Arvada Colorado March 17–22, 2013 Advisory ServicesReport Panel A ULI Arvada Colorado Healthy Places: Designing an Active Colorado March 17–22, 2013 Advisory Services Panel Report A ULI About the Urban Land Institute THE MISSION OF THE URBAN LAND INSTITUTE is n Sustaining a diverse global network of local practice to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in and advisory efforts that address current and future creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. challenges. ULI is committed to Established in 1936, the Institute today has nearly 30,000 n Bringing together leaders from across the fields of real members worldwide, representing the entire spectrum of estate and land use policy to exchange best practices the land use and develop ment disciplines. Professionals and serve community needs; represented include developers, builders, property own ers, investors, architects, public officials, plan­­ners, real estate n Fostering collaboration within and beyond ULI’s brokers, appraisers, attorneys, engineers, financiers, membership through mentoring, dialogue, and problem academicians, students, and librarians. solving; ULI relies heavily on the experience of its members. It is n Exploring issues of urbanization, conservation, regen- through member involvement and information resources eration, land use, capital formation, and sustainable that ULI has been able to set standards of excellence in development; ­­de velopment prac­­tice. The Institute has long been rec- n Advancing land use policies and design practices ognized as one of the world’s most respected and widely that respect the uniqueness of both built and natural quoted sources of objective information on urban planning, environments; growth, and development. n Sharing knowledge through education, applied re- search, publishing, and electronic media; and © 2013 by the Urban Land Institute 1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW Suite 500 West Washington, DC 20007-5201 All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission of the copy- right holder is prohibited. 2 An Advisory Services Panel Report About ULI Advisory Services THE GOAL OF THE ULI Advisory Services pro gram is participants in ULI’s panel assignments are able to make to bring the finest expertise in the real estate field to bear accurate assessments of a sponsor’s issues and to provide on complex land use planning and development projects, recommendations in a compressed amount of time. programs, and policies. Since 1947, this program has A major strength of the program is ULI’s unique ability assembled well over 400 ULI-member teams to help to draw on the knowledge and expertise of its members, sponsors find creative, practical solutions for issues such including land developers and owners, public officials, as downtown redevelopment, land management strategies, academics, representatives of financial institutions, and evaluation of development potential, growth management, others. In fulfillment of the mission of the Urban Land community revitalization, brownfields redevelopment, Institute, this Advisory Services panel report is intended to military base reuse, provision of low-cost and affordable pro vide objective advice that will promote the re spon­­­sible housing, and asset management strategies, among other use of land to enhance the environment. matters. A wide variety of public, private, and nonprofit organizations have contracted for ULI’s advisory services. ULI Program Staff Gayle Berens Each panel team is composed of highly qualified profes- Senior Vice President, Education and Advisory Group sionals who volunteer their time to ULI. They are chosen Thomas W. Eitler for their knowledge of the panel topic and screened Vice President, Advisory Services to ensure their objectivity. ULI’s interdisciplinary panel Annie Finkenbinder-Best teams provide a holistic look at development problems. Director, Education and Advisory Group A re spected ULI member who has previous panel experi- Daniel Lobo ence chairs each panel. Manager, Awards and Publications The agenda for a panel assignment is in tensive. It includes Caroline Dietrich an in-depth briefing composed of a tour of the site Logistics Manager, Education and Advisory Group and meetings with spon­­­sor representatives; hour-long Leigh Franke interviews of key community representatives; and a day of Associate, Education and Advisory Group formulating recommendations. Long nights of discussion James A. Mulligan Managing Editor precede the panel’s conclusions. On the final day on site, the panel makes an oral presentation of its findings and Laura Glassman, Publications Professionals LLC Manuscript Editor conclusions to the sponsor. A written re port is pre pared and published. Betsy VanBuskirk Creative Director Because the sponsoring entities are responsible for signifi- Anne Morgan cant preparation before the panel’s vis it, including sending Graphic Design extensive briefing materials to each member and arranging Craig Chapman for the panel to meet with key local community members Senior Director, Publishing Operations and stakeholders in the project under consideration, Arvada, Colorado, March 17–22, 2013 3 Acknowledgments THE PANEL WISHES TO THANK the city of Arvada The panel wishes to thank the Colorado Health for acting as host to this important panel. The panel Foundation for sponsoring this series of panels thanks Mayor Marc Williams and the other members of regarding designing healthy communities, especially the City Council and the city staff for their cooperation, Anne Warhover, Khanh Nguyen, and Hillary Fulton. support, and guidance. Partners in this effort included The panel also thanks Progressive Urban Management the Arvada Sustainability Advisory Committee, the Associates for helping prepare the communities for Transportation Advisory Committee, the Arvada Planning the panel’s arrival, providing the background briefing Commission, the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority Board, materials, and coordinating so closely with ULI and the the Arvada Parks Advisory Committee, the Jefferson host cities for this very important work. County Health Department, Denver Urban Gardens, the Finally, the panel acknowledges and thanks the more Apex Park and Recreation District, Bike Colorado, Bike than 60 individuals who were interviewed. Representing Jefferson County, Carin’ Clinic, and Jefferson County Head city and county agencies, the business community, Start. The panel especially thanks Jessica Prosser whose and the citizenry, these stakeholders provided valuable preparations and attention to details on briefing documents information and perspectives through their passion and and on-site coordination made this panel possible. understanding of the issues, greatly aiding the panel in its analysis. Note to Readers This publication contains recommendations by the While the Colorado Health Foundation contracted Urban Land Institute Advisory Services panel that with ULI to conduct the Advisory Services panel, the convened in Arvada, Colorado, the week of March complete recommendations do not signify key funding 17 to 22, 2013. These recommendations constitute opportunities for or commitments by the Foundation. a comprehensive report of the Healthy Places: The ULI recommendations are intended to serve as an Designing an Active Colorado initiative for the expert guide for use by the community of Arvada as it community of Arvada. The Healthy Places initiative sets priorities based on local knowledge of needs and was designed to promote policies that incorporate opportunities. physical activity into land development and land use. 4 An Advisory Services Panel Report Contents ULI Panel and Project Staff .......................................................6 Background and the Panel’s Assignment .............................................7 Economic and Market Overview ..................................................10 Understanding and Designing a Healthy, Active Community ..............................13 Best Practices: Guidelines for Designing a Healthier Arvada ..............................16 Specific Site Recommendations ..................................................23 Programming for an Active Lifestyle ...............................................31 Financing ..................................................................36 Benchmarking, Communication, Engagement, and Implementation .........................39 Conclusion .................................................................42 About the Panel ..............................................................43 Arvada, Colorado, March 17–22, 2013 5 ULI Panel and Project Staff Panel Chair Ross Tilghman Director Edward McMahon Tilghman Group Senior Resident Fellow, Chair for Seattle, Washington Sustainable Development Waverly Wood Urban Land Institute Coordinator, Center for Design and Health Washington, D.C. University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia Panel Members Tamara Zahn President Richard Albrecht Zahn Associates Principal Indianapolis, Indiana Lattice Properties LC Park City, Utah Suzanne Nienaber ULI Project Staff Director, Programs and Partnerships Thomas W. Eitler Center for Active Design Vice President, Advisory Services New York, New York Caroline Dietrich Klaus Philipsen Logistics Manager, Education and Advisory Group ArchPlan Inc. Baltimore, Maryland Alison Johnson Program Manager, Rose Center Bob Taunton Taunton Consulting Boise, Idaho 6 An Advisory Services Panel Report Background and the