2015 Year In Review
A Quick Look Back On A Few of the Top Stories Of the Year
Compiled by Cara DeGette, Editor, GPHN
The year 2015 was marked by record flooding in Park Hill. There is a growing cacophony of voices demanding a halt to police violence. Others are alarmed that Denver officials, tempted by fistfuls of dollars, could hand the neighborhood over to hungry developers. The controversial Poo at the Zoo plan was shelved. Some Park Hill parents are upset that their children may not be able to attend their neighborhood school. And, the Christmastime movie filmed in the ‘hood last year now won’t be released until 2016.
Keep reading for a trip down Memory Lane, circa 2015.
January
Police Brutality Inspires Calls For Action
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. Organizers and participants were particularly motivated to action this year by the recent killings of black men at the hands of police. 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 DEFEATED!” 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.
Read more: greaterparkhill.org/2015/02/
February
Co-Existing In The New Sharing Economy
Councilwoman Mary Beth Susman’s special Sharing Economy Task Force continues to hash out the particulars of how to grapple with the growing popularity of short-term rentals – including whether or not the city should to modify the zoning code to allow people to rent out homes, apartments, condos, or rooms in their Denver homes for less than 30 days.
These short-term rentals are increasingly being rented out via website platforms such as AirBnB, VRBO, and HomeStay. STRs are not an allowed use in residential zone districts by the 2010 Denver Zoning Code and the several thousand that exist in Denver are therefore in violation of the zoning code. Zoning code violations are enforced by Neighborhood Inspection Services (NIS). Currently, there aren’t even as many inspection officers as there are Denver City Council members. GPHC Planning and Zoning Chair Bernadette Kelly weighs in.
For the full column, check out greaterparkhill.org/2015/03/
March
Herndon To Represent All of Park Hill
Across Denver, 50 candidates vied for seats in the May 5 election, including for mayor, city council, auditor and city clerk. To represent Park Hill, however, there was only one council candidate in the District 8 race – incumbent Christopher Herndon. And, for the first time in anyone’s memory, Park Hill will be whole, meaning that just one person now represents the entire neighborhood on the Denver City Council. Meanwhile, in the mayor’s race, Michael B. Hancock handily won his reelection bid for four more years.
Read more: greaterparkhill.org/2015/04/
April
Students Pushed Out Of Park Hill
GPHC Education Chair Lynn Kalinauskas detailed a growing controversy – an increasing number of neighborhoods, including in Park Hill, have “enrollment zones” as opposed to neighborhood schools. This means parents must use the “Choice” system to access a preferred school – and sometimes students don’t get into their first school of choice, meaning they are forced to take sometimes long bus rides to schools outside the neighborhood. As a result, plenty of Park Hill parents were upset this year. Read more at greaterparkhill.org/2015/04/
May
If It Can Happen In Crestmoor Park, It Can Happen Anywhere
It is no secret that the Denver mayor and City Council are pro-developer. But how much of their zeal to support those developers are a threat to Denver’s quiet neighborhoods? GPHC Board Chair Dave Felice detailed the zoning changes at play in the nearby upscale neighborhood of Crestmoor Park, where a developer successfully applied for a zoning change to build a large apartment complex on a 2.3 acre site over the objections of the neighbors. “If you think Park Hill’s quiet residential neighborhoods are protected from high-density development now clogging residential areas from Cherry Creek North to Sloan’s Lake, think again,” says attorney Greg Kerwin, the co-chair of the Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation’s Planning and Zoning Committee.
Read more: greaterparkhill.org/2015/05/
June
The Devastation Of The Floods of 2015
A series of intense rain, hail and windstorms made for a devastating spring in many parts of Park Hill. The deluge of June 24 alone dropped two inches of rain and hail in parts of Park Hill, in just 35 minutes. The flooding in some areas of the neighborhood was horrendous – inches and feet of water filling up basements, leaving cars drenched and floating, sweeping gardens away, uprooting trees. For many property owners, it was the latest in a several destructive storms that have created widespread damage. Most homeowners’ insurance policies do not cover flooding, meaning people are forced to incur the costs of damage and loss. As a result, it is nearly impossible to determine the overall pricetag on the collective destruction to people’s homes and property. Many property owners have begun raising questions about what the city should do to improve stormwater drainage infrastructure, and other measures that can be taken to protect our neighborhood. For much of the year, the Greater Park Hill News highlighted individual and collective stories of the widespread damage and loss of property. The newspaper will continue to cover this important story – including whether, and how, the city’s elected and appointed officials will take the lead on this issue.
Meanwhile, here are a few photos of the wide- spread devastation, and links to this year’s coverage of the flood damage.
http://greaterparkhill.org/2015/08/
July
August
Footchase Ends in Shooting; Peace Mob Arrives
A man from out of town was selling jewelry and watches at the Aurora Mall. Included among his customers were some people who bought a fake Rolex for $600. They realized it was a fake and set him up, having a girlfriend call to meet him at the McDonald’s on 36th and Quebec Street for a purchase, all the while, planning to rob him of his lot. The rendezvous turned into a chase, ending in a bloody confrontation on Bernadette Kelly’s back patio. Several weeks later, a Peace Mob visited Kelly’s yard. They explained that they were walking the area, visiting places of recent violence, and taking back the land for God.
Read Kelly’s report of the remarkable series of events here: greaterparkhill.org/2015/08/
September
DPS Embraces Relay Training
While Denver kids were on break enjoying summer camps and vacation, 75 Denver Public Schools’ principals, assistant principals and staff were participating in a camp of their own. They followed a cohort of seven in 2013 and 40 in 2014 who took part in a two-week intensive program: the National Principals Academy Fellowship run by the Relay Graduate School of Education. The intensive program promotes strict routines, teacher oversight, and a focus on test scores. It also costs a lot of taxpayer money. Read more: greaterparkhill.org/2015/09/
October
Poo At The Zoo Plan Shelved
After spending $3.7 million on a gasification plant to convert elephant poop into energy, Denver Zoo officials abruptly pulled the plug on the project.
The announcement came after a month of media attention raising questions about the public health safety and potential environmental hazards over the plan – and after months of agitating by a core group of concerned citizens that was largely coordinated by Park Hill resident Bridget Walsh. However, at a hastily called press conference, zoo spokeswoman Tiffany Barnhart said cost concerns – not vocal opposition – put a sudden halt to the plan that was a decade in the making. Read greaterparkhill.org/2015/10/
November
Efforts To Create Historic Landmark District
Should people living in the original portion of the Park Hill neighborhood seek protected status as a Denver Landmark Historic District? A move is afoot to take steps to pursue historic designation – which would preserve a 32-block area from Colorado Boulevard to Dahlia Street, and Montview Boulevard to 26th Avenue. A group of Park Hill residents have formed the Historic Park Hill Committee (HPHC) and have initiated an exploration of what is involved in protecting the historic character of Park Hill, and ensuring that changes to homes and blocks occur thoughtfully and in keeping with the special fabric of the area. Read more here: greaterparkhill.org/2015/11/
December
Christmastime The Movie Now Heaven Sent
Remember last year, when Michael Landon Jr. and Hollywood descended on Park Hill to film the movie – called Christmastime – in a big house on Forest Parkway? The film was originally slated for release in December, 2015. But, Hollywood being, well, Hollywood, the movie has since been renamed – it’s now titled Heaven Sent — and the release date has now been pushed forward into early 2016. For more on the background on what promises to be a very sweet Christmas story, and how it came to be shot in Park Hill, at this link: