Latest Leetsdale Development Is Flashback To Turf Battles Of Old

by Mark Smiley | Oct 24, 2014 | Main Articles

by Glen Richardson

For families living in the Virginia Vale and Hilltop neighborhoods it’s a nightmarish flashback to a development scheme that dates back more than 50 years. It involves a three-acre plot of land along Leetsdale Drive directly across the street from George Washington High School where developer Paul Naftel of Emerald Properties LLC is now proposing a Jimmy John’s be built where years earlier he proposed a McDonald’s.

Saga of the disputed property goes back to the 1950s when development of the southeast Denver neighborhood was just beginning. Back then neighbors say many Denver high schools had small parks across the street — a legacy of Mayor Robert Speer’s City Beautiful campaign — and it was speculated then that the property was intended as a park.

In the 1950s Denver Public Schools founded KRMA as an educational TV station. By 1987 the station and the school district ended their affiliation and as part of that transaction the three acres along Leetsdale was given to the station. Almost immediately the station wound up in a dispute with the local neighborhoods when it won approval for rezoning, and the developer proposed a McDonald’s on the site.

Deal Stopped Earlier

Ironically back then angry residents in Virginia Vale, led by President Deb Ward, blocked the development. Paradoxically, a realtor named Paul Aceto, who now purports he is President of the Virginia Vale Community Assn., signed off with the Planning Board on the latest plan. Aceto posted a small sign at McMeen Elementary School six days prior to scheduling a meeting and used a five-year-old email database to send announcements. He hasn’t, however, provided minutes or attendance information. Aceto says the previous Virginia Vale board and the current vice president extended the presidency of the neighborhood group to him in 2008. Nevertheless, several alarmed Virginia Vale residents testified against the plan at a hearing before the Planning Board in the Webb Municipal Bldg. on Sept. 3.

“I am disgusted by the lack of notice to anyone in our neighborhood regarding this re-zoning. I only became aware of it when I happened to see the small notice posted two weeks ago. No one on our own or adjacent streets were previously notified,” Holly Brooks told City Planners. “Seven years ago many of us and our neighbors spent nearly a year in meeting rooms crowded to standing room only to reach a compromise with the same developer on use, lighting, landscaping and barriers protective of our neighborhood,” she recalled. “The developer’s latest proposal is everything we fought against last time, fast-food,” she angrily retorted.

Aceto told the Chronicle at press time that “in lieu of the potentially serious consequences now apparent, the Virginia Vale Community Association is taking a different position on the development and sending a letter to Kyle Dalton at the Planning Board revealing the group is altering its support.” At the Oct. 15 City Council Meeting, however, Senior Planner Kyle Dalton told Council members and attendees that the VVCA by no means rescinded their approval. Rather, that he received a letter that said some of the people in our neighborhood had surfaced opposing the plan.

Ward Speaks Up

Former President Ward, who still lives in Virginia Vale but is no longer affiliated with the Community Association, tells the Chronicle that when Naftel originally tried to develop the triangular Leetsdale property, “we refused to allow a mixed use zone, only allowing a very specific PUD, which is why he is having to jump through hoops once again.” She recalls that Naftel’s spokesperson made it sound as if the community association was accepting rezoning at that time. “We most definitely were not,” she declares.

The spunky Ward also says, “I would think that it would benefit all neighborhoods with these little odd bits of open land to not allow mixed usages, but stick with PUDs so that neighborhoods can maintain some control of what they will accept. Once a mixed use is allowed — especially the broader zones — I believe neighborhoods lose control for good,” she warns.

The latest redevelopment plan also caught the attention of Reuben Drebenstedt, President of the South Hilltop Neighborhood Assn. Because of interest and concerns by Hilltop neighbors regarding the proposed zoning and development plans for the property he scheduled a meeting on Oct. 13 to discuss the proposal with the owner-developer and his architect.

Traffic Concerns

Drebenstedt expressed neighborhood concerns about high traffic on and off of Exposition and into adjacent neighborhoods. “School kids crossing Leetsdale through traffic, not using crosswalks; it will be a danger to them and autos,” he said. Drebenstedt also suggested too many businesses are being located on the small plot. A total of four spaces — the largest being 2,400 sq. ft. — are proposed on the property. Several attendees at the Hilltop meeting also articulated concerns that there would be a sharp increase of parked cars on Exposition plus increased loitering. At the South Hilltop meeting developer Naftel indicated a willingness to consider the options being suggested at the meeting. Nevertheless his architect Michael Rudd, who also attended the meeting, expressed doubt the City would give approval.

Given that the current Mayor and city staff generally support developments rather than parks, it’s not surprising that the Planning Board staff recommended approval (only changing the PUD from 584 to PUD-G 10). Senior City Planner Kyle A. Dalton wrote, “The land or its surrounding environs has changed or is changing to such a degree that it is in the public interest to encourage a redevelopment of the area or to recognize the changed character of the area.”

Changes identified in the surrounding area by the developer’s application include the redevelopment of Lowry, suggesting it created an increased demand for neighborhood commercial service uses, such as retail and restaurant. “Since the time of the previous PUD adoption, a mini-storage facility has been built, development trends have changed, and a new zoning code has been adopted,” the application states. Virginia Vale resident John Sturtz notes that despite Planner Dalton’s support of the developer’s argument that business in Lowry is reflective of the Leetsdale project, “it is blocks away and doesn’t reflect either this community, the environment around George Washington High School or our traffic issues.”

The Denver City Council is tentatively scheduled to vote on the proposed development November 17.

Upscale Cherry Creek Retail In Turmoil

by Mark Smiley | Oct 24, 2014 | Main Articles

Merchants Suffer From Construction, Traffic And Parking Woes;

Will There Be Healing During The Holidays?

by Phil Kummer

Delirious development plus the University-Josephine storm sewer system and street project through Cherry Creek are aimed at creating a rebirth of this upscale area. Yet after suffering through nearly a year of parking and traffic turmoil plus shopping setbacks there are a few signs of healing as the holiday season draws near.

Furthermore, the half-built building boom has businesses seeing mounting monetary scars while some have abandoned the area altogether. “Often it has been easier to spot cranes soaring overhead than shoppers on the streets and in stores,” said Beth Saper of Little Feet, the family-owned footwear fashions store for kids located in The Plaza at Cherry Creek on the west side of University Blvd. Many local businesses have been impacted and the rippling effect goes beyond the area bounded by 1st and 3rd Avenues and University to Steele Streets or the Cherry Creek Shopping Center.

Hayley Morris, store manager of Ten Thousand Villages — a national non-profit that promotes artisans from around the world — says that construction has impacted sales. “Foot traffic, which is critical to the store, is down 25 percent compared to before construction,” she reveals. Due to the resulting loss of business the store, located on 3rd Ave. next to the 250 Columbine construction project, has increased store hours is are now open on Sunday. They also organized a fundraiser — Art for Artisans — to recoup some of the lost revenue from previous months. Hayley is hopeful nonetheless that during November and December customers will return for the holiday shopping.

Busting Business

The Cherry Creek Whole Foods store sandwiched between the University-Josephine projects began feeling the effects last February. Due to a dramatic revenue drop, 50 employees were transferred to other stores or in some cases chose to leave the company. Sharon Wilkinson, the store’s Greater Denver Area Marketing Team Leader, gives the Cherry Creek North Business Improvement District high marks for setting up meetings with the city and in particular with Mayor Michael Hancock at the beginning of the infrastructure project. Those meetings resulted in certain noise restrictions being lifted to allow for a quicker construction pace. Even so, the length of the project and the decline in sales has been tough on Whole Foods.

The ongoing construction has not only had an impact on businesses within Cherry Creek North and at the Shopping Center, but extends to small businesses along 6th Ave. Arv Singh, owner of the 7-Eleven convenience store at 6th Ave. and Columbine, has noticed a drop of perhaps 22 percent in revenue. Singh is making every effort to retain his nine employees. “We’re giving supplementary employee training plus doubling our marketing effort to realize the most business from each customer visit.” He nonetheless thinks about how the City might have been of more help to the small business owner, possibly with bridge loans or a tax forgiveness program.

Mathnasium, a math tutoring business also located on 6th Ave., has seen revenues shrink more than 20 percent in the past few months. Owner Bernard Doughit echoes Arv Singh, speculating that the city could have reached out to small businesses that don’t have the resources of large corporations.

Happy Holidays?

Since the 1950s the intersection of First Ave. and University Blvd. has been the foremost roadway into this premier shopping district. The biggest roadway closure ever attempted by the City shut down the intersection for 60 hours from Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. until reopening on Sept. 23 at 7 a.m. The closure brought business in the district to a screeching halt and created colossal traffic jams. Little Feet’s Beth Saper said the mayor and City held a meeting with storeowners prior to the shutdown promising a marketing plan. However, she quickly adds, “There was never any follow-through whatsoever.”

The closure, approved by Mayor Hancock, was an attempt to accelerate the paving of the intersection and move up the overall project reconstruct by 24 days. Furthermore the Public Works’ University-Josephine storm sewer project jumped ahead of schedule by three weeks, “We’ve definitely seen increased traffic to our store since the partial reopening of the roadway in October,” Saper reports. The goal of the shutdown was to allow an early start to Cherry Creek’s holiday shopping season. In late October area businesses were still holding their breath, hoping the project will be completed by the projected completion date of Nov. 1.

Even if the First Ave. and University project is fully completed in time to save Christmas, neither businesses nor shoppers can look in their rearview mirrors. Fact is the hefty rebuild of Cherry Creek North has only just begun. By the time the block-long 250 Columbine project is finished next year, across the street the seven-story, 150 room luxury hotel at 245 Columbine will just be getting underway.

Makeover Madness

The intersection of First Ave. and Steele St. is going through an equally implausible makeover. On the same corner as the 1st and Steele Apartments, there are two other major projects currently under construction: 12-story apartment building, the Steele Creek Apartments, and an 8-story office building, 100 Saint Paul. That’s 149,000 square feet of new office space and 435 residential units being added to just one intersection. Ground has just recently been broken for the Steele Creek Apartments.

Finally, mid-next year when the work is completed in front of the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, the gateway to Cherry Creek North — Clayton Lane — may again endure redevelopment. As reported by the Chronicle last month, the owner of 7.7 acres of the development site is considering redevelopment options and hired the original architect — David Tryba — to consider development options. The project is generally between East 1st and 2nd Avenues, Detroit and Josephine St.

What is impressive about Cherry Creek small businesses that have so far survived is their determination to reach out to customers in creative ways and to not give up even when the cards seem stacked against them. So when stuck in traffic or you can’t find a parking space and are ready to scream, remember that retailers in the area are feeling the pain even more. These merchants have nowhere to turn and are doing everything they can with hopes of eventually enjoying the improvements that are causing their distress.

What the future holds for Cherry Creek retailers is a matter of debate. Some store owners are hoping that the significant number of upscale apartment buildings and other new developments will result in a large client base to shop and eat in Cherry Creek. Others fear that the lack of any traffic planning or improvements coupled with a minimum number of parking spaces required by the city for the new developments will destroy the area as a retail destination for those who do not live or work in Cherry Creek.

For many of the smaller retailers they are just hoping a successful Christmas season will allow them to survive after a year of constant challenges caused them by the city and by what they view as a chaotic and haphazard planning and development process for the area.