AUGUST 8, 2020 INC DELEGATE MEETING MINUTES
Pending Approval

Welcome

• Loretta Koehler, INC President, called meeting to order at 9:05AM
• 49 (9:16 AM) Delegates in attendance on ZOOM
• Board members Present: Loretta Koehler, Blair Taylor, Maggie Price, Hank Bootz, Jane Potts., Emmett Hobley

No Motion to approve July 18th Minutes

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Parks & Recreation Committee – Maggie Price, Chair
Thursday, June 21^st meeting – Topics on Parkways and Boulevards and what role Department of Infrastructure plays. Riler LaMie, DOTI City Planner and Mark Tabor Principal Park Planner presented.

Questions that were suggested as topics were:

1. How are decisions made and what is the process when there is a potential change to be made to the parkway or Blvd?
2. What are the common issues that affect parkways and Blvd. from DOTI’s perspective?
3. In what way does DOTI view parkways and Blvd. as assets and impediments to traffic?
4. What department is responsible for maintaining medians and dividers on parkways, Blvds and streets?
5. Are there plans to create more parkways and Blvds to connect neighborhoods to parks and destinations?
6. Colorado Blvd and Federal Blvd are two major streets that have not seen the benefits of being boulevards or be designated, is there a plan to address this disparity?
7. How is the budget allocated to address the streets, parkways and Blvds.?

Transportation Committee – Joel Nobel, Chair
Thursday, August 13^th meeting – Topics on Lower Vehicle Speeds, Street Design Guidelines, and Legislative Updates were included.

1. 20 is Plenty – Jill Locantore, Executive Director of Denver Streets Partnership
   The Denver Streets Partnership has started distributing yard signs calling for a new default speed limit of 20 miles per hour for Denver streets. This is is consistent with our INC Transportation Platform, which calls for revising speed limits based on best practices from other cities, and specifically lowering speeds on local residential streets. Jill will share the specifics of DSP’s request, how would it work, and how it would lead to changing the speeds people actually drive in and through neighborhoods.
2. State Legislative Update – Piep van Heuven, Director of Government Relations, Bicycle Colorado Each session there are several pieces of legislation that can affect the safety of the streets in Denver and around Colorado. Piep van Heuven, a regular at our INC Transportation Committee meetings, will give us a brief update on key transportation legislation in the last session including Bicycle Colorado’s 2020 legislative efforts, and what to look forward to next session.
3. Denver’s New Complete Streets Guidelines – Riley LaMie, Denver DOTI Senior City Planner
   Denver has released a public review draft of its entirely-new Complete Streets Design Guidelines, so the timing is perfect for us to hear from Riley LaMie, a core member of the team developing these guidelines. INC and its member neighborhoods have called for new design standards that build in safety and comfort for everyone, no matter how you get around the city. We’ll explore how these draft guidelines, when translated next into engineering standards, can move us towards the goals in our Transportation Platform.
4. Reimagine RTD – Bill Sirois, RTD Senior Manager & Julie Skeen, Reimagine RTD Project Team Reimagine RTD provides an objective, data-driven process to engage our customers, regional partners, employees and community members in a discussion about how to address RTD’s current challenges, and to determine RTD’s role in meeting the long-term mobility needs of our region. The two main elements of the Reimagine planning effort are: Developing a near-term “System Optimization Plan” and creating a longer-term visionary “Mobility Plan for the Future”. Bill last joined us for a briefing on RTD’s current financial situation, and this topic will now orient us to the future of our regional transit agency and the goals behind the alternatives that are starting to take shape.

INC Climate & Sustainability committee – Jane Potts, Co-Chair

Jane Potts, INC Board Member-at-Large representing Rosedale Harvard Gulch and Parry Burnap of Platte Park are bringing back the committee Ernie Dietrich started two years ago on Climate Control.  Ernie is not able to continue with the committee at this time so Parry and Jane agreed to co-chair this renamed INC Climate & Sustainability committee. Parry has been very involved with the Denver Climate Action Committee and the Sustainable Neighborhood Program, so will bring lots of background to the issues.

CLIMATE ACTION DENVER will be on the November 3 ballot. It will ask voters to approve a 0.25% sales tax that will be allocated to many programs that address community needs.  The details are on City of Denver website.

How you can get involved.

1)     We are seeking members for the INC Climate and Sustainability Committee.  If you are interested please email membrship@denverinc.org.

2)    Our first meeting with be via Zoom on September 9 at 10am.

3)    We have a presentation to present to RNO’s at monthly meetings.  Goal is to get onto RNO agendas to make a 15 minute presentation followed by 15 minute Q&A.  If interested, please send the date and time of your meeting and the contact person to get this presentation on your agenda.  Email Jane Potts at membership@denverinc.org

Zoning and Planning Committee – Christine O’Connor, Co-Chair

Saturday, July 25^th meeting – Topics included DUs in Chaffee Park, Problem property enforcement in Athmar and Valverde, NIS and Group Living, Tiny Homes, GLAC resolution,

At the July 25, 2020 ZAP meeting, a presentation on Councilwoman Sandoval’s text amendment for Accessory Dwelling Units for Chaffee Parks was made, followed by further discussion of the Group Living Amendments.  During that discussion, a new resolution was approved that will advance to the full delegate meeting August 15, 2020. It calls for additional time to allow our elected City Council Members to educate residents within their districts, discuss these major changes to our Zoning Code, and work out a compromise among Council members. This resolution is in addition to the resolution approved by delegates on July 18th.

The Denver INC website has resolutions and links to the videos from the meetings, as well as video and original bringing forth of the first resolution at the June 27, 2020 ZAP meeting which included discussion with Neighborhood Inspection Services about enforcement issues that have been raised by residents. 

Resolution Approved by ZAP on July 27^th

Resolved, that additional time should be given (with timing taking into account how the pandemic is affecting residents of Denver) for further consideration of the proposal in order to allow council members to make sure that their constituents are educated on the proposal and its implementation/effect, including specific outreach to communities of color;

Further Resolved that this process should seek to incorporate compromised language offered to address constituent concerns;

Further Resolved, that provisions of the proposal should be unbundled to allow full consideration of each material aspect of the proposal and, when outreach and compromise is achieved to the satisfaction of council members, such portion should be adopted separately.

Move to approve ZAP Resolution – Motion Jane P. Second Hank B.
Motion to be sent to attending delegates following the meeting via Survey Monkey
Vote outcome: 32 Yes, 8 No, 1 Abstained – Resolution passed.

Other Discussion of note:

• Tricia Schmidt offered to work on a committee that would identify a workable solution. Steps to address GLAC and seems resident don’t completely understand the GLAC proposal. Loretta wants to have nonmembers be heard, city residents be heard, people struggling
• CPD Steering Committee formed for Residential Infill and missing middle income
• Tricia’s proposal to have an additional steering committee – to reach out to additional neighborhoods?
• How do we include more people in the conversation?
   

Motion made by Tricia Schmitt, Christine O’Connor seconded- A motion to form a working committee with representatives from RNOs with disparate views to come together and educate, discuss and compromise on zoning initiatives that the city is facing. The committee could bring these compromised positions to the greater community and be a catalyst for positive change for the city.

This motion was sent to attending delegates following the meeting via Survey Monkey
Vote outcome: 31 Yes, 3 No, 4 Abstained – Motion passed

Adjourn at 10:52 AM