All the News About Denver’s Best Residential Community Since 1961 Volume 54, Issue No. 2
A Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. Publication
February 2015
MLK Marade Draws Record Crowd, Inspires Calls For Action By Cara DeGette GPHN Editor
More than 30,000 people came out to celebrate the 86th birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Gathering in City Park on Jan. 19, the massive crowd marched down Colfax to Civic Center Park across from the State Capitol in this year’s Marade. Organizers and participants were particularly motivated to action this year by the recent killings of black men at the hands of police, including Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. and Eric Garner in New York City. Many wore T-shirts with the messages “BLACK LIVES MATTER” and “I CAN’T BREATHE.” They chanted “HANDS UP, DON’T SHOOT,” and “THE PEOPLE, UNITED, WILL NEVER BE DIVIDED!” The Marade was followed by a conference at the historic McNichols Building in Civic Center Park, which was attended by hundreds of activists highlighting plans to step up pressure on elected officials and community leaders with the goal to attain equality for all. See additional photos and related stories inside, pages 12 to 15.
Angling For A Place to Park While parking in Denver can seem confusing and frustrating, a Department of Public Works planner says the city’s Strategic Parking Plan is intended to help both residents and the city better understand how parking resources are managed. “The Strategic Parking Plan is a framework document that explains the city’s philosophy for on and off-street parking management through decision-making and resource allocation,” says Cindy Patton, Senior Transportation Planner for DPW. “The vision directs us to manage parking as a valued public asset, make decisions based on an area or location’s specific context, and integrate participation from representative stakeholders before applying management strategies.” The full 70-page parking plan is online at: https://www.denvergov.org/Portals/681/ documents/The_Strategic_Parking_Plan_ Final.pdf. Those who do not have computer access can contact the city’s 3-1-1 Communications Center for more information. In addition to the plan itself, DPW has a separate web site at http://www. parksmartdenver.com/ aimed at providing a quick reference for motorists. There is even more detailed information on “Common Non-Posted Parking Ordinances” at http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/681/ documents/2web%20site%20flyer.pdf.
And, the entire Denver Parking Code is at http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/681/ documents/parking%20enforcement%20 code%20for%20website.pdf
More complex than plugging a meter
So it appears that parking can become more complex than just pulling up to the curb and following the posted sign or dropping quarters into a meter. Patton says DPW has responsibility to actively manage all curb space Dave Felice throughout the city. “This space can be used for on-street parking, bicycle facilities, loading zones, and other purposes, but it is limited in its abundance,” she says. “Our team continuously works to provide additional education on parking rules and regulations through materials like the Strategic Parking Plan and direct outreach. “We encourage stakeholders to read the document because it provides a thorough explanation of how the city is working closely with constituent groups to manage its limited parking assets in a growing, changing city.” Because of varying locations and needs, there is no longer a “one size fits all” approach to parking allocations and rules. For example, the creation of a bicycle lane on 15th Street downtown resulted in a loss
City Matters
‘Pay and display’ a non-starter
As reported in a City Matters View From the Road column last July in the Greater Park Hill News, parking meters are rare in most of Britain. Many communities have continued on page 4 Seeking Solutions In A World of CouchSurfing
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Inside This Issue
Photography From Dead Serious To Great Fun
Page 6
February 2015
of on-street parking. Patton says there are worthy benefits to the change. “We know that on-street inventory in high demand areas like downtown is very limited,” she says. “In the Strategic Parking Plan, we recognized that our most attainable tool is to reduce demand through various transportation options. The addition of new bicycle facilities, car sharing options, and public transportation initiatives all provide new options for users and reduce the demand for on-street parking.” Patton also cites the replacement of parallel parking with diagonal parking on the east side of Detroit Street between Colfax and 17th Avenue as another effort to balance demand and space. Even with city planners promoting higher density and developers constructing multitenant buildings with less than one space per resident, parking woes have not reached the level of eastern U.S. and many European countries. Homeowners actually buy street parking space in some locations. In London and Rome, private automobiles are prohibited in the central city. Also in Rome, it is not unusual to see cars triple parked and parked on sidewalks.
News Briefs
Compiled by Cara DeGette, GPHN Editor
Dick Young, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., accepts the Lincoln Standard Bearer Award on Jan. 7. Photo courtesy Dick Young
Dick Young Honored For Lifetime of Excellence Longtime Park Hill resident and activist Dick Young has received the Standard Bearer Lincoln Award for “outstanding lifetime achievement and excellence by a veteran in exemplifying selfless service.” Young was honored on Jan. 7 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. at a National Friars Club Foundation celebration hosted by NBC’s Brian Williams. The event will be televised nationally on PBS on or around March 5.
Home Demand High, Inventory Low in Park Hill
continued on page 16
Next GPHC Meeting Thursday, February 5 at 6:30 p.m. 2823 Fairfax St., Denver
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