The Independent 9
September 26, 2013
Symposium spotlights urban renewal Littleton hears about efforts in other cities By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@ourcoloradonews. com Littleton City Council took the phrases “condemnation” and “urban renewal” out of the shadows and put them center stage at the city’s second annual Economic Vitality Symposium, held Sept. 19 at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Guests sipping on free Breckenridge Brewery beverages and complimentary snacks from Alamo heard from representatives of Arvada, Fort Collins, Golden, Longmont and Lafayette about their respective projects. “They are rock stars among the cities in our state,” said Sam Mamet, executive director of the Colorado Municipal League. Each one has an urban renewal authority working on public/private partnerships to revitalize blighted areas. They use a number of techniques, including everything from waiving building fees to condemnation of property, which is often donated to a developer. A common practice is tax-increment financing, which assumes the improvements a developer makes will increase tax revenue, benefiting the city in the long run. A short CML film explains the developers normally take the brunt of the risk, shouldering 70 percent or more of the financing. “Developers are not out
The City of Littleton’s Economic Vitality Symposium poster, third from right, got billing right next to movie posters at Aspen Grove’s Alamo Drafthouse theater on Sept. 19. Photo by Jennifer Smith there to make wild sums of money,” explains Greg Moran of MVG Development in the film. “They’re looking for a reasonable return.” But the path to profit can sometimes be messy, as described by Maureen Phair, executive director of the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority. Arvada recently completed projects to spruce up its downtown, which is similar to Littleton’s Main Street, and is planning more in anticipation of light rail. Both phases include condemnations. Phair said the city generally offers a fair market price, but property owners often hold out for more. When the authority condemns the land, she said,
judges often order less than the city offered. But things don’t always shake out in favor of the city. In 2004, the Colorado Supreme Court blocked AURA from condemning a private lake to make way for a Super Walmart parking lot, killing the whole project. “Do you see how much commitment this takes, and how you have to keep your eye on the prize?” Phair asked the audience. Right now, AURA is working on turning 26 acres near a future light-rail station into highdensity apartments. “This is a controversial project for us,” she said, bringing to mind Littleton’s recent Broadstone proposal, a private proj-
Mulvey shares long-term view of life in Littleton
ect just south of the Littleton Courthouse that city council ultimately killed. “We are getting absolutely crucified, but our political people are holding tight. (Opponents) think we’re going to be emptying the prisons and loading up the apartments with convicted criminals.” Golden has used its URA for grants to improve building facades, public art, signage, parking garages and more. It also offers funds to private businesses for remodel design and demolition, and grants for them to build an Internet presence. “This all can help prevent Golden from backsliding into a ghost town,” according to a short film the city of Littleton produced for the symposium.
One thing that seemed to impress representatives from other cities was Fort Collins’ treatment of downtown alleys. The city installed benches, art, paving and better drainage, and property owners were encouraged to divide their buildings so that one store faces the street and another faces the alley. The symposium came just four months after Littleton City Council unanimously approved its new Economic Plan 2013, the result of more than a year of “think tank” meetings. It takes a substantially more aggressive approach than how the city has worked to attract businesses until now. “This is really an opportunity for us to put more tools in our toolbox than just the Economic Gardening, which is all that we offered before,” Mayor Debbie Brinkman said at the time. The city’s former director of business/industry affairs, Chris Gibbons, earned national recognition for developing the Economic Gardening program, which focuses on supporting and growing existing business rather than actively recruiting businesses. The tools Brinkman referrred to include financial incentives, code changes, parking solutions for downtown (possibly meters), transit-oriented development, urban-renewal authorities, revitalization grants, upgrading strip malls, asking the voters for tax increases and much more. “This is not a plan to push toward an eminent-domain program,” said Brinkman in May. “You’re looking at seven people who have no intentions of doing anything with eminent domain.”
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By Sonya Ellingboe
sellingboe@ourcoloradonews.com Betty Mulvey worked for the City of Littleton from 1975 to 1994, managing community relations and innumerable other projects. Recalling Marcia Nelson as the first Littleton Independent reporter she worked with, Mulvey said, “the greatest part of the job with the city was all the people I worked with,” citing City Manager Gale Christy as her mentor. She complimented the commitment of present Littleton reporter Jennifer Smith. Mulvey brought several earlier issues of the Independent with her when we met for coffee, including one that reported her daughter’s 1981 wedding and another with the front page story about the Columbine tragedy — which included a picture of her son, Philip. With West Metro Fire Department, he drove an ambulance that day, she said. “When I was at the city, the Independent was our watchdog, as well as offering opportunities to get stories out about the museum and holiday lighting. We worked hard, as a team, to supply reporters with the numbers they wanted. I did training with the staff to be responsive.” Mulvey started the Littleton Report and the calendar/annual report. “It was the perfect job, involving various facets of the community: League of Women Voters, city council, contributing to a historic newspaper, which preserves a sense of place … It’s not always easy. You have to respect that watchdog.” All seven of Betty and Tom Mulvey’s children went through the Littleton school system and participated in community events and activities — and all are still in the area.
Tough issues? South Platte Park, which preserved the river and changed the community. “Probably the most rewarding was working with the city team on the bond issue for the railroad depression. It changed the community completely,” Mulvey said. The city had wisely saved the transit envelope (railroad right of way) so it could have a first crack at light rail. Painful times included sales tax elections Mulvey and controversy with the business community; the widening of Bowles Avenue and extension of Mineral Avenue across Santa Fe Drive; urban renewal projects; and the election to keep the Littleton Center in downtown. When Mulvey left the city, she headed Western Welcome Week for five or six years and remembers that Ann and Jerry Healey became involved soon after they came to Littleton. (She applauds them for taking the papers on a second time.) “It’s important for the paper to continue as watchdog for the city — although we may not like everything the paper says.” Mulvey is concerned about future leadership in the community, with little or no competition for council seats. She said: “What can the Independent do about this to encourage leadership and community commitment?”
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