A bill for an Ordinance approving an Agreement with the State of Colorado, Department of Transportation for a major road construction project, known as I-25/Santa Fe & Alameda Avenue Interchange Project. (INFRASTRUCTURE & CULTURE) Approves an intergovernmental agreement with the Colorado Department of Transportation for land transactions and underpass construction for the South Platte Regional Trail and roadway improvements between South Jason Street and South Huron Street for the I-25/Santa Fe and Alameda Avenue Interchange Project in Council District 7 (201626220). The last regularly scheduled Council meeting within the 30-day review period is on 5-9-16. The Committee approved filing this bill at its meeting on 4-6-16.
RTD has stepped away from it and funding it, which I'm very disappointed with, and I'll continue to work with RTD to try and bring them back into the fold on that and that the city is poised to pass on acquiring at a very low cost, if maybe any cost, the landing pad, the future landing pad for that bridge, making it virtually impossible then to build without condemnation of private property. That land exchanges is the sale is happening soon. And I just wanted to go on record saying that it is absolutely critical that the city secures the landing site. We have worked hard. We have a massive infrastructure project. Parks and public works have worked really hard to line up a great bike ped connection to that light rail station for all of West Denver along Alameda. And it will all be for nothing if we lose that landing pad, if we can't get that bridge built, because what it will do is, in effect, cause bicyclists and pedestrians to cross Alameda at a very busy juncture with all the on ramps for I-25 and Santa Fe and Commerce coming through twice, two additional times without that bridge to be able to use the current infrastructure which is on the north side on the underpass. So will I be voting to support this project? Because I believe that it is a critical step in getting us there. I don't want this this to go through without taking a moment to acknowledge that the bigger picture is about to slip away from us. And we have to make sure that we we deliver on the promise of access to public transportation for the west side of Denver. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Councilman. Councilman Flynn, your comments. Thank you, Mr. President. Pro tem. I'm going to support this tonight, but I do want to reiterate a comment that we made in committee to city staff, which generally does a really good job on on these infrastructure projects. And this is a really, really good project. But the one thing that disappoints me about it is that it is utilizing 1345 square feet of Vanderbilt Park for one of the bridge, Piers. And the replacement land is about five blocks away and it's a little wedge of land at Alameda and La Pam right next to right across the west side of the river. And I don't think that's a suitable location for replacements. Like we build something in Civic Center Park on a thousand square feet and we compensated by by putting a thousand square feet somewhere off in the distance. I would I would really like the city staff to work on these issues when they come up again to find replacement park land that is adjacent and contiguous to the park that's losing the land. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. That does it for that council Bill. Councilman Kennedy, under Bill's introduction, you have called out Counsel Bill 291 regarding marijuana caps on locations. What do you want? What would you like us to do with this bill? Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to put it on the floor for the purposes of entertaining a technical amendment that's going to be offered by Councilwoman Gilmore. All right, Councilman Cashman, will you please put Council Bill to 91 on the floor? It will be ordered published. Yes. Thank you, Mr. President. I move the council bill to 91, be ordered published. All right. We have a second has been moved in second comments by members of council. And then let me just proceed by saying Councilwoman Gilmore, Councilman Espinoza, Councilman Cashman and Councilman Flynn all chimed in. The council this hour to call this bill out is really go with comments and you can make your comments at that point. So go. Go for counseling. Or I mean, I'm sorry, Councilman. I defer to Councilwoman Gilmore. All right, Councilman. Thank you, Councilwoman. I was just wanting to go ahead and put my amendment on the floor. Is it okay to put my amendment on the floor or. I don't necessarily have a comment. Okay. Council members. If you have an amendment, please indicate so on your touch screen. I think everybody's got it. And when you offer your amendment, please indicate the color of the paper used to distinguish your amendment. Counsel. I think we have that on the floor.