A bill for an ordinance changing the zoning classification for 901 North Kearney Street in Montclair. Approves a map amendment to rezone property from E-SU-Dx to E-SU-D1x (allow for an accessory dwelling unit), located at 901 North Kearney Street in Council District 5. The Committee approved filing this item at its meeting on 12-7-21.
So we can see council members. Oh, there we go. Thank you. Please accept the promotion. Once you accept the promotion, your screen will flash and say, reconnecting to meeting. Please do not leave the meeting. You will be reconnected and will need to turn on your camera if you have one. And your microphone. You will see your time counting down at the bottom of your screen. Once you have finished speaking, you will change back to participant mode and see your screen flash one more time. All speakers should begin their remarks by telling the council their names and cities of residents and if they feel comfortable doing so, their home address. If you have signed up to answer questions, only state your name and note that you are available for questions of council. 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. Speakers must stay on the topic at the hearing and must direct their comments to the 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. Councilmember Sandoval, will you please put Council Bill 21, Dash 1437 on the floor for final passage? And will that council vote 21 1437 be placed upon final consideration and do pass? Okay. Thank you. It has been moved and seconded the required public hearing for Council Bill 21 Dash 1437 is open and I see we have Libbey here with us for the staff report. Thank you. Okay. Can you see that? Yes, I say so. Thank you. Council members. My name is Libby Adams with Community Planning and Development, and I'll be presenting the MAP Amendment at 901 North Carney Street. This is located in Council District five in the Montclair neighborhood. The applicant is requesting to rezone from urban edge single unit D X to Urban Edge Single Unit d1x to allow for an accessory dwelling unit. As stated previously, this property is zoned ESU d x, which allows the urban and suburban house forms on a minimum zone. Lot size of 6000 square feet. The site is currently occupied by a single unit home. There's mostly other single unit uses in this area with more commercial multi-unit directly west of the site. Then this slide shows the existing building form and scale with the subject property on the upper right hand side. A postcard notifying neighboring property owners within 200 feet of the site was sent out on September 21st. And then this went to planning board in early December, where they unanimously recommended approval. And to date, we have not received any any public comments regarding this rezoning. So the Denver zoning code has five review criteria that must be met in order for zoning to be approved. The first criterion is consistency with adopted plans, and there are three plans that are applicable to the site. This rezoning will further the strategies in the comprehensive plan by creating a greater mix of housing options in every neighborhood and promoting infill development where infrastructure and services are already in place. And then in Blueprint Denver, the future neighborhood context is urban edge. These predominantly residential areas are a mix of suburban and urban with regular block patterns. And then Blue Print identifies this property as a low residential place type where it says ads are appropriate. And then both Kearny and Ninth Avenue are local streets consistent with residential uses, the growth area strategy and blueprint, Denver and all all other areas of the city. This is where we anticipate to see 10% of new jobs and 20% of new housing by 2040. And then Blueprint also includes specific policy recommendations. So in land use and built form housing policy for strategy states that individual rezonings to allow ads are appropriate and should be small. An area which is what's proposed today. So then moving to the East Area plan, so similar to Blueprint, the East Area plan designates the future neighborhood context as urban edge, and the place type is low residential. But the area plan also further describes this low residential area as specifically single unit where 80 use are appropriate. And then the maximum height in the east area plan is two and a half storeys, consistent with the maximum height permitted in the proposed district. And then the area plan also includes specific guidance to integrate ADAS and missing middle housing in the in the Montclair neighborhood. So staff finds that the proposed rezoning is consistent with both citywide and neighborhood plans. Staff also finds the requested zoning meets the next two criteria. The rezoning will result in uniformity of district regulations and will further the public health, safety and welfare by allowing gentle density in the Montclair neighborhood. And then staff finds there's a justifying circumstance for this MAP amendment with the newly adopted East Area Plan and blueprint Denver guidance to allow to use in the Montclair neighborhood. And lastly, the proposed zoning is consistent with the urban edge neighborhood context, the residential districts purpose and the specific intent of the ESU, D1 zoned district. So based on the review criteria, staff recommends approval of the proposed rezoning. And that concludes my presentation. All right. Thank you for the presentation. Libby and counsel has not received any written testimony on Council Bill 21, Dash 1437. And we have four individuals signed up to speak this evening. Our first speaker is Jeff Baker. Jeff, you're going to have to unmute yourself and you can go ahead, please. I'm just here for questions. If you guys have questions. Would you introduce yourself for the public? This is Jeff Baker, and I'm working with the clients at 901 Kearney along with Bruce O'Donnell. And we are the design build firm working with them. All right. Thank you, Jeff. Our next speaker this evening is Bruce O'Donnell. Hello, Madam President. A member of the council. Bruce O'Donnell, 386 Emmerson Street, Denver. And I want to agree with the staff report and the consistency with plans and especially the appropriateness cited in the neighborhood plan for integrating the use into this part of Denver. And I ask that council approve this this evening, and I'm available to answer your questions. You have. And thank you for your time. All right. Thank you, Bruce. Our next speaker this evening is Patrick Walsh. And I believe we have Pat Walsh and the attendees. Go ahead, Pat, please. And you're going to have to unmute yourself. Can you hear me? Yes, go ahead. Good evening, council members. My name is Patrick Welch. My wife and I purchased this home at 901 North Kearny Street back in 2003. About 18 and a half years ago. My wife's mother's just turned 79 years old and lives by herself. My father lives in Littleton and is 81 years old. And given the extremely high cost of assisted living facilities in and around Denver over the years, my wife and I have been thinking about better cost alternatives potentially for them. And building an ADU on our property, we felt, is the best way to go. Not only that, and as my wife and I age, we would probably be looking into moving that Ada Adu ourselves and at some point in the future as well, a bit easier on our legs from having to do stairs, etc.. I request that council vote to approve build 21 Dash 1437 Rezoning 901 North Kearny Street. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Jesse Paris. And I'm. Not. Seeing Jesse in the queue in attendees. So I'll let our producers look one more time. Oh, there we go. We had him moving over. Go ahead, please, Jesse. But even then, the city council might be hurt. Yes. Yes. My name is just past the member present for Blackstone at the moment for self-defense, powers of execution, for social change, as well as the Unity Party of Colorado, the East Denver Residents Council and Frontline Black Knows. And I'll be the next mayor in 2023. Remember, this is on its mind, as you already know. And if you didn't know, I supported any deals when I ran for city council at large in 2019 and I will continue to support them in 2023. So I'm in favor of this rezoning tonight. I had a few questions, but to answer some, so I yield the rest of my time. Thank you. Thank you. That concludes our speakers this evening. Questions for members of Council on Council Bill 21, Dash 1437. All right. Not seeing any. I'll give it one more time. Okay. The public hearing is closed. Comments by members of Council on Council Bill 21, Dash 1437. Council Member Sawyer. Thanks, Madam President. I agree that this is consistent with all adopted plans and given the amount of time and discussion we put into the Syria plan. I think the residents surrounding the area are also supportive or at the very least comfortable with the the plan as it stands right now. So I'm in support and I hope my council members will agree with me that this is consistent with all of the criteria. Thanks. All right. Thank you, Councilmember Sawyer and I agree as well that has met all of the criteria. And so we'll be happy to support this this evening as well. Madam Secretary, roll call on Council Bill 21. Gosh, 1437, please. Sawyer, I. Torres. I black. I see tobacco. Clark. I. Herndon. I haven't. I. Cashmere high. Can each I. Ortega, i. Sandoval, i. Madam President. I. Madam Secretary, please close the voting and announce the results.