A bill for an ordinance changing the zoning classification for 2160 South Grant Street in Rosedale. Approves an official map amendment to rezone property from U-SU-C to U-TU-B (single-unit to two-unit), located at 2160 South Grant Street in Council District 6. The Committee approved filing this item at its meeting on 2-11-20.
Thank you, Councilmember. Just waiting for it to come up on the screen. Make sure that we get a second. There we go. It has been moved and second in the required public hearing for council bill 130 is now open. May we have the staff report? Thank you. Members of the City Council, Jason Morrison, Community Planning and Development. I'll be bringing forward both map amendments this evening. First Map members at 2160 South Grant Street with the rezoning request from you, as you see, which is urban single unit district with a minimum lot size of 5500 square feet to YouTube, which is urban to unit district minimum lot size of 4500 square feet. We're in Council District six, so in South Denver, in the Rosedale neighborhood, and the subject property is on South Grant Street. It's just over 6000 square feet in a single unit residential. The subject property is less than one block south of Evans Avenue and three blocks east of South Broadway. It's also a half mile from the Evans Light Rail Station. The current zoning is us, you see, and it's adjacent to us, you see, and YouTube, among other zone districts. And the site is occupied by single unit residential surrounding uses, includes single unit and two unit residential, commercial and retail and public and quasi public uses. This is a bird's eye view of the subject property looking north and east for images or some of the single and two unit residential nearby. For context, the image on the bottom left is directly across the street, and the image on the bottom right is representative of a two unit pattern developing throughout the neighborhood, including a duplex directly behind the subject property on Logan Street. The Map Amendment application was unanimously recommended for approval by Denver Planning Board and moved forward by committee back in February. Since the staff report was published, we received four letters of support and one letter of opposition prior to the Planning Board public hearing. And those should be included in your packet. As you know, there are five review criteria when analyzing the appropriateness of the request. We'll start with consistency with adopted plans. In addition to comprehensive Plan 2040 and Blueprint Denver, there is one neighborhood plan and that's the urban station area plan. However, starting with comprehensive plan 2040, the proposed MAP amendment is consistent with several strategies from current Plan 2040 listed here and also detailed in your staff report. Specifically, the request is consistent with strategies under the equity vision element because it will enable development of housing units close to transit and mixed use developments. It will also create a greater mix of housing options within the neighborhood. The request is also consistent with strategies under the environmentally resilient vision element for several reasons. The site is at an infill location where infrastructure is already in place and it will focus growth by transit stations and along high and medium capacity transit corridors. The requested rezoning is shown on a context map within Blueprint Denver as urban contexts. The proposed YouTube is consistent with this context. The future place of this area is residential low South Grant Street is a Non-Designated local and Evans Avenue is a main street arterial. The proposal of YouTube is consistent with the future place type and street type within blueprint Denver. The request is also consistent with the Blueprint Growth strategy, which maps this area as all other areas of the city. These areas are anticipated to see 20% of new housing growth and 10% of new employment growth by 2040. Blueprint Denver also provides guidance when a rezoning request is made to change the zoning to allow to unit uses so from one unit to two unit, citing that this decision is based on small area planning guidance, among others. So we're looking at the station area excuse me to have an stationary plan. We find that one of the goals is to encourage development of a full range of housing types. Additionally, to increase the supply of housing, including for sale and rental of varying types. And within the Urban Stationery Plan, the subject property is located as is excuse me is identified as urban residential, which recommends up to two and a half storeys and encourages a mix of low and medium density housing, including duplexes. Therefore, staff finds that YouTube is consistent with the urban stationery plan and thus satisfying the blueprint guidance to a two unit district. The proposed rezoning will result in uniform application of zone district, building form, use and design regulations. It will also further the public health, safety and welfare by implementing adopted plans, as well as providing additional housing units that are compatible with in the neighborhood. And the changing conditions in the neighborhood is an appropriate justifying circumstance for the proposed rezoning, specifically along Evans Avenue and South Broadway, and of course, the new development that's occurring around the Evans Light Rail station. The requested UTB is consistent with the neighborhood context description zoned district purpose and intent and staff recommends approval based on the finding that all review criteria have been met. Thank you. Thank you very much. Tonight, counsel has not received any written comments for this section of our hearing on Council Bill 130. But we do have one individual signed up to speak in person. Jesse Pearce. Good evening, members of council. My name is Jesse Paris and I ran for city council at large last year. Almost 15,000 votes with no money. And I'll be running again in 2023 to be your next mayor. And I'm representing for Denver homicide low black star similar for self defense positive actually come in for social change as well as the unity party of Colorado and mile high nose. I'll make this really easy for me. It's going to be a yes for me. It's one of them good nights, Piers. I don't the only question I have is what was this letter opposition about? If I could please answer that now. Greatly appreciate it. But this meets all the criteria. So there's nothing I can say that's going to change the vote on this. Thank you. Thank you. That concludes our speakers on this item. Are there any questions from members of Council Council member Flint? Thank you. Jason. Just to follow up on what Mr. Parish just said, I was curious because I did not see the letters either supporting or in opposition in the packet. Can you tell me what they said, who they were from? I saw there was one letter of support from a property owner across Grant Street. So from whom did the letter of opposition come and what was their basis? Sure. So, yeah, there should have been. I apologize if it didn't make it into the packet, but. So there there were four letters of support from various neighbors that were within a couple of block radius. And then the one letter of opposition that we did receive prior to excuse me, prior to playing board was from a resident nearby as well. And it was a general concerns about traffic and acknowledging that, you know, so close by, I believe it's the archdiocese. There's a school nearby, Arthur Logan there and concerns about traffic that's from those areas that spilled into the neighborhood as well as Broadway and what additional units might do to the traffic in the neighborhood . So it was a very general concern about that. Okay. And then the other question I have is this parcel is actually outside the Evans Station area. It's on Grand Street, but it's on the east side. Was still evaluated based on the adjacent plan. And there is no plan for a Rosedale neighborhood. Correct. Yeah. So but I will just to clarify, it is within the Evans stationary plan is within a half and half mile radius of the area plan. Oh, okay. If you look. Yeah. I mean, I was just looking at the figure that had it all the stars outside. Yes. It is on the edge, though. Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember Councilmember Hines. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for coming and presenting tonight. The staff report. Is this an existing structure that will remain and they'll just subdivide the structure or are they going to re they're going to scrape and start over? How is that going to work? So I'm not 100% sure that the applicant is here tonight. And if you would like to come up and speak to that, and I'll thank you for the staff report, but I am curious to hear what the applicant if the applicant is planning to subdivide or scrape or start over with the . Not a gotcha question. We're not meant to be a gotcha question, at least. Hi, I'm Justin, and thank you for having me. So the plan would be to evaluate the existing structure of the House. It is relatively distressed in nature, and so it's likely that it would be a new two unit duplex structure that would go on the site. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Councilmember Councilmember Torres. Thank you, Jason. Just a question for you about blueprint. When it says residential low. What does that mean? How how much how many. Units on a property still qualify as low. To a good question. So traditionally with within the urban context and blueprint Denver, we're looking at single unit and two unit residential. Okay. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Councilmember Councilmember Sandoval. Yeah. I have a question for the applicant. It's hard to tell where the questions are coming with the masks. Councilmember, stay on the ball down here, sir. Thank you. Are you the owner of the property or do you represent the property owner? So I am one of the principals of the owning entity. Of the. Property. And when did you purchase the property? Excuse me? When did you purchase the property? So my entity took over the note, which was previously a loan to an investor, and the investor walked away from. The property. And we. Ended up with ownership from the note. So a lot of times when that happens, at least I'll speak in my statement. In my neck of the woods, there's usually a design build. So do you have plans for a duplex where this did that come with the sale of the house? It did not. We have some renderings, but we don't have the plans. The engagement and cost of the plans would be contingent on the approval of the loan. And then one other question. When you say the House is distressed, is that your terminology or is that actually like you had an inspection done? Like, you know, when you buy a house, you have an inspection. Is that from it like certified inspector or is that you just the developer thinks that the house is distressed? Well, so when we took over the house there, it was not habitable. There's there was no HBC, there was no plumbing. And we spent approximately $40,000 making the house rentable and habitable and safe. However, as far as the future of it, it probably is best fit as a tenant. So it was gutted. And you bought it when it was gutted. It was about to be redone or something. Is that what I'm understanding? That's correct. The inside of the. House had been. Basically demolished, been. Totally demolished within the walls of the structure. That's correct. Correct. Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember. All right. I don't see any other questions this evening. So the public hearing for council at 130 is now closed. Comments by members of Council Councilmember Cashman, this one in your district, just barely. You want to go first? Yes. Thank you, Mr. President. This is a man is keeps trying to edge into my district. I'm telling you for two words. I think this this project is a reasonable request for an increase in intensity. It not only meets the review criteria, but it fits comfortably within the existing context of the neighborhood. That said, and and I do intend to support this tonight, and I hope my colleagues will follow me in that. But I just want to just get up on the soapbox for just a second and say, I would just love to see our city take a real deep dove into design review to really let us create neighborhoods that we all want. I know taste it varies from person to person. It's a complex world to get into. Other jurisdictions have done it with success, and I think this is one thing that's missing in Denver right now. And so I hope as time moves on, this city and this council will be more active in that area. But as I said, I do feel. This meets the. Criteria and I look forward to supporting this tonight. Thank you, Councilmember Cashman. Seeing nobody else in the queue for comments, I'll just add a thank you to staff for your comprehensive report. I think this clearly meets the criteria and I'll be supporting it this evening. Madam Secretary, roll call. Cashman. I black. I see tobacco i. Flynn I. Gilmer I. Herndon I. Can eat i. Ortega I. Cinnabon I swear I. Torres I. Council president. I. Madam Secretary, please call the voting results. 1339 as Constable 130 has passed. All right, Council Member Cashman, would you please put 131 on the floor?