new code does Baker ... halfway

the District 9 workshop on the new zoning code revealed maps for Baker north of Alameda

download the draft Baker map and see for yourself (1MB PDF); also see the “resource maps” (2.9MB PDF)

the meeting was packed; maps of proposed new zoning, current zoning, existing conditions, etc. were displayed around the room and round tables with large placards invited attendees to sit with their neighbors

read on for a report on the meeting and analysis of the code changes...

the meeting and the process
Councilwoman Judy Montero introduced the proceedings and Community Planning and Development Director Peter Park spoke for a few minutes, then each neighborhood sat at its table to digest the new maps with a city staffer; note that another meeting will take up revisions to the draft on 26 August; regardless of whether you make it to that meeting, the city also invites you to comment directly on the newcodedenver website; unlike a true public forum, however, you can’t see what comments others have made, you have to trust your public servants to compile and respond to the comments fairly

Baker is neither the most populous, the most active, nor the most central neighborhood in Council District 9 (see the District 9 map (40KB PDF)); some tables had twenty or more people, but Baker had about six; as it turned out, all six had an interest in Kalamath St. — two were Kalamath residents, all had businesses on the street; on only one of us was a resident of Baker east of Kalamath

around the edges
with Kalamath on our minds, we spent most of our group time grappling with the fact the city had ignored the fundamental zoning problem on the west side of Baker — pervasive industrial zoning where history, current use and trend are very mixed; with the exception of a main street zone from 6th to 3rd along Santa Fe, all the proposed westerly zoning is essentially the same as the existing industrial zoning, simply substituting equivalent new I-A and I-B zones for the current I-1 and I-2 zones; where the Baker Neighborhood Plan calls out the rough diagonal from 6th & Kalamath to Alameda & Cherokee as “areas of change”, the city planners seem to foresee no change

we spent a long time looking at this and detailing how the actual conditions in the area, as well as the unheeded provisions of the Baker Neighborhood Plan and Alameda Station Area Plan, were at odds with the draft map; we marked it up with proposals for more inclusive zones in the area along Kalamath, as well as a mixed use residential zone in the area roughly between Cherokee and the railroad tracks north of Alameda

planners have envisioned plenty of change for the rest of Baker, however; as with the east side, the west side of Broadway is labeled with a collection of main street zones; Alameda, too, from Cherokee to Broadway; the new map plots mixed use zones for much of the area south of Alameda; recent GDPs (General Design Plans) will control uses in much of this area more tightly than the new zoning

possible zones for the residential core
city planners couldn’t decide how to envision the residential core of Baker; they proposed a choice of three zones U-SU-A2, U-TU-A1 or U-RH-3, which could be applied as a whole or in a patchwork; these codes highlight some of how the new code will work; the codes consist of three parts:

• context, such as U for Urban, D for Downtown or E for Urban Edge
• form, with a multitude of codes, e.g.
  • SU = Single Unit
  • TU = Two Unit
  • RH = Rowhouse
• intensity, represented by letters and/or numbers; sometimes the number represents stories, but not in the case of the residential zones proposed for Baker

so Baker has an Urban context, and quoting from the draft code (1.2MB PDF), the planners saw the residential core as one of, or a mix of:

U-SU-A2 is a single unit district allowing urban houses with a minimum zone lot area of 3000 square feet. Detached accessory dwelling units, duplexes and tandem houses are also allowed on certain corner lots only. Blocks typically have a pattern of 25 foot wide lots. Setbacks and lot coverage standards accommodate front and side yards similar to U-SU-A

U-TU-A1 allows up to two units on a minimum zone lot area of 4,500 square feet with additional units allowed on corner lots subject to locational restrictions. Allowed building formas are the urban house, detached accessory dwelling unit, duplex and tandem house building forms. Rowhouses are also allowed on certain corner lots.

U-RH-3 is a multi unit district that allows up to a three story rowhouse building form with a maximum overall structure width along the street. It also allows urban house, detached accessory dwelling unit, duplex, and tandem house.

do your part
interest beyond Kalamath was waning at the end of a three-hour meeting; we scribbled U-TU-A1 as first take on the best fit for this area; the Landmark designation will further control change in some of the area, but non-Landmarked blocks may see a big impact from this zoning change; the vision for Baker is being plotted — now is the time to share your thoughts — leave comments on this article, attend a neighborhood meeting or the followup workshop noted above, or give the city your comments directly