District 7 Redevelopment Projects
Redevelopment Framework
Several years ago City Council approved a new comprehensive plan, Comp Plan 2000, and followed that effort with a more specific guideline for land use and transportation planning called Blueprint Denver, and the new city-wide zoning code.
One of the basic principles of Blueprint Denver was balancing the need for growth and redevelopment in our central city while preserving the character of cherished neighborhoods. The Gates site was defined as an “Area of Change,” meaning it could accommodate more growth than other areas. Denver is expected to grow by 132,000 people, or 60,700 households, by 2020. If managed wisely, this can be a good thing: By concentrating new residents in well-planned, urban redevelopment areas, we can preserve what makes Denver’s physical environment attractive in the first place — our established neighborhoods and open spaces — while benefiting from the increased prosperity accompanying growth.
Having dense residential development close to mass transit stations further decreases the impact of growth on our quality of life. We can’t guarantee how many people will use transit adjacent to their homes, but it provides a viable alternative to clogging our streets and lungs, and given the voter backing of FasTracks (65% for to 34% against) in 2004, there is a high-level of support in Denver for public transit. Initial estimates see a 25% to 30% decrease in vehicular traffic. With the passage of FasTracks, it’s crucial that we learn to do transit-oriented development right.