Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Urban Planning

After fire, a new rule: Why one Lakewood property can’t be rebuilt as before
Lakewood Informer, Approved, Commentary, Local

After fire, a new rule: Why one Lakewood property can’t be rebuilt as before

By Lakewood Informer | Lakewood Informer Subtack When a Lakewood resident bought a burned-out single-family house to rehabilitate it, he had no idea Lakewood would say no. The house had been vacant and neglected, allowing homeless to move in and cause a fire. The result is an unusable, dangerous eyesore. But those considerations were not as important to Lakewood as changing the property to high-density. The new owner thought he would do the neighborhood a favor and fix it up. He had no desire to build high-density and no reason to think he could not replace one single-family home with another. Unfortunately for him, Lakewood has been eliminating single-family zoning for years. During the 2012 rezone, many properties were changed from single-family to multi-use without ...
Denver Urbanism Push Part Of Progressive Agenda to Discourage Automobile Use
Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, Local

Denver Urbanism Push Part Of Progressive Agenda to Discourage Automobile Use

By Mike Rosen | Commentary, Complete Colorado Bicycle lanes in Denver are much more than just a nuisance for motorists, they’re a small but glaring symptom of the radical progressive mentality of Democrats that have grossly mismanaged Denver government in recent years. This is a sad reflection on Denver voters, who have brought this on themselves. Worse than useless and ridiculously underused, they obstruct traffic and pose a safety hazard for bicyclists and pedestrians. The lanes on Broadway north of Speer Blvd. are positively laughable, repositioning cars that were parked at the curb now out into a former traffic lane and inserting the bicycle lane in its place.  Vehicles making a left turn crossing that bicycle lane do so at the peril of cyclists, which can also be sa...
The road to nowhere: When planners decide how people should live and travel
GregWalcher.com, Approved, Commentary, State

The road to nowhere: When planners decide how people should live and travel

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com At Club 20 in the 1990s, we often fought against diverting highway funds for non-highway purposes, such as mass transit. We reminded national officials that “there will never be a Japanese bullet train from Slick Rock to Egnar.” They had never heard of either place, of course, so it was a succinct way to explain that what might work in Boston and New York can never work in Colorado, or anywhere in the West, where cities evolved around the automobile. People here do not live 20 floors above their offices. Even in Denver, hundreds of thousands of people live in single family homes strung out one after another, mile after mile, and workers commute great distances along the Front Range every day. Suburban commuters in Jefferson, Arapa...
Polis celebrates city compliance as lawsuits claim unconstitutional power grab
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Polis celebrates city compliance as lawsuits claim unconstitutional power grab

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The Polis administration is taking a victory lap this week on local government compliance with housing laws passed by the General Assembly in the past two years, although the highest level among the metrics is only 60% compliant. In another metric, there are more localities that are non-compliant than those that are. The majority are in the “progress” phase. The Department of Local Affairs on Tuesday released a “compliance dashboard” that shows to what extent municipalities are complying with laws on transit-oriented communities, accessory dwelling units or so-called “granny flats” and housing needs assessments. A statement Tuesday noted an executive order that Gov. Jared Polis signed in May on “strategic growth” through compliance with ...
Lakewood Officials Push Back on “Single-Family” Claims Amid Zoning Overhaul
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Lakewood Officials Push Back on “Single-Family” Claims Amid Zoning Overhaul

By Sage Kelley | The Denver Gazette Changes being made to Lakewood’s zoning code have raised questions and ire throughout the community, especially when it comes to the city’s single-family residential districts. Residents have said they want to retain their single-family home neighborhoods. The city never had single-family only residential zoning, according to Mayor Wendi Strom. “The city’s current zone districts often associated mostly with single-family homes already allow several of the following uses: duplexes, group homes, accessory dwelling uses, animal care businesses, bed-and-breakfasts, etc. Lakewood doesn’t currently have a zone district where only single-family home use is allowed,” Strom said in a statement following the 9-2 approval of the zoning changes at a City...
Lord Polis now plans your town through ‘strategic growth’ mandates
ScottKJames.com, Approved, Commentary, State

Lord Polis now plans your town through ‘strategic growth’ mandates

By Scott K. James | Commentary, ScottKJames.com One smart post about Colorado land-use policy sent me digging – what I found says a lot about where the state is really heading. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – being a Weld County Commissioner has its perks, and I’m not just talking about the bad coffee and the occasional angry email in ALL CAPS. I’ve had the good fortune to meet some dangerously smart, surprisingly cool people in this gig. Case in point: Chris Richardson. Chris and I crossed paths back when he was repping Elbert County as a County Commissioner. Then, in a moment of what I can only assume was temporary insanity, he decided to run for the Colorado House. Somehow, the voters in HD 56 took the bait, and now he’s down at the Capitol, actually doing the job ...

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