DENVER — It was a packed gym at Goldrick Elementary on Saturday morning as Denverites showed up to give their feedback on the city's first draft of its Southwest Area Plan during an open house.
“It's important to be part of that conversation,” said Athmar Park resident Matt Brady.
The plan focuses on the Athmar Park, Mar Lee, Overland, Ruby Hill, and Westwood neighborhoods as part of the City of Denver’s broader Neighborhood Planning Initiative, a community-driven effort to develop the vision, plans, and priorities for various neighborhoods throughout Denver.
“It's a long-term vision. It's a vision into the future for 20 years,” explained senior City Planner Fernando Abbud.
As the city continues to grow, city planners focus on the specific needs of southwest Denver's neighborhoods.
Community input and citywide guidance helped planners come up with six guiding themes that capture the Southwest community’s priorities, including:
- Housing stability and options
- Communal spaces
- Diverse cultural hubs
- Integrated industrial/manufacturing industry
- Improvements to infrastructure
- Preserving natural resources
“I wish it would come a lot sooner than 2045, but at least there's a lot of stuff that's being done, and I’m really excited about it,” said Valverde resident Tina Marsh.
Connecting these neighborhoods to the west side of town is a big priority, especially with the proposed NWSL stadium development currently in the works.
“I think once you live there, you realize how hard it is to get access to the rest of the city,” said Denver City Councilmember Flor Alvidrez.
This also means making sure no one is priced out.
“We have to think about mixed-use housing and how to stabilize folks in their housing options,” added Brady.
“This is where people can find affordability in a town that's increasingly unaffordable. I don't want to see these people displaced in the next 10 to 20 years,” said Denver City Councilmember Kevin Flynn.
The hope is to do this while preserving the area’s culture and traditions, such as by establishing a cultural district for Little Saigon.
A group of neighborhood volunteers, like Lorena Andrada, have also been doing outreach in different languages to gauge resident feedback.
“Me being bilingual, I can get more into the community, to [reach] Spanish speakers,” said Andrade.
Plans for Federal Boulevard would allow for a more transit-supportive corridor, including a network of pedestrian and bicycle connections, enhanced landscaping and trees, transit-oriented development with improved urban design outcomes, better-aligned zoning and development regulations, and expanded and preserved affordable housing options.
Overall, residents say they want to see that sense of diversity and connection continue in the long run.
“It's really involved. It's exciting. I see the interactions, and it gives more energy,” said Marsh.
To view the full draft plan, click here.
The City of Denver also released its first draft for the Far Southwest Area this week— and will continue to create long-term visions for other parts of the city over the next few years.
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