Development FAQs

Answers to questions posed by neighbors at the monthly meetings:

Trammell Crow Residential (the old EMW site)

Question: Do you know how long Acoma will be closed from Evans to Warren? I'm assuming during all of their construction going forward? FYI- no one on our block had a clue that was going to happen. What I am concerned about is that with all the construction, it is getting harder and harder to gain access to my street without taking a significant detour on certain days. I am worried if construction starts on the other side on Bannock @ Evans that another way to get into our section will be blocked. I don't think anyone (City) is monitoring access to the area surrounding the Evans Light Rail station as we are getting HEAVY traffic thru Cherokee due to the blockages and it's a little dangerous since many rely on street parking. We don't have a truck size limitation, so we get semi's regularly due to the construction. Just some feedback since we are only one block from Delaware.
- Answer: I imagine this comment is related to the utility work that occurred last week in Evans. Acoma was closed to thru traffic for those three days. We did try to notify residents prior to the road closure, but unfortunately only have a handful of email addresses so far (mostly Acoma residents). We also started holding monthly construction update calls the first Wednesday of each month. The next update is scheduled for 3/3/2021 at 4pm. If you email Jordan Orr (jorr@tcr.com), I can make sure you’re included on the invite and receive the periodic construction email updates.
Question: I think the project is very similar in style and program to the newish projects on Mississippi and Broadway. I think it fits the context of evolution of the neighborhood. I think the corner of Evans and Broadway has been too LOW density for too long. This is a great opportunity to change this major corner of our neighborhood. I think the design presented was nice, and I just hope they continue to push the aesthetic of the west facing garage entry that faces the lower density homes.
- Answer: We appreciate the support and are continuing to work with our architect and City staff on the design of the garage to be more cohesive with the adjacent building facades. Linked HERE is our latest Acoma elevation that incorporates masonry and colored stucco to hide the concrete as well as metal railings across some of the opening to give the impression of balconies.
Question: I would like to know what they will do with a 300+ parking garage in 30 years when hopefully cars are less prevalent or less of a necessity in our community/city.
- Answer: As much as we hope to see Colorado’s public transportation infrastructure grow over the next 30 years (particularly to the mountains), we have designed the garage for the needs of today’s residents. We have developed over 2,200 apartment units in Denver over the past five years which have provided valuable data on resident auto usage. We feel that 393 parking stalls for 367 units (less than 1 per bedroom) is the proper fit for the project considering the adjacency of the light rail and walkability of the neighborhood.
Question: How much bike parking is provided and would they consider doubling the minimum required by zoning?
- Answer: Zoning requires that we provide 188 Bicycle Parking spaces. We are currently planning 240 Bicycle Parking spaces. Again, based upon our experience, we feel that providing dedicated bicycle parking for 50%-60% of residents is necessary. We are also providing a bike maintenance shop and bike wash as amenities.
Question: Speaking of BIkes, with these apartments I find you see more of the e scooter/bike shares. Are they providing a dedicated area for bike share/scooter parking so they aren't just littered all over the sidewalks and right of way.
- Answer: This is a great suggestion; we agree that the proliferation of scooters/bikes on the sidewalk can become a nuisance. Ultimately, the City controls the ROW and is very particular on their design standards, but we’ll inquire whether a dedicated and signed location can be outlined.
Question: I want to know more about the traffic studies that have been done for both and traffic impacts that both projects will have. The intersections of Acoma and Bannock where they cross Evans are dangerous. I ride my bike over the Evans bridge to reach the Platte trail. It is the most treacherous part of my ride passing these intersections and going over the bridge, typically cars turning either into or from the side streets are oblivious to pedestrians and cyclists. Also the intersections are very difficult to cross in a vehicle as well because it is a wide intersection. In my opinion those intersections need more controlled access, and not in the form of more stop lights that just add to congestion. I would like to see improvements to Evans and those intersections to be right-in-right-out. Adding a median on Evans from the base of the bridge to Broadway would also increase the aesthetics and pedestrian scale of that blighted road. Think of how nice East Evans is near Observatory Park with the traffic calming medians. It would reduce congestion and increase safety. Thanks for taking input. I feel like that was a lot to cover in the last neighborhood meeting with both developments. I appreciated how well that Trammell Crow Residential team presented their project and information.
- Answer: We appreciate the feedback. Unfortunately, we don’t have much control over the City’s traffic engineering. Also, I believe that the Evans bridge is partially governed by CDOT, which introduces another level of complication. That being said, we are dedicating portions of our property to the ROW in an effort to widen the sidewalk around the project to aid in pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
Question: I think it would help foks to see timelines for projects when they are presented. Like I know the EMW site is already fully through the planning department review process, and likely close to having a full building permit if I had to guess. So there isn't really an opportunity to give feedback. I am not sure exactly what their goals were of presenting other than to be nice neighbors. What would be helpful to the neighbors is to know their construction timeline, like when and for how long will roads/sidewalks be impacted.
- Answer: We started holding monthly construction updates for the residents on Acoma in January, but would be happy to include others from the neighborhood. If you send an email to Jordan Orr (jorr@tcr.com), I’ll make sure you’re included on the monthly invite and periodic email updates.