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DENVER — The SEED Institute at Regis University College of Business & Economics has joined forces with the Alliance for a Sustainable Colorado to organize a three-night event that will examine in depth the pros and cons of gentrification in the Denver, Colorado metro area.
The first night will focus on the challenges that Denver residents face as population rapidly rises along the front range and competition for housing increases. Some of the key challenges include rising rents, rapid inflation in housing costs and property taxes; however, threats to neighborhood identities is also a pressing issue. These tensions will be examined by a panel of experts who will also facilitate a discussion with attendees. Panelists include: Tammy Lewis & Ken Gould (Professors at Brooklyn College in New York City and authors of _Green Gentrification: Urban Sustainability & the Struggle for Environmental Justice_ (Routledge)), Damien Thompson (Director of the Food Justice Center at Regis University), and Beth Schaefer Caniglia (Director of the SEED Institute and author of _Resilience, Environmental Justice & the City_ (Routledge)).
The second night’s panel will focus on solutions to gentrification that stave off displacement and foster diversity as neighborhoods are renewed. Two neighborhood regeneration projects – Sun Valley and the Federal Corridor – will take center stage as examples of regenerative development that places community engagement and social justice at the center. Three development professionals will be featured on the panel: Callahan Seltzer, CityCraft Ventures; Chris Parr, Sun Valley Eco-District; and Michael Leccese, ULI Colorado. Tammy Lewis and Ken Gould will moderate this panel and the discussion that follows.
The third night of the conference is focused on constructing a local, collaborative vision of the Denver residents want to create in the face of gentrification struggles. Attendees from the first two nights, as well as newcomers, are encouraged to join this visioning exercise, which will be led by Ken Sagendorf, Beth Schaefer Caniglia, and Damien Thompson from Regis University. The outcome will be a collaborative vision of the challenges facing our rapidly growing city and the possibilities for how to shape housing, diversity and neighborhood identities in the face of these challenges.
All conference events are free to the public; however, registration is encouraged. Each evening’s events will begin at 5:30 p.m. with networking, heavy hors d’oeurvres, and a cash bar. Panel discussions and the visioning exercise will take place 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. and the evening will close at 8:30 p.m. Children are welcome at the conference on all three nights, and simultaneous translation will be available for monolingual Spanish speakers.
Those interested in attending can register for each night individually at the following links:
DAY 1: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2730027 [1]
DAY 2: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2730030 [2]
DAY 3: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2730033 [3]
Questions can be directed to Jenna Oliver at [email protected]
gentrification conference flyer with links embedded
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DENVER — With snow in the forecast for Denver the next few days along with very cold temperatures, the city is calling out its fleet of large snow plows and smaller residential plows to respond to the storm. Both teams will be ready to deploy today when snow starts to accumulate, with large plows focusing on the main streets and small plows on the side streets.
This week’s deployment of the residential plows marks a change in the city’s residential plow program. Starting in 2017, deployment of the small plows will be considered when six (6) or more inches of snow are in the forecast, rather than twelve inches or more of snow.
“We’ve called out the residential plows in the past when faced with very large snowstorms,” said Jose Cornejo, Executive Director of Denver Public Works. “This year, we are transitioning the program into one that will be helpful to residents on more occasions throughout the winter season.”
Denver’s residential plow program was initially developed as an emergency response program following the blizzards of 2006-07. The plows have been deployed about a dozen times since then to help residents get out of their neighborhoods and onto the main streets after major storms.
The city will continue to utilize Denver Public Works and Denver Parks and Recreation employees to operate the smaller, residential plows. Under the new criteria, the city expects to deploy the residential plows in a timelier fashion and stay ahead of the deeper snow accumulations that come with moderate to severe snow events.
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DENVER — Following a series of 22 public outreach events earlier this year, the City and County of Denver has completed its initial draft of the Denver Food Vision, a policy document intended to guide the development of the city’s food system. The document is open for public review and comment from now through January 31, 2017.
The Denver Food Vision sets forth an ambitious, comprehensive approach to further develop Denver’s food system. The first document of its kind for Denver—and one of only about a dozen nationwide—the vision includes priorities, strategies and winnable goals to provide direction related to land use, public investment and public-private partnerships. The vision focuses on the multiple ways food makes Denver more inclusive, healthy, vibrant and resilient.
“From farm to table, Denver’s food system presents an incredible opportunity to strengthen the health of our communities, as well as promote business development and job creation,” Mayor Michael B. Hancock said. “Through this community vision, we will have a solid framework in place to help guide public and private resources to build a stronger, more resilient Denver.
Priorities detailed in the 35-page vision include:
The City and County of Denver will present key highlights of the draft vision and collect feedback at the following public meetings:
Thursday, January 12, 2017
3-4:30 p.m.
Mile High United Way, 711 Park Avenue West
Thursday, January 12, 2017
6-7:30 p.m.
Commons on Champa, 1245 Champa St.
Feedback can also be submitted via the following online survey, or by emailing questions or comments to [email protected]. Public comments will be collected through January 31, 2017.
Development of the Denver Food Vision was guided by the Denver Sustainable Food Policy Council, in conjunction with Denver City Council members, 92 community and industry co-sponsors, and an interagency working group that included the Department of Community Planning and Development, Office of Economic Development, Denver Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, Office of Children’s Affairs, Denver Human Services, and CSU Extension Denver County.
The public engagement process for the development of the draft plan featured 11 community listening sessions and 11 focus groups with businesses across the local food supply chain. The process generated 4,918 comments from hundreds of residents and businesses across the city.
The Denver Office of Economic Development (OED) is dedicated to advancing economic prosperity for the City of Denver, its businesses, neighborhoods and residents. Working with a wide variety of community partners, OED operates to create a local environment that stimulates balanced growth through job creation, business assistance, housing options, neighborhood redevelopment and the development of a skilled workforce.
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DENVER — Looking for a fun, safe, free, family-friendly way to ring in the new year? Well, then Downtown Denver is the place to celebrate. Now in its 15th year, the tradition continues with two fireworks shows that light up the skies and make the skyscrapers sparkle. The first, at 9pm, is great for you early-to-bed folks. (Us, too!) And then there’s midnight to officially welcome the new year.
Both dazzling shows are identical and synchronized to music from DJs along the 16th Street Mall. The fireworks are presented by the Downtown Denver Partnership and co-sponsored by VISIT DENVER and the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District.
Visit www.milehighholidays.com for a complete listing of New Year’s Eve events and Downtown hotel deals.
Please note RTD Service Closures Downtown. On New Year’s Eve between 8pm and 2am, all F, H & D line service will end at the Colorado Convention Center. All Downtown stations will be closed. A train shuttle will run between 30th/Downing and 18th/California stations. For more information about closures and New Year’s Eve service, click here.
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DENVER — The Denver Preschool Program will host its fifth annual Preschool Showcase in January 2017 to help all Denver families with a 4-year-old access and afford a quality-rated preschool program. The free event will include Spanish translators on-site and take place on the following two dates at three locations:
The Preschool Showcase is an opportunity for families to learn more about the variety of preschool options and resources available in Denver, including meeting with representatives from the more than 250 participating preschools. Furthermore, families can receive information on how to sign up for tuition support available through the Denver Preschool Program.
The event will also feature free food and refreshments, family-friendly activities and entertainment from partners like the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, free dental screenings, story time readings with the Denver Public Library, demonstrations on how to use the Denver Preschool Program’s online “Find a Preschool” tool, and photo opportunities with PBS Characters like Clifford and Curious George.
“It’s never too early to start thinking about preschool,” said Jennifer Landrum, president and CEO of the Denver Preschool Program. “A high-quality program is the foundation for a child’s future academic, emotional and social success. As a result, classrooms fill up quickly. Thus, we strongly encourage parents to plan ahead and explore their options now.”
For families who are unable to attend this year’s showcase, the Denver Preschool Program’s online “Find a Preschool” tool will allow them to search for a program at any time by location and quality rating.
Once enrolled in the chosen school, families who live in the City and County of Denver with a 4-year-old can sign up for tuition support through the Denver Preschool Program. Tuition credits are awarded on a sliding scale, which takes into account a family’s income, household size and the quality rating of the chosen program.
For more information about the Showcase, please visit www.dpp.org/showcase or call 303-595-4377.
About Denver Preschool Program
The Denver Preschool Program makes quality preschool possible for all Denver families with 4-year-old children through a dedicated sales tax first approved by voters in 2006 and renewed and extended in 2014. DPP has provided more than $ 79 million in tuition support to help more than 41,000 Denver children attend the preschool of their families’ choice, establishing each child’s foundation for lifelong learning and success.
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DENVER — If you haven’t seen it, there’s still time. This year’s holiday lights display at the gardens features over 1 million lights and an interactive LED light show. The LA Times recently listed Blossoms of Light as one of the “..best displays of Christmas lights in the West“. This annual holiday lights extravaganza features some new elements, and includes the grand illuminated O’Fallon Perennial Walk and the Romantic Gardens.
Don’t miss:
At the end of the twinkling Blossoms of Light pathway, visitors arrive at the Lumenscape: a massive lighting display that reacts to interactive instruments and recorded music. Nearly 15,000 individually-programmed LEDs dance in an array of lights that fills the entire UMB Amphitheater, offering an experience that is as mesmerizing as it is unique.
For a behind-the-scenes look at how the Lumenscape came to be, we talked to the founders of AudioPixel, the Boulder-based company that collaborated with the Gardens to develop the installation.
Tell us a little bit about AudioPixel.
AudioPixel primarily builds installations utilizing audio-reactive and interactive LEDs. We’ve built projects on our own, but we’ve also helped artists and groups build large-scale art installations, developed custom software used at nightclubs, and designed lighting for dozens of multi-day music festivals. We have also ventured into controlling pyrotechnics, fountains and robotics.
How did you decide on the design for the Lumenscape?
We had a lot of ideas going into the project, but we always knew we wanted an array of LEDs large enough that we could run elaborate, 3D visuals. In the end, we found that the vertical strips of LEDs spaced about six feet apart capture just enough area for your mind’s eye to fill in a complex image without being too bright or overbearing.
What was the biggest challenge in this process?
The amphitheater itself posed many unique challenges: we had to avoid sprinkler systems, create stands for areas where we could not stake into the ground, and design a grid that factored in grassy slopes and other obstacles. Nearly three miles of wires are used in the installation, which pushed our known expectations of how far electric current and data could travel to the LEDs. Plus, it was no small feat to design a reliable, watertight, outdoor installation in the dead of winter that would be ready for hundreds or thousands of visitors to view each night.
What was your favorite part of developing the Lumenscape?
The ability to expose this kind of art to a wider audience is a huge privilege. Most often, work of this nature is seen at exotic festivals or underground events that cater to a niche audience. The 38-day duration of this exhibit and its location at Denver Botanic Gardens make it accessible to the community and the general public. We’ve also loved watching the whole exhibit come together, and we can see the success of the project on visitors’ faces when they play with the instruments at the kiosk.
How did you get into the kind of work?
In the early 2000s, there weren’t many options for artists to program with light using existing software, so we just decided to do it ourselves. We studied “new media” at CU Boulder (ATLAS), RMCAD, and Emerson College in programs that encourage creativity and attempt to close the gap between engineering and the arts. More recently, demand has grown and the price of LEDs has dropped, which gives us more opportunities for large-scale projects.
What are some of the other major projects you’ve worked on?
We transformed a large, flatbed truck into an audio-reactive LED display that we’ve taken to various music festivals, including Burning Man, Arise, and Apogaea. We’ve worked with some of the biggest names in electronic music and, for the past eight years, we’ve collaborated on sound stages and art projects at Burning Man and local Maker-Faire DIY events.
Blossoms of Light is open every night 5:30-9 p.m. through Sunday, Jan. 1. Purchase tickets online or at the Bonfils-Stanton Visitor Center. Groups of 15 people or more can purchase discounted tickets by calling 720-865-3584.
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DENVER — Denver Arts & Venues is seeking proposals for four new pieces of art that will become part of the Denver Public Art collection.
Proposal submissions are being accepted through January 16 (two pieces at Carla Madison Recreation Center) and January 23 (Paco Sanchez Park and Denver Zoo/City Park).
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS:
Carla Madison Portrait | Budget: $ 7,000 | DEADLINE: Monday, Jan. 16, 11:59 p.m.
The City of Denver Public Art Program and the Carla Madison Recreation Center Art Selection Panel is seeking to commission a portrait of the late Denver City Councilwoman Carla Madison. The call is only open to Colorado artists.
Denver Carla Madison Recreation Center | Budget: $ 45,000 | DEADLINE: Monday, Jan. 16, 11:59 p.m.
The Denver Arts & Venues Public Art Program and the Carla Madison Recreation Center Art Selection Panel has released a request for qualifications for artists who wish to work on a public art project for the soon-to-be-finished Carla Madison Recreation Center. The selection panel seeks a unique, one-of-a-kind artwork that is appropriate for the Carla Madison Recreation Center and for the diverse community that utilizes it.
Paco Sanchez Park | Budget: approximately $ 18,000 | DEADLINE: Monday, Jan. 23, 2017 11:59 p.m.
The Denver Arts & Venues Public Art Program and the Paco Sanchez Park Art Selection Panel has released a request for qualifications for artists who wish to work on a public art project for the Paco Sanchez Park. The selection panel seeks a unique, one-of-a-kind artwork(s) appropriate for Paco Sanchez Park and for the visitors who utilize the park. The artwork should speak to community-based connections: a history of the area, the legacy of Paco Sanchez, and the native residents of the Villa Park neighborhood.
Denver Zoo/City Park Project | Budget: $ 285,000 | DEADLINE: Monday, Jan. 23, 2017 11:59 p.m.
The Denver Arts & Venues Public Art Program seeks to commission an artist or team of artists to create an original work of art for the exterior façade of a building on Denver Zoo’s property. The building is located on the southeastern side of the Zoo, adjacent to Denver’s City Park and facing City Park’s Duck Lake. The panel is particularly interested in artworks that explore the interplay between the built and natural environment that celebrate the Denver Zoo and City Park.
For more information, including full RFQs, please visit ArtsandVenues.com.
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DENVER — The Denver Board of Water Commissioners adopted rate changes to fund essential repairs and upgrades to Denver Water’s system, beginning April 1, 2017. Monthly bills for a majority of Denver residents will increase by about $ 2.50 or less if they use water the same as they did in 2016.
There are 162 major projects identified in Denver Water’s capital plan, ranging from replacing aging pipes and failing underground storage tanks to upgrading water treatment facilities, warehouses and mechanical shops. These projects, in addition to Denver Water’s expenses associated with day-to-day operations and unplanned work, like water main breaks, are funded by water rates, bond sales, cash reserves, hydropower sales and fees for new service (called System Development Charges).
“Denver Water is a regional water supplier, serving more than one-quarter of the state’s population,” said Penfield Tate, president of the Denver Board of Water Commissioners. “We are always going to need to retrofit, repair and replace parts of our system, much of which is more than 100 years old, to deliver a reliable water supply to our customers. We are committed to balancing the perspectives of our ratepayers, some of whom believe our rates are too low, and some who believe we need to help keep rates low.”
In 2016, the board adopted a new rate structure that shifts rate revenue from a heavy reliance on water use toward a more stable fixed fee. To continue that shift, the fixed monthly charge — which is tied to meter size — in 2017 is increasing by about $ 3 for a majority of residential customers. Most Denver Water customers have a 3/4-inch meter and will be charged $ 11.86 each month. To help offset the fixed monthly charge, the charge per 1,000 gallons for many customers will see a small decrease in 2017.
To keep water affordable, particularly for essential indoor water use, and to continue sending a conservation message, Denver Water’s rate structure includes a three-tiered charge for water use (called the volume rate). This structure ensures water used for drinking, cooking and sanitation is charged at the lowest rate, and water used for outdoor watering is charged at a higher price.
Individual water bills will depend on how much water a customer uses and whether the customer lives in Denver or is served by one of 66 suburban distributors under contract with Denver Water.
“Many distributors along with Denver Water are faced with the need to upgrade and replace critical infrastructure and meet increasingly stringent water quality regulations,” said Patrick Fitzgerald, chairman of the Denver Water Distributors Rates and Fees Technical Advisory Committee. “Distributors recognize and support the need to provide adequate revenue in a reliable and consistent manner, and we support the move to increase the amount of funding generated from the fixed service fee, as well as the modest increase in 2017 water rates.”
The Denver City Charter requires that suburban customers pay the full cost of service, plus an additional amount. Learn more about how this works: Why Denver water costs more in the ‘burbs.
Denver Water operates and maintains more than 3,000 miles of distribution pipe — enough to stretch from Los Angeles to New York — as well as 20 dams, 22 pump stations, 30 underground storage tanks, four treatment plants and more. The water provider’s collection system covers more than 4,000 square miles and operates facilities in 12 counties in Colorado.
Get more details and watch a video about the upcoming capital projects: Your water bill is going up (slightly) Here’s why
Customers will see more information about 2017 rates on their bills and on Denver Water’s website over the next few months.
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DENVER — U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Principal Deputy Secretary of Public and Indian Housing Lourdes Castro Ramirez announced that the Denver Housing Authority and partners will receive $ 30 million to revitalize the Sun Valley neighborhood during a press conference and tour of the Sun Valley Homes with Mayor Michael Hancock. Earlier this morning, HUD Secretary Julián Castro announced the following communities will receive grants totaling $ 132 million awarded through HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative: Denver; Louisville, Kentucky; Boston, Massachusetts; St. Louis; and Camden, New Jersey.
“These game-changing investments will breathe new life into distressed neighborhoods and offer real opportunities for the families who call these communities home,” Castro said. “What we do today will leverage private investment and bear fruit for generations of families looking for an opportunity to thrive in neighborhoods that are connected to the economic and social fabric of their communities.”
“This grant award is a major step in our collective work to improve the lives of residents in the Sun Valley neighborhood,” Mayor Hancock said. “The cycle of poverty that many here are experiencing has gone on for far too long, and it’s time we reverse that trend. The residents of Sun Valley deserve the same access to opportunities that so many others in our city have, and this plan will breathe new life into all of these efforts.”
The Choice Neighborhoods Initiative is part of the Administration’s drive to reinvest in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty by revitalizing distressed federally supported housing into sustainable, mixed-income housing with access to transit, better schools and jobs.
“DHA and the Sun Valley community have worked tirelessly for many years to bring forth this vision for the future of the neighborhood.” Ismael Guerrero, DHA Executive Director stated. “More than anything, we are enthusiastic about this CNI award because of what it means for the children of Sun Valley. We will replace the obsolete housing with new and improved housing, and we will make investments in the neighborhood. And all of that will be with the goal of making Sun Valley a great place for families and a neighborhood where our children reach their full potential. That is DHA’s commitment to our residents and the community.”
The Housing Authority of the City and County of Denver and the City and County of Denver were awarded a $ 30 million FY2016 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant for the Sun Valley neighborhood – Sun Valley EcoDistrict. Located just west of downtown Denver, Sun Valley is the lowest-income neighborhood in the city, and the Sun Valley Homes and Sun Valley Annex public housing developments are among the housing authority’s most distressed and isolated sites. Despite these challenges, Sun Valley holds incredible potential, with a new light rail station and significant planned private and public investments. In hopes of capitalizing on this potential, local partners secured a FY2013 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant and created a comprehensive Transformation Plan for Sun Valley. With the award of a Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant, local partners will be able to build 750 new, mixed-income housing units; improve the neighborhood’s landscape by creating new open space and increasing opportunities for local businesses; increase families’ access to quality jobs and education and develop a centralized district energy program to serve the target area.
In recent years, Denver has become among the fastest growing city in the country, balanced by a strong entrepreneurial environment, expanded infrastructure, and a talented workforce. However, due to a disconnected street grid, an abundance of vacant and underutilized land and concentrated poverty, the Sun Valley neighborhood has been isolated from the City’s growth. Eighty-three percent of Sun Valley households live below the poverty line and the neighborhood’s Part I violent crime rate is the highest in the city – 5.6 times the citywide average. Despite these challenges, new investments being made in Sun Valley are laying the groundwork for future growth. The Decatur-Federal Light Rail Station was completed in 2013 and now connects the Sun Valley to downtown and the surrounding region. In the northern part of the neighborhood, the Denver Broncos plan to construct a $ 351 million Entertainment District with retail, commercial and residential developments. Additionally, the City is continuing to invest in the neighborhood’s light industrial area to attract new businesses.
Read a comprehensive summary of each the Choice Neighborhood grants announced today.
Choice Neighborhoods build on the successes of HUD’s HOPE VI Program, linking housing improvements with a wide variety of public services and neighborhood improvements to create neighborhoods of opportunity. With today’s announcement, HUD has awarded more than $ 633 million in Choice Implementation Grants since 2011. Choice Neighborhoods is focused on three core goals:
Housing: Replace distressed public and assisted housing with high-quality mixed-income housing that is well-managed and responsive to the needs of the surrounding neighborhood;
People: Improve educational outcomes and intergenerational mobility for youth with services and supports delivered directly to youth and their families; and
Neighborhood: Create the conditions necessary for public and private reinvestment in distressed neighborhoods to offer the kinds of amenities and assets, including safety, good schools, and commercial activity, that are important to families’ choices about their community.
Choice Neighborhoods is HUD’s signature place-based program, which supports innovative and inclusive strategies that bring public and private partners together to help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. The program also encourages collaboration between HUD and the Departments of Education, Justice, Treasury and Health and Human Services to support local solutions for sustainable, mixed-income neighborhoods with the affordable housing, safe streets and good schools all families need.
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