A bill for an ordinance changing the zoning classification for 2625 Walnut Street in Five Points. Approves an official map amendment to rezone property from R-MU-20 with waivers to I-MX-3 DO-7 (residential, multi-unit, to industrial, mixed-use), located at 2625 Walnut Street in Council District 9. The Committee approved filing this item at its meeting on 12-18-18.
12 eyes. Comfortable. 1482 has passed. Councilwoman, back where you please. What? Council bill 1483 on the floor. Yes, I move that council bill 18 1483 that would be placed upon final consideration and do pass. It has been moved and seconded. The public hearing for Council Bill 1483 is open. May we have the staff report? Yes. Thank you. Good evening. I'm Courtney Livingston with Community Planning and Development. This is a request to rezone a single property at 2625 Walnut Street from residential and mixed use. 20. That's a former Chapter 59 zoning district. That's with Weavers to IMAX three. Design Overlay seven. This property is in Council District nine in the Five Points neighborhood. The site is approximately 9394 square feet in size and has a two story brick warehouse style building which is currently vacant. The owner of the subject property also owns the abutting building to the northeast and would like to rezone the subject property to match the properties around it and to allow for an office use. So as previously mentioned, the site is zoned Army 20 with waivers. This is a mixed use district and it has a former Chapter 59 waiver requiring 10,000 square feet of office only. The subject property has about 22,000 square feet total, and the subject property is primarily surrounded by IMAX three. You have to dial seven. There are some CMU 20 with waivers also surrounding it. Cmcsa 50207 surrounding it and you have a p you d also in there. The site is contributing a structure in the ballpark neighborhood historic district. Any alterations to the existing building would need to go before LPC and a certificate of appropriateness would need to be issued. So the subject property is currently vacant. It was formerly occupied by an industrial use. It is generally surrounded by a mix of commercial, industrial and residential. These are a few photos of the subject's site. The top point is showing the subject property as well as the property to the northeast. In the bottom one is showing the subject property. These are also photos of the surrounding properties in the area. In terms of process. The Map amendment application went before the planning board and there was a unanimous vote recommending approval with registered neighborhood organizations. These are the RINO's that were notified. There was no public comment received from the general public. The R.A., the Rhino Arts District, commented that they had no issues with this request at all. As you know, to do to adapt to rezoning. There are criteria that must be met. We'll step through each one. Consistency with adopted plans. There are three adopted plans that are applicable to this rezoning the Comprehensive Plan Blueprint, Denver 2002 and the Northeast Downtown Neighborhood Plan of 2011. With the comprehensive plan. The the MAP amendment is consistent with several strategies and it furthers those strategies for compact mixed use. With Blueprint Denver, the site has a concept plan use of mixed use, and these areas Blueprint characterizes them by a mix of employment and housing with residential and nonresidential uses within walking distance of one another. The proposed rezoning, consistent with blueprints concept plan uses, allows for a mix of industrial, commercial and residential uses to develop in a pedestrian oriented pattern with buildings up to the street and an active street level. Blueprint Denver also identifies this as an area of change. The guidance for these areas is to channel growth and to these areas where it can be beneficial and improve access to jobs. The proposed rezoning is consistent with the area of change intent of the law for reinvestment and reuse and industrial mixed use zoning, creating access to jobs in an appropriate location with also those enhanced design standards . It's located Walnut is a residential collector street. Collectors are providing a greater balance and would support the mixed use development along a collector street and with the northeast downtown neighborhood plan. The future land use is shown here as mixed use industrial, noting that warehouse forms are compatible with residential housing types. The proposed I am x three design overlay seven district is consistent with the plan's vision for the area, allowing a walkable mix of compatible uses. It. Also, the northeast downtown neighborhood plan talks about hype and recommends a maximum of five stories in the area for the stay at three stories. This is well under the maximum allowed and therefore is consistent with the plans recommendations. And then we have the applicability of the rhino design overlay deal of seven. It's consistent with the goals and objectives of the Northeast. Downtown Neighborhoods Plan to promote high quality design in the Reno Business Improvement District, where there is a base zone district of mixed use. The building form standards of this design overlay ensure that the development implements this northeast downtown neighborhoods plan. The goals and objectives for walkability and design. So staff finds that the requesting zoning meets next correct to criteria the uniformity of district regulations as it results in a uniform application of the requested zone district and overlay . And it will further public health, safety and welfare, enabling more walkable mixed use district and the in-depth implementation of adopted plans. In terms of justifying circumstances. The former Chapter 59 Zone District of Army 20 with waivers was put in place in 2004. Since then, the Denver zoning code has been adopted. That in itself is justification for the change, as we're going from former Chapter 59 into the new code. And then finally, consistency with neighborhood context, zone, district purpose and intent. It's consistent with the industrial context to strip description that exist in the surrounding area. As the context transitions from industrial mixed use with an I'm X three, D or seven, it's also consistent with that purpose intent there as it promotes vibrant pedestrian street frontages with active uses and existing mix of industrial residential commercial uses that characterize the site and the surrounding area. With that said, CPD recommends approval based on finding that all applicable review criteria have been met. Thank you. Thank you very much. We have four individuals signed up to speak this evening. If you have signed up for this item, I would ask that you come to the front bench to be ready when your name is called to step up to the podium. First up, we have Jerry Burton. I'll get both of you to react. Because I know. I'm sorry. You're going to have to. All right. Next up, we have Mariana Thompson. Ladies and gentlemen, you have heard from the previous bill, all of us activists, we see people dying on the streets. When are we going to turn around and take responsibility and quit adding to this problem when gentrification. And affordability. Someone's life. It's been. Taken. There are currently right now 23,000 children. I'm sorry, but I have to ask you for this hearing to speak specifically to this bill. Thank you. Okay. The answer is no. Thank you. Next up, Chairman say. German. So cool, right? Hmm. Hmm. Hmm hmm. I dare you to pass this bill. You are now setting up the ground square where poor people have absolutely nothing to lose in this city by engaging in activity to stop all of this. Pass it? I do. Because you're going to be adding to the pain. You're going to be adding more to the problem. And you keep blowing into this balloon till it busts. And then what you gonna do? But you can't do so because Dr. King told us that you appeal to the conscience of people to see if they would change. But Stokely Carmichael said, you can't appeal to the conscience of people who ain't got no conscience. Again, if you could speak directly to the. Bill, please. So when we look at this unconscionable move to rezone rezoning, rezoning reason and then eliminate the population because there's no more land left. I would tell you right now, we ain't going nowhere. Homeless or not, we are not going. And we refuse to not stand up for our right to be included in this town. And so if this not good for us. It is not good for nobody. And we're sick and tired of being sick and tired. Thank you. Next up, Jesse Pierce. Jesse Pierce, representing four Black Star Acts. A Moment for Self-defense. Denver Holmes So loud and positive a commitment for social change. And I am also an at large candidate for Denver City Council, where a large election is May 7th in regards to this bill. We are definitely against this. It seems that the city has continues to miss priority. It's the priorities for this. The community wants for the city. We have a crisis. You want to build an office building that's going to employ who the are already neighbors that's being displaced and told to move along or to gentrify and transplants that you are seeming to similarly paved the way for. If this growing growth in developments, the people are being left behind. The people that built this city are being left behind, just like the people that built this country are being left behind. And it seems that you guys have no stop in progress with it. So we are definitely against this. So we need to sweep the council like they sweep the homeless every night. Thank you. Thank you. That concludes our speakers. Are there any questions from members of Council Councilman Brooks? Thank you, Mr. President. Just a quick question for you. Tell me your name. Mia. I'm sorry. Oh, Kourtney. Kourtney. All right, so I noticed that this is going back to the IMAX, which is the context around it. Can you tell me just zooming out a little bit, what is the max height for IMAX citywide? IMAX three is. That's three stories. Yeah, three. That's for this location. But we were engaged in a dialog in Blueprint to try and get it to IMAX eight, IMAX five and other zone districts. And I just wanted to find out where that was in the community planning and development conversation. So I guess maybe I'm not I'm not sure I'm fully understanding the question because, you know, you have I'm x33 stories. I'm x five at five stories. I am. So you have progressive. Yeah. So is that acceptable in the the reason I'm asking this question in this area, we've been and I'm pleased to see that this is AMC's it's coming back to the IMAX in the context. But in this area there are different height limits that are allowing for higher. And I'm just asking is it still acceptable for IMAX eight in another context, do we have that in another zone district? Um, so the I think we do have it. However, we have to look at the the neighborhood plan for guidance. Yeah. There's is a conversation that many neighbors in this area are wanting because there's been some restrictions from CPD because there are certain capital markets bankers who are not lending into IMAX zone districts. It's been an issue. And so this has been an issue we've been talking about for five years. And I'm just sort of wanted to see where CPD was on it. Is the developer here so we can find out what will actually help? Come on. So what? What are you actually planning for this? My name is Lisa Thomas, Lakewood, Colorado, representing the developer who's a developer. I forget the entity, but the proposed uses to convert the existing building to office space. So nothing structurally would change. It's just interior renovation. You forget the entity that you're representing? Yes. Okay. What kind of office? That it cannot speak to general office space. Okay. So so you, you know, as the applicant in front of us, you just want it to. Why are you getting this zone? Change that. Because the current zoning does not allow for more than 10,000 square feet of office. The existing building is more than 10,000 square feet. Current zoning also requires ten onsite parking stalls to be provided. The current. Use. The current use is the arm. Now the U.S. use its vacant building. It's a vacant building. And you guys are coming in to develop it here. When will that be? But we need to get the zoning approved the first step, and then we'd move forward with the entitlement process and permitting. Okay. All right. Thank you, Councilman Brooks. Councilwoman Ortega. Thank you, Mr. President. One of my questions was asked by Councilman Brooks about what the building is being used for right now. So we're understanding that it's vacant. I wanted to ask Courtney if this building was at all looked at as a contributing building. By any chance, did Landmark take a look at it? And what was the the status of that? Yes, this property is in the ballpark, historic district. It is a contributing structure in that historic district. It's been before a landmark multiple times. They still need to be issued a certificate of appropriateness to move forward. It's my understanding, and correct me if I'm wrong, that it's not necessarily a demolition of the building, but an adaptive reuse . So if they want to change the the window, the fenestration at all, the the opening the door, anything they need to go through landmark to make sure that the changes are compatible because it is a contributing resource to that historic district. Okay. So the DOE seven overlay really does not apply unless the applicant or the owner if that changes were to attempt to demolish and build something else. Right. So really, we're just talking about the base zoning. That's correct. Okay. So that's all I have. So it's just going to be office use and we don't know what type yet. Right. Okay. I guess that's those are all the questions I have. Thank you. Thank you. Councilwoman Ortega. Councilman Espinosa. Hey, you answered it, but maybe I want it sort of more plain speak. I just want to confirm that the the fact that the structure is contributing basically trumps any requirement from the DOE seven. Is that understood? Right. It's an existing building. And so, you know, essentially these DOE seven requirements are for a new construction. Okay, great. That's it. Thank. Thank you, Councilman Espinosa. Seeing no other questions. The public hearing for Constable 1483 is closed. Are there comments by members of Council Councilman Brooks? Yeah. I mean, this is, you know, given our criteria, this is in line with it. Every other building zone district around this is an IMAX three. I want to tell the applicant, you need to know who you're representing. You want to you know, this is it's a big deal to come before city council, so you want to make sure you're prepared. And I would ask that before you come, the permits that you come in, make sure you tell us as the council representative what kind of office you're doing. That would be very helpful. I want to say to CPD that I'm pleased to see the industrial mixed use. I think I want to see more of it. You know, I know that we respond to what the applicants tell us, but to keep manufacturing opportunities in our city, I think is very important. And I also think that it's important that we add kind of that mixed use component. We've yet to see before this council, before the city, you know, mixed use, light industrial, having the ability for workforce housing in there. I mean, there are a lot of other cities that is that is kind of leading in that we've yet to see that. And so that's something that we really want to see. What I've heard from people who try and do that is that there's many difficulties with the city, there's many difficulties with getting loans to perform that . And so I love to look into that further. So this is something that that I'll be interested in seeing, especially in my district where there's a lot of industrial being resolved into C-Max commercial space and we're losing much of our industrial zone districts. So I'll be supporting this because of the criteria is met and. That's it. Thank you. Councilman Brooks, seeing no other comments. I just think thank you. Big thank you to staff for all of the hard work on this and for all the information put forward in the staff report. And tonight, I think it's you've made it clear that this meets the criteria. And I will also echo Councilman Brooks sentiment about it's good it's really good to see some IMAX zoning coming through. So with that, I will be supporting this. And Madam Secretary, roll call on Council Bill 1483. Brooks Black, Espinosa Flynn, I. Gilmore, I, Herndon, I. Cashman Can eat. Lopez. All right. Ortega, I assessment. Mr. President. I am secretary, please. Because voting in the results. 12 Eyes. 12 Eyes Counts. Bill 1483 has passed. On Monday, February 11th, 2019, Council will hold a quiet public hearing on Council Bill eight 1539, designating 5001 packing house road to the armor and company administration building as a structure for preservation and a required public hearing on Council Bill eight 1542 designating 637 Galloping Street the Samsonite House as a