Imagining a Great Town Centre
This is dedicated to those of you willing to take a trip with me to our imaginary “Montclair Creek Town Centre.” As depicted in the accompanying map, the boundaries are: on the north, Colfax Avenue; on the south, 13th Avenue; on the east, Leyden Street; and on the west, Ivy Street.
First, however, let me share with you some mapping of “Potential Inundation Areas” (aka “floodprone areas” or “floodplains”), recently made publicly available by Denver Wastewater. The colored mapping has been copied directly from maps that are part of Denver’s 2014 Storm Drainage Master Plan. This specific map focuses on the 1 percent (100-year) risk of flooding at this site. The map illustrates the concept and the technical information guiding my proposed “creek and pond bubble.”
Keep in mind that the Master Plan states that, “the Montclair Drainage Basin … is the largest storm drainage basin in Denver that does not have a surface drainageway.” The site, one of several locations in the Montclair Basin with significant drainage challenges, includes areas that could experience flood depths greater than 6 feet during a 100-year flood event.
Let’s apply the lessons of the September 2013 floods, and some other lessons about our city, in our imaginary Town Centre Key ideas for this Town Centre include:
• Daylighting (restoring) natural streams that were previously buried
• Bicycling and walking (and mass transit) to reduce auto travel
• Embracing the arts by being active participants, as well as passive spectators
• Actively reducing barriers to meaningful ethnic and economic diversity
• Reclaiming America’s great streets, like Colfax Avenue
The map of the Town Centre vision shows a changed travel paradigm.
• Portions of the 1400 block of Jersey, Jasmine, and Kearney would be devoted to a greenway with stream channel and adjacent bottomlands. Krameria would curve from its current alignment over to Leyden between Colfax and 14th and would be eliminated between 14th and 13th. Kearney has already been eliminated there as part of the King Soopers development.
• Parking would be integrated into the redevelopment (maybe a little like Tattered Cover near East High)
• Bicyclists would use currently designated routes on 12th Avenue and Krameria Street, with one key modification. One Sunday a month, as in Seattle, the Bay Area, Westchester County in New York, and elsewhere, would be “Bicycle Sunday.” No motor vehicles would be allowed on a loop defined by Krameria, 12th Avenue, Monaco Parkway and Seventeenth Avenue Parkway.
• Whether mini-buses, pedicabs, or some other form of “mini-mass transit,” Colfax Avenue and/or 13th Avenue/14th Avenue would provide an alternative to autos from Quebec Street to Colorado Boulevard. Connections could be made at Quebec to Lowry and Stapleton. At Colorado Boulevard, connections could be made to Downtown, 8th Avenue and Cherry Creek North.
The map shows general land-use bubbles:
• South of 14th would be a hybrid of supermarket and “farmer’s market” and a festival venue for outdoor festivals and artistic and musical performances. Restaurants and shops focused on food, beverages and good health would accompany one or two large food retailers.
• Tying with the almost complete arts center north of 14th on the east side of Leyden, an arts district with a performance venue would be established north of 14th and west of Leyden.
• Near Colfax and Leyden would be a small campus for low-income clients, including homeless people. Training programs for jobs, in various businesses in the Town Centre and connections to off-site drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs would be arranged. Gardening and the arts nearby would be potential program elements.
• North of 14t from about Krameria to Ivy, on both sides of the greenway, would be a gardening and environmental education zone, with City Floral as a starting point.
• Just south of Colfax, mixed-use retail, research offices and residential would be combined in an environment that would celebrate U.S. 40’s colorful history.
Brian Hyde is an expert in floodplain management and stream restoration. He wants your feedback at westerly_connect_brian@comcast.net or 720-939-6039.