A bill for an ordinance designating the East Seventh Avenue Historic District-Steele Street Extension as a district for preservation. Approves the designation of the East Seventh Avenue Historic District-Steele Street Extension as a district for preservation, which includes 19 primary structures on the east side of the 600 and 700 blocks of North Steele Street in Council District 10. The Committee approved filing this item at its meeting on 11-30-21.
We have two public hearings, hearings tonight for those participating in person. When called upon, please come to the podium on the presentation monitor. On the wall you will see your time counting down for those participating virtually when called upon. Please wait until our meeting. Host promotes you to speaker. When you're promoted, your screen will flash to say reconnecting to meeting. Please don't leave the meeting. You will be reconnected and you'll need to turn on your camera. If you have one and your microphone you will see the time counting down at the bottom of your screen. Once you have finished speaking, you'll change back to participant mode and see your screen flash one more time. All speakers should begin their remarks by telling the council their name and city of residence, and if you feel comfortable doing so, your home address. If you have signed up to answer questions, only state your name and note that you're available for questions of counsel. Speakers will have 3 minutes. There is no yielding of time. If translation is needed, you will be given an additional 3 minutes for your comments to be interpreted. We will alternate between in-person and virtual for efficiency by calling in-person participants and then alternating to virtual participants. Speakers must stay on the topic of the hearing and must direct their comments to council members. Please refrain from profane or obscene speech. Direct your comments to council as a whole and please refrain from individual or personal attacks. Council Member Hines, will you please put Council Bill 1365 on the floor for final passage? I move that council bill 20 1-1365 be placed upon final consideration and to pass. It has been moved. Can we have a second? It has been seconded. The required public hearing for Council Bill 1365 is open. May we have the staff report? Good evening, council. I'm Jenny Guttenberg, senior city planner, community planning and Development. I'm also here with my colleague Becca Dyer Show, who is learning the ropes of our historic designation process and whom you'll be seeing more of in the future. She may assist me tonight with any design review questions that you might have for this historic district proposal. We are considering 19 properties on the east side of the 607 hundred blocks of North Steel Street in the Congress Park neighborhood. This is a new historic district proposal, not an amendment to the existing East Seventh Avenue historic district. The designation process is community driven and applications can be submitted by a variety of persons that you see listed on the screen. This application was submitted by three property owners who live within the boundaries of the proposed district. They spent the last two years developing the application and reaching out to other property owners to inform, educate and solicit their support for the proposal. The owners. Applicants of this district designation are Ken Fuller, Jane Pretzel and Tom Heath. The district is located within the Congress Park neighborhood and includes 19 primary structures 18 that are contributing. This is within Council District ten and blueprints under the areas within the urban neighborhood context and low residential area. Future place type. Current zoning is USAC. This is a dis contiguous historic district in two separate sections and was done in this way to avoid overlapping with the existing East Seventh Avenue historic district boundary. You can see by this map that a major justification for creating this new historic district is to include both the east and west sides of the 607 100 block of North Steele Street. The east side was left out of the 1993 East Seventh Avenue Historic District designation. This proposed district stands on its own with a period of significance from 1912 to 1990, while the existing East Seventh Avenue historic district has a period of significance prior to and including 1943. The proposed district meets all landmarks preservation ordinance designation criteria. It maintains its integrity. It is more than 30 years old. It meets three of the ten significance criteria. And it provides a historic context for consideration by the Landmark Preservation Commission. I want to mention the design review requirement for designated properties. Over the past several months, Landmark Preservation Staff engage property owners within the proposed district to clearly explain the design guidelines and design review process, including two community meetings, one in August 2021 and another in October 2021, as well as email communications with individuals. One of the major responsibilities of property owner who owns a historically designated property is to maintain its historic character. When a property is designated, it is designated as is and requires no improvements by the city. Maintaining a property's historic character is achieved through Landmark Preservation Design Review for any exterior alterations that require a zoning or building permit . Landmark preservation has no purview over interior alterations of designated property. Exterior alterations are guided by the design guidelines for Denver landmarks, structures and districts, a set of flexible principles that provide predictable regulations for owners, applicants and staff. Any zoning or building permits submitted prior to the effective date of designation and that does not require any changes by the applicant or CPD after the effective date does not require landmark preservation design review. Total demolition of designated structures is highly discouraged and difficult to achieve, requiring a review by the Landmark Preservation Commission. I'd like to note that landmark designation does not impact zoning of a property or properties that falls under the Denver Zoning Code. For example, 22 of the city's 57 historic districts are currently zoned for ADU use. The landmark preservation design guidelines have been successfully applied to many new constructions within those historic districts. In respect to significance criteria, the proposed district meets three, meets A, B and C. The proposed deal should extension has a direct association with the historical development of the City of Denver for its close association with the City Beautiful Movement and the development of the East Seventh Avenue Parkway, which runs between the two blocks of the proposed district. The City Beautiful Movement was the philosophy of urban planning and design that emphasized grand public buildings, curated public spaces, and the incorporation of greenspace throughout the city with the goal of instilling civic pride and encouraging moral. Virtue among. All citizens. It began in Denver in 1904 with the election of Mayor Robert Speer and extends through the 1920s. Mayor Speer's vision included developing an extensive park and parkway system modeled on the city beautiful movement in Europe. This included beautifying Cherry Creek, constructing civic center and establishing the network of parks connected by boulevards and greenways. The houses in the proposed district were constructed between 1912 and 1924, when the City Beautiful Movement was in full swing in Denver. This movement included the creation of pastoral parks and parkways throughout Denver, including the East Seventh Avenue Park. With the shift in the parkways designed as it meets the proposed district at Steele Street, is notable making a 607 hundred blocks significant as a marker between the older formal part of the East Seventh Avenue Parkway and the newer section where bungalows and other more modest housing styles flourished. The proposed district is also significant for its direct and substantial association with Judge Raymond D. Jones, who owned and lived at 17 or Steel Street for over 40 years, and who is actually here with us this evening. Judge Jones was a well-known personality on Steel Street who played an active role in the civil rights movement. And Denver was a notable attorney and judge and was the first African-American to serve on the appellate court in Colorado. Born in Pueblo, Colorado, Jones studied political science at Colorado College, one of only five African-American students in attendance in 1964. After graduating from Colorado College, Jones went on to earn a law degree from Harvard University in 1971. He then worked in New York City on Wall Street, but returned to Denver to clerk for the chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, Justice Edward Pringle. He was appointed as a trial judge for the Denver County Court, where he served for two years before serving for nine years on a Denver district court and two years as the chief justice of the Aurora Municipal Court. In 1988, he was appointed an associate judge of the Colorado Court of Appeals. The first African-American judge to hold such a position. He remained in this post for 15 years. Later in his life, Judge Jones taught at Colorado College and Metro State University. He helped spawn the Sanctuary Association of Black Attorneys and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theater. Finally, the proposed district is significant as it embodies the distinctive visible characteristics of the Craftsman style. 1619 structures exhibit the distinguishing characteristics of the style. Defining features include low pitched gabled or hipped roofs wide overhanging eaves, often with exposed rafter tails, ridge beams or knee braces in full or partial with porches with substantial square or tapered columns supporting the porch roof. The bungalows in the proposed district were constructed between 1914 and 1924 at the height of the Styles popularity in Denver. The only structures not built in the Craftsman Spot Craftsman style include one four square and one central passage double pile. But these two homes were built within the period of significance and are representative of their era of construction. There's also one structure originally built in the crescent style that has been significantly altered and lost the defining features of this architectural style due to a fire in the 1980s. The District retains its integrity of location, design, workmanship, materials, setting, feeling and association. There have been some alterations to primary structures in the district, including window replacement and the construction of retaining walls. However, these changes do not negatively impact the historic character or integrity of the historic district. Pictured on the screen in the lower right is a structure damaged by fire 716 North Steele Street. It required extensive repair and the original design was altered, including the addition of an attached garage, additional dormers and a closure of the front porch. These alterations impact the integrity of the original structure. Therefore, is not contributing to the proposed district. The 1912 to 1990 period of significance reflects the district's many areas of significance, starting with its construction during the late city beautiful movement and extending through its association with Judge Raymond Jones, who lived in the district during his active life. The district reflects the city beautiful air development of properties in central Denver along streetcar lines and adjacent to parks and parkways. It also represents the evolution and changing demographics of the Congress Park neighborhood from its early 1900s residential expansion to the city's urban renaissance in the 1970s and 1990. And November 2nd, the Landmark Preservation Commission unanimously approved the designation application and forwarding it to City Council for consideration as it meets all designation criteria. The Landmark Preservation Ordinance also provides an opportunity for planning boards. Make a recommendation to City Council regarding designation of historic districts. Planning Board may review proposed district designation with respect to its relationship to the Denver Comprehensive Plan. The effect of the designation on the surrounding neighborhood and such other planning considerations as may be relevant to the proposed designation. A quick reminder that the proposed historic district is located with the U.S. Zone District. That's urban single unit, which designates a minimum zone that size of 5500 square feet. And the blacks typically have a consistent pattern of 50 foot wide lots. Currently, editors are not allowed in the zone district. The proposed district reinforces the vision of comprehensive plan 2040 through the preservation of important architectural and historical assets in the Congress Park neighborhood, primarily through the vision element of strong and authentic neighborhoods. And within that vision goals one, two, three and six. The proposed district will preserve the city's authentic, historic character, enhance design excellence, and contribute to a strong sense of community identity. Designation of the proposed district advances these attributes of quality design through design, review of new infill and alterations by using a set of predictable design standards. The proposed district is within the urban neighborhood context, a low residential future place type. This context and type includes predominantly single and two properties with accessory dwelling units and duplexes being appropriate when they can be thoughtfully integrated. Buildings are lower in scale and closer to the street, typically with alley access, which is the case in this neighborhood. Blueprint Denver also notes that public parks such as the Seventh Avenue Parkway are vital components of the quality of life infrastructure. And these cities and spaces are planned to remain parks. This proposed historic designation maintains these neighborhood attributes. The district would allow for alterations and growth or infill that is compatible with existing neighborhood character through Landmark Design Review, aligning with multiple recommendations within Blueprint Denver. Overall, the application is consistent with Blueprint Denver recommendations and reinforces the plan's policies. It also helps advance the blueprint under metric related to increasing the sense of the city subject to design focused standards like the design guidelines for Denver landmarks, structures and districts. Lastly, this designation resulted in part from the Black's inclusion in the Congress Park Neighborhood Survey via the City Citywide Building Survey. Discover Denver, a public private partnership between the city and historic Denver, and thus also contributes to measuring the success of that program. The proposed district is also guided by the East Central Area plan. The plan identifies the proposed district as an area of historic significance, which is defined as a collection of structures and features identified by the Citywide Building Survey. Discover Denver that is significant for its history, architecture and culture and is potentially eligible for local historic designation and application of other tools that will maintain its character. The proposed district also aligns with multiple recommendations within the East Central Area plan, including Policy L nine, six and C one, each of which strives to maintain the character of buildings and neighborhoods through historic preservation and designation. Historic designation would help preserve the character defining features of the district. There would be no direct effect on the surrounding neighborhood, as the designation would only impact the two blocks in question, and there would be no zoning changes to accompany the district designation. And as mentioned, the designation would not change the blueprint down to a future place type or neighborhood context. The intent of the designation is to recognize this unique district, the buildings that define it, and their contribution to the historic fabric of the Congress, park, neighborhood and city of Denver as a whole. On November 17th, the Planning Board unanimously recommended approval of the proposed district designation as City Council based on these criteria. Since the date of your staff brief, CPD received comment from 28 individuals, two registered neighborhood organizations and one interested party historic Denver regarding the proposed historic district. Public comment includes responses to the city hosted online survey. Emails submitted to LPC staff and verbal comment provided at the LPC Public Hearing and Planning Board meeting. Some respondents provide a comment multiple times through the various communication channels, and of those some shifted their support throughout the process. Currently of the property owners within the proposed district boundary who have provided comment 12 are in. Support to. Or neutral and one is in opposition. Since the START group was submitted, one additional Denver resident submitted comment and support to the proposed district, which was forwarded to you before today's meeting for your consideration. Based on landmark preservation ordinance designation criteria, the findings of the Landmark Preservation Commission that the application meets the criteria for designation of a district and the recommendation of approval by the Denver Planning Board staff recommends approval of this application. Thank you. And I'm happy to take any questions. Thank you. And we have a 19 individuals signed up to speak this evening. I'm going to call the first few speakers that are participating in person. And after those speakers, we will call the next few that are participating virtually. If you're here in person after your name is called, please make your way up to the front bench. And we will start with Caroline Caselli. Hi. My name is Caroline Casali. I'm the owner at 610 Steele Street. Thanks for having me here today. I'm here in opposition of the historic district. My understanding is that this is already sort of a done deal that you guys are going to vote for the historic district. And my understanding is also that this is a progressive city council and that you care about racial and social justice and that the number one priority of the city council is to focus on affordable housing. So I'm not totally certain how it's possible to then go forward to then add additional regulatory burden on top of existing homeowners when, you know, when the number one goal is affordable housing. I personally, you know, when I've spoken with my neighbors, my understanding is that this the genesis for this application came out of the fact that there was a fear that Judge Raymond Jones large lot was going to be divided and developed. So instead of, you know, focusing just on that particular lot and having that focus be just about having his lot preserved as the neighborhood with the neighborhood character, they decided to go for the entire the entire block. You know, this this has kind of a couple of different effects. Like I'm a CEO of a company called Haven Connect. We streamline affordable housing applications. So I've seen a lot of this kind of NIMBYism before. And, you know, I'm personally I'm also affected, right. Because I have single pane windows. Oh, by the way, not great for climate change. And, you know, my utility bills are over $200 a month because of my single pane windows that are not energy efficient. While I am frantically getting bids to try and get my windows ordered by Friday as per the deadline. I'm also having to pull like an emergency loan essentially because of this designation. And so I know there's other homeowners who don't feel comfortable speaking out because of fear of retribution from some of the neighbors who are also trying to remodel their homes. And so this doesn't you know, this impacts me personally and also it seems to me to be a major affordable housing issue, especially considering the fear that Raymond Jones, you know, Judge Raymond Jones lot is going to be developed rather than just focusing, you know, kind of more specifically on that particular anxiety, essentially. So I would urge you to reconsider and thank you for your time. Thank you. David Hill in Chambers. After David, we'll have Kendra Fuller. Kendall Fuller. Hello. My name is David Hill. My wife and I live at 740 Steel Street. We strongly support the application for historic landmark designation. We moved to our house about five years ago after living in a similar bungalow in Platt Park, and at the time the. Historic character of Platt. Park was starting to change as more and more houses were being torn down. That trend has only worsened as it has throughout the city. We were drawn to Congress Park in part because of the neighborhood's well-preserved historic houses, including those across the street from us, which are part of the Seventh. Avenue Historic District. Oddly, the houses on our side of the block were not included in the district when it was created in 1892. That made no sense to us as. The houses were built at the same time and share the same architectural history and character. This new extension will correct that oversight. Historic designations are one of the few tools residents have to preserve the city's cultural and architectural treasures. Historic preservation is, in fact, one. Of the stated goals of Denver's comprehensive plan 2040, and that goal is even more explicit. In Blueprint. Denver, where historic designation is encouraged as a tool to promote design quality and to preserve the character of an individual structure or district, or where there is historic architectural, cultural and or geographic significance. I believe the application for historic landmark designation of SEAL Street is consistent with both of those planning documents, and I urge you to vote . Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Kendall Fuller. I'm kind of fuller. I'm one of the applicants. I live at 756 Steele Street. Thank you, Jenny and Becca, for the excellent representation of our application. And thank you for allowing us to be here today. As I said in my dining room last week, listening to Judge Raymond Jones and his son Raymond Jr give an interview to Colorado Public Radio. I knew we made the right choice to honor Judge Jones's legacy in our application. They consistently used the word wonderful to describe their life on our block. The retelling of the story of his trip to Selma, Alabama, that Judge Jones made as a 17 year old student reflected his life mission to fight injustice. His passion was revealed as he described how his time on the bench was influenced by the words and deeds of Thurgood Marshall. We honor his presence here. In the early 1900s. City leaders chose then to create open space parkways, sidewalks and streetcars to create the best neighborhoods they could imagine as the city expanded. Denver was experiencing rapid growth in the 1920s as it is now. The Bungalows and Foursquare designs influenced the builders at that time. This is evidenced by the line up of the homes on the 607 hundred blocks of Steel Street, which are incredibly consistent in nature despite being built by different builders. All the houses provide generous porches to welcome us home. You have heard from us. We have done our homework and comprehensive outreach to every neighbor. We have renewed friendships and we have made new ones. We know what we're asking for and can see directly from the neighbors across the street. What designation means? These houses can both look back at their origins and forward to becoming the neighborhood of the future. When change arrives, we want someone responsible to oversee the transition from yesterday to tomorrow. Thank you. Thank you. Uh, David Wise. And next one after David will have an uphill. I'm David Wise. I'm a licensed architect with an advanced degree in urban design. I've lived and I have sorry. I've lived in Denver for 40 years. I've lived on Steele Street for 25 years. Historic designation will provide clear guidelines and common sense design review for any work on houses in the neighborhood. It will use well-established standards and procedures. Everybody will be playing by the same rules. With regard to density and affordability. Designation will not prevent adding dwelling units. Marionettes are allowed, but without sacrificing the historic. Character and. Design integrity that made the neighborhood modest, livable, diverse and desirable in the first place. Design review will ensure human scale and compatible design with all new work. State tax incentives will help make that work more affordable. I believe designation will further Denver's stated planning goals, including retaining our unique character, supporting our active pedestrian environment, preserving front porches , encouraging the retention of smaller houses, and allowing for the missing metal housing by accommodating basement 80 use. As well as detached it is. I know many of my neighbors well, and we believe in the inclusiveness of the city. This is not an effort to exclude anyone from our neighborhood. This part of Congress park is the opposite of a gated community. We welcome a mix of owners and renters, many of whom have gone on to buy their own homes. Many of us started out in small apartments in the higher density areas of Capitol Hill. We know how critical housing affordability has become for us and for our children. I'm no stranger to. Urban. Living and the challenges of paying for housing. My 40 year career as an architect includes the conversion of warehouses and the housing. Integrating high rise housing in the urban core and the innovative live work housing for artists and others. Historic preservation is not the enemy of affordable housing. As a board member of the Lower Downtown District, we created the design approach that made loft apartments possible. And in those days, affordable? No longer. In 1989, I instigated the Walkable City Symposium for the Urban Design Forum. And for seven years, I wrote a column. To heighten citizen awareness around land use policy to give them tools to navigate. Their own experience in urban living for life on Capitol Hill. It's true that large spec houses feel inflation. And that will be tempered. Their character will be tempered by designation. Spec houses are destabilizing. It's certainly a concern of our neighbors, but it's certainly not the only concern. Mr. Wise, that's your time. Thank you very much, Emma Hill. Hi. My name is on a hill and I live at 740. Steel Street in Denver. My husband and I bought our first bungalow in Platt Park in 1995. It was small. In the 875. Square foot starter home, but. We loved the wood. Floors and green tiled. Kitchen and we became attached. 20 years later, we moved to a larger bungalow at 740 Steel Street. Even before we moved in, we were invited to the block's. Annual holiday party. Our new. Neighbors were an engaging group of. Teachers, health care workers, artists. Salespeople and civil servants, many of whom have lived on the block since the eighties nineties. We had a lot in common, including a. Passion for historic homes. Conversation would turn to radiators, living room would work, how to find a refrigerator for a small. Kitchen. Or how to stay. Organized despite our. Closets. A few years later, at the 2019 potluck, we learned something new. We learned that the home of Judge Ray Jones had been purchased. There were rumors. About what would happen to the property. And we were concerned. So we made inquiries about historic designation. Turns out we are a perfect fit. As part of the process, I visited neighbors on both sides of the 700 block of Steele Street, asking whether they supported the historic designation. Each and every neighbor said yes. I was not surprised. I know our neighbors and like me and my husband, they have put time, energy and love. Into their historic homes and have become attached. Steele Street is unified in their desire. To become part of the East seven historic district he supported. Thank you for your time. Thank you very much. We'll go online for Kevin MATTHEWS. Good evening. Can you hear. Me? How do you mean? Can you hear me? Yes, we can go first. Thank you. My name is Kevin MATTHEWS. I'm a member of Denver. We sent a letter opposing this district earlier today. I live at 1020 Madison Street, just a few blocks from this proposed district. The first time I heard about this proposed district was last February. When a neighbor of mine. Sent me a video of my local R.A. meeting discussing this proposed district. And the comment was made that landmarking trumps zoning. Just in case there. Is any doubt. About the. Pretext for tonight's. Vote. Yes, we've all heard. It doesn't technically prevent rezoning. Additional units or the addition of it to use. But we should all know by now that if a building has a very high cost to. Redesign. Those costs are no different than zoning implementations that stop additional units. I only know the little I've read about Judge Jones. He sounds like a remarkable person, and I'm not here to judge his fitness for amendments or recognition. But let's not pretend that this is any. More than a pretext for. Tonight's vote. Maybe his former home deserves recognition and preservation due to his deeds, and I'm not qualified to judge that. But an entire district. I used to live a few blocks from the Molly Brown house, and I would take out-of-towners there. On rainy days. It's a museum. It's not a home. She didn't get a whole district. My sister actually owns one of the most historic homes in the country, and some of them Massachusetts. But the Adams Magoon house that she bought for $170,000 in 1995. At the time, it was an historic home. He was the cousin of John Adams, our second president, and his wife was Sarah Tufts, who whose family started Tufts University. They didn't get an entire district. A few months ago, this council unanimously voted down the landmarking of the Channel seven building that was also passed through the supposedly. Rigorous. Landmarking criteria that we have today. It was easy to see what was that that was about. And at that hearing I heard this council recognize the problem that current landmarking presents, which is why you're. Currently reviewing the process. It's not clear why you're moving. Ahead with this landmarking. Until that. Process is complete. Historic designations. Have been associated with a rise in housing costs and prohibiting affordable housing from being built and their heirs. In their areas. They are shown to be negatively correlated with racial integration and displacement, and they raise. Property values and rents in neighboring, adjacent. Neighboring neighborhoods adjacent to those districts. According to the East Central Area Plan. 65% of east central households, including 72% of renter households, live in. Areas that are. Considered to be vulnerable. Displacement. We ask that you review this process before you move ahead with this district. Thank you. Thank you. We will move to Stephen Kick, who's also online. Good evening, Madam President and Council. Thank you so much for allowing me to speak this evening. My name is Steve Kirk and I live at 640 Steel Street. My husband and I have lived here. For 22 years and we strongly support the designation of our side of steel as historic. All of you are familiar with these architectural elements that were described that promote community. These small, closely packed bungalows with front porches, detached garages and sidewalks. All of these things support community. It was specifically these qualities that attracted us to this neighborhood. The history of these homes is very compelling. Our home was first occupied by a Jewish family at the turn of the last century who were philanthropists in the Jewish community. Decades later, Jewish families were not allowed to live in certain neighborhoods of Denver. So this illustrates the power of history. These homes and neighborhoods belong to the city of Denver. We don't own them. We are simply stewards of these homes for a period of time. And so we feel an obligation to preserve these jewels. The thought of these homes ending up in a landfill is just unconscionable. As a physician in the middle of an unprecedented pandemic. We're seeing the effects that all of us can have on the health of a community. So to with. Preservation is the combined efforts of all of us to help honor these homes. And neighborhoods. So I'm asking that you. Please give Denver a holiday gift this year by. Respecting the history and beauty of these homes through historic designation. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is also online, Steven Benishek. Hello. Yes, go ahead. Okay. Good evening, counsel. My name is Steve Chicken. I live in District six and I'm speaking to an opposition to this. I would like to offer some considerations before a city council votes on this. I have serious concerns about this designation, specifically around its inequitable implications. Page 29 of Blueprint Denver explains the goal of creating a city where, and I quote, growth and development contribute to more equitable and inclusive places rather than increasing disparities and amplifying gaps in how Denver must leverage public and private sector investments to avoid becoming a city where some areas show increasing affluence and privilege while others are being displaced, not able to enjoy Denver's great quality of life. Unfortunately, this designation runs completely contrary to these goals. The average House price in Congress passed 800 to 840000, making it one of the wealthier neighborhoods in Denver. This designation, which in the staff reports alluded, states an explicit intention to preserve single and two unit zoning will create a significant barrier to smart, and so it will lead to an already wealthy neighborhood becoming more and more privileged while fostering displacement in other parts of the city. When the city extends special privileges, the already privilege exempts neighborhoods like Congress part from their fair share of meeting our housing needs. We will see displacement in neighborhoods like five points because those are the only places where people are allowed to build. Furthermore, such use of the circle preservation process can give negative effects on public opinion, make legitimate preservation efforts like lower out of heights, which is due to come up later tonight. Harder in the future. I urge you to consider these. At three the goals of Blueprint Denver and vote no until such questions to be answered. Thank you. Thank you being to our next speaker online. Bruce Corgi. Thank you, Madam Chair, and members of the Council. My name is Bruce Koy and I'm a board member of Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods and also the co-chair of the History Matters Committee. I live in Denver at 1394 Vine Street, and interestingly, I live as part of the Wyman Historic District, but I live in a three year old infill project right in the middle of the historic district. My home is living proof that historic districts are not static. And I think some of the arguments about yes or no don't take into account the nuance of this application. I believe that city council members have read the letter of support. We voted as a board to support this new historic district adjacent to the Seventh Avenue historic district. I'm just going to point out a couple of points from that letter. One is that and you've heard this, but it really is important to note that the current Seventh Avenue historic district cuts right across are a cohesive street, feel street and one side of the street, the east side is not included in the same district that the West Side is. And this is kind of an unusual thing for a third district, not the end of the alley. And to have this one end in the middle of the street and if you walk the streets as I have, you'll note that the that the the both sides of the street exhibited the same historic characteristics, and they should be eligible for the same kinds of protection. John believes the Denver Landmarks Preservation Commission is on the right track by recommending approval of this just. Importantly, and you've heard a little bit about Judge Raymond Jones, but nominated his poem to be included in Denver. 50 Actions for 50 places campaign and thought Denver on a project and it was selected for that in part because of its representation of just an amazing pioneer story for Colorado. And this home is right on our blog and will encompass a part of this historic district. We understand there are complications to renaming this the judge, Raymond Jones historic district, but we believe he is worthy of this honor if that could possibly happen. We take a very thorough and thoughtful approach to endorsing this proposed historic, historic district as a neighborhood organization. And we believe that these homes represent historic and for the area, more modest homes there remain opportunities for further development for the alley and the garage buildings are not part of the protected aspect of this historic, historic district. Thank you. Thank you. We have one more speaker in this grouping online test already. Hi. City Council. My name's Tess Sturdy. I live in District nine, and I just wanted to. Talk about how it's kind of weird because, you know, every single Monday I've been at every Monday night city council meeting for over a year. Every single one. And while you all read the landing, I was right in the beginning. Every week we continue to act like this land even belongs to what is now called Denver in the first place. We're here preserving historic districts for white residents. While a little over a year ago when dozens of residents from a black and brown neighborhood. Came here and testified until after midnight, gave public comment begging you. In one way to develop it. You just you just ignored them. So, you know, I just I don't really ever hear about like, I think, you know, I'm just curious how the historic designation kind of works if we're not even willing to it to acknowledge that we're on stolen land and that this land doesn't belong to Denver in the first place. And I also just wanted to point out, because it's kind of interesting to hear the side of history that's being told from the city planning or historic designation department. Because if you look on the Denver history, the Denver Library, they talk about how in in the 19 early 1920, leading up to the 1920s, that, you know, 90% of black residents lived in five points. So I'm just kind of curious about that 1914 date. It doesn't really seem, you know, like that we're preserving something. You know, I just I'm just kind of confused about that history there. And and, you know, I love I love bungalows. I grew up in a bungalow. I think they're great houses. I would just question why why they're allowed this, you know, parcel or this like district is allowed to kind of cherry pick and and you know, preserve their historic district when five points what I thought that that was a historic district what how is that what's happened there? Why don't they? Why is everything been torn down and built into high rises? I'm just kind of confused because it sounds like all the residents that are proposing this believe that it's their bungalows and the architecture is going to be preserved. So even though that y'all are saying it's not going to affect zoning like it seems like the residents are certainly under that impression. So I'm just kind of confused there. And, you know, I just I just really don't think there's much equity in this process. It's pretty gross and it just continues to happen over and over again. I mean, I just don't understand. Like, you're not hear us, you know, what are what do you why do you think this is? Okay. It's just so blatant. So blatant. It's ridiculous. I mean, I just I don't even know why we're even doing any of these until this review is done. So to review your racism and and just blatant redlining. Okay, thank you. Next. Speakers and chambers. Andy Levinsky. Good evening, Council. I'm Annie Levinsky, the executive director of Historic Denver. We're located at 1420 Ogden Street, and I'm here to offer our support to the Steele Street extension. Our organization conducted survey work in the Congress Park neighborhood in 2019 as part of the Discover Denver Partnership with the City of Denver . And the survey identified several blocks in Congress Park as potential areas of significance, including the six and 700 block of Steel Street, which shares a close association with the City Beautiful Movement and the National Register listed Seventh Avenue Parkway, which also has its own distinctive attributes, including the highly intact bungalow forms and the Association of People of Interest in our city. Most notably, Judge Raymond Jones. The Jones home, as has been mentioned, was also identified as part of Discover, Denver and Capitol Hill. United Neighborhoods nominated it to our 50 Actions for 50 Places campaign last spring, which is a campaign designed to help catalyze preservation action that reflects the full depth, breadth and diversity of our city story. I want to thank Judge Jones for being here this evening with his son, Ray, who I believe you'll hear from in a little bit. The home was selected to be a finalist in our final 50 sites, and as such, historic Denver provided additional guidance and support to the Steel Street effort, which is an opportunity to recognize this story. And express and honor a judge's Jones life. And I've had the distinct honor of getting to do an oral history with him and spend some time with him. And it's truly a compelling story about making change in our state. We took on additional research to put that into the context of what was happening in the neighborhood and the block during those years, as well as his particular accomplishments. And I know he has great affection for his longtime home at 780 Steel Street, and he selected Congress Park in the 1970s very intentionally. I do want to correct a couple of things that have come up. Notably, the Molly Brown House Museum does have its own historic districts called the Pennsylvania Street Historic District, and it was created to help protect the museum in an era in which individual landmarks were not protected as they are today. I also want to note that the designation is consistent with city plans, including the Blueprint Denver and the recently adopted East Area Plan. I think it's important to again state clearly that the recommendations of that plan, if they're implemented, such as encouraging accessory dwelling units, would be consistent with the historic district and compatible so that could move forward. Furthermore, the preservation of these homes supports sustainability goals by ensuring that lasting materials are not sent to landfills but actively used by future generations. Because owners in the district will be eligible for tax credits for rehabilitation work, including any efforts to increase energy efficiency. And because the question I know came up when this hit committee, I want to emphasize the policy recommendations regarding Windows in historic districts is consistent with the city's goal on climate action. There's extensive studies that have been done, including by the National Trust, that demonstrate that saving and retrofitting older windows is a more cost effective way to achieve energy savings and to lower the home's footprint than full replacement. So on behalf of historic Denver, I encourage you to support this designation and help us tell a story that our city should know. Thank you. And our next in chambers, speaker, is Reed Jones the second. Good evening. My name is Raymond Dean Jones, the second affectionately named after my father. I currently live at 2400 Sable Boulevard. I was raised in 780 Still Street. I am a son of Denver. I went to Denver East. I played soccer at Congress Park. I grew up at the East YMCA, which is no longer. I grew up playing sports and living my life at Saint Charles Recreation, Saint Charles Rec. Which is no longer really what it used to be. And that's why I think it's so important that we do what we're talking about doing here today. Because living in Denver my entire life. It is not the same city. That it once was. And we all know that who have been here. The area we're speaking about 780 still. Area changing. The district. It's very important that people understand. My father was a trailblazer. Not only and his law career. But also and being one of the first people of color excuse me, the first person. Of color in. That neighborhood. So to say. That my father or. Myself would allow his name to be used for discrimination. Or racism is absurd. Well, it makes a very strong. Talking point in. And aggressively can speak to the times. It is simply absurd. We would never allow such a thing. That dedicated 30 plus years of service to this city, to Denver. Sacrificing. Some of the relationships he. Should have had. With his children, with his family for Denver. So when we talk about. Designating something. A district to my father, I want us to understand that we're talking about someone. Who is given back who could have taken his Harvard Law degree and doing other things that. Would have done better for his family. But because of the type of man that he. Is, he did not. I also want to say thank you to the Council for listening to me today and to my. Neighbors who have seen me grow up. It's very weird to see people who have seen you since you were little and now you're old. So I want to say thank you for being a part of this process. And I really do want to. Say thank you to those who have. Spoken out against. And that's our democratic process. But also understand that this. Is not a situation of the rich getting richer. This is a situation of giving pride of that community, which is very special, which is very different than any other neighborhood. And retaining what makes Denver so special. Thank you for your time. Q And last set of speakers or online. We'll go to David Hahn. Hey, on next. I'm guessing that's me. David Hagan. I think I think I need to type it in the wrong. I was in a hurry. But I think. It was need to me tonight. Historic preservation is I completely understand where it's necessary and where it is egregious, egregiously used to keep people out of the neighborhood. I think that the judge's home should definitely be historic or made that way. But in general. Historic preservation is absolutely a cause of gentrification. Whether or not people think about it in their own neighborhood, it causes there's an effect outside the neighborhood that is not helpful to keeping people in their homes or bringing people back and bringing people to a neighborhood that it's historically been in that neighborhood. It is. I mean, just when, when, when. The judge's trip to Selma was used in the same sentence as the historic preservation was discussing. What that man did was beautiful and powerful, and it is somewhat saying that he's done a lot of good things in this community and throughout the country. But to put the entire neighborhood under the same sentence that that minimized what that man did, what he dedicated his life to, that was so disheartening. All right. In the 1960s, Denver decided to replace this community with Aurora campus. And here's what it lost. A community, including a restaurant that became a multicultural hub and a magnet for guests. Magnet for gas. Let's see here. Descendant or. Sorry, I'm just trying to read something off the computer really quickly. Descendants look back at what was lost and what what they were compensated. Decades later, the memory of fences and bulldozers still haunts Giorgio. He was 11 years old when the Urban Renewal Project forced his grandmother and hundreds of other of her neighbors out of central Denver. He remembers as well as well the tears, illness, illnesses and other signs of stress among the adults whom he counted on. His mother spent the best of her years, the best years of her life trying to save this place, he said. Most of the neighbors, brick and wood homes and businesses were raised beginning in 1969 to be replaced with modern concrete. So that right there is kind of the opposite of what's going on. So you don't want that to happen. But it's different neighborhood right when it when it's in five points. We're all for getting rid of it when it's in a white neighborhood. We're all for keeping it and keeping it that way. It's just it doesn't make sense, you know, she said dozens and dozens I think it was probably close to 100 people spoke out about an hour ago and what the effect was going to have on that community of black and brown people. And you all voted for it anyways. So and then and then tonight you're going to vote for this if you don't listen to the people when when they're in front of you. David, thank you. Your time is up. We'll move on to Susan Hester, also online. Good evening. Thank you for this opportunity. My name is Sue Hester. I live at 765 Steel Street and my husband and I have lived in our home for more than 43 years. So you can say we're pretty much the seniors on the block. We live on the west side of the 700 block of steel building. And I strongly support the neighbors application to extend the historic district to the other side of the street. When this historic district was established in 1993, our side of the street was designated in the historic district, while our neighbors across the street were not. It didn't make sense to have that line down the middle of our our block then. And it doesn't make sense now. Now, in response to some of the comments about being in the historic district and the potential problems, we have found workarounds. Let me give you a couple of examples. A few years ago, we had custom wood storm windows, which are, by the way, double paint constructed for all windows in our home . And this was a fraction of the cost of replacing all windows. Second, instead of building a retaining wall for our high Congress, Park Hill, we had it landscaped. The advantages of which are no more mowing the grass and less water usage. These solutions were much more economical and conform totally with historic district requirements. In summary, the proposal to extend the seventh seventh Avenue Historic District this tiny in the spectrum of the decision. You City Council members will make today and then the future as it only affects one side of two blocks of steel street and covers only 19 homes, most of which are about 100 years old. I think I can speak for my friends and neighbors that we understand and support the need for more affordable housing. But what we don't want is what has happened in other older neighborhoods, such as Park Hill and just across Sixth Avenue and the Cherry Creek area where McMansions have been built. We want to save our beautiful bungalows. So we urge your support for the extension of the Seventh Avenue Historic District, which will maintain the integrity and beauty of our small island bungalow history. Thank you so much for allowing me to speak to my. Thank you. Next speaker online is Carol Coffman. Good evening. Thank you, Madam Chair. And members of the City Council. My name is Carol Coffman. My family and I have lived at 770 Steel Street for some 20 years. I am here to voice my strong support for the ordinance designating East Seventh Avenue. Historic. District Steel Street. Extension as a district for preservation. First, we want to thank the many neighbors we have had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know. We're getting to know even better as we. Work. Through the steps towards designation. Over the past two years, we, I think, have become a closer and more involved neighborhood. Like so many on our street. Our family loves this neighborhood because of its history, its sense of community, and the architectural appeal of arts and crafts bungalows and Denver squares of this area. We've heard a lot about that tonight for about 15 years. We also have the honor of living next door to Judge Raymond Jones. And we've heard a lot about his life and his many contributions as well. He spoke often of the pride of this home and being part of this beautiful community, a part of our community, his life in his home. Here is just. One example, though, of how the history of homes on our blog is more than a built history spanning over hundreds of years, 100 years. It's a lived history of everyday community. We feel it is. Urgently critical to. Safeguard this gift of the city architectural and social history. With the. Historic district. Designation, we have the opportunity to do that, and I urge you to vote yes on this. In sum, I strongly support this designation. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you. Next speaker, Steve Turner. Hello. This is Steve Turner. I am sorry. Let me just check out another video. Sorry about that. Hi there. I'm Steve Turner. I'm a resident on Steel Street at 640 Steel Street. I've been here for about 20 years, and I appreciate the council giving me this opportunity to speak with you. I'm here to speak in support of this proposal. I will say that shouldn't come as a surprise in that I clearly are going to have a particular perspective on this, because I've spent the last eight years serving as the state historic preservation officer, appointed by Governor Hickenlooper, and then Governor Polis. And I just retired from that position and currently the professor of Historic Preservation at the University of Colorado. I spend a lot of time talking to students about preservation, opposition to preservation, the buzzwords that are used to diffuse preservation, everything from it's not environmentally sustainable, which architects and I am an architect by training will tell you that there's a there's a phrase that says the greenest building is the building that's already built. Things can be made environmentally sustainable. And also the sort of go to point seems to be around vital windows. And we know why no windows over the last 20 to 20 to 30 years. The old designer window industry will tell you that. And so we don't. Historic preservation has its inherent sustainability embedded in its very DNA. People will talk about affordability, but again, you can look at what's actually happening around the city and see that we're not historic. Home is great. It's not replaced with a more affordable unit. It is always a unit that is 3 to 4 times the cost of the original unit. People will talk about having a 100% consensus. Well, when LoDo was designated, over 70% of the owners were opposed to that designation. In fact, it only passed council by one vote, so 7 to 6. So I know that I am about to run out of time. So I want to leave you with the thought that I'm reading a book that Jane Goodall. It's entitled The Book of Hope. And it's about really living in the times that we live in now and the need for hope. And Jane Goodall says the hallmark the hallmark of wisdom is asking what affects will the decision that I make today have on future generations? And as one of our speakers has already previously said, this land does not really belong to us. But I would argue not only does it, it belongs to future generations. And this is one way to ensure that the future will get to enjoy and benefit from these beautiful historic structures. Thank you for allowing me to speak tonight. Thank you. Our next speaker is Kevin Kelly. Oh, thank you. And greetings, Denver City Council, and thank you for your leadership and commitment to keeping Denver one of the most desirable and dynamic cities in the country. My name is Kevin Kelly and I live an East Jesmond Park at 12th and Vine. I have served on the board of Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods for five years and co-chair our History Matters Committee. Tonight, we are here to speak about designating the East Seventh Avenue historic district, the Steel Strait extension as a district for preservation. John moved to support the Steel Strait Extension as a district for preservation on December 17th of 2020, as stated and forwarded in a letter of support to Community Planning and Development and Denver City Council. One additional topic for support of the establishment of a historic district involves affordability. Historic districts can and do support affordable housing. A street side of modestly sized 1910 and 1920. Bungalows are more affordable than newly built two storey homes that often extend through the back of the lot to the alleys. One only needs to consider the plight of smaller, historic homes north of Sixth Avenue to witness the size of homes and scope of our new neighborhoods. No room for affordability. We encouraged city council to approve this new historic district. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Jane Fritzl. Do we have, Janeane? Oh. Jesse Paris. Okay. Sorry. Your next speaker is Jesse Paris. Yes. Good evening. My name is just Allison Pearson. I'm representing four black stars and more for self defense. Positive, actually. Come in for social change. These Denver Residents Council, the Unity Party of Colorado and frontline black males. And I'll be the next mayor timber in 2023. I'm in favor of this preservation to my. Despite all the opposition against it. We need to preserve our historical districts, our historic neighborhoods in the city. Now, I am a native of 5.4. I was a native of five points. And I've seen the damage that occurred from having a preservation in five points. Five points became unaffordable and. Unlivable for people of black African descent. And I would hate to see that happen. With the Seventh Avenue Historic District. Um, I don't need we don't need any more unintended consequences of voting and preservation. Um. We are on stolen land. This is stolen land we are on and does not own this land. And we have to acknowledge that and. I would hate to see this neighborhood become unaffordable as a result of this preservation. So I'm kind of torn on. Really torn on how I want to proceed with this because. On one end, it seems like it's a good idea. It meets all the criteria. But then, on the other hand, what are the unintended consequences that are going to occur from this? I hear from the neighbors and the judge, his son. I'm going to have to be a reluctant. Yes. On this puzzle based on tonight's. We need to maintain the character of this neighborhood of Congress part. And the judge's house. He was the first black judge to reside in this neighborhood, and that needs to be preserved. I'm just concerned that there's going to be unintended consequences from having such a preservation. So I'm really on the fence about this because for the simple fact I've seen what happened with five police. In other historical districts, the hand store could designation give it to them in the aftermath of what that looked like. So I'm going off on a whim on a leap of faith that this will not happen with the Seventh Street historic district. Even though. There's plenty of examples of it happening with other historical districts. So I want to know if there's a guarantee that there's going to be affordability in this neighborhood. And now no more people will be displaced as a result of such a preservation. So if somebody could please answer that question. Those questions, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak. Thank you. And our last speaker is Jane Fritzl. Hello. Hi, Jane. Go ahead. Oh, sorry. I'm having a little problem with the computer here. Really, I. I'm grateful to be supporting this opportunity of joining the West Side. With with historical designation and. I know that our bungalows are. Significant of a change. In attitude in the 1920s and before the late 1800s. Leading up. Just about what housing should be, especially for the middle class. So. The first. Bungalows were really appearing in Philadelphia. But then. On out in. California. And coming our way. They're in all the major cities. And it was a great. They're. Great housing for the middle class. So they are actually. The most significant. Form of architecture in. The. This is said in the arts and crafts movement. So it was. A it was really fun. It was. It was a response to move away from the Victorian era and and really have a different type of architecture. And I strongly support that our side of the street is. Is is able to join. The historic district. On the west side. So thank you so much and I hope you support our application. Thank you very much. That concludes our speakers questions from members of Council on Council Bill 1365. I see no one in the queue. Oh, here we go, Councilman Flynn. Thank you, Madam President. Pro Chairman. Taking a while for the item to respond. Jennifer, could you. I'm curious about. And Judge Jones, it's nice to see you here. It's been a long time since I've seen at least the upper half of your face. Regarding 7080 still that the judge no longer lives there was sold and it's all owned by a real estate investment firm is there are. I just want to know if you have heard of any plans to do anything with that property and would it be consistent with the designation? In other words, there's nothing pending that exempts it from any of the, uh, the safeguards and the rules and regulations. No, we, I'm not aware of any permits. Or. Proposals put forward to CPD for any changes to that property. So we have seen nothing and have heard nothing at this point either. Okay. Thank you. That's all I have. Okay. Thank you. Councilwoman Sawyer. Thanks, Senate President. Thank you. I just had a quick clarification. So of the 19 homes that are included in this, do all 19. It does not seem like all 19 owner support. So how many owners support and are there owners that who actively are not supportive of this plan? So yes, I don't have it on the slide actually. So there were 15 owners who provided comments of the 19 so far did not. Of those 15, 12 are and support. Two are neutral and one opposes. Got it. Okay. Thank you and thanks for the clarification. Thank you, Councilman Hines. Uh, thank you, President Pro Tem. May I have Mr. Weiss come to the microphone, please? I want to thank you for meeting with me. I think it was last week we in our conversation, we talked about. Windows. And we talked about how to make, you know, ways to make a home more energy efficient, more. You talk about some of the we touch on not asking you to relay everything that you said, but will you touch upon some of the efficiency methods for increasing climate efficiency? Certainly I won't read my two page single spaced memo that I was referring to in our meeting. The. The outline that we started prepared as a group that of course I did. A lot of the research really begins with. Taking advantage of Xcel Energies program to do an energy audit of your home. Which gives any of us, professional or otherwise, an overview of where our energy and our money is going. And I think that comprehensive look. Uh, at a house and how you use the house and how you live in it is really a great starting point. But then to fast forward. But one of the essential points is that windows are just one piece of that overall consideration for any homeowner and and how they spend their money on energy. And to focus in on that a bit more. Obviously, the most sustainable thing you can do with an historic building and what the Department of Interior has worked very hard to outline technically for decades, and they're very clear bulletins on how to do these things. The most efficient thing you can do is restore and repair your existing windows. Even looking at commercial projects, the new center is building a 16th of the ad, Brooke Lofts, 15th and one to the Airedale building on 20th Street. All of those use wood windows and some of those have been redeveloped now for decades and have have served quite well and maybe are ready for for another round of repairs. But the wood windows, when handled carefully by a craftsman and and done appropriately, last decades. Even in our climate, there are at least two very good local companies that restore windows and historic houses. I've had them give. Proposals for work. In historic districts in Denver, and those costs are roughly equivalent to medium quality, I guess you'd say replacement window, and they're very good at it. They've been doing it for many, many years and the windows are beautiful and they hold up very well. There are such things as the possibility of replacing the glass and a traditional wood window that can add higher performance. With tempered glass, it can reduce the noise factor from the exterior into the house with modern sealants and weather stripping. You can essentially match the infiltration performance of a new window, and with certain window blinds you can match the code required performance of a brand new window. I mean, there are plenty of ways. To adapt existing windows to an historic house. And then if you do the other really long menu of things that Xcel Energy will help you with, just save even more energy. So I think what I, what I heard from you is that Xcel, the audit the Department of Interior says replacing windows is maybe the, um, the most energy efficient single replacement, but that the Xcel audit could identify a laundry list of replacements and it would be specific for that property. Not, um. That's correct. And really, what I said was keeping the windows is the most sustainable strategy. When you take the embodied energy, the waste of throwing them away and all of that, the carbon footprint into account is the most sustainable. I didn't say it's the most energy efficient. What I am saying is you can easily match the energy performance of a new code compliant window with an historic window with the right strategies. Okay. Thank you. May I ask Mrs. Caselli to come up as well? I think it's only fair if I ask Mr. Wise to, uh, to talk about Windows that I ask you as well. And it's, it's my understanding that you and he had a meeting as well. Is that right? Yeah. Okay. Have you. Have you considered an Excel audit or have you had one? So, no, I haven't. All I know is that I have broken single pane glass windows that have very drafty. And, you know, there's lots of options that David and I talked about. And the reality is, is I don't want storm windows. I'm a single person in my house. I have 35 windows. I have zero interest in bringing those up and down. I don't. I just want. Normal double pane windows like any, you know, modern person. So I'm not I'm going I already have gotten the clothes. I'm ordering windows by Friday. Like there's sort of like I'm not doing any of the the like other options. Okay. Fair. And of course, it's your home. So, um, do you have, uh, do you have other concerns about historic designation? I mean, certainly when we spoke Windows was where the, the the crux, the dominant part of our conversation. Yeah, I do. I have. So my brother won't come over to my house because he has small children and my stairs are so steep that he's afraid that his kids will fall down them. In order for the stairs to be brought up to code, the landing has to move, which means the exterior door has to move. I've been working with an architect for six months, trying to figure out the right layout for my house, trying to figure out what we needed to do there for me to, you know, live in a house that I was excited about and. You know. So I think that, you know, there's that issue. There's also the issue of I have bunch of windows in my bedroom. And so you can't have like a, you know, a headboard. Right. Without it covering up the windows, I want to change the windows there. So I've already put in my permits. I've already done all the things. So, you know, I, I think it'll be fine. But, you know, the reality is, is like, I'm personally opposed to this because it messes up with my messes up my remodel. But more broadly, you know, this is just a you know, for me, I'm an affordable housing advocate. I've spent I've changed several state policies. I literally run a platform that connects low income applicants and affordable housing property managers. And any time you add regulatory oversight on top of, you know, housing, it's going to get more expensive. And I think that yeah, it's well, I totally agree with designating the, you know, Judge Raymond Jones home as. A as. Historic thing. I mean, you know, I think he was on the board for AARP. My company was just the you know, we we almost won the innovation challenge around affordable housing. So I love the work that you have done in your life. And also I'm opposed to the designation. Um, thank you. And yeah, thank you. No further questions. Thank you so much, Councilman Flynn. Thank you, Madam President. Pro Tem. I thank you, Councilman Hines, for raising the issue of Windows because that brings to mind an item in the application, although done in the staff report. Jennifer, could you address this? It says in the application that was filed by the the residents on the block that minor alterations, including replaced windows have occurred. Do we have an inventory? Do we know how many of these 19 houses have had windows replaced and were they replaced with. With original type windows, or were they replaced with a double pane windows? There is an inventory of buildings that went along with the. Application I saw and I saw the inventory. There's no mention of the replaced windows. They're there. Some of them do note if there were altered windows or not as appropriate. However, it does not go into such detail as what material? I'm sorry to say that again. It does not work. It does not go into such detail as the materials used are the replacement of those windows. So we don't have that information inventoried. But historic buildings clearly can still be contributing to historic district with replacement windows. Landmark preservation does not prohibit replacement of Windows, but we do ask that people consider repairing them first for the variety of reasons that were shared this evening, including energy efficiency, sustainability and also maintaining the original character. The best way to preserve a an older building, a landmark building, is to make it able to withstand and to handle the current demands of living, including energy efficiency. So are we in voting on this today? Would we be accepting any of these 19 houses that have windows that if they had already been designated, would not be allowed? I'm not sure I understand the question. Can you say that again? The woman here at on Steele Street. I'm sorry, Caselli. Okay. She wants to replace her windows with windows that she is concerned would not meet the landmark commission's review. Do any of the existing houses have windows that if they had already, if those houses have been designated prior to the window replacement would not be allowed to have the windows that they now have? It's hard for me to say because I don't know what the windows were that were replaced, but I am not sure that I can answer that question at this time. Ultimately, I'm curious if we're going to landmark structures that have windows that we wouldn't allow had they already been landmarked. It seems very inconsistent. I'm wondering, Mr. Casale, you have your Henrys. You want to come up and because you can't speak from there, do you understand? I think I. Do. And I mean, Caroline, replacing her windows is not going to preclude her home from being part of this designation. Certainly an act just like it isn't for the other buildings that are contributing, that have had replacement windows already. Certainly. Okay. Yeah. I've also gone around my neighborhood. There's lots of houses that have already had their windows replaced with vinyl windows, which would be prohibited under the current landmark rules. Jennifer our vinyl window replacement windows prohibited in a landmark structure. They are for most historic districts, with the exception of the all new Lincoln Park that you guys just. I'm sorry. I'm having trouble with the muffled. Yeah, sorry. I'll get hold of Mike down a little bit. So it's directed at. Yeah. For most historic district C us. The exception is with a Lincoln Park that does allow vinyl windows because that has become material that is used been used quite a bit over time that has become a character of that neighborhood. Landmark Preservation does not approve vinyl windows generally, although in some cases we do for those that are not as visible, perhaps for an egress window, for example. Do I have that correct? I guess I don't have that correct. We do not approve. I don't think it was at all, in part because they are not a durable material and they end up being needing to be replaced more often. And also, it's difficult to match the character of a historic window with a vinyl window as well. Okay. It seems to me that. Because Windows and replacement of Windows is a recurring objection that we have. And I think that's an area that CPD ought to look at and see whether we could be a little more open to preserving our landmark structures in ways that. That homeowners can actually afford and keep them at least looking consistent with their character, even if it's vinyl. And I would encourage CPD to do that. Sure. And we are actually updating the design guidelines right now. So Windows are a piece of that. And again, just to empathize. I saw that, right? Yeah. And just emphasize vinyl window replacement is not always the cheapest option for a historic property. So, you know, you could do retrofitting of historic windows that might actually be more economically efficient than vinyl replacement. Certainly. And I'm not arguing that we should take the cheapest route. I'm arguing that we should be flexible. Mm hmm. Thank you. Thank you, Madam President. Pro tem. Thank you, Councilwoman Ortega. Thank you, Madam President. Pro tem. I wanted to ask Jennifer and Annie Levinsky if you can address whether or not historic Denver Landmark Commission actually has a list of suppliers and contractors that work on historic properties that are affordable so that as people are trying to do upgrades on their homes, they're they're not they know they're working with somebody that has a history of working with historic properties. But. Just because their historic properties aren't necessarily gouging folks, you know, as some people perceive that, you know, they charge more because it's a historic property. Sure. And I'll just say we do if people ask the question of, you know, do you what sort of window suppliers, you know, have been used and other historic districts, we can provide a list that we know of, but we cannot recommend. You know, and there's. You know, also just I think having a list for people to look at is really important. I was going to say Annie is able to do a little bit more in that way so she can respond to that. Great. Thanks. So, yeah, we do remain sorry. Annie Lipinski, historic number. We do maintain a contractor resource list, a variety of different kinds of contractors. You know, I don't always get feedback from the owners on on prices. We don't see every bid that comes through. But we do take into account if we get, you know, complaints about someone, we'll take that into account, certainly, and not continue to to share their name. We also provide how to videos on our website, including a how to Rehab Your Historic Windows. So if somebody wants to do that on their own and working with partners around the country to think about how we can train more craftspeople to do that kind of work. Because I think the hardest part in Denver is just finding contractors of any kind for any type of property. So we're always trying to match people up and we try to answer those questions as well. We just had the carpenters union in here tonight. The construction trades should be one of those considerations that folks should be looking at as well. I just wanted to ask one last question to Jennifer and. I think some people perceive that because you're in a historic district, you now have to do certain upgrades to be sort of in compliance. Will you just clarify that there isn't a requirement you have to do upgrades. It's when you do upgrades that the guidelines kick in. That's correct. As I mentioned in the earlier in the presentation, I think one of the first or second slides when properties are designated, they are designated as is, and the city requires no improvements through the designation process. Great. Thanks so much. I have no further questions. Great. Thank you. Okay. Seeing no one else in the queue. The public hearing is closed. Comments by many members of Council on Council Bill 1365. Councilman Hines. Thank you, Madam President. Pro tem. I want to thank. I'm still getting used to these glasses. I want to thank CPD for the presentation. I want to thank the applicants for their hard work. I want to thank the neighbors both in and out of this designation area. I want to thank historic Denver for your guidance through the process and the Planning Board for hearing and unanimously supporting the designation. As we know, with the one, two, three year conversation, that doesn't always mean that council will vote the same way. I also want to thank Ms.. Caselli and GMB Denver for their advocacy. Our Democracy stronger when we all participate. I'm going to share a little bit about where I grew up in town, where I graduated from high school, which is called the oldest town in Texas. It also has human evidence of human activity data dating back 10,000 years. I moved around quite a bit when I was growing up, but when I graduated from high school, Mom and I lived in a home that was built in the 1920s. Yet Mom could still replace the roof for paint, the house refinished the floors and more. Mom still lives there today. Sure. Her home doesn't sit inside this proposed historic district, but I mention it. I mention it anyway to point out that it is possible to accommodate our future generations while still honoring our past. Congress Park is an older neighborhood. 54% of homes in Congress Park fall into the oldest designation. Homes built before 1940. There's no older designation. That is just before 1940. The southern side of Congress Park is predominantly single family homes. And so in this area, zoning was meant for gentle density. And I'll just put this out here now. While I recognize as as was presented in the report that this district doesn't currently allow for, it used to pop the microphone. Sorry, I see this as a place that would be a great location for general gentle density such as areas the missing middle can and should an owner want it be placed here. During my campaign, there was a mailer designed to place me in a negative light. It took something I said out of context and suggested that I wanted to place 80 plus story buildings in every area of District ten, including this area of Congress Park. The reality is that we don't need 80 plus story buildings everywhere. What we do need is extra density everywhere. But that density should be in context with the neighborhood. Mr. MATTHEWS, who I respect quite a lot, talked about Channel seven. There is a difference between the Channel seven building and this location. Channel seven with a structure that frankly does not pass the same level of scrutiny that all other historic buildings and districts have in Denver and have passed. Channel seven was built in 1969, and every one of these homes in this proposed historic designation were built before 1924. Even the architectural style of 1 to 3 Speer was called into question as Brutalism. Brutalism has examples here in Denver that far better represent the architectural style like Clyfford still is building the Denver Denver Federal Reserve, Denver Water and others. I recognize the applicant, one of the applicants for one, 2 to 3 Speer is one of the people who live in in this proposed designation. Still, I oppose the Channel seven seven designation because it didn't meet the the standard, the bar that we set for historic designation here in Denver, we must ensure our historic designation buildings pass all levels of scrutiny to preserve the sanctity of the program so that it is beyond reproach. We are in a housing crisis. Yes, I believe in in this mission. We need density everywhere. Denver is not for you must also be intentional about where we place density. And I disagree that we must have 80 plus story buildings everywhere. Not that that's what you should be saying. I'm just saying that density means different things in different areas of Denver. That's why Blueprint calls out density and in different ways. In different areas. Stronger density should be in other areas of District ten, like Colfax to the North Cherry Creek to the South and Capitol, Golden Triangle and uptown to the west and south and northwest. All of those are in District ten. We heard testimony tonight that not designating something as historic leads to scripts that cost 3 to 4 times as much as this great tome. We also heard testimony tonight that historic designation locks those homes in place and makes those homes unaffordable. Sounds like we're doomed either way, assuming our only criteria for judging is whether historic designation increase home increases home prices. We've also heard that historic designation makes repairs and renovation more expensive. Yet we also know that any repairs in a historically designated location currently qualify for 25% tax credits. Andy, I hear you. And we move to create additional density in the entire neighborhood of Golden Triangle. We blocked historic designation in 1 to 3 sphere. I personally attended multiple meetings regarding Tom's Diner and other historic designation conversations. I'm sorry, another historic designation conversation in District ten. The historic designation of 1272 Columbine. Also in Congress Park on our watch. This class of council passed through council without any controversy. Put another way, historic designation should be used where context makes sense. In this case, it makes sense. So, colleagues, I will be voting in favor of this proposed historic designation, and I hope you do as well. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you. Seeing no other members in queue. Madam Secretary, roll call on Council Bill 1365. Cashman. Cruz. Ortega. Sandoval. Soya. I black. I see tobacco. I like. Flynn. I. Herndon, I. Madam President, I. Madam Secretary, closed the voting and announced the results. Tonight. Are we showing any? I apologize. It's actually an absence. Okay. Okay. Ten Eyes Counsel Bill 21, Dash 1365 has passed. Councilmember Hines, will you please put Council Bill 1479 on the floor for final passage?