Downtown Denver - A City of 16 Streets

Transcription

1 Downtown Denver Partnership 2015 Denver City Council Candidate Questionnaire Distributed: Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Due Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at 5 pm please to Brittany Morris Saunders at bmsaunders@downtowndenver.com or call with questions. Candidate/Campaign Name: Paul Lopez for Denver Candidate Address: PO Box Denver, CO Candidate paul@lopezfordenver.com Candidate Phone Number: Campaign Manager Name, Phone Number and District #: 3 Instructions: Please type your answers in the form below and limit each response to 300 words or less. Adjust the size of the answer space to fit your response if necessary. DDP 2015 City Council Candidate Questionnaire Page 1 of 8

2 1. The revitalization of the 16 th Street Mall is a key project for Downtown Denver for several reasons: The 32-year old Mall has failing infrastructure that will cost $55-65 million to upgrade and maintain; It is the top tourist attraction in the Denver metro region; While the actual crime statistics for the Mall are low, perception of safety remains a concern for residents, visitors and businesses; It is the linchpin of RTD s transit system, and will become even more significant once the DIA line opens in 2016; and The existing configuration of the Mall itself poses economic development challenges to business retention and recruitment, and to the pedestrian experience as a whole. What do you believe is the biggest issue facing the 16 th Street Mall? What policies, programs and/or funding mechanisms do you suggest to address this challenge? In some ways, the 16 th Street Mall is a victim of its own popularity. The first issue is safety. We have to make sure that we maintain a visible police patrol presence, and I suggest that the DPD should have regular foot patrols (not just officers hanging out in cruisers) to interact with the public, be a resource for those in need, and develop relationships with the various merchants, property owners and 16 th St mall regulars and visitors. Second, we need to do an inventory assessment on the overall condition and economic status of the many buildings, properties and businesses along the mall and develop funding strategies to assist with improvements and upgrades for businesses who need improvements. Third, because the mall is a regional amenity, we should make future maintenance and infrastructural improvements a top priority in any future bond questions. Finally, we should activate the alleyways along the mall with lighting, murals, art and other creative uses to transform unsightly and dark areas into livable active spaces. 2. Do you support a smoking ban on the 16 th Street Mall? The proposed ordinance language would ban the public consumption of tobacco products, including e- cigarettes, on the 16 th Street Mall (16 th Street from Broadway to Chestnut, plus 50 DDP 2015 City Council Candidate Questionnaire Page 2 of 8

3 feet in the direction of 15 th and 17 th Streets). The infraction would be a civil offense with escalating fees for repeat offenses. YES or NO: YES, I do support the proposed ordinance for the smoking ban. However, we need to be mindful that we are not intentionally pushing smokers on to the properties of businesses along the mall and creating an unhealthy environment for those who patronize and work at these businesses. We should work with these businesses to encourage and adopt nosmoking signage and policies areas on their properties in tandem with the rollout of the proposed changes 3. The Downtown Denver Partnership and the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District (BID) place a focused approach in working with the homeless population in Downtown Denver. This includes: Over 10 years of directly funding St. Francis Center outreach workers to connect homeless individuals in Downtown Denver with housing options and supportive services; Helping to create Denver s Road Home and fundraising over $1 million to support its programs and initiatives; Acting as a key leader on Denver s Commission to End Homelessness; Supporting the building of facilities such as the Lawrence Street Community Center; and Working with the Mayor and Denver City Council to support several ordinances that better connect the homeless population with housing and services. What do you believe is the City Council s role in addressing homelessness in Downtown Denver? I commend the efforts of the DDP and its members to generate resources in support of Denver s Road Home. Homelessness is a complex issue and requires more effort and resources from the public sector to fully empower current programs and outreach. I believe that the city should: 1) Have a more robust outreach effort to homeless individuals by adding more outreach workers to serve as resources to folks in need; DDP 2015 City Council Candidate Questionnaire Page 3 of 8

4 2) Continue to build temporary and permanent housing, as well as shelters with on-site wrap around services for the homeless. If we can be in the business of using tax dollars to build hotels, we can do the same for shelters; and 3) Truly address the issues that lead to homelessness. Homelessness is the result of, and is indicative a failure to fully invest in policies and initiatives to fight poverty. In order to prevent homelessness, we must tackle the issues that lead to it. By enacting progressive policies that ensure a living wage, access to affordable healthcare and mental health services, enacting progressive policies to create affordable housing and encourage local hiring, we then will begin to make progress in addressing systematic poverty before it puts more people and families onto the street. 4. The 2007 Downtown Area Plan calls for the addition of 18,000 new housing units by 2027 and states that a diversity of housing options and price points is essential for creating a vibrant, lively 24/7 world-class Downtown. While there has been significant development of multi-family rental projects and some townhomes in Downtown over the past several years, Downtown Denver has seen a dramatic decrease in for sale product since 2007, as shown in the following chart: Downtown Denver Housing Production Total Rental For Sale Total The Partnership believes that construction defects legislation has played a part in the reduction of for sale, affordable product in the Downtown market. While historically the construction defects issue has been debated at the State level, cities including Lakewood, Parker, and Lone Tree have created ordinances to address the issues of construction defects at the local level. Would you support a local ordinance that addresses construction defects issues? YES or NO I would absolutely like to learn more details of a proposed ordinance, and YES, in concept I would support a Denver ordinance that addressed construction defects to reverse the DDP 2015 City Council Candidate Questionnaire Page 4 of 8

5 trend in housing unit production, especially at a time when Denver is growing, and becoming more and more unaffordable for individuals and families. 5. Last year, the Downtown Denver Partnership was the only business association to oppose the numerous amendments to Denver s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO). While the Board appreciated the intent of the changes, they did not believe the amendments were the best solution to creating more affordable housing units in Downtown Denver. Do you support the changes that were made? YES or NO: YES, I support the changes made to the IHO. Denver is becoming increasingly unaffordable for the middle class, for families, and for people who have called Denver home for decades. Folks who have lost their jobs and homes during the recession are unable to come back to the city to live because of the lack of affordability. This is a real problem that the current for sale and retail housing market by itself will not fix. 6. Many cities across the nation are taking steps to increase local minimum wages. If existing state legislation was repealed that currently prevents the City and County of Denver from establishing its own minimum wage, would you support the creation of a higher minimum wage in Denver? YES or NO: YES. I would support the creation of a higher minimum wage. We cannot expect to end homelessness and reduce poverty if we are unwilling to pay our Denver workforce a living wage and earnings that will sustain a family in a ridiculously expensive Denver housing market. Furthermore, we cannot celebrate Denver s diversity if our diverse populations are priced out of Denver. DDP 2015 City Council Candidate Questionnaire Page 5 of 8

6 7. Arapahoe Square is one of the seven transformative projects identified in the 2007 Downtown Area Plan and is Downtown Denver s largest redevelopment opportunity, as shown on the following map: With an urban renewal area already established and the rezoning of Arapahoe Square currently being initiated by the Partnership and Denver s Community Planning and Development Department, what development opportunities do you believe exist in this part of Downtown Denver? First, it is critical to understand what the business owners, residents and other stakeholders desire to take place in this area before I make any decisions or cast a vote. Conceptually, I think that there are obvious opportunities for development. There are many parcels that are underutilized, below standard outdated housing units, and blighted properties that need reinvestment. I would suggest that we look at the area as a center with mixed uses that accommodates for special events, provides jobs opportunities, and that serves surrounding neighborhoods of Five points, Curtis park, Ball Park, LoDo and Downtown rather than an area of transition and parking lots. A plan must also be devised to create access points to services for many homeless individuals who congregate in the area. DDP 2015 City Council Candidate Questionnaire Page 6 of 8

7 8. Parks and open spaces in Downtown are some of the City s most unique places. The Partnership and Denver Parks & Recreation are co-funding and co-managing Denver s Downtown Outdoor Plan - a cohesive master plan that will outline how Downtown parks and public spaces may be best utilized to serve a rapidly increasing population. Do you believe Downtown parks and public spaces should be maintained, programed and managed differently than other city parks? YES or NO: A Denver park, regardless of where it is located, is subject to basic rules and regular maintenance. However, every community and its people enjoy different activities and use their parks differently. Parks are gathering centers for community and culture, and I am a firm believer in community ownership and would be supportive of local BIDs and community efforts to have a meaningful role in creatively activating and maintaining their parks as they see fit to reflect the neighborhoods they reside in. 9. The most recent commuter survey produced by the Downtown Denver Partnership showed a 43% increase in commuters that choose to bike to work. Research also shows that Denver remains the number two city in the country to attract ages and this demographic desires a bike-friendly city. To help support these economic development trends, the Downtown Denver Partnership has partnered with the City to create an enhanced bikeways plan and is raising funds for more dedicated and protected bike lanes throughout Downtown Denver. How will you help support a Bicycle City? DDP 2015 City Council Candidate Questionnaire Page 7 of 8

8 I support the creation of a bicycle-friendly city. I have spent time in other cities across the country and internationally, including Mexico City and Toronto, to learn about best practices and models promoting bicycle policy that we can bring back to Denver. Since then, I have been working diligently to create and implement bike infrastructure in our neighborhoods in West Denver. We have created bike lanes and infrastructure throughout West Denver, increasing connectivity to the downtown core. In fact, Denver s first bike boulevard will be constructed along S. Irving Street and Knox Ct, connecting Southwest and West Denver to downtown via bicycle. 10. Studies of American cities have shown that a city s urban core is a bellwether, and the status and condition of the downtown reflects the health and vitality of the city as a whole. Given the limited resources available, how do you plan to balance investment between Downtown Denver and other areas of the city? It is important that we maintain a vibrant, safe, and thriving environment in Downtown Denver for residents, workers and visitors to the Mile High City. I believe the key to balancing resources is to improve transit and connectivity between surrounding neighborhoods to create an economically vibrant and cohesive city. 11. Is there anything else you want us to know about you or your candidacy? It has been my honor to represent the third council district for the past eight years. The unfortunate reality is that my Council District has been long underserved and often overlooked, resulting in outdated infrastructure and a lack of access to basic amenities such as grocery stores, park space and community-focused businesses. As a result, my mission has been to close the equality gap for the residents of West Denver. Although that has often put me in precarious political situations, I have never lost sight of the importance of a vibrant, safe and thriving Downtown Denver. DDP 2015 City Council Candidate Questionnaire Page 8 of 8