University Hills Neighborhood Association

PO Box 102771

Denver, CO  80222

www.UHNA.com

E-mail: deb@webdeb.com

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To:       Mr. Walter A. “Buz” Koelbel, Koelbel and Company

            Ms. Peggy Lehmann, Councilwoman, Denver City Council, 4^th District

Mr. George Thorn, Mile High Development

 

Cc:       Mr. Joel Pousson, Plans Review, Denver Planning Board

Ms. Caryn Wenzara, Community Planning & Development, City and County of Denver

 

 

UHNA Position Statement Regarding the Proposed Development at Yale Circle & I-25 (Yale Station)

 

Introduction:

 

The University Hills Neighborhood Association (UHNA), with its 250 plus members, is a reflection of its diverse 2500 plus household population.  The association’s boundaries are defined as Colorado Boulevard on the West, Evans Avenue on the North, Hampden Avenue on the South, and I-25 roughly to the East.   It is a family oriented, middle class mix of residents ranging from young families with infants up to senior “original homeowners” who settled here in the 1950’s.  Its diversity is matched by its openness; an openness to new ideas and approaches to urban dwelling strongly anchored in solid middle class values.  Foremost among those values is the desire to preserve our neighborhood as a nice and safe place to live.  We are committed to improve its “quality of life” whenever possible.

 

The UHNA is responding with this Position Statement in regards to the Yale Circle and I-25 development proposal by Mile High Development on the behalf of Koelbel and Company.  We appreciate the intention of Koelbel and Company, as well as the Koelbel family to be a “good neighbor” to our community.  The UHNA is grateful for their desire to work with us to achieve a mutually acceptable use for this property.  However, the UHNA believes their current proposal will amplify current traffic congestion and parking problems caused by the robust Light Rail Yale Station usage.  It would also increase safety issues for pedestrians and bicyclists. 

 

While the aesthetics of the proposal are attractive to some households in the neighborhood, the scope of a six story, high-density, retail/mixed-use, multi-family dwelling of roughly fifty units has been met with disdain by most.  According to the Rocky Mountain News, other proposed density increases, i.e., South Park Hill and West Washington Park are also being met with strong resistance: “Multiple-unit redevelopment is incompatible with this mostly single-family neighborhood.”

 

Proposed Development at Yale Circle & I-25 (Koelbel Family & Mile High Development):

 

The merits of this development proposal provided by Mile High Development for the lot located at Yale Circle and I-25 have been carefully considered by the UHNA.  We have sought to allow all interested residents an opportunity to voice their opinions and share their views regarding this proposal.  Moreover, we have surveyed the UHNA membership and have used its results to form our position regarding this specific development proposal.  Interest in this topic was so strong that almost two-thirds of the membership responded (65% or 147 members out of 227 completed surveys).  Please see Appendix B.

 

This topic was addressed despite significant concurrent distractions: the DNC convention, Labor Day weekend, and “back to school” week.  Furthermore, many residents took time to provide feedback on the UHNA website in addition to writing Councilwoman Lehmann’s office to voice concerns with the development as proposed. 

 

UHNA Membership Survey Results:

 

The response was overwhelmingly not in support of the current project as proposed because of the voiced pragmatic concerns of:

 

_•     Parking issues

_•     High traffic congestion

_•     High-density issues

_•     Pedestrian/cyclist safety concerns

_•     Negative affect of property values.

 

Intangibly, the general benefit & “quality of life” issues, as well as density and aesthetics criteria, approximately 65 to 75 percent responded against this project.  Opposition to the proposal grew to 80 to 90 percent on issues regarding safety.  Please see Appendix A. 

 

To the vast majority, a 75,000 square foot, six story building shoehorned onto a 17,000 square foot lot is viewed as, “Offensive.”  The proposed structure is being viewed as, “Too much building on too small of a lot.”  As proposed, the neighborhood does not believe the project represents the “highest and best” usage for them.  The neighborhood would support owner occupied housing long before supporting rental units.  “Affordable housing” units are a concern. 

 

More parking for Light Rail users was requested by 65% (141 of 218) of those who provided comments.  The 129 spaces provided by RTD at the Yale Station have proven to be entirely inadequate; nearby residents are forced to endure the spill-over parking problems on a daily basis.  With the current conditions, a density increase will only exacerbate the traffic congestion and parking problems.  The common voiced concern of, “Why add more congestion to a high traffic corridor and particularly at the Yale & I-25 ‘bottleneck’?  People won’t abandon their cars, even if they commute on/or use Light Rail?”

 

From a practical position, fifty residential units likely means one hundred or so residents and twice that when potential visitors are factored.  Worst case, this equates to two hundred vehicles on or around one-third of an acre.  This will only intensify an existing parking problem. 

 

Traffic congestion, parking problems and redevelopment already challenge this neighborhood.  It is bounded by some of the highest traffic corridors in the city: Hampden Avenue, Colorado Boulevard, Evans Avenue and I-25.  The Yale Avenue / I-25 location is a severe “bottleneck” in this corridor.  The UHNA seeks to resolve congestion problems, not contribute to them. 

 

We believe that a high-density, retail/multi-family unit development at this specific Yale Avenue site along the Light Rail corridor would create more problems than it solves.  It would aggravate existing problems and possesses a great potential to provoke new ones. 

 

Conclusion:

 

As mentioned, the University Hills neighborhood is not unique in opposing proposed density increases.  Similar neighborhood opposition has occurred in Southmoor East (at Hampden & I-25), West Washington Park, South Park Hill, Lowry’s periphery & interior, plus University Park’s Buchtel & University site.  Regionally, resistance to density increases is also being experienced in Arvada and Golden.

 

We respect the Koelbel’s right to pursue the “highest and best” use for their property.  We request that they be mindful of this neighborhood’s wishes, as well as eliminate the, “Affordable Housing,” portion of this proposal.  It represents an unwelcome, high-density intrusion into this low-density neighborhood. 

 

We are also aware of the approved $1 million addition/renovation of the Grace United Methodist Church located at 4905 East Yale Avenue, as well as Wally Hultin's Townhomes at Yale Station project on Yale Circle, located on a 43,700-square-foot vacant lot immediately adjacent to the Grace United Methodist Church to be developed once Mr. Hultin has pre-sold enough units.  These twenty-four townhomes will each include a one- or two-car garage, with limited parking for guests.  These additional two projects can and will only add to the short-term and long-term quagmire of traffic, parking, and congestion issues.  The inclusion of the current Koelbel project will severely compound and escalate these issues beyond an acceptable, bearable, or tolerable limit.

 

Respectfully, we request they consider alternatives for this site.  Light Rail parking, retail space friendly to Light Rail users and residents alike (sans high-density, multi-family dwellings), scaled down retail with office space, owner occupied senior living facilities, or even another gas station might be welcomed.  A pedestrian/cyclist bridge crossing Yale should be seriously considered.  Regardless, we believe that traffic-calming measures will be needed to improve vehicular, pedestrian and cyclist safety.  (Please see Appendix A.)  

 

 

 

 

 

 

In reviewing a request for rezoning to RMU-30 from B-2, we respectfully remind city council of its first loyalty: to their existing constituency - the current residents of this community, whom seek to preserve this neighborhood’s integrity and quality of life it sustains.  We trust future and prospective residents will follow this position as well.  Individuals and families in this community selected the University Hills neighborhood for its low-density appeal and mostly single-family character.  Help us preserve this special characteristic.  The current high-density proposal is not respectful of the community or its citizens. 

 

Thank you for your time and consideration.

 

Sincerely, and on the behalf of the UHNA BOD and opinions of the UHNA community,

 

 

 

Randy S. Marcove

President

University Hills Neighborhood Association

 

 

P.S. – An Op-Ed piece written by Randal O’Toole and printed in the Monday, September 8, 2008 Rocky Mountain News in Speakout, entitled “Cancel FasTracks” captures much of the essence of the growing “ground swell” of resistance toward high-density proposals along the Light Rail Corridor and in many other established neighborhoods throughout Denver.  He moved to conclude his piece with –

 

            “The other support for FasTracks comes from those who want to socially engineer Colorado life-styles.  They use light rail as an excuse to build tax-subsidized high-density housing projects on properties taken from their owners by eminent domain near planned rail stations.  Yet few Americans aspire to live in such dense housing, and such compact development makes little sense in a state that is 97 percent rural open space!”

 

Denver voters might have thought twice before supporting FasTracks if they had realized the costs would entail both higher taxes and increased density in their neighborhoods.  FasTracks and increased density should be considered as mutually exclusive.