by Mark Smiley | Aug 29, 2016 | Main Articles
5,800 Parking Spaces Will No Longer Be Free
by Glen Richardson
The dreaded “no parking space” syndrome is about to come back and roost on the doorstep of Cherry Creek North. Until now when city officials, developers and retailers were asked about the lack of parking spaces in Cherry Creek North, they would point to the excess of parking spaces available at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center. No longer.
The Shopping Center announced that starting in January it will start to charge for parking. The Shopping Center had little choice in the matter. The City and County of Denver has been requiring less and less mandatory parking spaces at new apartment houses, condominiums and hotels. As a result, employees at retail establishments in Cherry Creek North, owners of second cars who lived in the new condominiums and apartment houses which provided for only one car, visitors to the new hotels, and even everyday shoppers to stores in Cherry Creek North were using the excess parking at Cherry Creek Shopping Center. In addition, the amount of parking spaces at the Shopping Center was being adjusted downward to accommodate the RN interior design building on 1st Ave., and a proposed hotel on the east side of the Shopping Center will further cut into parking.
The Shopping Center, of course, needs to meet the concerns of the 16 million people who visit the mall annually. Furthermore, there are more than 140 indivi
dual retailers roosting within the mall.
More than two-dozen new projects have been completed, are under construction or announced in the district in the last year. Developments being completed are resulting in an increase in new businesses, retailers, and restaurants opening their doors almost weekly. All of these new offices, retail and hotels “have put greater pressure than ever on parking here,” declares the shopping center’s longtime general manager Nick LeMasters. Yet of total parking spaces available in Cherry Creek North, the 5,800 spaces in the shopping center account for 70 percent. There are roughly only 500 parking meters in the 16-block business district, another 500 off-street spaces and just over 1,000 in public garages.
Ruffled Nest Feathers
What has increasingly been happening, according to LeMasters, is that a lot of people who do not work or shop at the mall, but apparently work in the area, are parking in the center and leaving their cars parked all day. “This has created a dynamic that is not favorable to our employees at the shopping center or to our paying customers,” he says.
A new state-of-the-art parking system is currently being installed. It will be tested in the fourth quarter of this year and rolled out in January so it won’t disrupt the holiday shopping season. Parking during the first hour will be complimentary. The second hour will cost $3. An extra dollar will be added upon hour three, raising it to $4. There will be an additional $2 each hour afterward, for a daily maximum of $16.
This parking fee at the Shopping Center will be slightly more than Cherry Creek North street parking, but customers will not have to move their cars like they do on the street. Cost will be less than most other enclosed parking garages in the district, LeMasters says. The purpose of paid parking is not to raise money, but to provide a better experience for paying customers, he emphasizes. Initially, he suspects there will be some “pushback” from customers who have long been accustomed to free parking.
Brooding Of Cost
As shoppers become accustomed to paid parking LeMasters thinks they will find it is “more than worth it.” For one thing, the state-of-the-art system by Park Assist will make it easier to park and exit the mall. Signs will tell motorists where parking is available and which parking levels are filled. Each parking space will have either a green or red light, telling customers whether an individual space is filled.
If a customer forgets where they parked, by typing their license plate into a kiosk display it will tell them where they are parked.
Increased security is expected to be a secondary benefit. “We will be adding several hundred more cameras, so that will provide an additional measure of safety and security,” LeMasters reveals. Fortunately, he adds, safety has never been a significant problem, but with many new cameras and an integrated guidance system, it is nice to have more security and an added level of safety.”
The movie theater in the Shopping Center will validate parking and other merchants can also choose to validate parking tickets. The approximately 3,000 employees at the mall will not pay for parking. Also, during special events such as the Cherry Creek Farmers Market and Cherry Creek Sneak parking will be free.
Hatching Reaction
Feedback from shoppers and those living in the neighborhood to the announcement of the parking change has been mixed. Here’s some of the first feedback from Yelpers:
“I have seen the parking situation become increasingly competitive in CCN, mostly because the construction and other workers have taken over the free two-hour spots in the neighborhood. Basically people park all day in the two-hour zone, which means that residents will ask for even more draconian constraints, i.e. permit parking only.” A totally different response: “Huh. Maybe I’ll go to the mall more if there are fewer teenagers lounging around. That’s pretty selfish, I guess.”
Summed up others: “Parking is a PITA [Pain In The A**] more and more in Denver. As densities continue to increase throughout the city, expect more charges to park your buggy in popular areas.” Added yet another: “What a bummer. As if brick and mortar retail needs another reason to be less enticing.”
Surrounded by new high-rise developments on three corners, Jason Rudofsky of Zaidy’s Deli at 1st Ave. and Adams simply says of the growth and parking, “Parking has always been a problem in Cherry Creek, this won’t make it any better.”
Gavin Berry, the General Manager of Del Frisco’s Grille at 100 St. Paul, noted, “Cherry Creek North has always had this stigma attached to it that parking is difficult. So when we came in we knew right away we wanted complimentary valet no matter what the cost might be.” He however understood that the Shopping Center “had to do what they had to do to protect their business.”
When the Chronicle inquired of Christine Des Enfants, Executive Director of the Cherry Creek Chamber, of what effect the Mall’s decision would have on Cherry Creek North, she pleasantly stated “no comment.”
Corrections & Clarifications
In the above feature on Paid Parking at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, contrary to the article the footprint of Restoration Hardware in the former Saks Fifth Avenue space did not adjust downward the number of parking spaces. Furthermore there currently are no development plans on the east side of the mall that would further cut into parking. “The 5,800 parking spaces at the mall will remain unchanged,” emphasizes General Manager Nick LeMasters.
by Mark Smiley | Aug 29, 2016 | Valley Gadfly
Chill out: This is the month when we begin to think of cozying up by the fireplace. Is it getting a little chilly out there, or is it just us? September begins the season of crunching leaves and shorter days. Kids frolic in leaf piles on the lawn and are back in school again. And what else? Pumpkin-flavored everything is upon us.
Fall is celebrated as the season of awe. Sarah Morgan Bryan-Piatt explained September thus: “It is the summer’s great last heat. It is the fall’s first chill: They meet!”
Here are our bright choices for shopping, dining and entertainment as daylight begins to fade to fall to help you fill the season with a heaping harvest of happiness:
3 Savor a taste of fall weather while having appetizers, entrees and desserts from local eateries during the Taste of Colorado, Sept. 2-5. The Civic Center Park event even adds a side of music. Information: 303-295-6330.
3 Your family will still fall for Star Trek at 50. Episodes of original series play at Sie FilmCenter Sept. 8, 7 and 10 p.m. Information: 720-381-0813.
3 Thinking of renovating and remodeling this fall? The Colorado Fall Home Show is at the Convention Center Sept. 9-11 Information: 303-932-8100.
3 Cozy up for Colorado Symphony’s Rocky Mountain High John Denver concert at Boettcher Hall, Sept. 10, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.
3 Blast into the season of awe feasting on tasty barbecue during the Swine Emporium grand opening Sept. 24, noon until midnight. This new kitchen in the Bar Car is featuring a slider trio special. Information: 720-524-8099.
3 Get fit as a fiddle this fall. The changing season is the perfect time to get into the best shape ever. Expert coaching and advanced technology at KoKo FitClub obtains life-changing results. Information: 303-872-8380.
3 Even if every leaf isn’t a fall flower, the Dahlia Show at Paulino Gardens will brighten up the season Sept. 10-11. Information: 303-429-8062.
3 The fall art scene turns to decorated masks this month. See 500 displayed in the Cherry Creek Mall, Sept. 12-Oct. 9. Information: 303-321-2828.
3 Hear, see and experience the latest in high-end, high fidelity audio equipment during this fall’s Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, Oct. 7-9. Returning to the Denver Marriott Tech Center, it is the biggest consumer fair for audio and home entertainment in North America. Attendees will enjoy eight floors and more than 170 exhibit rooms. There’s dozens of seminars plus live entertainment. Information: 303-393-7918.
Whether it’s a song about the summer coming to an end, the sun making way for rain and snow, or the classic sight of autumn leaves, we bet you’re gonna fall for fall. This month’s real cool front is likely days or weeks away. Simmer down; fall doesn’t have to be a depressing time to work and study. So welcome y’all into fall’s beauty.
To enjoy the season you just have to layer up, embrace the change in the air, and listen to some music that suits the mood of the season. Time to turn over a new leaf!
Baseball season has hit the home stretch, while football season is just warming up. Jewelers aren’t the only place to see gold in autumn; visit our parks. The Old Farmer’s Almanac offered the best advice for fall. In 1993 they wrote: “Of autumn’s wine, now drink your fill; the frost’s on the pumpkin, and the snow’s on the hill.”
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Mark Smiley | Aug 29, 2016 | Feature Story Middle Left
by Shideh Kerman, AFC Urgent Care Denver, B.Eng., MBA
As I rode the bus to Akyem, a small village in Ghana, I wondered what I could expect in this new place. I found myself embarking on a new journey after an inspiring discussion with a doctor who had been on one of the medical trips to Africa. I was sold — it sounded like the perfect opportunity for me to help a group of medical professionals set up clinics in rural villages.
We selected Ghana as our destination because of the low access of population to hospitals and medical facilities in the villages. The quality of healthcare varies across Ghana, with the smaller communities experiencing the most difficulty in obtaining quality service. Patients in villages either rely on traditional medicine or travel great distances for more comprehensive healthcare. The formerly operated system of health, known as “Cash and Carry,” led to countless deaths, as many lacked money to pay for their healthcare needs. Under that system, the health need of an individual was only attended to after payment, even in emergency cases. With a third of Ghanaians living on less than a dollar a day, healthcare is out of reach for many.
Despite these challenges, the Ghanaians I met were incredibly kind, and quick to offer any type of help. Upon my return, I felt rejuvenated, and I wondered — why do I feel so good? While the mental health benefits of volunteering have long been understood, there is research that suggests the advantages are more extensive than one may even imagine. Here are just a few of the many benefits of volunteering:
- Improve Your Health And Live Longer
Studies show that when people think about helping others, they activate a part of the brain called the mesolimbic pathway, which is responsible for feelings of gratification. Helping others doles out happiness chemicals, including dopamine and endorphins that block pain signals and oxytocin. Beside the mental benefits, Volunteering can have huge health benefits, including a reduced chance of heart disease, lessening of chronic pain, and even a longer life. Carnegie Mellon University published a report indicating that adults, aged 51 to 91, who reported at least 200 hours of volunteer work in the last year were 40% less likely to develop high blood pressure than those who did not volunteer. The health benefits of volunteering seem to only be extended to those who devote a “considerable” amount of time — about two hours per week. Older adults seem to benefit the most, possibly due to poorer health associated with aging, but people of all ages can benefit physically from the art of giving.
- Become A Leader In Your Field
When I traveled to Ghana I didn’t know how I could be of help. My experience is mostly building clinics and improving operations in high patient volume medical clinics. And that is exactly what I did in Ghana, with the difference that I had only hours to set up clinics and had to improve operations to accommodate up to 400 patients daily. It was not easy but definitely helped me with my lead
ership skills.
Leadership skills can certainly be cultivated in students, but costly university programs can fall short in attempts to teach this skill. International Corporate Volunteerism (ICV) is a relatively new approach that provides development opportunities abroad for top talent within the corporate realm. This type of learning provides employees with direct exposure to adapting and problem solving in a new environment. Lessons like these can’t be taught in a classroom. A recent George Washington University study found that ICV programs are more effective at leadership development, both in cost and the diversity of learning, than elite, academic programs. And according to Josh Bersin, an expert on talent development, fostering employees who are successfully able to lead is the most critical indicator of a corporation’s future performance.
- Career Opportunities Await
If you are searching for a job, or are in a transition to switch to a new job, why not be proactive and join a non-profit organization instead of just waiting for the unknown. Volunteer experience has long been an afterthought in career portfolios. However, this has been changing, as more nonprofit organizations try to utilize skilled volunteers and more employers consider volunteer work when evaluating job candidates. An article in The New York Times explains that volunteering is recently becoming more important for highly skilled professionals. For example, LinkedIn, a professional networking site, responded to overwhelming feedback by adding a field for members to list their volunteer work. A survey found that 41% of employers said they consider volunteer work as important as paid work, and 20% said they made a hiring decision based on volunteer work.
- People Who Volunteer Are Happier
“Volunteering moves people into the present and distracts the mind from the stresses and problems of the self,” said Stephen G. Post, founding director of the Center for Medical Humanities in New York. Volunteering activates “happiness chemicals” that help block pain signals and relieve stress. Furthermore, while somewhat counterintuitive, plenty of research indicates giving back can be beneficial to those who suffer from acute or even chronic depression, helping individuals to gain perspective on their life and reduce stress.
How Do I Begin?
Thousands of well-meaning people around the globe yearn to donate or get involved in some way, but are unsure of the best way to give back. Most of us lack knowledge of the real issues within our community or around the world. Volunteering, rather than donating, can sometimes give more tangible results that may ultima
tely be more satisfying.
Start by doing research on your chosen charity before committing your skills and time. No matter your values, skills, age, or background, Africa and many other third world countries have opportunities for you to make a difference. However, do not discount opportunities to volunteer within your local community. No matter where you choose to give back, it is truly a win-win for all involved. Volunteering is good for the soul, and is in many ways, an expression of appreciation for life itself.
by Mark Smiley | Aug 29, 2016 | Feature Story Bottom Left
As I get older more mature I am finding different things becoming important to me when dating than I did say 10 years ago. Let me explain… When I was a young, optimistic, single guy I wanted the moon, the stars and the sun when I was prospecting single ladies. Everything was based on wants. I want a woman who is smoking hot with a great body. I want a gal who is sharp as a tack and can handle herself in social situations. I want a lady who has no kids and has never been married. I want to find a chick that is happy and healthy within her. I want a babe who is baggage free and only has eyes for me. Heck I even wanted a girl that had stacks of cash. I think you get the point. I wanted the world in a woman and when it became apparent to me that she deviated away from my grand vision I would label her as “not right for me” and move on to the next.
Then I lived some life. It’s not that my standards have dropped, they have just changed. Sure the qualities I was looking for as a young dater would be nice to find today in one perfect woman who is crazy about me, but like I said, I now have some life experience behind me and that is just not reasonable. Back then the importance was WANT and now the emphasis is on what I DON’T WANT. Sometimes in life making sure that you understand what is toxic for your constitution is much more important than searching for someone who fits a certain idea in your mind.
Now when I date I put my shallow “wants” on the back burner and focus on the “don’t wants.” Here’s an example. I don’t want someone who constantly has a problem and if she doesn’t have one she is sure to manifest one. I don’t want a woman who is an attention whore more concerned with making sure every man finds her attractive instead of feeling good just knowing that I think she’s beautiful. I don’t want a gal who is always broke financially and can’t take care of herself. I don’t want a chick that has issues with being content with who she is. I don’t want a chick who thinks getting the perfect selfie is more important that striving to be the best self she can be. I could go on, and I will… I don’t want a babe, just kidding, I am done. You get what I am laying out here.
Again, I love all of the “wants” that I listed earlier and I am very open to having all of those qualities in a woman but those wants don’t cloud my brain anymore making it possible for the “don’t wants” to sneak into my life. I wish you would try this. Some people call it settling but I call it growing up and being aware. Being aware that how you are perceived by the Jones’ is less important than finding what makes you happy, healthy and prosperous.
What sounds better to you? A woman who turns every head in the room and is a flight risk, or a lady who turns your head because you know she’s loving and loyal? I’m not going to lie, and guys you know this, men want to have the most attractive chick in the room. We are just wired that way. There is nothing wrong with that but more times than not that visually pleasing, delicious looking, jaw dropping chick has more issues than Time magazine. Problems you don’t need.
Instead of judging a book by the cover and being the pot that calls the kettle black, try reading the books that will inspire you and you just might find that black kettle is just like you. Imperfectly, perfect.
See you next month!
Your pal, Sheik.
by Mark Smiley | Aug 29, 2016 | Editorials
The Denver City Attorney’s Office is an enormous operation employing over 100 attorneys and hundreds of paralegals and staff personnel. It not only advises the Mayor and all City Department agencies as well as the City Council but also the City Auditor. It also represents and defends the City in all legal matters including initiating and defending lawsuits.
In recent years the job of City Attorney, which is considered a great political plum, has attracted the good, the bad and the ugly. Cole Finegan broke the record for hutzpah in office by claiming that the City Attorney position was not really a full-time job and so he became City Attorney and Chief of Staff simultaneously for then Mayor John Hickenlooper. His successor Larry Manzanares committed suicide after being charged with stealing a government computer and putting pornography on it.
In 2014 Mayor Hancock appointed 34-year-old Scott Martinez to the position. We noted that he had little or no qualifications for the job and the people who knew him called him a “legal lightweight” and “a political hack.” His appointment was apparently due to political pressure put on the Mayor by the Colorado Latino Forum which claimed, probably validly, that Hancock had appointed very few Hispanics to important positions in his administration.
For pointing out Martinez’s lack of qualifications we received a scalding, if not unintentionally hilarious letter, from the Board of Directors of the Colorado Latino Forum Denver Chapter accusing the Chronicle of all types of political incorrectness including racism, ageism and anti-nativism.
Since our story wherein we criticized Mr. Martinez concerned Hentzell Park, the Board of the Colorado Latino Forum Denver Chapter for good measure also severely castigated those individuals and neighborhood groups opposing the park being traded away for development. The Board specifically excoriated the everyday citizens for failing “to ask permission of those tribes that have historical claim to the land, the C
heyenne and Arapaho Nations, and explain how their homeland will be used for the good of the people.” Ostensibly any person challenging any land use decision or rezoning in the City and County Denver would be subject to the same criticism. Wow, as if opposing the entire city bureaucracy and the all-powerful real estate developers isn’t bad enough.
The Board then went on to declare that they were standing up for Mr. Martinez and others like him who they knew have “earned their leadership positions” and that they would take their “rightful places in history.” The Board extensively publicized its letter throughout the Internet.
Well Mr. Martinez has taken his “rightful place in history” after being forced to resign in disgrace after two and half disastrous years as City Attorney. He is under criminal investigation by the District Attorney for destroying his letter terminating Assistant City Attorney Stuart Shapiro that was being sought by investigative reporter Brian Maass of Channel 4 News pursuant to a Colorado Open Records Act request.
Related thereto the Denver City Council has just approved paying Mr. Shapiro a $660,000 settlement of claims that he was “scapegoated by higher ups” (read Scott Martinez and his deputies) regarding his suspension for his apparent unethical actions during the investigation of the Sheriff’s Deputies abuse of Jamal Hunter, who the city paid $3.25 million. No one appears to doubt that Shapiro engaged in unethical conduct as highlighted by Federal Judge John Kane, but instead it appears he did so so on the instructions of Scott Martinez and his deputies.
Why that entitles Shapiro to $660,000 of the taxpayers’ money is a little unclear, but as the headline to the lead Denver Post editorial declared, “Something stinks about Denver’s Shapiro settlement.” Thanks to an obsequious and secretive Denver City Council we will, in fact, probably never find out what really happened.
We, along with neighborhood groups like Friends of Hentzell Park, are anxiously awaiting the heartfelt apology to us from the entire Board of the Colorado Latino Forum Denver Chapter acknowledging that we were correct and they were wrong about Mr. Martinez’s fitness to be City Attorney, but somehow we get the feeling it will never come.
So out with the incompetent and apparently ethically challenged City Attorney Scott Martinez and in with the new one Kristin M. Bronson from the national law firm Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie, LLP. She too is a virtually unknown and by all appearances is not much more than a mediocre attorney stuck in a huge firm with little or no qualifications for municipal legal work, but her predecessor had a similar background.
How did our esteemed mayor find her? That is easy — he didn’t. She was found by Pat Hamill and/or his real estate development buddies who knew her from the fact that a significant part of her legal work, according to her law firm’s website, was representing “lender, developer and property management clients in all facets of real estate, construction, and banking law.” No reason for the mayor to kowtow to the Colorado Latino Forum any longer when the real estate developers can have their gal put in place who will undoubtedly “do as instructed.”
Will she be as inept, incompetent and ethically challenged as Scott Martinez? We doubt it, but that is a very low bar to hurdle. Will she represent the interests and concerns of the citizens of the City and County of Denver? You have got to be kidding. She knows who got her appointed — real estate developers — and that is who will give the necessary marching orders.
So, the beat goes on in Mayor Michael Hancock’s Mile High City.
— Editorial Board
