[CPN] Minor Revisions to City's Lower Downtown Design Review Ordinance

Hi – for those of you who don’t know me,  I started as the Principal Planner for Historic Landmarks for the city in late January, and in this position provide staffing (with others) to the Lower Downtown Design Review Board.  As you likely know, this Board performs design review for construction projects in the lower downtown historic district.

 

I wanted to let you know that city staff has drafted some minor clean-up revisions to the landmark ordinance related to the Downtown Design Review Board’s design review process.  These ordinance proposals are largely based on a worksession discussion we had with the Board on April 25, 2012, and based on our attorney’s advice related to conflicting language in the ordinance.   We view this package of ordinance revisions as clean-up/clarification items, that are more procedural than substantive, and meant primarily to eliminate confusing language in the ordinance and conflicts between the design guidelines the Board uses and the city’s landmark ordinance (which if you are unfamiliar with the ordinances is the overarching governing rules for the Board’s operations).   We feel that these conflicts and confusing language have been a problem and so would like to clean it up.  This package of ordinance revisions is not meant to solve every problem or concern, but to start with the easy fixes first.  

 

So, I wanted to let you know that the Board’s recommendation on the revisions is posted for consideration at their Thursday,  August 2, 2012, meeting.  (7:30 a.m., 1400 16^th Street Mall, Northern Trust Bank).   I am attaching both the “cheat sheet” summary of the proposed changes, and the actual proposed ordinance language as currently written.  There will be multiple opportunities for public input over the next couple of months, and once we go to the Board on Thursday and see how that goes, we will work up the schedule and I will email it out.

 

I am more than happy to talk to any neighborhood organizations or groups at your regular board meetings, as well, or to talk to you individually over the next month or so.   We want to make sure anyone who is interested understands what is being proposed, and to provide opportunity for public input.  If there is anything else I can do for you, please let me know.  We also are hoping to gain support from the public for these revisions.

 

Thanks.

 

Barbara Stocklin-Steely

Principal Planner - Historic Preservation

Community Planning & Development

201 W. Colfax Avenue, Dept. 205

Denver, Colorado  80202

Phone: 720-865-2944

barbara.stocklin-steely@denvergov.org