Good Neighbor Agreements
Here’s How They Work
In many places across the country, communities and businesses enter into private agreements – called Good Neighbor Agreements (GNAs) – to address specific issues of concern in a collaborative way.
Sometimes the issues at hand are broadly impactful, as would be the case with communities in proximity to industrial businesses – petrochemicals, manufacturing, mining, and the like. Other times the concerns are more localized, for example a new bar is opening that may increase traffic or noise in a specific area.
In any scenario, the negotiation of a GNA can be an important tool for community empowerment. Rather than resorting to costly, lengthy, and contentious legal challenges, cooperating on a GNA encourages voluntary action and collaboration. It is a way for parties to communicate their points of view, realize the concerns of others, and hopefully reach some form of mutually beneficial compromise.
In the context of our urban neighborhoods in Denver, we most often see this tool employed during a permitting or licensing process. If a business needs to procure community support, it encourages engagement and opens the door for these conversations. Registered Neighborhood Organizations (RNOs) like Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. are typically involved in these conversations since, by their very nature, they represent the interests of all neighborhood stakeholders.
Denver’s Department of Excise and Licenses encourages communication between RNOs and applicants and holds that GNAs “facilitate a good working relationship and spell out how [the parties] will work together to address identified or anticipated problems.”
Demonstrating cooperation in good faith provides a clearer path for business owners/applicants to achieve their desired outcome.
GNAs commonly address noise levels, hours of operation, use of outdoor patios, trash and recycling issues, and license transfers. Denver Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation (INC) offers a number of GNA examples on their website at denverinc.org/good-neighbor-agreements-and-commentaries/.
The following are our current food pantry donation needs:
• Fresh milk, eggs, bread, butter, cheese, potatoes
• Cereal
• Canned peas and carrots
• Chili/stews/hearty soups
• Canned ravioli/pasta meals
• Packaged ramen meals
• Canned fruit
• Peanut butter
• Ground coffee
• Diapers size N and 5
• Adult toiletries (soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant razors)
• Baby toiletries (soap, shampoo, lotion)
GPHC is a volunteer and donor-based organization. A big thank you to our donors and volunteers last month. We are grateful!
Donors
Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church
Cake Crumbs Bakery and Cafe
Cure D’Ars Catholic Church
Messiah Community Church
Montclair Community Garden
Paddington Station Preschool
Park Hill United Methodist Church
St. Thomas Episcopal Church
The Spicy Radish
Women’s Investment Network
Rosemary Aitken
Christine Allen
Josh Allen
Janey and Harmon Alpert
Claudia Amortegui
Vicki and Greg Anderson
Alicia Appel
Penny Ashley-Lawrence
Kristin Baird
Wendy Barclay
William Beaver
Caroyln Benoit
John M. Brink
Alex Brown
Ellen Brown and Terry Haussler
Harry Brown
Margaret Brown
Traci Byrne
Inga Calvin
Mary and Keith Carlson
Marsha Chuvarsky
Meg Conley
G. Kevin and Virginia Conwick
Todd Cooper
Patty Cordova
Kait Corrado
Caroline Cox
Hariland Craig
Peggy Cuciti
Charlie Curlee
Christine Davidson
Jeff Delaney
Amy DelPo
Millie Drumwright
Steve Farley
Chaunce Fields
Claudia and Harold Fields
Colin Fisher
Idelle Fisher
Peggy Forberg
Anne Frank
Rick Friesen and Nicole Poole
Duane and Jean Gall
Elsie G Haley
Brent Hall
Diane Dodd Hall
Simon and Elizabeth Hambidge
Pamela Healy
Diane and Lawrence Hergott
Ellen Heywood
Laura L Hill
Carol Hiller
Jen Hitt
Paula Hoffman
Barbara Holme
Bob Homiak and Susan Schneider
Richard Hughes
Ryan and Christine Hunter
Huntington-Toribara Family
Nancy Ireland
Julie Ann Jensen
Julian Jenson
Sam Johnson
Will and Marcia Johnson
Chris and Sharon Kermiet
Jane W Klever
David V.S. Knowles
Barbara Larsen and Leo Riegel
Roberta Locke
Dr. Paul and Sue Long
Peggy Lore
Mary Jo Lorenz
Allison Mann
Matt McConville
Sarah McDowell
Lisa McKenzie
Chandra McLaughlin
Ellie McWhirter
Carolyn and Rick Medrick
Bob Moses
Norman Mueller and Christy Murphy
Harriet Mullaney
Buffy Naake
Mark Nitczynski
Hilary OByrne
Tom and Carol Odwyer
Joyce M Ortiz
Catherine Paddock
Cynthia and Franklin Pesantez
Linda Pierce
Francesca Pinto
Louis Plachowski and Bridget Walsh
Scott Ranby
Ellen Reath and Craig Maginness
Susan and Paul Riederer
Gamble Robert
Paige Romer
Joan Root
Denise Rossman
Leo and Kathleen Schettler
Brandon Schreiber
Amy Shaffer
Kay Shaw
David Spahr
Sarah Speicher
Tom Spiker
Frank Tapy
Marjorie Thompson
Timothy Turner
Linda Ulmer-Aeling
Robin Watts
Sue Weinstein and Marekah Stewart
Robert and Jean West
Nicole Wiederaenders
Leslie Williams
Tara Bannon Williamson
Sandra Wilson-Barnes
Sue Wofford
Dick and Lorie Young
Karen Zeissig
Craig Umbaugh and Lisa Zoeller
Volunteers
Mike Bufton
Maddie Carrier
Greg Davis
Melissa Davis
Claudia Fields
Jakob Fields
Jamey Fields
Sasha Fields
Tas Frashure
Lola Hunter
Ryan Hunter
Debra Lovell
Justin Petaccio
Mia Peterson
Dezmarie Roberts
Deb Rosenbaum
Terri Rosenbaum
Heather Shulman
Nikki Wiederaenders