Speaker 0: 12 ayes countable. 1163 has passed. Guzman Flynn, will you please put House Bill 1164 on the floor?
Speaker 4: Yes, Mr. President, I move the council bill 1164 be placed upon final consideration and do pass.
Speaker 0: It has been moved and seconded. It's a public hearing for council bill 1164 is open. May we have the staff report?
Speaker 8: Good evening, Liz Wagle from Community Planning and Development. Bear with me that very similar presentation to what you just heard. So this is a map amendment application for 8315 East Colfax Avenue and 1500 Valencia Street. This is located in Council District eight, also in the East Colfax neighborhood. And this is also a city owned property that is intended to be developed with affordable housing. The site is located at the the north, the northern side of Colfax at the intersection of Lynch history. It's approximately 35,000 square feet. It is also vacant and it was occupied. And there's still a building on the site. There was a former dance club and surface parking lot. This rezoning would be from EMS three to EMS five. Again, the urban edge Main Street districts are intended to promote a mix of uses and an active, safe, pedestrian environment. And this would be a five story district of the current site is EMS three. The same pattern along Colfax. This is just a few blocks to the east. So you have EMS three zoning along Colfax and some pockets of EMS five. And you have a Rojas district just to the north here that, as I noted, the current site is vacant. You can see the mix of commercial motel use, multi-unit use along Colfax with a mix of residential uses to the north and to the south of Colfax. Here you can see the subject site here, and that's the site on the top left there with the building still on the site, surrounded by gas station, multi-unit residential across Colfax and also to the north and northeast, a motel use just to the east. This also went to planning board on October 3rd and was voted unanimously to recommend approval and with two public speakers in favor. We have a position statement in support from the East Colfax Neighborhood Association and an email comment in support from the Facts Partnership. And there were also community meetings attended by the Office of Economic Development for this application. I will review the five review criteria from the Denver zoning code first, which is consistency with adopted plans. And we find that this application is consistent with a number of strategies from Plan 2000. Those focusing on infill development, mixed use development and supporting our business corridors. This site also has the land use concept, recommendation and blueprint. Denver for a commercial corridor and an area of changes is places that we're looking to develop or encourage growth. Colfax, again, is a mixed use material and Valencia is another designated locale. And Colfax itself has called out as a train an enhanced transit corridor in the East Montclair East Colfax Neighborhood Plan from 1994. Again, Colfax is envisioned to see more reinvestment, more business opportunities. This specific site was called out as part of the motel district. Given that there were a number of motels around it and it was encouraged to have business development and multifamily to the north. And again, we do not have direct type guidance in this plan, but the plan does recommend that encouraging redevelopment that's consistent with what the Main Street districts would facilitate. And again, we have our housing and inclusive Denver plan from 2018 adopted by City Council that encourages the leveraging of publicly owned land for affordable housing in areas of opportunity with. And this rezoning would facilitate that. Staff finds that the proposed rezoning is consistent with adopted plans, that it would result in uniform application of zone, district building, form, use and design regulations. That it would further the public health, safety and welfare and welfare. A number of justifying certain changed and changing conditions in the area, including the closure of the dance club on the site, the city's purchase and our housing plans. Guidance to increase housing opportunities, growth and job centers along the transit corridor. New housing in the area. And our planned investment in the bus. Rapid Transit. And lastly, staff does find that it is consistent with urban edge neighborhood contract context and the intent of the Main Street District. So with that, CPD recommends approval based on finding that all review criteria have been met. I think I won't allow Megan Young just to give us a little background as well. Thank you. Megan Yankey from Office of Economic Development. As is along with the other site, the city of Denver purchased these two parcels in 2017 for the purpose of providing and creating a mixed use development with affordable housing and community serving commercial space for the residents of East Colfax. Obviously consistent with the goals in the five year housing plan in terms of providing housing to those earning less than 80% of area median income and over 50% at least at the very least 50% of the parcels need to be affordable to those earning 80% of area median income and below the city's focus on developing housing near transit. These parcels are located within a quarter mile of the Bus Rapid Transit Station at all winter and Colfax as along with the other parcel the city has issued an RFP to identify a partner could be the same partner could be separate to develop these sites in accordance with the city's vision and the needs expressed by the neighborhood.
Speaker 0: Thank you very much. We do have two individuals signed up to speak this evening. First up, Jesse Pearce.
Speaker 7: Jesse Pairs. Black Star Action. Movement for Self-defense. Community Commitment for Social Change. And Denver Homeless Selo now reside at 2842 Josephine Street and Albert Brooks District. We are in favor of this proposal tonight. It's. A small step. In the right direction for this council in this city, we have a housing crisis. It is not affordable to live in Denver, Colorado anymore. So to hear that there are actually going to be units are going to be between zero and 30%. Am I. I am belated elated, but it's still not solving the problem at hand. We still have 26,000 units that need to be built to address the problem that we have at hand. This is literally a drop in the bucket. I'm glad to see that there is an interest in East Colfax. Me being a native, I've been in the city for 30 plus years going on 32 and I've seen a drastic change in this city. But this area in particular has, since I've been living, been an area concentrated poverty. And it seems like that it was by design that this area is that area concentrated poverty. Yes. This location that used to be a strip club, a very ratchet, raunchy strip club. So to say that the city has actually taken an interest in turning this into affordable housing that people can actually afford. I'm happy about that. But again, this is not addressing the problem at hand. We have a crisis, Denver. We need to address that crisis. I want to know exactly the number of units for this project, the exact number and how many people are going to be occupying these units and the exact army level, not a roughly in a figure of an exact army level and a number of units. And if this is going to be predominantly black and brown bodies occupying the spot, or if it's going to be gentrifiers that are moving in or continuously gentrifying all parts of this city. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Next up, Chairman Sekou.
Speaker 11: Germans. They who? By source of movement. Self-defense resident. All my life. Educated here. Raised here. Lived to raise a family of. Ten kids. Well, no. Ten children that will be Billy Goats as kids and that they get upset when I call them that. Oh, man. This is. Simple. And yet very complex. And there's a lot of reporting that goes on when we do these. Zoning changes because we open up the door for folks to build up. And. Under their intentions of providing housing that is affordable. The folks who are born and raised here because of the market. Quote unquote. Can't afford to live a more. So as you go about doing the zoning change thing. What has to happen because everybody is in a panic. Because more people are coming in these plans 2000 to 2005 or whatever it is, doesn't reflect the reality of what's going on. The development is way ahead. Of our man's ability. We're here. So. We're stuck. Really? Mr.. Because the current regime has advertised this as a winter wonderland and people are coming here looking for economic opportunities and again, stuff. People that got money to buy a house don't exist. So what do they do? They're living in their cars. Got the kids, got a job. But they park on the street. The police can come. Seize the car. Seize the family. Everybody goes to jail. And then people are stuck and then we get a bad brand that delivers a setup. Don't go there. And all this stuff, as was pointed out a week ago. There's going to be a crash on this thing in seven years. This thing's going to go into a straight up repressed recession and all this stuff that's run it. It's going to be kind of mental forces say we've been there before, but there's no plan for that. There's no merging into that. There's no focus for that. And we keep doing these zoning changes knowing that we ain't got no plan for and then we just keep falling behind. And I'm sorry.
Speaker 0: Your time is up. Thank you very much. That concludes our speakers. Are there any questions from members of council? Seeing no questions. The public hearing for Council Bill 1164 is closed. Comments by members of Council. Councilman Herndon.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Mr. President. I'm just echoing my sentiments. I'm excited. But let me first say, you know, as Arizonans, we have to make sure the criteria fits. And I do believe that does. So I will be supporting this and urge my colleagues to do so. It is it is refreshing when you have changes coming to a community and everyone is on board. I have a feeling that's not going to happen on the next one, but it's exciting to see these changes coming to East Colfax. When we started the East Area plan, we did a we did a equity index study where we look at several different factors and I won't list all of them, but mortality, access to a grocer, etc. area and median income and it spits out a score and every neighborhood was given a score. He's Colfax had the lowest in the city and county of Denver. And to see how the city is making investments in this area, which are long overdue that the community is excited about is great. I held a community meeting when the city acquired this site. And Liz, I, I applaud you for saying it was a dance club. I would not describe it as such. But the, the the main thing that the community wanted, they said we wanted to serve the people of East Colfax. And that's just a testament to how the people of East Colfax are. They want to make sure that it serves the people of East called. And I believe that it's going to do that. And it's the same with the other parts of the RFP is out and I'm excited to see what we get back. But it will serve those of the community and it will start the process of giving East Colfax the love that it has that is deserved. And I'm excited about this East Area plan because as you know, we had to go back to 1994 for the last plan, and I was still in high school and I am not that young, that thing, when that last plan was done in 1994. But I applaud this moving forward, and I would urge my colleagues to support this. Thank you, Mr. President.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Councilman Herndon. Councilman Espinosa.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah. I just want to applaud both of my colleagues for getting this rezoning these rezonings through. And I want to commend the city for finding parcels that had sort of the the the nexus of of a community that that sort this sort of a opportunity, a plan, as dated as it is, that would accept and accommodate the the the proposed use of this site in the in the density that is proposed as well. And the forward thinking that I think is coming with the upcoming plan that will also probably incorporate this very future. So I, so I just want to applaud the city for working with the community to, to make sure that all these things that, you know, conversations of the past and kinds of conversations going forward are consistent with what we're doing right now. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Councilman Espinosa, seeing no other comments. Madam Secretary, roll call.
Speaker 3: Herndon.
Speaker 8: I black.
Speaker 2: Espinosa. Hi, Flynn.
Speaker 3: Hi.
Speaker 2: Gilmore. I Cashman. I can. Lopez. I knew Ortega. Susman. Hi, Mr. President.
Speaker 0: I am secretary. Please close voting. Announce the results.
Speaker 3: 12 hours.
Speaker 0: 12 hours. Council Bill 1164 has passed. Councilman Flynn, will you please put Council Bill 1075 on the floor?
A bill for an ordinance changing the zoning classification for 8315 East Colfax Avenue and 1500 Valentia Street in East Colfax.
Approves an official map amendment to rezone property from E-MS-3 to E-MS-5 (main street, 3 stories to main street, 5 stories), located at 8315 East Colfax Avenue and 1500 Valentia Street in Council District 8. The Committee approved filing this item at its meeting on 10-23-18.