Ikeep seeing NoHigh Rises in West Highland signs around the neighborhood, what is that allabout? If you are to drive around West Highlands, and now, most of the greaterHighlands neighborhood, you are likely to see these signs in yards. These signsare in reference to a planned apartment complex just north of Highland Squareand it certainly has created a lot of heated discussion by those that supportthe development and especially by those who adamantly oppose it.
For those that areopposed to the development, they have certainly done their homework and listedout many reasons why they don't feel this development belongs in HighlandsSquare. The website ofwww.nohighrises.comdoes a good job of outlining their position as well as detailingthe proposed project.
To summarize theirargument, this project poses many adverse effects for area residents and localmerchants, including:
- Disruption to neighborhoodaesthetics and historical character
- More traffic, lessparking
- Blocked skyline and mountain views
- Significant shadows casting over adjacentproperties
- Affected propertyvalues
- Increased noise
- Destroys business forlocal merchants
If we are to get more specific, otherarguments that I have been hearing opposing the current plans for this landdeal with the following issues.
- Main Street 5 Zoning is not appropriate forthe parcels under question. MS5 belongs on streets that can handle moretraffic, density and scale. The right thing to do is assure appropriatezoning that fits Blueprint Denver, and fits the scale of the surrounding area.
- There are no other MS5 designations onresidential streets. WHY IS THIS ALLOWED IN HIGHLANDS SQUARE?
- The question is whether these projects belong on three parcelsin the heart of a Historic District and whether they comport to BlueprintDenver. Clearly, they do not.
- The heightallowed under MS5 will create an extreme lack of continuity for the surroundingarea. Injecting 5 stories plus HVAC will be an eyesore that, in the future,visitors and residents will look at and wonder how leadership allowed it tohappen.
Though we have yet to see signs supporting thedevelopment, there are certainly individuals who support the development as itis planned. These supporters feel the project will be an asset to West Highlandbecause of the following.
- More residents in the neighborhood means moremoney being spent at local businesses and could be boon for the local economy.
- Other large cities around the country arebuilding similar infill projects and it is time for Denver to catch up.
- The density will encourage people to not usetheir cars and instead take advantage of public transportation, walking andbiking.
- In fill projects like this are green because they reduce theamount of commuting for those working Downtown and as Denver continues to grow,will be the wave of the future.
There have been numerous public meetings heldabout this project to date and likely many more to follow. It is starting toappear in the local news and will likely be something we hear about for yearsto come. So where do you stand and do you think a project like this is good forWest Highland or something the city needs to step in and correct?
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