Please, enough!
Please, no more "high density" (a euphemism for crowded together) apartments. At the new Downtown, except for the existing J C Penny, a new hotel, a future bookstore? and a movie theater that was given huge amounts of taxpayer money, the rest is high density apartment houses. The apartment houses were subsidized with tens of millions taxpayer money (everything there has been given taxpayer money). While there are shops and boutiques on the ground floor, the only free parking is blocks away.
The first high density beauty is at the Promenade. The builders were allowed to waive $4.1 millions in fees less favored developers pay. Westminster gives final OK to $4.1 million package for Promenade project – The Denver Post
The second example is St. Marks. All speakers at the Council hearing, except for a couple, begged the Council not to change the Comprehensive Plan to allow this. Not only did Council allow this, they gave the developer taxpayer money, too.
The third example is Park 1200. Park 1200 was allowed to change the Comprehensive Plan. The neighbors did not want this and they begged the City Council not to do this. And Council ignored the people. It took 75 acres feet of water, it has no public transit available, it places public burdens on police, fire and schools that was not there before. And where will the kids go to school? There are no food store nearby. The residents will be completely private car dependent. and the area already had hundreds of high density apartment. It did have to build a park to lessen the impact on the community. The park is a weed lot.
Oh, there are no nearby food stores at the Promenade or St. Marks. The apartments are also car dependent. And police and fire must also serve them. There is no ownership, or appreciation on the property for tenants. How strong and what will the residents' connection be to Westminster?
The second example is St. Marks. All speakers at the Council hearing, except for a couple, begged the Council not to change the Comprehensive Plan to allow this. Not only did Council allow this, they gave the developer taxpayer money, too.
The third example is Park 1200. Park 1200 was allowed to change the Comprehensive Plan. The neighbors did not want this and they begged the City Council not to do this. And Council ignored the people. It took 75 acres feet of water, it has no public transit available, it places public burdens on police, fire and schools that was not there before. And where will the kids go to school? There are no food store nearby. The residents will be completely private car dependent. and the area already had hundreds of high density apartment. It did have to build a park to lessen the impact on the community. The park is a weed lot.
Oh, there are no nearby food stores at the Promenade or St. Marks. The apartments are also car dependent. And police and fire must also serve them. There is no ownership, or appreciation on the property for tenants. How strong and what will the residents' connection be to Westminster?
The Comprehensive Plan
Westminster has had a Comprehensive Plan for years. I see the Comp Plan as a "promise to residents" about how vacant land will be developed. And we have the Open Space Program working with the Comp Plan to prevent Westminster from being an crowded, over built city. Remember, according to sustainability plan of the City, they want to add 38,000 more people to the 113,000 that already live here. That is about 1/3rd more people. That will choke the roads, flood the parks and trails, wear down emergency responders and crowd the schools.
The Anita Seitz, Kathryn Skulley and Jon Voelz support this changing of the Comprehensive Plan and subsidizing of developers. They are allowing projects to jam in more people into the same space, is betraying the purpose of the Open Space Tax. Consider this article: U.S. Suburbs With Most New Apartments: 3 Colorado Spots Make List (msn.com)
Westminster already has lots of apartments and apartment houses.
There are many examples of this changing the Comprehensive Plan and jamming in more people. At the old Builders Square at 90th and Wadsworth the City allowed a switch that not only crowded the shopping area, but it took significant tax money away that supported the park. There is a cascade of negative effects from jamming more people into Westminster: existing infrastructure must be increased (example: at 146th and Huron, beside allowing the Comp Plan change, council gave the builder $1 million in public money to upgrade the sewer); seeming sweetheart deals to connect developers; and when more people use existing roads the Quality of Life diminishes for all of us. Our parks get more crowded, our water resources must be divided, there is more calls for fire and police and worst of all our schools have no choice but to serve the increased needs.
Demand of every candidate for City Council an answer as to whether they will end high density growth in Westminster. Don't accept cheerful, happy but vague answers. Elect councilors that will defend our City and our Quality of Life. Westminster needs Bruce Baker on Council.
The Anita Seitz, Kathryn Skulley and Jon Voelz support this changing of the Comprehensive Plan and subsidizing of developers. They are allowing projects to jam in more people into the same space, is betraying the purpose of the Open Space Tax. Consider this article: U.S. Suburbs With Most New Apartments: 3 Colorado Spots Make List (msn.com)
Westminster already has lots of apartments and apartment houses.
There are many examples of this changing the Comprehensive Plan and jamming in more people. At the old Builders Square at 90th and Wadsworth the City allowed a switch that not only crowded the shopping area, but it took significant tax money away that supported the park. There is a cascade of negative effects from jamming more people into Westminster: existing infrastructure must be increased (example: at 146th and Huron, beside allowing the Comp Plan change, council gave the builder $1 million in public money to upgrade the sewer); seeming sweetheart deals to connect developers; and when more people use existing roads the Quality of Life diminishes for all of us. Our parks get more crowded, our water resources must be divided, there is more calls for fire and police and worst of all our schools have no choice but to serve the increased needs.
Demand of every candidate for City Council an answer as to whether they will end high density growth in Westminster. Don't accept cheerful, happy but vague answers. Elect councilors that will defend our City and our Quality of Life. Westminster needs Bruce Baker on Council.
