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Colorado
Denver Mayor Emphasizes Quality of Life, Regional Cooperation in State of the City Speech
Lower Downtown (LoDo) revival proves that ''economic development and quality of life can go hand-in-hand,'' said Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper in his State of the City speech, focusing its main part on urban redevelopment, transit expansion and regional cooperation.
The mayor expressed confidence that Denver's Union Station can become ''one of the finest transit hubs in America,'' that the Gates-Cherokee and Mountain View golf course projects show ''how to leverage our investments in transit into smart, sustainable development,'' and that the city's work with Aurora eight miles east and Lakewood four miles west, ''to return Colfax Avenue, once America's longest and grandest Main Street, to its glory, signify the powerful potential of regional cooperation.''
He pointed out that many other sites throughout the city are ripe for transformation ''into places where people can dream, work and play,'' among them the long-depressed Dahlia Square shopping center in Northeast Park Hill, now slated for mixed-use redevelopment, and Alameda Square in west Denver, where the city will help neighborhoods ''expand their economic opportunities.''
To facilitate redevelopment, the mayor said, officials will continue making the city more friendly to business. Having finally adopted the International Building Codes, ''which will allow contractors, developers, and architects to know exactly what to expect'' in Denver, officials are streamlining the permitting process and improving its across-the-board efficiency ''from plan reviews to inspections,'' with similar improvements in support of small businesses.
''Our commitment to economic growth and quality of life can find no greater expression than the 119 new miles of commuter and light rail that FasTracks will provide to the metro region,'' the mayor continued, stressing that as Denver International Airport largely made the region what it is today, ''FasTracks will have everything to do with making us the region we can be tomorrow.''
He pledged further efforts to ensure that city parks and recreation facilities ''remain the jewels of our neighborhoods,'' and confirmed the importance of Blueprint Denver and ''its recognition that land use and transportation are interconnected'' for neighborhood preservation and revitalization.
Aware that some neighborhoods ''suffer from a lack of infrastructure, opportunity and resources,'' he promised them more help under the city's long-standing Focus Neighborhoods Initiative. And pointing to the presence of Governor Bill Owens, several mayors and other elected officials from across the region, the mayor said this ''testifies to a regional commitment to build innovative partnerships based on the understanding that the future prosperity of each of our communities is inherently linked.'' -- Denver Post
8/21/2004
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