City Council Adopts East Central Area Plan
Oct 6, 2020
Twenty-year Vision Document Addresses Key Issues in Capitol Hill, North Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Congress Park, City Park, and City Park West
A comprehensive long-term vision for Capitol Hill, North Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Congress Park, City Park and City Park West that addresses key neighborhood needs was officially adopted by City Council after a public hearing Monday, October 5. The East Central Area Plan provides long-term policy recommendations supporting small, local businesses, housing affordability and services, safer streets, historic preservation and quality design, and addresses the impacts of climate change. The plan was approved by the Denver Planning Board last month.
The East Central Area Plan is the second under Community Planning and Development’s Neighborhood Planning Initiative, which gives community members an opportunity to provide input on how citywide goals are applied in their areas. The plan came together over three years of work by residents, neighborhood groups, local businesses and community leaders, who provided more than 10,000 comments throughout the process including 3,000 comments on three early drafts to refine and strengthen the vision for these neighborhoods and the East Colfax corridor.
“Our staff and the community together put in a lot of work and took part in tough conversations to ensure that the future of the East Central Area is equitable and inclusive,” said Laura A. Aldrete, executive director of Community Planning and Development. “Every comment and email made this a better, stronger plan and one that couldn’t come at a better time to help the community take on the challenges that we’re facing in the wake of the pandemic.”
Priority plan recommendations
- Strengthen the local economy by providing training for jobs in local industries, improving access to employment, and supporting locally-owned, independent businesses.
- Make housing more affordable and make more options available to a wide range of families and individuals.
- Improve services for residents experiencing homelessness and take steps to prevent more people from losing their homes.
- Make streets safer and more comfortable for everybody by improving walking, bicycling and public transit infrastructure.
- Increase historic preservation by making it easier to reuse existing buildings, creating more historic districts, and ensuring new buildings fit in with surrounding neighborhoods.
- Reduce carbon pollution and create more climate-resilient neighborhoods by providing more opportunities for people to live and work near transit, adding shade trees, and taking a green approach to stormwater management.
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BUILDING COMMUNITY: Denver Community Planning and Development (CPD) is responsible for visionary city planning and ensuring safe, responsible, sustainable building. CPD regulates planning, zoning, development and maintenance of private property in Denver. We're working hard to make Denver a great place to live, work and play! Visit DenverGov.org/CPD, and follow us on Twitter @DenverCPD and Instagram @denver_landmark.
