Speaker 3: Councilwoman Kanis, will you please put Council Bill 670 on the floor?
Speaker 0: Yes, Mr. President. I move that council bill 670 series of 2014 be placed upon final consideration and do pass.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Councilman. Nature has been moved. We need a second circuit. It has been moved and seconded. The public hearing for Council Bill 670 is now open. May we have the staff report?
Speaker 6: Good evening, Mr. President. Members of council. My name is Tim Watkins with Community Planning Development Case Manager for Zone. Rezoning Application 2014 i 39. This is for property located at 2728 Zuni Street 2751. Wyandotte Street located in Northwest Denver. Just next to I-25 in District nine at the southern boundary of the highland neighborhood, just north of Jefferson Park, along Speer Boulevard, Zuni Street and Zuni Street, I would point out, is really part of the 25 well zone that connects to Speer, which is part of the I-25 interchange to I-25, north and southbound properties just under 2.8 acres. And the property owners seeking zoning consistent with adjacent properties, seeking the potential for more development options on the property. The current PUD 437 is quite prescriptive and describes specifically what the development is today and precludes any more development. So it is built out and rezoning would allow for more development options and more utilization of the property. So the request is from 5437 to C five or urban center mixed use five storey maximum. The mixed use districts allow for diverse mixed uses and building forms that promote safe and active street edges. And these are primarily located along collector or arterial streets. Here's a view of the surrounding area. The subject property is highlighted in yellow and I've highlighted some of the adjacent properties where there's quite a bit of change and transformation taking place. So just to the north. His brand new five story residential building that's occupied. Now, the property just to the southeast has there's a former motel that's been demolished and it's now vacant. And over here to the west, along Speer Boulevard is a five story residential mixed use project currently under construction. So here's a view in the upper left corner from the site looking west across the zoo now. And this is actually the Marriott residence in existing hospitality or lodging use. And then here's the view. Along 28th Avenue to the northwest, you can see the new five story residential project in the background. An existing residential development in the foreground. So in the background, the current zoning is C five and in the foreground, the zoning for this residential property is 633 storey. In the lower left corner is the property, the project currently under construction experience, you know. And then to the east of the subject property is an office building ranging from 1 to 3 stories. So the public process today, there was a planning board public hearing on August 6th and planning board unanimously recommended approval. Neighborhood and Planning Committee presentation was on August 20th and passed on to City Council. And so the applicant has done a great job in his public in their public outreach efforts, primarily with Highland United North or Highland United Neighbors, Inc.. But also these other organizations have been contacted and and noticed and the notification signs have been posted on the property compliant with section 12 of the zoning code as well as written notice. And one letter of support has been received from Highland, your neighbor, Highland United neighbors and no letters of opposition. So going through the review criteria, starting with consistency with adopted plans, current plan 2000 promotes infill development near existing services and infrastructure and land use strategies include quality infill development consistent with this character of the surrounding neighborhood. Blueprint Denver calls this area out as mixed use area of change zone. High Street classification is residential collector and again, collector streets are ideal for mixed use development as well as arterial streets. And so 27th and Zuni intersect with Speer Boulevard, which is which is a mixed use arterial street. And finally, the Highland Neighborhood Plan of highlighted in red sub area five and sub area eight. And then you can see highlighted the property in pink within that area. And so the plan recommends that this area be maintained as a mixed use area, including residential office and retail uses. Also recommends that the Zuni Corridor be improved as a major gateway into the Highland area. And previously, this project, which you would know as the Hampton Inn and Suites, was one of the first projects that was built as this mixed use gateway concept. And there is actually a height recommendation in the Highland Neighborhood Plan, but it's applicable to the property fronting Wyandotte, the alley between Zuni and Wyandotte, and it's actually 60 feet , which is a typical height for a five story building. So additionally with the review criteria, the Zone District is meets uniformity of district regulations and furthers public health, safety and welfare by implementing recommendations in adopted plans. And I would point out also that it takes an old code pudi and advances it to our new code form based zoning. And in fact, this was one of the first this was the first application to take advantage of the fee waiver as an incentive to rezoning to the new code. And so the final criteria or criteria for justifying circumstances would be changed or changing conditions. And as I pointed out earlier, there's significant amount of redevelopment surrounding the site taking place, which reflects increasing demand for housing and lodging services near downtown and near a 25. And so the consistency with neighborhood context, zone district purpose and intent is that urban center mixed use zone districts are focused on creating mixed, diverse neighborhoods that are safe, active and pedestrian skilled. And the Cmax five zoning applies primarily to collector or arterial streets or intersections such as Zuni, Zuni and Spear. So CPD on finding all review criteria have been met. We recommend approval of this rezoning application.
Speaker 3: Thank you very much. We have one speaker for this evening. And David, I mean, you mean come on up to the to the front pew and you have 3 minutes for your remarks.
Speaker 6: Good evening, Council. I'm David Amin. I'm the developer of the project. The project was zoned a Peabody back in the early nineties and it was developed as a Hampton Inn and Suites, which opened in 2006. I'm seeking a zoning which is consistent with my neighborhood and hoping that I'll be able to expand my business at some point in time in the future. The Hampton Inn was the first business that was built in the Highlands, and at that time the Highlands area was definitely not what it is today. And I believe that the addition of a Hilton brand at the Gateway to Highland improved the visibility of the neighborhood, and it allowed other businesses to relocate or develop in that area. And the Hampton Inn is occupies a very important corner and it's a very good first impression when people take the 25 exit and enter into the highlands. As of this morning, the Hampton Inn on Highlands was ranked number five on TripAdvisor, which is below the Four Seasons but just below the Hyatt. It's the highest ranked Hampton Inn on social media in the Denver area. I'm very proud of this establishment. I'm thankful to the city and county of Denver to give me this opportunity to do business in 2000. And I'm here to request this rezoning be approved so that I can continue doing what I do.
Speaker 3: Thank you. That concludes our speakers is now time for questions from members of council. Councilwoman Ortega.
Speaker 8: Thank you. I have a couple of questions. So in the map that we just saw on the page right before the sub map, so first, this question is for the city. It appears as though. The service road is part of the development. Is that being proposed to be vacated or will it remain? Because that provides very important access for some of the neighbors that live in that area. Tiffany okay.
Speaker 6: The surface lot is the parking area between it is the alley and I'm requesting rezoning just for the land that I own. The alley remains as an access point for various services that the others receive.
Speaker 8: But my question is about the road that runs to the south of the site. It appears as though it's part of the zone lot that you're rezoning.
Speaker 6: So are you talking about 27th Avenue? So the properties bounded to the south by 27th Avenue.
Speaker 8: Now there was a different one that showed it was the, the slide before the sub area maps. Okay. So you see the road where it comes through and it appears as though you're including that as part of the property.
Speaker 6: So typical to any rezoning is that it goes to the center line of the adjacent street. And it would appear that in this case it has two adjacent streets, 27th Avenue as well as Spur. So I didn't notice this before, but the gas mapping has put it to the center of Speer Boulevard. So, yes.
Speaker 8: All right. So it doesn't you don't propose to do anything, Mr. Amin, with 27th Avenue, you're only dealing with your property.
Speaker 6: No, I'm not asking any rezoning on any street.
Speaker 8: Proposing to vacate the street.
Speaker 6: No, I'm not asking for I for that at all. I think it serves as an important transportation route for a lot of the homes that are back there on 28th Avenue and Wyandotte and over here.
Speaker 8: Okay. And then you talked about the Hampton Suites and how this location has been ideal for that location. And so what I'm wondering is, are you going to build a new Hampton Suites on the site? What would it what are you proposing to do on the site?
Speaker 6: So right now, I'm the only person that has actual parking for any hotel in this downtown area. Everybody has to play cars for $30 a night to $35 a night. I have 62 rooms and I provide 60 spots. And generally we use up about 50 to 55 of those every night. And we keep a track of how much parking we're actually using. And we rise to the top of TripAdvisor. Because when you do come to Denver, your car has a place in the parking lot. It's not out on the street or it's not out in somebody's garage. I am looking to expand the hotel by adding a fifth floor. This hotel has been very successful and my offices are strained on the first floor. It seems like the many times it's a FedEx warehouse behind the office. Anytime there's a big convention, we get a bunch of packages that get delivered for shows or things like that. We're moving our sales office, our management office, our accounting office, personnel office, employee, breakroom, all that to the fifth floor and we'll potentially add about 7 to 12 rooms based on the final layout.
Speaker 8: So are you building a new building or you're just adding a room on the top?
Speaker 6: This building was this building was designed to be five floors to start with.
Speaker 8: Okay. All right. That's very helpful. I appreciate it. Thank you. I have no further.
Speaker 3: Thank you. Councilwoman Ortega. Councilwoman Sheppard.
Speaker 1: Mr.. I mean, I just want to clarify, it sounds like you were the owner operator of the franchise as well as the developer. Is that correct? Correct. Okay. I just want to be clear on that. Thank you.
Speaker 3: Thank you, councilwoman. Separate councilman there you making.
Speaker 7: Thank you, Mr. President. Mr.. I mean, can you come to the podium? Can you talk to us about the neighborhood outreach that you did?
Speaker 6: So I went to the honey meetings and explained them. This is what I would like to do. And the neighbors had a huge concern with parking generally in the Highland area. And the neighbors also agree that the hotel is not the one that create the parking issue. Issue parking issues occur when appropriate. Parking requirements are not placed within the rezoning that occurred. So if you have a minute, I'll show you exactly how people save money. If you build a hotel in Denver today, you need 50% of the parking, 100 rooms, 50%. So 50 spaces of what you are to lease out there. It used to be 75%, so you had to lease 75 spaces out there, do the math, and over ten years, a hotel. Like any of these ones, being downtown can save a couple of million dollars in that parking scenario. There's a hotel being built right next to this Hampton. It's 82 rooms, has 40 parking spaces that are about a year wide. It will not fit expedition or a that's how we create parking problems. Five is a very liberal zoning when it comes to parking, and there's not much I can do as a one business person except highlight the issues that I see with it, and something can be done about it at some other point in time. But any time a new business comes in, the liability for their cars should be strictly within the business boundaries and not out on public street and not out next to sidewalks and so on and so forth. There are cars in the high land out there because apartments have been built with not enough parking for their guests or the Comcast window comes in. The restaurants have been built with parking that sometimes you drive around round and round and you don't find parking. I happen to be different. I happen to provide a parking spot for each one of my guests, and that's why I carry such a high satisfaction rating. And I intend to do that. I will keep all cars off the street at any cost because my customer expects that.
Speaker 7: I do have a question. Tim, can you put. I can't find the letter. The letter of support from honey. Is it in your.
Speaker 6: Is it not in the staff report.
Speaker 7: When you put it up?
Speaker 6: I'm afraid I don't have it as a PDF to pull up.
Speaker 7: Okay. Because I didn't see the letter of support from Honey Kim. Do you remember what the letter said?
Speaker 6: Yes. The honey letter outlines the challenge with parking within the Highlands neighborhood, and it clearly says that the hotel is not the one creating the parking challenge. Now, you have seen lots of buildings go up in the Highlands. Well, how many of them have an actual parking structure that goes with it? Drive around Highlands and you are seeing nothing but buildings getting built. And sometimes there is a parking garage or miscellaneous parking. So the honey letter wanted to bring attention to the council. That parking needs to be addressed at some point in the outlying neighborhoods around Denver. Downtown, which don't have parking garages. And what I recall from reading the letter, Councilman Monteiro, is that the Highland United neighborhood supported the application, but did acknowledge that there were some comments related to parking from nearby property owners, and they encouraged the applicant to reach out to these property owners, which he did, and had, I think, productive conversations with them related to specific parking questions.
Speaker 7: I. President Herndon helped me find it. So thank you.
Speaker 6: Thank you.
Speaker 7: Thank you.
Speaker 3: Captain Shepard. You back up?
Speaker 1: Yeah. I just wanted to tell my colleague that the letter from Honey is on page 13 of 22 of the third document.
Speaker 7: Thank you.
Speaker 3: Yes, we. We have found it. Any other questions from members of council? Seen on the hearing on six seventies is now closed. Comments from Members of Council Counsel Monteiro.
Speaker 7: Thank you, Mr. President. I wanted to let everybody know that as far as I know, there was an extensive outreach and lots of communication with the United Neighbors. It's called the Pcdi Planning Community and Development, and it is a very, very active, very active committee that has probably been involved, I think, over 30 years in terms of designing and working in the Highland neighborhood. So there the reason I was asking for their letter is because it holds a lot of credibility in terms of as they vet developers going through their committee, they are very, very thorough. So based on their support, I'm also supporting this rezoning application before us and I would encourage my colleagues to do the same.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Councilwoman Monteiro. Councilman Brooks.
Speaker 5: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. I just I'm supporting this because we were getting a chance to change this from the old Chapter 59 and and put in a sort of consistent zoning. But I just want to make a comment that you are an excellent salesman and businessman. And I just I had to check because I did not believe you. You guys are number five on TripAdvisor. But let me just say their number five ahead of Brown Palace, ahead of J.W. Marriott in Cherry Creek. So I got to check this place out and see see what everybody what the rave is about. So but thank you.
Speaker 3: Adam and Brooks. Any other comments from members of council? It's the parking team. None. Madam Secretary, Rocco Montero.
Speaker 1: I never I Ortega, I Rob Shepherd, Brooks Brown But I can eat lemon lopez All right. Mr. President.
Speaker 6: Hi.
Speaker 3: Councilwoman. Can each, Madam Secretary, please close the vote, announce the results? 12 eyes 12 I 670 has been placed on final consideration and does pass well. See no other business before this body. This meeting is adjourned.
Speaker 1: Denver eight TV. Your city. Your source.
Speaker 2: Denver eight on TV.
Rezones the parcel located at 2728 Zuni Street & 2751 Wyandot Street from PUD 437 to C-MX-5 in Council District 9. (NEIGHBORHOODS AND PLANNING) Rezones the parcel located at 2728 Zuni Street & 2751 Wyandot Street from PUD 437 to C-MX-5 in Council District 9. A PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE HELD AT LEAST FOUR WEEKS AFTER PUBLICATION. The Committee approved filing this bill at its meeting on  8-20-14.