April 20, 2021 Minutes
UHNC RNO Open Board meeting
April 20, 2021
Attending: Jenny, Liz, Steve, Paul, Jody, Noreen, Sharon, Falene, Matt, Sherry, and Don from Clermont Park
Approval of Meeting Minutes - The Board referred to the minutes from the March 16, 2021 meeting. On a motion duly made and seconded, the minutes were unanimously- Approved
Neighborhood Planning and Development
Discussion of the Cameron Apartments – The Board informed the Community that Liz, and Jenny met with the developers of the Cameron Apartments. It was indicated that it was a productive meeting and that the developers were receptive to requests from the Community. The developers indicated that if neighbors were to communicate requests, they would for example try to keep noise down for small children living nearby and would try to give warning when loud noises could not be avoided. The developers indicated that they would provide bi-weekly updates to the Board which they have done thus far. Anyone wanting to be included on those updates should let Jenny and Liz know. In response to a question from a Community member, the Board indicated that retail establishments were never in the plans for the ground floor of the Cameron Apartments. Jenny indicated that ground floor retail was still a possibility for “Phase II”, the northern section of the parcel facing Evans, but that no specific plans were yet in place for Phase II. She also noted that Phase II was to contain about 20,000 square feet of public open green space and noted that covenant is contained in the Development agreement that was submitted in connection with rezoning of the entire parcel bounded by Clermont, Warren, I-25, and Evans. That is, the covenant runs with the land, but the current developer is currently under no obligation to develop Phase II. Sale or transfer of the Phase II property would not extinguish the covenant because the covenant to maintain a public open green space is in the development agreement. It was noted that issues with snow removal associated with the Cameron Apartments development should be called directly to 311 for faster resolution (as opposed to going through the Board and then to the developer.)
Parking Permit Report – Michaela continues to be the Community’s representative to the City & County’s ongoing initiative to evaluate parking permit regulations. Michaela was unable to attend this board meeting but previously indicated she would attend a future meeting and provide an update to the Community.
Near Southeast Area Plan Update – Jenny informed the Community that the Near Southeast Area Plan program has not yet started and urged Community members to provide any input they may have directly to the project, and sign up for informational emails pursuant to the information provided at https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Departments/Community-Planning-and-Development/Plans-in-Progress/Near-Southeast-Area-Plan
The boundaries of the Near Southeast Area are:
North: Alameda Avenue
East: Quebec Street and city limits
South: Yale Avenue
West: Colorado Boulevard and Interstate 25
Open Discussion – The Board opened up the meeting to open discussion.
In response to a question from a Community member concerning the newly constructed green house at Denver Academy, a general discussion ensued. It was noted that the Community was generally disappointed that Denver Academy had constructed a fence around their property, and also that Denver Academy was not more communicative with the Community. It was noted that substantial amounts of dog waste was left on Denver Academy property prior to construction of the fence, and that substantial amounts of dog waste is still not picked up at the periphery of the fence. It was also noted that there was a tragic accident at Denver Academy in 2017 when a teenager was killed climbing on the roof of one of the Denver Academy buildings which along with school security, likely drove the decision to restrict access to the property for neighbors.
Paul noted that the house at the southeast corner of Iliff and Ash (across Ash from Iliff Pre-School) was torn down as expected. It was noted that the lot contained one single family home before being demolished, but that the lot was a double lot and likely could contain two single family homes without any rezoning and associated public hearings on the matter. It was further noted that rezoning the property for multifamily attached dwellings was unlikely. A discussion of the disposition of the mature trees on the property ensued.
It was noted by a member of the Community that demolition work at the former Groundcovers nursery appeared to be underway, to clear the property for the eventual construction of a city park. Discussion ensued. Please continue to report trash build up or lack of upkeep on the property to 311.
Other Business –
Website - The Board asked the Community to take a look at the Community website at www.uhnc.org. It was noted that the website was reverted back to its former platform and that work would continue on developing an enhanced website as resources permitted. Please send your suggestions and questions.
Yard Signs - The Board informed the Community that the yard signs that had previously been approved had arrived. The Board accepted volunteers to permit a yard sign to be posted on their property. Steve noted that the cost of the yard signs had exceeded the $200 previously approved by the Board, and also that Jenny would need to be reimbursed $252.07 for the cost of the yard signs. Upon a motion duly made and seconded it was unanimously resolved that Jenny would be reimbursed by the Community for the cost of the yard signs, $252.07.
Safe Space Homeless Parking Lot at First Universalist Church – The Board informed the Community that First Universalist Church of Denver (at Colorado Blvd. and Hampden Ave.) was working in partnership with Colorado Safe Parking Initiative (CSPI) for a Safe Parking Program at the Church. It was noted that a public forum on the matter would take place via Zoom on Wednesday, April 21st from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Paul indicated he would attend the public forum on behalf of the Community.
Additional Open Discussion – In response to inquiry from the Board, additional open discussion ensued. Jenny noted that the City & County of Denver was working with developers to ensure that sidewalks and overall mobility was considered when approving development plans. The initiative is designated “Transportation Options: Requirements for New Development” and supports City and County of Denver goals to improve mobility, increase housing affordability, minimize environmental impacts, and improve public health. It was noted that there were ongoing meetings with the public about the initiative but that unfortunately the most recent meeting on the matter was occurring while this meeting of the Board and Community was occurring. It was determined that the Community would seek to participate in upcoming meetings associated with the initiative. A Community member gave a shout out to Don and the staff at Clermont Park, noting that the staff was very helpful in providing service to that Community member in placing an elderly family member in Clermont Park. The Community member further noted that the staff remained upbeat despite the difficult environment that prevailed in assisted living communities as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A Community member noted that with the increased number of apartments in the northern part of the Community, there were more children walking (or potentially could be walking) to school in University Park from the Community westward to University Park Elementary School and also Most Precious Blood School. It was noted that no crossing guards were provided to cross Colorado Blvd. at Warren. It was noted, as had been noted at prior meetings, that the intersection of Colorado Blvd. and Warren needs attention in that turning cars are not attentive to children during walk-to-from -school hours, and that the lead time on the “walk” signal was too short and created the danger of children, elderly and differently abled people being struck by cars making left turns off of Warren onto Colorado Blvd. A discussion of the “walking school bus” concept, and also a discussion of determining how many children might walk to/from school if improvements were made ensued. It was noted the GOCO funding was made available for improved mobility and that the Community should attempt to get a representative to come to a meeting of the Community to discuss improved walking access to the schools in University Park from the University Hills North Community i.e., safe crossing of Colorado Blvd. It was also noted that something should be done to slow down traffic rounding the corner at Dexter and Warren. A discussion of obtaining funding for painting the street or the adjacent sound barrier walls ensued. Jody indicated she would like to get involved to see if the Community could get funding for a mural or other resources for traffic calming at Dexter and Warren. It was noted that the city was not doing a good job removing trash from the former Groundcovers site. Additional discussion of permit parking ensued.
Additional Other Business – The Board noted that the Community’s charter documents called for an Annual Meeting of the Community, which normally occurs in May. It was determined that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic made an indoor in-person meeting impractical. Upon a motion duly made and seconded, it was determined that the discussion of the scheduling of the Annual Meeting of the Community would be deferred until the May meeting of the Board and would be scheduled at that time if it was possible to do so. It was determined that the next meeting of the Board would be May 18, 2021 at 6:00 p.m.
Adjournment – There being no additional items for the meeting and the allotted time having expired, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
______________
Paul Leone
Secretary