Your Guide to Community, Politics, Ar ts and Culture in Nor th Denver DenverNor thStar.com
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Volume 2, Issue 8
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May 15, 2021 -June 14, 2021
North Denver Couple Denied Zoning Variance to House Disabled Mom Subjectivity and Bias on Denver’s Board of Adjustment for Zoning Enters Public Spotlight
Safe Outdoor Space PAGE 4
COMMUNITY Phil Goodstein Seeks Apprentice PAGE 5
PHOTO BY SARI BLUM
Shawn (left) and Ben (right) Johnson have been trying to build a home for Shawn’s mother. Alongside confusing and conflicting rejections, they started seeing bias in the system. By Kathryn White
S Regis University Graduates PAGE 12
EDUCATION North Denver Soccer Program PAGE 13
HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT I-70 Sound Wall Improvements PAGE 17
ALWAYS FREE!
After Two Fatal Crashes, Residents Call For Safety Improvements to Neighborhood Streets By Allen Cowgill
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COMMUNITY
EDUCATION
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unnyside residents Shawn and Ben Johnson received wide-spread support for an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) to house Shawn’s disabled mom, until they faced the Board of Adjustment for Zoning Appeals (BOA). After three unsuccessful hearings before the BOA, the Johnsons are making their case public, shining a spotlight on the chasm between a city’s vision for equity and agingin-place, and an arcane zoning process interpreted by a board untethered from that vision. When Shawn Johnson’s mother, Catherine Johnson, suffered a brain aneurysm in 1995, he and his brothers were young. Too young to help when the aneurysm led to a stroke, then paralysis down the left side of her body. “She’s brilliant and resolute on being a kind person. Raising three boys, she made sure we were capable young men who understood the importance of knowing right and doing right.” But at 10 years old, Shawn couldn’t take care of his mom. Last year Ms. Johnson suffered another health setback, this time a lung infection. She spent two months in a North Carolina hospital in critical care on a ventilator before being released to rehab and eventually back home. Shawn spent several weeks by her side, then returned to Denver where he and his husband Ben agonized across the distance. They pictured a life where she lived close by, where they could look in on her. The Johnsons live in an area of North Denver zoned for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). They entertained ADU ideas allowing space for the piano lessons Ben teaches. Or a rental apartment for a local student. They hoped to need space in the house for growing their family someday. But when Ms. Johnson fell ill last year, their attention turned entirely toward providing a home for her. They talked to her about living close to them as she faces a chapter in life where she might need more support. They pictured enjoying life’s daily moments together: morning coffee, their garden, a
hug before saying goodnight. Shawn and Ben rolled up their sleeves and set out to design an ADU that would work for Catherine. They navigated a complex maze of steps and a mind-boggling array of requirements. They visited with their next-door neighbors and Registered Neighborhood Organization (RNO), Sunnyside United Neighbors Inc (SUNI). SUNI’s Planning and Community Development Committee reviewed their design in two separate meetings and provided unanimous support in a vote of 10-0. Together with an architect, builder, neighborhood support, and the City’s Community Planning and Development department, the Johnsons moved through several iterations to arrive at a design that worked. It worked for neighbors, it worked on their property, and most importantly, it worked for Ms. Johnson. But it didn’t comply with Denver Zoning Code. In order to create a second story studio apartment sufficient for Ms. Johnson’s needs, and allowing for the real possibility she will require a wheelchair someday, the design exceeded the maximum square footage currently allowed for the footprint of the building and the ADU on top. Knowing their architect and builder have experience, and buoyed by the support they encountered in Sunnyside, Shawn and Ben felt optimistic they could successfully navigate the last steps. Their designs moved along through planning and permitting, and when they finally sat before the BOA on January 12, 2021, to request variances, they pictured Shawn’s mom moving in by Thanksgiving.
wo recent fatal high speed car crashes at 32nd Avenue and Lowell, and at 26th Avenue and Vrain St. have had residents calling for safety improvements to neighborhood streets. City of Denver records show that there have been 53 significant crashes at 32nd Avenue and Lowell since 2013, with the crash in April being the first fatal one. Hannah Hagener lives in the neighborhood and loves the 32nd Avenue strip and walkability of the neighborhood, but the number of times she has almost been hit by drivers when she was just walking to get coffee has been disconcerting with drivers speeding and turning at the intersection with poor visibility. Along with a group of other concerned residents and businesses organized by the Denver Streets Partnership, she spent days in late April going door to door at local businesses and talking to people on the street and neighbors to find out what the biggest concerns were, as well as what people in the neighborhood would like to see changed. Hannah said that the “biggest concern is speeding vehicles and pedestrian safety." While 32nd and Lowell is a priority, she's also concerned about 32nd and Meade St as well. Many employees of stores also expressed concerns about pulling onto 32nd Ave from side streets with limited visibility and speeding cars. They were also concerned about a “general lack of respect by drivers for the community with other vehicles and people walking around.” At the 6-8 businesses she spoke with in person, every single one expressed a concern that something needs to be done. “Daylighting” or removing a parking spot on the end of each block to increase intersection visibility had a ton of support. Hannah also asked businesses if they would be in support of extending the pedestrian mall that occurs for the Sunday farmers’ market, to make it a weekend long thing. “It’s been really interesting. The
BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT FOR ZONING APPEALS The five-member BOA operates as a Mayor-appointed body within the City’s Boards & Commissions. The BOA’s members serve staggered 5-year
After two tragic accidents, residents have erected memorials and are looking for the city to make safety improvements.
See ZONING, Page 14
See STREETS, Page 17
PHOTO BY NATHALIE JAUTZ-BICKEL