Keep Jeffco Moving Forward

Have you noticed how little there's been in the news about the Jeffco Public Schools of late? That's probably because the current school board has been a model of good governance, listening and responding to parents, students, teachers, and other community stakeholders.

It's a big change from just a few years ago, when an ideological and divisive faction of tea-partiers and Libertarians seized control of the school district and made just about everyone in Jeffco angry. That previous board-- made up of Ken Witt, John Newkirk, and Julie Williams--  managed to make national and even international news for their efforts to censor AP History. In the end, they were removed by two-thirds of voters in an unprecedented recall election.

So yes, the quiet has been good. Witt, Newkirk, and Williams were replaced by Brad Rupert, Susan Harmon, and Ron Mitchell, and since then school board meetings have gone back to being the sleepy affairs they were before the tea party takeover. Eschewing ideology, Rupert, Harmon, and Mitchell have focused on nonpartisan governance and transparency, and have regained the trust of parents and the wider community. In one of their best moves, they hired Dr. Jason Glass, superintendent of the Eagle Count Schools and former Director of Education of Iowa's public schools. Dr. Glass has put a hold on school closures, and has been a ubiquitous presence at public events throughout the county, asking questions, reaching out to parents, and calling on teachers to transform the student experience.

Because Rupert, Harmon, and Mitchell were elected only to fill out the remainder of the recalled board members' terms, all three are up for reelection again this fall. Running against them are several partisan candidate who would take us back to the battles of the past few years.

Personally, I feel we need keep Jeffco moving forward, and that means re-electing Brad Rupert, Susan Harmon, and Ron Mitchell.

The Danish Plan, or How Boulder Capped Growth but Created New Problems

In 1976, Boulder adopted what's generally called the Danish Plan, named after Boulder anti-growth activist and politician Paul Danish. It limited housing growth to 2% a year, with an exemption for affordable housing projects funded by the Boulder Housing Authority. Adopted by voters, it had a sunset clause that kicked in after 5 years, after which the Boulder city council adopted its own ordinance limiting housing growth to 1% a year. The stated goal was to preserved Boulder's quality of life and unique character.

The Danish Plan (and its successor ordinance) did indeed put a brake on the development of new housing in Boulder. It also caused home prices, property taxes, and rents to skyrocket, and today affordable housing simply doesn't exist anywhere in the city. The Danish Plan increased traffic exponentially and made parking difficult as more and more workers and students were forced to drive in and out of Boulder each day from the surrounding municipalities where they lived. Indeed, the exclusivity of Boulder housing actually accelerated the changes to Boulder's character.

Today, Boulder is in many ways a playground of the rich, divorced from the rest of the metro area. It's a wonderful place to visit, but I could never afford to live there. When I do visit, I often remark to myself on how different it is from the Boulder I knew in the 1980's, when I was a college student. The goal of Paul Danish may have been to preserve the funky, hippie-friendly town he loved, but change is inevitable, and the Boulder of the 1970's and 80s is long gone.

Starting in about 2013, the Boulder city council reversed course and began to allow more housing growth, channeling it into transit oriented developments in old industrial zones that allow people to live and work closer together. This is the kind of growth that I favor-- growth that allows for the development of urban centers where people can shop and socialize without needing their cars. It's managed growth that preserves established neighborhoods but redevelops old and unneeded commercial strips. The metro area has way too much commercial real estate and not anywhere near enough housing-- especially affordable housing. Smart growth is about repurposing vacant or underutilized land to meet current needs. I'm absolutely against developers plopping three-story townhouses next to 1950's ranches in the middle of Green Mountain Heights or around Morse Park, but I'm also against leaving Colfax blighted.

Anti-growth measures like the Danish Plan are anti-smart growth just as much as they are anti-sprawl. At the same time, they do nothing to preserve the existing character of a city or limit traffic congestion. Instead they're a false promise to put time in a bottle.

Anti-Growth Ballot Measure Threatens Belmar and Downtown Lakewood

An ballot measure that would threaten the future of downtown Lakewood and prohibit innovative redevelopments like Belmar may be in the hands of city voters this fall. I'll have a lot more to say about this misguided proposal going forward, but Lakewood Mayor Adam Paul is out today with an op-ed in the Denver Post warning citizens of the harm that could be done if this ordinance were to pass.

In it, he warns correctly that the initiative could put a stop to the redevelopment of blighted sections of Colfax Ave, increase traffic congestion by forcing workers to live further from their jobs, and make  innovative developments like Belmar impossible-- all while driving up property taxes and rents.

Yes, I want to see growth managed, and no, I don't like the idea construction that's out of scale with an existing neighborhood, but it's possible to have smart growth without trapping Lakewood permanently in the 1950's. A blanket limit on all growth is just the wrong approach.

World of Beer in Belmar to Close; Crazy Mountain Brewing Co. to Open in Same Space

9News is reporting that World of Beer in the Belmar development will close and that locally-based Crazy Mountain Brewing Company will take over the space.

Although the Belmar World of Beer location seems to have done well, the closure appears to be part of a larger trend- around 20 World of Beer locations have closed recently around the country, with the majority being locations without food service.

Crazy Mountain Brewery Company, founded in 2010 by Kevin and Marisa Selvy, is based out of Edwards, Colorado and produces both year-round and seasonal beers.

Bar Louie to Open at 7111 W. Alaska Dr. in Belmar

The word on the streets is that Bar Louie is set to open a location at 7111 W. Alaska Drive, the former home of Belmar's now-shuttered Elephant Bar.

I've personally never eaten at one, but they do seem rather ubiquitous in all the metro area's "life-style centers." There's one at Northfield in Stapleton, another at the Streets at South Glenn, and at least one more up north at the Westminster Promenade.

Bar Louie appears to specialize in burgers, flat bread pizzas, sandwiches and salads, but the menu seems to cover all the bases.

Again, I've never eaten at one. Anyone have any thoughts?

Refresh Planned for Villa South Shopping Center

Business Den reports that the Villa South Shopping Center at Mississippi and Wadsworth has been purchased and the new owners plan to spend $2.5 million refurbishing the aging strip mall. The shopping center's only notable tenant is Johnny's New York Pizza, a popular choice for pizza delivery in the downtown Lakewood area. As the new owners plan to raise rents substantially, it's an open question whether Johnny's or any of the current tenants will remain.

In Photos: First Friday on Block 7