 47 l ,I .~ 'lam -~~ WEST C~LFAX NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN I. INTRODUCTION ~~ NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING ~ Neighborhood Planning is a collaborative process between the City, cftizens, and property owners of a particular area which actively solicits participation in the formulation of a plan far a neighborhood. The ~'~ process helps to enunciate goals, places issues on the table, generates and tests alternative ways to ~[, achieve the desired ends, proposes a plan for the area, and spells out policy changes and investments which should be implemented to help realize that future. It is a fon.~m in which people lnniate rather than react to change, and 3n which the various interest groups within a neighborhood, who may have different goals, work out their differences to arrive at a mutually satisfactory plan. The private-public partnership (s essential to the ultimate success of the ve~rture. USE OF THE PLAN The neighborhood plan which results is an advisory document for directing and managing change. It serves as an official guide for decision makers, including the Denver Planning t7ffice, the Mayor, various city departmems, and upon adoption by the City Council, also guides that body's deliberations. It plays the same role for the private sector, advising residents, businessmen and investors as to expectations and direction for the neighborhood. The plan is not an official zone map and, as a guide, does not imply or deny any implicft rights to a particular zone. Zone changes, which may be proposed in the plan, must be initiated under a separate procedure established under the City and Courrty of Denver Municipal Code. This plan is intended to promote patterns of land use, urban design, circulation and services which encourage and contribute to the economic, socfai, and physical health, safety and welfare of the people who live and work In the neighborhood. The neighbofiood plan addresses issues and opportunities at a scale which is more refined and more responsive to needs that can be attained under the broad outlines of the city's Comprehensive Plan. The neighborhood plan serves as a component of that document. u The West Colfax neighborhood is located west of the Platte River. The neighborhood is bounded by Federal Boulevard on the east, Sheridan Boulevard on the west and by 19th Avenue and the Lakewood ~~~ Dry Gulch on the north and south. A Planning Team (Steering Committee) made up of represerrtatives from the neighborhood associations, hospitals, mercharrts, landowners, developers, special interest groups, and neighborhood residents helped to structure and guide the entire process. ~j` The Planning Team, City and State agencies, elected public officials, community leaders, and churches supported the development of these policy recommendations by providing information, identifying issues, fi~ goals and alternatives, encouraging planning team members, and assisting with inter-agency cooperation. ,~ r 2 Special thanks is extended to the North Denver Community Design Center's Director and graduate of 1982 whose technical infoRnation was used as part of the tee. 1 students _y NEIGHBOHOOD PLANNING PROCESS The Planning Team began meeting on August 28, 1984 at which time the neighborhood planning process R"' and official Planning Team were established. In Phase I of the planning process, neighborhood residents identrfied issues and goals and conducted a housing and environmental conditions survey of the entire ~1 neighborhood. Concurrently, the Planning Office staff researched and prepared information regarding land ~ use/zoning and demographics; and conducted a series of meetings with the merchants on the Colfax `~ Avenue comdor regarding economic revitalization. During Phase II, the Planning Team divided the neighborhood into 5 subareas to specifically address the concerns raised in each area and develop,policy ~ recommendat(ons related to zoning, land use, traffic and pa~Cing, housing rehabilitation, neighborhood image and cleanup, crime, vacant and deteriorated buildings, commercial revitalization, etc. Two groups of the Planning Team developed overall "neighborhood visions" for each subarea. The third group wortCed jointly with McDonalds corporation to sponsor a Slogan Contest for West Colfax. Simultaneously, the ,~, Planning Office conducted a commercial survey of businesses along West Colfax and the Avondale -' Shopping Center. The work of tf~e planning team during this phase culminated in April, 1985 with a preserrtation to the community and City officials, including the honorable Mayor Pena. °! In Phase III the aftematives for development which were prepared for each subarea were refined. This stage In the process was accompUshed by bringing together key city agencies along with the Planning Team members to mutually agree upon which approaches would best meet the goals and , recommendation of the plan. In addition, the Planning Team listed key capftal improvement projects for funding and implementation according to their priority. The creation of this plan is the result of a team effort initiated by the Denver Planning Office under the direction of Betty "B. J." Brooks, City Planner. The neighborhood planning process involved 87 active participants and thousands of Denver area residerrts through neighborhood meetings and newsletter articles, television documentaries, and newspaper reviews. ~~ l~: M ~~~ 3 . `~ y AN OVERVIEW History Originally, Colfax was known to residents of Denver in the early 20th century as "No Man's Land", and "Jim Town." This area was sparsley settled but did contain several mansions of wealthy families as