by Valley Gadfly | Dec 15, 2023 | Main Articles
New Audit Reveals Denver Is Delivering Fewer Units Than Required, Costs Climb For Taxpayer-Funded Affordable Housing
by Glen Richardson
As 2024 begins, residents want to know if Mayor Mike Johnston met his $50 million promise to move 1,000 of Denver’s homeless off the streets by year’s end. Many others — like Councilmember Stacie Gilmore, who resigned as homeless committee chair — have concluded the administration’s homeless pledge is nothing more than “a dog and pony show.”
Facing the facts: Denver has the nation’s 10th-most homeless people. At year’s end there were 802 homeless people getting monthly payments of from $50 to $1,000. One group receives $1,000 a month for 12 months; another received a $6,500 lump payment and then $500 a month for 11 months; and the final group receives $50 a month for a year. For this year (2024), Mayor Johnston proposes to spend $242 million on homeless-affordable housing.
Street Sweep Scene: Denver continues to perform “sweeps” of homeless encampments under new Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. Photo: Kevin J. Beaty
A new financial examination by Denver Auditor Timothy M. O’Brien, however, reveals that finding housing or giving out money — without managing inherent and built-in factors — may b
Street Squalor Struggle: Despite providing money, plus developing and prioritizing affordable housing projects, Denver’s homeless crisis continues to surge as 2024 begins. Photo (left): Hart Van Denburg/CPR
e an emotional feat, but won’t accomplish the city’s objectives.
Unit Count Con
The audit’s most glaring discovery: Denver’s Department of Housing Stability is not delivering the required number of units. Fact: Denver developed 32 fewer units for very-low income and 301 fewer for moderate-income households than required by the city agreement.
Equally disturbing: The agency reported 203 units for rent at “market rates,” claiming they count as part of the agreement to develop affordable housing.
Lack of oversight is to blame, according to Auditor O’Brien. “If affordable housing is a priority, leaders need to effectively use resources, show accountability for housing goals, and commitment to helping those in Denver who need it m
ost,” he asserts.
Shoddy Upkeep
Auditors also found a lack of oversight to maintain safe-habitable housing units for people in the lowest income ranges. Not only are these people subject to health-safety risks, but the city could lose part of its affordable housing inventory due to damage and disrepair.
A random check of 20 affordable housing projects funded by the Department of Housing Stability — plus an affordable housing project used as permanent housing and funded with program funds — examiners found building doors unlocked or propped open; doors missing handles; water damage; pet or human waste in public areas; plus, trash and debris.
More: Broken windows; dirty or damaged carpets; potential fire code violations, which were reported to the fire department; large cracks and other damage to exterior brick or foundations; evidence of pest infestations; exposed electrical wires or damaged electrical features; window and screens missing or damaged; inoperable or malfunctioning elevators; standing water in public areas; and damaged interior and exterior lighting.
Fewer New Units
Even more troubling, auditors found plans for new units are falling below requirements in the city’s taxpayer-funded agreement with the Denver Housing Authority. Denver partners with the Denver Housing Authority on their “DHA Delivers for Denver Program” — commonly called “D3.”
Broadway’s Best: Purchased by the Denver Housing Authority and completed in 2022, this 655 Broadway Bldg. rents to income limited elderly and disabled.
The audit discovered the housing authority reported some units were being rented at market rate, instead of at affordable rates for people with low-income levels.
Moreover, the housing authority also developed fewer units for low-and moderate-income individuals than required. Bottom line: Investments may and many times exceed what was agreed upon. There is no clarity on how many housing units will be delivered or if the units will be affordable for people who need it most. “The city needs stronger oversight to confirm the affordable housing results it promises,” says Auditor O’Brien. “It’s clear the city is too trusting in third-party partners and as a result the people who need the most help could be left out.”
Half Have High Rent
Just as shocking and upsetting, the audit reveals that half of the units in the city’s D3 agreement exceed the rents allowed by that agreement.
The housing authority reported 203 market-rate units paid for by the city’s D3 agreement were rented for between 60% and 90% of area median income. The housing authority claims this counts toward contract requirements because they are lower than the average rental prices in Denver, which are about 120% of the area median income.
While about half of these ar
Loose Connections: Audits of 20 affordable housing projects funded by the Department of Housing Stability found shoddy upkeep, including exposed-damaged electrical wires.
e rented at rates for people in the target income, the lower-than-average prices are not guaranteed if market conditions change — resulting in potential rent increases and loss of affordability.
District Deals
Additionally, some City Council districts are receiving more affordable housing resources than allowed. Specifically, districts 1, 3, 8, and 9 all received more affordable housing funds than allowed.
Further, district 3 was restricted to receiving fewer funds than other districts because of existing affordable housing investments. While the agreement allows the department to grant a waiver to any one district, except district 3, discussions about waivers are ongoing.
The housing authority is also counting units developed with “different city funding sources” as part of the D3 project, further inflating the results.
Clinch & Confirm
Finally, the audit found several other areas in which the city can make improvements to maintain and improve the city’s affordable housing struggle.
First, the city is not ensuring contractors are complying with wage laws on affordable housing projects. These projects may be subject to federal wage requirements or the city’s prevailing wage ordinance.
The Department of Housing Stability also needs to verify income annually for residents. The department also needs adequate
controls over its data, including what is used to populate public dashboards.
Agree To Improve
The Department of Housing Stability has agreed to implement nearly 90% (17 of the 19) of the audit recommendations.
It is disappointing, however, that the department chose to disagree with two of the audit recommendations. Those proposals would significantly improve the city’s inspection and maintenance of homeless units. Furthermore, it would ensure affordable housing is sanitary and safe.
The audit found issues at 14 of 21 homeless properties, despite inspection forms from the city showing no issues at the same properties.
by Valley Gadfly | Dec 15, 2023 | Main Articles
Dodging Wrecking Ball, Building Will Be Enlarged And Reshaped; Will The Remodel Preserve A Picture Of Denver’s Movie Theatre Past?
by Glen Richardson
The Last Picture Show: As times changed, along with tastes in entertainment, theatre building will be turned into restaurant, retail, and office space.
Swapping Size, Shape: The Esquire Theatre building will be enlarged and reconfigured. Landmark Preservation Commission must approve building’s reconstruction.
Are you ready to feel a little down, despondent, and dejected? Flicks are being flicked off at Cap Hill’s historic Esquire Theatre. Lessee Landmark Theatres reopened the site last June following water damage declaring, “We’re back… and better than ever!” The lease expires in July of this year (2024), evidently without a renewal option.
The building was purchased by Sam Leger and Tim Finholm of South Broadway-based Unique Properties for $2.1 million in 2021. At the time of purchase, Finholm implied that “what happens with the property will depend on whether Landmark wants to stay.” It’s unclear, however, if shuttering the theatre was Landmark’s choice or a joint decision. Regardless, Unique Properties CEO Leger and Executive VP Finholm are listed on the building’s application for conversion.
Nestled on the corner of 6th Ave. and Downing St., the cinema has long been a neighborhood and Capitol Hill staple. Since opening in the fall of 1927 as the single-screen Hiawatha Theatre, the Esquire expanded and withstood the test of time. It has been leased to Landmark since 1980. Landmark also operates Denver’s Mayan, Chez Artiste, and Landmark Greenwood Village theatres. Once controlled by billionaire Mark Cuban, the theater chain sold to Cohen Media Group in 2018.
Shock, Sadness
The tucked-away Downing St location made the Esquire uniquely popular and a Mile High City cultural icon. In a city that once boasted as many as 66 movie theaters, it has long been known as one of Denver’s historic movie palaces.
Within hours followin
Sign Signals Switch: Plans suggest the Esquire Theatre marquee sign will remain on the remodeled structure as homage to the theatre and building’s history.
g the closure announcement Cap Hill residents and Esquire admirers took to social media to express their shock, sadness, and dismay: “I will be so heartbroken if we lose this. The Esquire is such an important part of Denver, of the film culture here.” Further, added another: “I know change is inevitable, but I wonder what will fill the void of these type of micro-communities that existed in the real, non-internet, world.”
Others summed up loss of the irreplaceable experience thusly: “It’s so sad watching so much of Denver die one piece at a time. Let’s just murder everything about Denver that was cool and make us a cookie cutter, mixed-use city.”
Building To Stay
The two-story building that housed the Esquire, however, will endure. The site will be enlarged and reshaped into a mix of restaurant, retail, and office space. Denver’s Landmark Preservation Commission must approve reconstruction of the building. If it is approved, the project is expected to start this June and be completed by January 2025.
The public became aware of the theatre closing at the end of last October when Denver’s Department of Community Planning & Development received redevelopment plans for the theater property.
Those plans, submitted by Michael Noda — a partner at architectural firm Neo Studio located on Walnut St. in Denver — call for increasing the two-story, 9,175-sq.-ft. theater building by more than a 6,000-sq.-ft. An addition on the south end of the building would stretch the structure into the parking lot.
Change, Sign Stays
If approved, the building is expected to total 15,800-sq.-ft. on the property’s 0.39-acre lot. Documents indicate the first floor will be divided into two 3,675-sq.-ft. units, one for retail, the other a restaurant space. The upstairs would be turned into office suites.
Plans for the building’s renewal include the addition of several small structure components. Site plans indicate new entrances will be constructed on the no
Historic Hiawatha: Photograph of the Esquire building at the 1927 grand opening as the Hiawatha Theatre. Winners of the Wilderness was showing on the single-screen.
rth and south sides of the building. More: Skylights will be installed on the roof, plus awnings added on the north side of the building.
One thing, however, will apparently remain the same. Plans indicate the current Esquire signage will remain as homage to the theatre and building’s history.
Poignant Predictions
Can the Esquire building recover from a remodel? Repurposing of existing buildings is a newsworthy issue, particularly with Denver’s rich architectural heritage.
“Architecture is not really about buildings, any more than poetry is about vowels,” is how award-winning architect Sam Rodell explains the emotions associated with buildings.
Denver’s Esquire enthusiasts relate to Rodell’s emotional building claim, and share their thoughts about the proposed remake of the movie palace building: “It
Going, Going, Gone: Movies at the Esquire Theatre have been good to the end, but functional and technical obsolescence will turn the building dark this year.
would have been good to end up with a theater use and the parking lot redeveloped with a new restaurant and housing. But two-screen theaters are clearly not profitable, especially with the Mayan so close showing the same kind of program. Admits another, “Having an active street front rather than a blank wall on 6th Ave. will help the area feel more like a neighborhood.”
Conversion Countdown
The Esquire building is a connection between the past and present, and a way to preserve local memory and culture. It was a space where we created memories of time spent with family and friends in the dark watching films that are no longer with us. The structure was a witness to another age and hopefully will become a living example of Denver’s movie theatre past.
So as not to lose the memory of what came before, Neo Studio — the architectural firm remodeling the Esquire building — is being called upon to adapt the existing building to meet new needs. It will require a great deal of creative effort, and local feedback since the project involves changing the entire function of the building.
As with any renovation, uncertainty, surprises, and last-minute changes are possible if not probable. Capitol Hill and Denver residents, plus Esquire fans and movie buffs are holding their breath, waiting anxiously and excitedly to see what materializes.
Esquire Draws Signatures; Owners Reapply For Remodel
An online petition had collected more than 2,500 signatures to save the Esquire Theatre by early December @savethe esquire. Seeking to stop site redevelopment, the group hopes the theatre will be designated a historic landmark.
Denver’s Community Planning & Development disclosed in December that they were awaiting resubmittal of the plans due “to issues” with the original proposal. When questioned about plans to stretch construction into the parking lot, owners retorted: “We don’t have plans to do anything to anything at the moment. We just made a submittal.”
Should the theatre get a landmark designation, the Landmark Preservation staff opinion is that, “the theatre could still be developed for uses other than a theater.”
by Heather Brecl | Dec 15, 2023 | Main Articles
by Heather Brecl
Homeowners on corner lots in Denver will pay up to $350 per year more than most.
In case 2023 didn’t have enough in store for everyone, 2024 is on the path to deliver more. In November 2022 Denver voters narrowly passed a new citizen-led ballot initiative called Ordinance 307 resulting in an annual fee for sidewalk construction that is coming due in the new year. Homeowners in the city of Denver will have to get ready to add one more bill to the list of things to deal with as a homeowner. On top of the tripled property tax and now the bill for trash removal, residents of Denver will be assessed a new fee that was designed to fund a complete overhaul of the sidewalk system throughout the city. This initiative was spearheaded by the nonprofit organization called Denver Streets Partnership.
Whether or not homeowners actually have a sidewalk, they will be paying a fee to the City for the project for at least the next 10 years.
How much is the fee and how can residents figure out what it will be? The city of Denver created a tool that provided an estimate for homeowners. On average the fee will be around $108/year per household, however if a home is positioned on a street corner, the fee will in some cases be as high as $450 per year. Since the fee is assessed according to the linear footage that a property has along a city street, the longer the property boundary, the higher the fee will be. Unfortunately for residents trying to forecast expenses for the upcoming year, the pricing tool has been taken down from the Denver County website and the following notice is in place: “The city’s sidewalk task force is reviewing the sidewalk ordinance and may refine the current fee structure to ensure it is applied in a way that is as fair and reasonable as possible. DOTI (Department of Transportation and Infrastructure) has removed the sidewalk fee lookup tool it previously offered on this webpage while that assessment is underway.” The task force is scheduled to complete their evaluation by
July and levy the fees.
Denver resident Erin F. (last name withheld at her request) is outraged by the new sidewalk fee which for her will be over $450 per year since her home has what is now seen by her as the misfortune of being on a corner lot. Prior to the sidewalk tax, Erin appreciated her large lot that she and her son have enjoyed for years. She also takes on the responsibility of making sure that the sidewalk is always shoveled, even shoveling her elderly neighbor’s sidewalk during snowstorms. Even though Denver residents do not own actually own the sidewalk, it has been their responsibility to make sure it is cleared of snow in the required amount of time and that repairs done as needed.
With the new fee structure, the responsibility for sidewalk repairs and improvements shifts to the City of Denver. While this seems to lessen the burden of homeowners having to do expensive repairs themselves, many homeowners will in effect just be paying a sometimes exorbitant fee for sidewalks that may not ever need any repairs in their lifetime. It also leaves to question what the actual process will be to have any needed repairs done with no reasonable sense for a timeline as the process will be new from start to finish and will encompass the entire sidewalk network.
To Erin F. and many other homeowners, the new sidewalk fee seems anything but fair. “The new fee is a huge burden to people, on top of everything else that we have on our plates with a big increase in property taxes and now having to pay for trash too,” said Erin F. “People are going to lose their homes over this. I have no control over who uses my sidewalk but now suddenly I’m responsible for paying more than any of my neighbors to maintain it even though it was recently repaired and is in perfect condition. I don’t understand how anything about this fee is fair and equitable as the Denver Streets Partnership claims it is.”
Erin wants to know how the city plans on dealing with situations in which the homeowner is unable to afford the fee and if there will be any relief. She said that she has issued multiple complaints with the Partnership but has not gotten specific answers to her questions, and that the current policy only offers relief to certain neighborhoods.
Executive Director Jill Locantore of the organization that spearheaded the sidewalk effort responded to questions and concerns about the inequities of the assessed fee stating that “fair is a matter of opinion and perspective.” She explained that Denver has had an ongoing conversation for the past 20 years since the Webb administration about improving the sidewalk situation and the residents of Denver have spoken by voting for the ordinance. Locantore emphasized that the majority of Denver’s citizens voted to have safe sidewalks and it is her organization’s commitment to fulfill that mission, making sure that people have a safe way to walk through their neighborhoods and move about their communities. The City’s stakeholder committee is currently reviewing ways to tighten up the differences between the average fees assessed and the “outliers” such as those who own properties on long sidewalks and corners. She stated that they cannot make everyone happy but are making concerted efforts to make as many people happy as possible.
Overall, the Partnership, in conjunction with the City of Denver, estimates that a complete overhaul of the sidewalk system will cost upwards of $1 billion and will take up to 10 years to complete. Annually the fees will total approximately $40 million which is how much DOTI believes to be the cost of yearly maintenance. The additional funds will be raised from bonds.
Erin F. remarked that she will most likely never see any immediate benefit to the thousands of dollars in sidewalk fees that she will pay over the coming years as her sidewalk was just recently redone. On average, homeowners sell their homes after seven years which means that most will be in the same situation as Erin and will contribute to the sidewalk fund without ever directly reaping the benefits.
Homeowners may think that they will avoid being assessed the fee if there is no sidewalk but they are mistaken. The fee applies to all properties bordering a city street — whether or not a sidewalk actually exists. As is stated on the denvergov.org website, “(T)he requirement to pay the sidewalk fee is not dependent upon having a sidewalk or whether or not a property owner has recently completed installation or repairs. The fee is a revenue source to fund maintenance and repair projects and new sidewalk installations to connect people to places and services citywide.”
Furthermore, homeowners who think they refuse to pay the fee or cannot pay, will have a lien placed on their properties and the city will not be issuing any refunds or exemptions. Locantore did point out that certain discounts will be offered in the amount of 20% for real estate property located in neighborhoods which have been historically underfunded and are considered area of risk under the city’s NEST (Neighborhood Equity and Stabilization) program.
As a single mom who struggles to make ends meet, Erin F. hopes that the efforts of the City’s stakeholder committee gives earnest consideration to the concerns she has and others in the same boat.
For more information on the impending sidewalk fees, go to denversidewalks.com and devergov.org and look for Sidewalk Construction, Reconstruction and Repair.
by Mark Smiley | Nov 16, 2023 | Main Articles
by Mark Smiley
From left to right: Storm Gloor, Glendale Mayor Pro-Tem; Mike Dunafon, Glendale Mayor; Joe Haskins, Glendale Chief of Police; and Josh Bertrand, Glendale Deputy City Manager.
Barret O’Brien, Chamber Board Member, left, and Joe Haskins, Glendale Chief of Police.
From left to right: Mayor Pro-Tem Storm Gloor; Mayor Mike Dunafon; Chuck Line, Glendale City Manager; Josh Bertrand, Glendale Deputy City Manager; and Jeff Allen, Glendale Chamber COO, cut the pickle to officially open the new outdoor pickleball courts in Glendale.
The new pickleball courts are now available to play on in Glendale Park.
On October 24, 2023, the City of Glendale unveiled its new pickleball courts at the new Glendale Park, formerly known as Mir Park. With the recent closing of the outdoor courts at Eisenhower Park and Congress Park in Denver, the metro area was in need of another option for outdoor pickleball.
Under the Leadership of Mayor Mike Dunafon and the Glendale City Council, the City of Glendale has partnered with Arapahoe County Open Space Grant Program in 2023 to create the Glendale Park Phase One park improvements and usher in a new era of recreation in Glendale.
While the newly dedicated pickleball courts may be the main attraction, there are several important additional improve
ments which park patrons will appreciate. Working with Chief Joe Haskins and City of Glendale Police Department, the City applied principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design to make improvements in the park. These park safety improvements include new site lighting and new “Portlandloo’s” stand-alone toilets which address common public bathroom concerns.
Also, a new picnic pavilion will be available to grab a bite to eat while watching the light-hearted activities on either the pickleball court or on the playground. Going forward, Ken LeCrone, Finance Director for the City of Glendale, has secured an open space grant from Arapahoe County for Phase Two improvements in 2024.
The Phase Two improvements will include improvements to stormwater drainage and the addition of a new dog run to the north side of the park,” said Josh Bertrand, Deputy City Manager, City of Glendale. “Patrick Carroll, Chris Roozing, and the Public Works team will continue working with our valuable partners, Matt Wilgenbusch with EmDub Designs, and ECI Site Construction Management, to complete phase two of the project.”
The work is expected to be completed by the end of Summer 2024. Glendale Park is located at 560 S. Elm Street in Glendale. Visit www.glendale.co.us for more information.
by Valley Gadfly | Nov 16, 2023 | Main Articles
Bike Lanes Pedal Past Cracked, Crumbling Sidewalks As City Council Delays Repair Due To A ‘Built-In Bias’
by Glen Richardson
Small Roundabouts Big Problem: New “bikeway” roundabouts are causing accidents and slowing the response time for emergency vehicles. Denver Fire has paused its approval.
Reworked Doesn’t Work: Reconfigured bike lanes cut across and to the side of the 7th Ave. & Williams intersection. A blind spot caused resident Jan Douglas to take a spill. Photo: Channel 7, KMGH-TV
Disorderly Design: Bike lane intersection designs by Denver’s DOTI are creating chaos for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists. This helter-skelter design is at 7th Ave. and Williams St.
If sidewalks are for pedestrians, why did Denver’s bicycle lobby campaign for a sidewalk tax?
Biking advocates — using the name Denver Streets Partnership — launched the 307 Campaign in Aug. 2022 promoting “Denver Deserves Sidewalks.” The campaign claimed it would remove the responsibility for repairs from adjacent property owners and place the responsibility on the City of Denver. Through a “modest annual fee” citywide construction and repair of sidewalks would be underway and finished in nine years.
Passing with 55.85% of the vote last November, residents using wheelchairs, crutches, canes, plus those with visual or cognitive impairment, would soon be using sidewalks. So would children and older pedestrians with reduced motor skills.
Fee Collection Delayed
A year later there are still no sidewalk repairs, nor will there be any until at least until July of next year. The Denver City Council has voted to delay property owner collection fees until July 1, 2024. That’s more than 18 months after voter approval and six months after it was initially scheduled to begin.
City Council decided on the delay due to rising concerns expressed by prope
Chic Lanes Vs. Cracked Sidewalks: These hypothetical, idealized bike lanes are planned to be imposed throughout the city. Pedestrians and wheelchair users continue to watch their step as the gulf between the two uses widens.
rty owners. Increasingly, property owners told council members the Streets Partnership built bias and discrimination into the plan.
“I am part of the unfortunate 15% of people who will be paying over $400 a year in sidewalk fees simply because I am unlucky enough to live on a corner lot,” says Erin Feldman. Like so many others, Feldman urged City Council not to roll the plan out without further consideration and planning. “They’re gross inequities in the plan and it is an unfair burden for people like me,” she tells the Chronicle.
Hit On Homeowners?
Before the Denver Deserves Sidewalks initiative passed in 2022, property owners were responsible for maintaining their own sidewalks as needed. The new Street Partnership funding structure instead collects money from homeowners based on linear footage of the property, wealth of the neighborhood, and if the home is on a corner lot.
Homeowners being responsible for their own sidewalks is akin to how other big cities take care of sidewalks. In Chicago, property owners and the city share the cost of replacing sidewalks. The cost per square foot to property owners is well below what a private contractor would charge. Through their Sidewalks Repair Program, New York City performs free repairs for qualifying broken sidewalks.
Advocates still claim the change is a safety and accessibility win in a city with so many broken and nonexistent sidewalks. But questions remain about how long the rollout will take, how much the program will actually cost, and what will done about properties with extremely high fees.
Sudden Switcheroo
Duped, misled, hoodwinked?
Throughout the campaign the Denver Streets Partnership promoted itself as a local street safety advocacy group. Today, however, the Street Partnership and Jill
Sad Sidewalk Symbol: Larimer Girl mural by local artist Jeremy Burns seems to suggest sadness and disappointment in Denver’s sidewalks.
Locantore, the executive director, are staff members of the nonprofit advocacy organization Bicycle Colorado. WalkDenver has also merged with Bicycle Colorado. Staff members of the former groups still claim to support sidewalk improvements.
As the state’s political advocacy group for bikers, Bicycle Colorado helped pass Denver ballot measure 2A, creating the state’s first eBike subsidy. The city’s E-Bike rebates are designed to build an army of bike lane advocates. They also helped to get $12 million for the eBike subsidy program inserted into the Clean Air Grant program; and added over $1 billion in funding to the statewide transportation bill. Moreover, Bicycle Colorado has funded and promoted the increasingly controversial 196 miles of on-street bike lanes in Denver.
Biker Bunny Hop
The Denver 307 Campaign’s promise to repair deteriorating sidewalks still awaits the overhaul to begin. So does the construction of new sidewalks where needed, or upgrading walks to ADA standards.
Nonetheless, the bike lobby continues to bunny hop over the city’s cracked sidewalks, adding 24 miles of painted bike lanes, 45 miles of buffered bike lanes, 23 miles of protected bike lanes, and 34 miles of neighborhood bikeways. Cost to the city so far is $13.4 million.
In addition, critics claim Denver’s Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (DOTI) is primarily giving bikers multiple ways to get around town, rather than a system for all people.
Bike Lane Impact
Denver expanded the ways the streets are used without being able to expand the streets. Their width is unchanged, but on many blocks, traffic lanes were narrowed to create space for a bike lane. On streets with protected bike lanes, a narrow buffer has also been squeezed in, making the traffic lanes even thinner.
Detractors say that due to being poorly planned, narrower streets in Denver are filled with cars and “mostly empty” bike lanes.
Denver and other cities were never intended to accommodate bike lanes, they argue. They also claim bike lanes make the worst common cycling accidents more common. Adding them also reduces parking spaces for cars and increases traffic jams. The debate also reflects tension over the future of cities, and anxiety over a new pattern of urban planning that no longer prioritizes the automobile.
Bike Owners Vs. Lobby
Albeit a powerful city-state political money moocher, Bicycle Colorado represents a small segment of Denver’s biking community. Most of the approximately 560,000 metro bicycle owners don’t participate in or fathom what the organization does.
Denver has had 889 bicycle thefts reported so far this year. Despite averaging 96.2 robberies per month, the lobby does little more than proclaim they “provide a voice for people who ride bicycles.”
Bike to Work Day — the free Denver Regional Council of Governments backed event — had 17,981 riders in 2023. A Winter Bike to Work Day in 2024 is set for Friday, Feb. 9, followed by the Wednesday, June 16, Bike to Work Day.
by Heather Brecl | Nov 16, 2023 | Main Articles
by Heather Brecl
Noisy late-night car rallies in Denver parking lots in residential neighborhoods are causing residents to feel unsafe and unnerved at home.
Loud mufflers and cars peeling out in a never-ending parade of people coming and going from the rally in front of residential buildings.
Denver residents living next to the big box store parking lots in Denver and Glendale are sadly familiar with sleepless nights caused by racecar rallies that seem to never end. Beginning long after dark and lasting until the wee hours, the loud and highly disruptive car rallies pop up monthly on a seemingly unexpected weekend night.
Unfortunately, these gatherings are becoming a more regular occurrence and are creating a sense of lawlessness, making residents fear for the safety of themselves and their loved ones returning home late at night. Denver resident Margaret W. (last name withheld upon request) lives in apartments that overlook the parking lot where Best Buy and Hacienda are located, at the corner of I-25 and Colorado Blvd. She said that her teenage daughter works at a local restaurant and often works the evening weekend shift. She is extremely fearful for her safety as she returns home from a long night’s work not knowing what she’ll encounter and cannot safely make her way up the street to the parking lot of their building.
From her balcony, she watched the cars screech both into and out of the parking lot circling up and down the street, completely ignoring any pedestrians walking by or residents trying to come and go in the neighborhood. So far, the police have been unable to do anything to stop the madness. “The people who gather at these rallies on nights when there is usually a big event somewhere downtown — they know that the cops won’t come since there are bigger problems to address,” said Margaret W. “They are getting braver, louder, and more reckless as the weeks go on. I’m getting to the point where I dread the weekends, knowing that there might be another rally.”
Glendale City Manager and attorney Chuck Line stated that “these late-night car rallies are examples of the general lawlessness created by the decriminalization of everything. They are just symptoms of the same disease. By decriminalizing things like shoplifting, people feel as if they can get by with whatever they want and they participate in behavior that they wouldn’t normally do. There just aren’t consequences anymore for doing the wrong thing.”
He recalled seeing gatherings of car enthusiasts that he saw posted in the neighborhood decades ago that were called “Coffee and Cars” with sanctioned gathering spaces. People who thought about peeling out for the thrill of it stopped doing it because they didn’t get by with the behavior. The late-night car rallies today teeter constantly on the edge of illegal behavior with reckless driving, noise violations, and endangerment of people living in these communities.
Margaret W. said there was yet another pop-up late night rally in the Best Buy parking lot with hundreds of cars, food trucks, and screeching tires as people slowly but steadily entered and then exited the lot lining up on East Mexico Avenue on their way back to I-25. Distressed and unable to fall asleep until 2 a.m., Margaret listened to the deafening music and roaring engines for over four hours, followed by the sounds of cars peeling out and racing one after the other onto I-25 headed northbound.
Discouraged and feeling helpless, Margaret has made countless calls to the non- emergency police number, hoping to get some peace back in her neighborhood where she has lived for over seven years. “I am very sad to see what is happening on a regular basis right across from my doorstep. I don’t feel safe anymore and wish I could do something to make the nonsense stop.” To her dismay, her calls to authorities have been fruitless and she has been unable to get any police presence to try and control the situation.
Line emphasized that the city is deeply committed to the welfare of their residents and community. “We are and will continue to be vigilant in responding to any calls we receive about these rallies and will take measures to do whatever we can to keep people safe. We encourage anyone witnessing these happenings and who have concerns to make calls to the non-emergency police number to report what they see and hear. Together we can get on top of this. If you feel like there is something illegal happening, please call.”
For local businesses, dealing with the rallies is a precarious situation. While they are not sanctioned by the businesses, the public is free to both park and gather in the parking lots. And certainly, not everyone participating in the car rally is engaging in criminal activity. This puts business owners in a difficult position as they do not want to discourage people who may be there just to stop or do business but want to make sure that their community remains a safe and welcoming place for their patrons.
Margaret W. remains hopeful that other residents will speak up letting authorities and business owners know how they feel so that her neighborhood will continue to be a place that she wants to call home.
The non-emergency police number for Glendale is 303-759-1511 and for Denver, dial 720-913-2000.
