Kris Teegardin 07.02.2016 Photos by Evan Semón
From Edgewater Mayor Kristian Teegardin:
Hello Friends and Neighbors,
I hope you are well, considering the nice present we received from Mother Nature this week. I don’t think anybody was left unscathed and do hope nobody was hurt.
Trash/Debris from Storm – If you have extra trash or debris from the storms and would like a “special item” pick up, you can access the forms HERE. If you have any questions regarding this process, please call Maylee Barraza at 720-763-3005.
Civic Center Update – For all up to date information, please visit the City’s website HERE. Last Thursday, Council approved the second contract for the design build construction contract. Council also viewed a presentation of the 20% Schematic Design, and things seem to be on track to break ground in October. You can view all the details at the link above.
Airbnb/VRBO – Council will be deliberating over the next few months regarding short term rentals in the City. The City has received complaints from these short term rental operations and have begun attempts to regulate the business. Discussions could include requirements for licensing, safety, and enforcement of regulations. If you have any questions or opinions on this matter, please contact me or your Council members. I am happy to discuss this anytime.
Traffic Congestion/Speeding/Parking – As Edgewater continues to be in the crosshairs of development, we have seen increased traffic and congestion. Our arterial and neighborhood roads have seen an uptick in traffic, as well as parking issues all over town, especially along our business corridors on Ames/Benton Streets and Gray/Fenton Streets. This issue has no easy solution, and Council has attempted to mitigate the problem with a commercial parking ordinance and a possible study of permit parking.
The Commercial Parking Ordinance was enacted over a year ago to ensure a proposed business has ample parking for their business activities. 25th Avenue and its direct neighboring streets have increasingly felt parking issues due to the success of our businesses. How do we mitigate the pressures of spillover parking into the neighborhood without hampering easy access to our businesses? The above-mentioned ordinance was enacted for this very reason.
Council will begin to study the viability of residential permit parking in direct relation to easy accessibility for residents in these impact zones while attempting not to severely impact easy access to our businesses. Council has made no decisions on this matter, and this discussion is in its infancy.
Comprehensively, we as a community must figure out how we would like to continue our growth. Do you want to fully maximize the commercial opportunity on 25th Avenue? It is zoned commercial all the way from Ames St. to Gray St. Where will we find parking for the extra traffic? Will some type of permit parking strike a balance between neighboring residences and the business community? These are tough questions we must ask of ourselves and what balance we would like to strike moving forward.
As for our arterial and neighborhood streets, the City could also implement traffic-calming measures to slow traffic speeds. The City could also ramp up its multi-modal plans and implement a more bike friendly and walkable community.
I do believe a review of the Edgewater Comprehensive Plan is on the horizon, but a timeline has not been set to review the plan. You can visit the 2013 plan HERE. In summation, we as a community must decide the balance between economic opportunity and sustainability as well as manage the negative impacts economic success generates. Lastly, these plans will have a substantial price tag as well as the execution thereof.
Economic Development – There has been serious interest from other developers in the 20th & Depew site. Trinity is still in the mix, but no longer has exclusivity with the site. That means the City has entertained enquiries from interested parties. Presently, Council still desires this site to have a mid-size anchor store with accompanying retail and residential opportunities. Thank you for the extreme patience, and I hope I have more substantial news on this site in the near future. PetSmart is in the midst of finalizing their plans to build a store directly to the north of Target. Hopefully, they will get through the process in the coming months.
Edgewater Community Festival – Don’t forget about all the fun stuff happening this weekend! Go HERE to see all the awesome events planned for the weekend. Also, Business on the Edge will be doing a ribbon cutting for Wine Beer Fat on Sunday at 11am. Come join fellow neighbors and business owners welcoming Edgewater’s newest business. Lastly, Happy Leaf Kombucha is having a Spring Bash on May 20th from 12pm-9pm to celebrate their first anniversary.
Thank you for taking the time reading this e-mail. There’s a lot of stuff going on locally and regionally, and I want you to know that I am working hard to make sure Edgewater’s voice is heard on matters that have an influence on our fair City, but that is for another e-mail! Thank you very much for allowing me to be your mayor, and please feel free to contact me anytime!
Kris
720-568-0461
Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.
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