“By perceiving ourselves as part of the river, we take responsibility for the river as a whole.” ~ Vaclav Havel Long Range Management Framework South Platte River Corridor 00088 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Project Managers Other Participants: Bar Chadwick Mayor’s South Platte River Denver Water Department Commission Ed Pokorney Marc Alston USEPA Don Kennedy Project Consultants City Attorney’s Office Beth Conover Headwaters Consulting, LLC Patrick Wheeler Marty Zeller Conservation Partners, Inc. Karen Aviles Graphic Design Denver Environmental Health Julie Connor Denver Community Planning and Maureen Dudley Development Agency Commissioners Colorado Division of Wildlife Jay Skinner Co-Chairs: Vicki Vargas-Madrid Mayor Wellington Webb Joe Blake Metro Chamber of Commerce Urban Drainage and Flood Chips Barry Denver Water Department Control District Barbara Biggs Metro Wastewater Ben Urbonas BJ Brooks Denver Parks & Recreation Bryan Kohlenberg Tim Carey Army Corps of Engineers Wastewater Management Division, Casey Davenhill Audubon Society Denver Public Works Raylene Decatur Denver Museum of Nature Terry Baus & Science Denver City Council Staff Max Dodson USEPA Region 8 Shelley Smith Theresa Donahue Denver Environmental Health Kim Kucera Ellen Fisher Gates Family Foundation Stephanie Foote Denver Public Works Denver Community Planning and D. Grover Strive/Ready-To-Work Development Agency Patrick Hamill Oakwood Homes Ken Brewer Duane Holmes National Park Service Denver Parks & Recreation Mike Kinsey Urban Wildlife Chad Anderson Stan Macintyre Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation Susan Baird Councilwoman Kathleen Mackenzie Tiffany Johnson Councilwoman Ramona Martinez Gene Moore Butch Montoya Denver Safety Jim Perros Jennifer Moulton Denver Community Planning Ron Picasso and Development Agency Ron Sanders Mike Mueller Sierra Club Judy Montero Steve Norris Colorado Division of Wildlife Charles Robertson Councilwoman Debbie Ortega Tina Scardina Myrna Poticha Clean Water Action Gayle Weinstein Jeff Shoemaker The Greenway Foundation Fred Weiss Nick Skifalides Denver Wastewater Management Division Rod Wiberg Jane Taylor Beckwourth Mountain Club Joan Wilson Jose Trujillo Denver Zoo Non-Profits L. Scott Tucker Urban Drainage and Flood Greg Pratt River Reach Control District Regional Interests Annie Warhover Downtown Denver Partnership Bill Woodcock South Suburban Parks & Pete West Xcel Energy Recreation District Staff Committee Denver Fire Department Bar Chadwick Project Manager Todd Hamilton Marc Alston Project Manager Denver Police Department Susan Fry Denver Parks & Recreation Lieutenant Tony Ryan Melissa Kolwaite Denver Parks & Recreation Captain John Lamb Lesley Roper Denver Parks & Recreation Captain Michael O’Neill Neil Sperandeo Denver Water Department Pro-Bono Legal Assistance Andrea Bloom Steiner Darling, Hutchinson & Wilson LLP ii acknowledgements 00000088SOUTH PLATTE RIVER PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from the Co-chairs . iv Executive Summary . v A Vision for the South Platte River Corridor . 1 Introduction . 3 The Context: History and Accomplishments to Date . 4 What are the Purposes of This Plan? . 8 Planning Process . 10 Guiding Principles . 12 Map Inserts South Platte River Parks and Parkways South Platte River Land Use The Long Range Management Framework . 15 Overview . 16 Strategy I: Create an Effective and Coordinated Management System . 18 Management Philosophy . 19 Management Structure . 22 Strategy II: Improve the River for People, Recreation and Wildlife through Integrated and Balanced Management . 26 Case Study: Multi-Objective Management for Recreation . 28 Overall Goals for Integrated and Balanced Management . 30 Adaptive Management Strategies . 31 Public Safety . 35 Regional Cooperation and Partnership . 36 Public Involvement . 37 Strategy III: Develop the Resources and Capacity Necessary to Meet Challenges . 40 Develop and Maintain Resources and Capacity to Achieve Vision . 42 Conclusion . 43 Appendix . .47 Greenway and Natural Areas Ordinances . 48 Natural Areas Classification Overview . 53 GIS Layers List . 56 Instream Issues Report . 57 table of contents iii CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER Wel l ing ton E. Webb , Co -C h air OFFICE OF THE MAYOR Mayor, Ci ty and Co unty of De nver 110 16TH STREET, SUITE 400, DENVER, CO 80202 Jos ep h B. Bl ake , Co -C h air 720-913-5516 PHONE 720-913-5599 FAX De nver Metro Ch amb er of Co mm e rce www.denvergov.org WEBSITE Ham le t J. Bar ry , III De nver Water De pa rtme nt Ba rba ra Bi gg s November 2000 Metro Wastewater Re clama tion Di strict B.J . Brook s De pa rtme nt of Parks and Re creation Tim Carey Dear Reader: U. S. Army Co rps of Engineers Ka th lee n Dav enh ill De nver Audubon Society You hold in your hands a blueprint for the future of the South Ray le ne Dec a tur Platte River Corridor in Denver. Na tural Hi story Museum Ma x H. Dods on U. S. Environme ntal Protection Agency This document represents the convergence of diverse interests who The resa Don ah ue have forged a common vision for our River. The Mayor’s South Platte De nver De pa rtme nt of Environme ntal Health Ell en Fish er River Commission is a dynamic and active body who have met regularly Th e Ga tes Foundation St eph an ie Fo ote over the course of five years and worked closely with City staff to develop De nver De pa rtme nt of Public Works not only ideas but the means to achieve them. The 10.5 miles of the D. Grov er Re ady to Work / STR I VE South Platte River through Denver is rich with history and is Denver’s Pa trick H. Hami ll most important natural resource. Denver and all of the communities Ho me builders Association of Metro De nver Dua ne Holm es along the River depend on the South Platte for many uses – including U. S. Na tional Park Service water supply, agriculture and recreation. The River is also critical to the Mi c ha el Ki nsey Ur ban Wildlife wildlife of the area. There is often competition and sometimes conflict Co unc ilw om an Kat hle e n MacK en zie among user groups. Co uncil Di strict # 7 Co un cilw om an Ra mona Martin ez Co uncil Di strict # 3 The Commission has served as a diverse forum to consider all of Sta n Mc Inty re the issues relating to the South Platte, and has charted a course of Inter-Ne ighborhood Co ope ration Fi del “But ch ” Monto ya restoration and stewardship that we hope will be continued. This De nver De pa rtme nt of Safety Jen n ifer Moul ton framework is intended to be used as an active document, a framework for Co mm u nity Planning & De velopm e nt Agency future decisions about the compatibility of corridor projects with our Mi c ha el Mu ell er Co lorado Sierra Cl ub vision and as inspiration for the development of new projects that will Ste v e Norris continue to help us achieve that vision. With its use, the health of the Co lorado Di vision of Wildlife Cou nc ilw om an Deb orah Ortega South Platte River, the natural, cultural and recreational backbone of our De nver Ci ty Co uncil community, will be ensured for generations to come. My rna Poti ch a Cl ean Water Action Jef f Sho ema ke r Sincerely, Th e Gr eenwa y Foundation Nic k Ski fal id es Wastewa ter Manageme nt Jan e Tay lor Beckw o rth Mountain Cl ub Jos e Truji llo Wellington Webb Joseph B. Blake De nver Zoological Ga rdens Mayor President/CEO L. Scott Tuc ker Ur ban Dr ainage & Flood Co ntrol Di strict City and County of DenverDenver Metro Chamber of Commerce Ann e War ho ve r Co-Chair, SPRC Co-Chair, SPRC Do wn town De nver Partnership Pe ter West Public Service Co mp a ny / Ne w Ce ntury Energies Staff Bar Chad wi ck, Dire ctor chadwb c@c i.denver.co.us iv letter from the co-chairs 00000088SOUTH PLATTE RIVER PLAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SPRC Long Range Management Framework The past seven years have witnessed a transformation of Denver’s South Platte River Corridor (SPRC). A commitment to the River’s future made by Mayor Wellington Webb in the early 90’s led to the creation of the Mayor’s South Platte River Commission in 1995. The work of the Commission and city staff resulted in hundreds of acres of new and improved park lands, major improvements to the historic greenway trail system, enhanced wildlife habitat along the River and numerous in-stream improvements designed to make the River healthier and more friendly to boaters and other recreational users. This Long Range Management Framework represents a six-month effort to build on the progress made so far and to ensure that interagency cooperation and shared vision for the Corridor continue to benefit future generations. Toward that end, the Commission has carefully considered various issues and made recommendations to the City in four key issue areas: Vision and Management Philosophy ❚ What is our vision for the Corridor? How will the River Corridor be managed for multiple objectives (i.e. public recreation and wildlife habitat), while protecting water quality and public safety as the “bottom line”? What vision and values should guide future management decisions? Recommendation: A revised version of the Commission’s 1995 Vision Statement was developed and adopted: We want the South Platte River Corridor to be known and cherished by the citizens of the City and County of Denver. If we care for our River, protect its natural resources and help restore its beauty and quality, the South Platte will provide present and future generations unmatched opportunities for recreation, education and enjoyment. The Commission also recommended that the City designate and manage the entire Corridor (as defined in the Greenway Ordinance) as a City “Active Use” Natural Area, with Conservation and Preservation Natural Area designations to be applied to areas needing special protection.