68th & Carr - It's Not Over! Next Steps

It’s NOT Over! Repeat: It’s NOT Over! Yes, the Planning Commission voted in favor of approval for the development at 68th & Carr, but they DON’T make the final decision. Their vote counts only as a “recommendation” to City Council, who WILL make the final decision on Mon, Nov. 21st. Many neighbors believe that it’s over. PLEASE talk to your neighbors—especially if you’ve heard them say that it’s over. It’s certainly not! And we need community attendance at the Nov. 21st hearing. So How Did the Planning Commission Hearing Go? Over 150 neighbors attended, and several presented various problems that this project has, including traffic and traffic-safety issues, inconsistency with Arvada’s Comprehensive Plan, impacts to neighbors’ views, and several others. When the public comment portion of the hearing was over, the Planning Commission asked clarifying questions of City Staff. The Commission then voted in favor of approving the development. (Note: “IN FAVOR OF approving; translation: recommending to City Council that Council approves it.) So What Happened? Why Did They Vote in Favor of Approval? The community presented a case that was organized and fact-based, and included images and documentation to back their position. Anyone realistically would believe that an organized case with indisputable, fact-based evidence would be strong in this court-like setting. The Planning Commission proved on Tuesday, however, that facts and evidence are not strong, in the Commission’s view, compared to the opinions and interpretations of City Staff (whose official report already recommended approval). What’s Next? We prepare for the City Council public hearing on Nov. 21st. Since the Commission hearing, I’ve gotten calls and emails asking my opinion as to whether certain problems with the development might be strong points that could help us win. (It's fantastic to see that the community is not discouraged!) Since the Commission hearing, my answer to the question is “I’m not sure, now.” Recently, there was a different proposed rezoning and development project that both City Staff and Planning Commission recommended for approval, but was denied by City Council. I plan to study that case to get a sense of why, after Staff and Commission voted to approve, City Council ended up denying it. With that understanding, I believe I’ll have a more effective frame of mind to evaluate points to bring up at the City Council hearing. I’ll share my findings, of course. Until then, PLEASE walk next door and assure your neighbor that the decision has NOT been made. If you (or they) have any questions, please let me know. Michael ArvadaHills@gmail.com www.facebook.com/groups/68thAndCarr