By Marcia Johnson, District 5 City Councilwoman
I am happy to report that Sherman Associates was recently notified that the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) has approved their project for Low Income Housing Tax Credits!
For over a year now, I have been working with this Minneapolis-based developer on their proposed project for the old “Pillar of Fire” property on Colfax at Poplar.
What does this mean for our stretch of East Colfax? It means that development is coming! Their project, the aptly named “Phoenix on The FAX” will invigorate redevelopment along the Colfax corridor. For instance, this development could be a magnet for a new tenant for the long-vacant former St. Vincent de Paul building just across the street.
Zoning
The property at Colfax and Poplar is zoned “Main Street 2” which means that a building up to 65 feet high (stepped back to a maximum of 38 feet high in the rear) can be built. The plans that Sherman Associates submitted to CHFA include 50 units of affordable housing on top of work/live space and a restaurant.
Generally speaking, “affordable” housing refers to housing affordable for households that make less than 80% of the Denver area median income (AMI), which is currently $53,200. This income level varies based on the size of your household. For example, in a one-person household, 50% of the median income is $26,600, while 50% of the median income is $38,000 for a four-person household.
The Phoenix on The FAX project will include 6 units at 60% AMI, 39 units at 50% AMI, and 5 units at 30% AMI. It will include some three-bedroom apartments, which are often tough for families to find, as well as one and two bedroom units. Imagine a single mother with two kids, who qualifies for an affordable housing unit at the 50% or 60% AMI rate with her job as a teacher. Or think of the Johnson & Wales student who might be eligible to live here, working a part-time job while going to school.
Finally, Sherman Associates does intend to retain ownership of the Phoenix on The FAX project after it is built, as they do with most of their other projects. They will manage and have direct oversight of the rental units, so they will be able to ensure the quality of their tenants. I encourage you to check out the other projects in their portfolio at www.sherman-associates.com.
New Biz
Another exciting development in District 5, and very close to Mayfair, is the new Snooze A.M. Eatery on Colorado Boulevard. Owner Jon Schlegel is expanding the popular LoDo breakfast spot to the old Boston Market on 7th & Colorado. The “7-CO” Snooze is open, and features the same innovative recipes and local products as the original downtown location. Be sure to try my favorite, the pineapple upside-down pancakes!
Please feel free to contact my office with your thoughts, questions or concerns any time at 303-355-4615 or marcia.johnson@denvergov.org.
By Doug Linkhart, City Councilman At-Large
Congratulations to the 3,000 students who graduated from Denver Public Schools (DPS) this year! Unfortunately, however, another 3,000 failed to graduate. For the first time, Denver’s graduation rates fell below 50% this year, to 49.5%. This means that half of the students who started as freshmen four years ago failed to graduate this past spring.
Whether the cup is half-empty or half-full, we should not be content with these circumstances in our community.
Understanding the Data
Graduation rates vary somewhat among different schools in the city. The highest rates this year were at the Denver School of the Arts and Denver Center for International Studies (DCIS), where the graduation rate was nearly 100%. For George Washington and East, graduation rates were nearly 80%.
I recently spoke with a research analyst at DPS to check the accuracy of the 50% graduation rate. I was hoping that there was some kind of statistical misunderstanding. Perhaps the 50% didn’t count transfers or some other factor. No, they said, it was a real number, at least for high school diplomas. Transfers were counted, although the number did not include students who received a GED, which would bring the number with diplomas or GED’s to 58%.
Graduation Essential to Success
It’s no secret that on average, kids who do not graduate from high school get jobs that pay far less than those who graduate. High school graduates, on average, make $1M more during their lifetime than non-graduates. People with college degrees fare even better, in terms of career opportunities.
At a recent luncheon, DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg said, “this is an age in which the failure to graduate is a condemnation to a second tier of economic citizenship.” Boasberg and others are calling for a new emphasis on keeping kids in school and helping them graduate.
Partnership Solutions
So what can we do? Well, DPS is working on several fronts to reduce dropouts and increase graduation rates. A study released this spring showed that most dropouts showed early signs of failure in the 9th grade; so many efforts are aimed at 9th graders. Working with groups like Goodwill, Denver Kids and Colorado Youth at Risk, DPS is trying to identify kids with the potential to drop out early and provide mentoring, tutoring and other assistance to help them be successful.
As a community, we can not afford to have so many kids entering adulthood without a high school diploma. As school starts up again this fall, it’s time to rally around DPS and the nonprofit groups that help kids succeed in school. When these kids are successful we all benefit.
By Carol Boignon, City Councilwoman At-large
In tough times, the challenge for city leaders is cutting spending without harming the city or her people. I believe that there would have been lasting harm done by budget cuts proposed several months ago for childcare services. That is why I urged the Mayor and my City Council colleagues to allocate $2.1 million in general fund dollars to Denver Human Services. I am grateful they said, “Yes.”
Maintaining Support for Those in Need
With their strong support, we used that money as local match to gain more than $7M in additional federal money for Denver’s most vulnerable residents. Some $1.8M of the local money went for subsidized childcare to keep current families in the program and give at least 420 new kids access to subsidized childcare. Eligibility for the program will be redetermined every 12 months instead of cutting it to 6 months, helping parents stay independent of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families support. Another $357,000 will support the homeless initiative, Denver’s Road Home.
I want to thank Mayor Hickenlooper and his staff and ten of my council colleagues for their support. We have worked hard over the past 15 years to build high quality school readiness into subsidized early education. The planned cuts would have eroded any hope of school readiness by forcing children to change preschools mid-year.
Critical Challenges Ahead
Make no mistake: this is going to be a very tough year or two. Denver gets about half its revenue from sales tax. For 2009, sales tax revenue is down a combined 12.7%. Last month, we learned that the city’s projected budget deficit for the next 18 months has grown to $120M.
Until this year, we have maintained general fund reserves of 20% a year. The city will use about $24M of its reserve-fund balance to limit the deficit to $120M. This will lower the reserve balance to nearly 12% of the general fund.
Priorities Drive Decisions
If the city makes careful choices, such as the four furlough days that employees recommended and other measured actions, we can preserve the trees and parks, maintain the safety of our neighborhoods, and protect our people and businesses. Actions taken so far closed an $86 million gap: non-uniform employee merit increases were limited to 2.25%, police and fire unions reduced their pay and the sheriffs cut personnel to save 4.9%, personnel bonuses were suspended, leases of large equipment replaced planned purchases, more than 350 vacancies were not filled, and other operational adjustments were made.
Denver also advanced many of the bond projects as a local economic stimulus. Bond-rating agencies have advised the city against lowering the reserve fund below the 10% threshold of $80M to $90M. One of the city’s lead bond advisors just told me that Denver bonds are selling very well in the capital markets, another sign of the strength and stability of this city.
As the 2010 Denver budget comes up for review, it will be our task to identify savings that will responsibly close the budget gap without causing lasting harm to the city.
By Jeanne Robb, District 10 City Councilwoman
Amidst the gloom of budget cuts and complicated discussions of the proposed new Zoning Code, I have good news! A team has been selected and the contract signed for a Streetcar Feasibility Study for Colfax from I-25 to Yosemite.
The Company
The team will be led by the local office of Fehr & Peers, transportation planners and engineers. They worked on the Downtown Multi-modal Access Plan, the Civic Center Plans and the Auraria Campus plan, so they get the connections. They will be joined by URS Corp. Having participated in the planning phases of streetcar projects in more than 30 communities, URS is doing the current cost-benefit analysis for the Albuquerque Streetcar Project.
A feasibility study is a technical study. Should the Denver/Colfax community seek federal funding through New Starts or Small Starts, federal agencies will want to be sure that a fair range of alternative routes, modes of transportation, and transportation impacts have been thoroughly explored. RTD, which is currently managing $4M for enhanced transit and priority signalization on Colfax, needs to be thoroughly involved and onboard. There are many streetcar myths and realities and all concerned must understand the tradeoffs.
Even if we weren’t in the current economic downturn, we would have to look at the feasibility of funding a streetcar on Colfax. Both the zoning code update and Colorado’s response to the economy focus on sustainability. A streetcar would enhance Main Street zoning and capitalize on Colorado’s budding green economy.
