( All RNOs should send a representative to this meeting.) Above is the link to the Excise and Policies Draft Hearing Policies and Procedures for your review prior to the meeting this Saturday and the explanation for the proposed changes. Please review prior to the meeting so that we will prepared for the presentation. Thank you. Margie
Chair Margie Valdez convened the meeting of the INC Zoning and Planning Committee and led an internal discussion of committee members about several important ongoing topics:
There is a well balanced citizen advisory group working to recommend regulations and procedures to the Department of Excise and Licenses to implement Initiative 300, which Denver voters passed in November 2016, regarding social consumption of marijuana. Margie, who is a member of the advisory group, mentioned the following:
Chair Margie Valdez convened the meeting of the INC Zoning and Planning Committee and introduced several city staff who spent the entire meeting updating the committee on the status of the Denveright planning process, namely Caryn Champine, David Gaspers and Sarah Showalter of the Community Planning and Development Department; Karen Good and Christine Evanoff of the Public Works Department and Mark Tabor of Parks and Recreation.
Chair Margie Valdez convened the meeting of the INC Zoning and Planning Committee and introduced City Council President Albus Brooks and Jeff Hirt and Sarah Showalter from the Denver Community Planning and Development Department to discuss a potential language amendment to the Zoning Code to address parking exemptions for small lots (6250 square feet or less, typically 50’ by 125’ lots). Since 2010 in the current code (Section 10.4.5(A)), small lots in all Mixed Use Commercial Districts have no off-street parking requirement. After a great deal of controversy concerning proposed developments in Curtis Park and on Humboldt Street at East 16th Avenue, City Council passed a moratorium on such new developments (not counting 11 projects “in the pipeline”) and Councilman Brooks appointed a 15-person task force to consider possible changes
Steve Nalley of CPD presented the Neighborhood Planning Initiative (NPI), which is an aggressive plan, supported by INC’s 2013 Zoning and Planning Platform, to develop plans for every statistical neighborhood in the city, of which there are 78, within approximately 14 years. Currently 42% of the city has no neighborhood or area plan at all and 39% has a plan from before Blueprint Denver was adopted in 2002. The initiative will group up to 6 neighborhoods together for planning purposes, which would mean a total of approximately 19 new plans. New staff will be hired and, under the proposed budget, there would be 3 plans underway concurrently, each of which will take 18-24 months to complete. One of the first will be for east-central neighborhoods – Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Congress Park, City Park, City Park West and North Capitol Hill. Steve can be contacted at steve.nalley@denvergov.org
Chair Margie Valdez convened the meeting of the INC Zoning and Planning Committee and introduced Blair Taylor of Greater Park Hill Community, who spoke about GPHC’s strong opposition to an application to rezone 5325 Montview Blvd. (at Glencoe) and also to split the zone lot, which would allow the construction of an out-of-character 6000 square foot home on the garden portion of an existing home at 5315 Montview (which will remain). The application is under review by Community Planning and Development. The committee discussed the following motion, which passed by a vote of 24 in favor, 1 opposed and 3 abstentions, and will be forwarded to the INC Delegation to consider on October 8:
Charles Nadler of the Lower Downtown Neighborhood Association explained the details of newly-adopted House Bill 16-1439, which provides a new type of liquor license – to allow a lodging and entertainment facility to sell liquor by the drink and to convert a tavern license to such a new license. The discussion raised questions about why Denver neighborhoods have not yet been informed of any plans by the Department of Excise and Licenses to allow “entertainment districts.”
