John Keene

Progress on Stapleton Recreation Center

The City of Denver and Park Creek Metro District announced September 11 during the annual Town Hall meeting that the District board had agreed to add $9 million ($1.5 million already spent on design) to the city's $10 million bond proceeds to build the Stapleton Recreation Center. Mayor John Hickenlooper joined in making the announcement and to answer resident questions. The City and Park Creek are currently putting the finishing touches on an Inter-governmental Agreement (IGA) that will guide the collaborative effort. There will be a number of amenities that this new Rec Center will offer to the people of Stapleton.

Visitors to the proposed Stapleton Recreation Center enter the building on the upper level from either the east or the west public entrance. As they check in at the front desk, visitors will have a view of the mountains out the large windows on the west side of the building.

The Multi-purpose room on the south side of the building, which can be rented for private events, was designed for maximum flexibility. It has a movable partition so it can be divided into two smaller areas. The flooring will be an attractive material for events, but also suitable for exercise or other classes. The room adjoins a kitchen that can be used for catered events and some light cooking, and it opens to a covered patio.

A child care room with a fenced outside play area is at the east side of the building, and a vending area with seating opens to a patio on the west side of the building.
The family lounge has windows that look down on the gym and pools on the lower level, and it also has a window into the cardio fitness area.

At the base of the stairs on the lower level will be: an information desk with a place for visitors to save records of their individual exercise work; the circuit training area; entrances to the men's and women's locker rooms; and family changing rooms.

The leisure pool has windows with a view to the west and doors to an outdoor patio area. Adjoining the pool is a party room available for private rental. The leisure pool has a zero depth entry - a gradual slope instead of stairs, and it will have a "lazy river," a current for children's play, or for exercise walking against the current. A bridge with play features is planned between two sides of the pool and there will be a small children's slide into shallow water. A larger slide into deeper water for teens and adults is planned for the lap pool.

Also on the lower level are the gym with a full sized basketball court (or two short basketball courts, or two volleyball courts), an aerobics room with a wood floor and mirrors, an open space for stretching, and a room full of stationary bikes for spinning classes. The lower level also has restrooms with a changing area separate from the pool locker rooms.

I-70/Central Park Blvd. Interchange Update

When the citizens of neighborhoods in Denver, Aurora and Commerce City participated in the creation of the plan for redeveloping the former Stapleton International Airport, they envisioned a mixed-use urban community that would be connected as "seamlessly" as possible to its neighbors. One means for establishing those connections was the extension of the local and regional street grid to enable Stapleton's neighbors to have easy access to the new jobs, retail, parks and schools that have been created on the former airport since the redevelopment began in May 2001.

One of the most important connections in that street grid is the arterial known as Central Park Boulevard, which is designed to connect Stapleton north and south of Interstate 70 via a new interchange proposed to be located just to the east of the Cargo Road overpass that once served the old airport. For the past several years, Stapleton's master developer, Forest City, Stapleton, Inc., has been working with Colorado's Congressional Delegation, the City and County of Denver, the Federal Highways Administration and the Colorado Department of Transportation to secure the necessary approvals and financing for that new interchange, which is now a candidate to receive funding under the federal stimulus package.

This new interchange is critical to maximize the full potential of Stapleton, one of the nation's most ambitious urban infill developments. Between 2001 and 2006, the redevelopment of Stapleton provided the seven-county Metro Denver region with a $5.7 billion economic and fiscal impact, according to a study completed by Development Research Partners in September 2006. Based on a 20-year build out, that study projected that the redevelopment of Stapleton has the potential to generate $36.3 billion in economic and fiscal impact for the Metro Denver region.

Funding for this new interchange, which is projected to cost $50 million, will immediately create over 1000 construction jobs and be the impetus to creating thousands of new permanent jobs in Colorado because it would provide the critical access to develop 400 acres of commercial land and 4000 residential units north of Interstate 70. The interchange would also help the region address the transportation improvements state and federal officials are likely to propose for the I-70 corridor. The design of the regional roadway system that connects to the interchange is already underway and construction of that system will be funded separately by the Park Creek Metropolitan District.

City officials have already begun the contractor selection process for the Central Park Boulevard Interchange, and construction is scheduled to start this summer, with the opening of at least the first phase of the interchange projected for late 2010. At a time when our nation is focused on efforts to stimulate the economy, securing federal stimulus funding for the construction of the Central Park Boulevard Interchange will not only provide immediate jobs, but also address the regional infrastructure improvements we need to build a strong economy for the future.

Stapleton Library Update

As a result of the Infrastructure Bond Program that Denver voters approved in November 2007, the Denver Public Library will be building three new libraries and renovating and repairing its current 23 facilities. The new libraries will be built over the next few years in Green Valley Ranch, the Westside along the West Colfax corridor and Stapleton.

The Denver Public Library Commission looked at three possible sites for the new branch library to serve the Stapleton area: Central Park Blvd and XanthiaWay, the Eastbridge Town Center and the current Town Center on 29th Avenue and preferred the Central Park Blvd site.

The Library has worked with SUN to gather feedback from neighborhood residents about the library site. The feedback indicates that the majority of Stapleton residents agree with the Library Commission that the Central Park Blvd site is the best site for the new 28,000 square foot library. The Library Commission is proceeding with negotiations with Forest City to acquire land at the Central Park Boulevard site.

The Library Commission selected the Central Park Blvd site for a number of reasons. They deemed the Eastbridge Town Center site too remote for much of the service area which extends beyond Stapleton to include the neighborhoods south of Montview and the 29th Avenue Town Center site too small (27,000 square feet).

The Library Commission does not want to repeat the mistakes of the Schlessman Family Branch in Lowry: an undersized, land-locked footprint with no room for expansion and severely limited parking. The Town Center site would force the library to go vertical increasing construction costs. The increased staffing for a second floor creates permanent higher operating costs and could result in fewer hours of operation especially in tough economic times. A two-story structure also negatively impacts the layout and flow of services within the building.

The Central Park Boulevard site is larger (2.79 acres) and allows for a more desirable single story building with greater parking availability. A single story library is less expensive to operate and provides a more customer-friendly layout. The proximity to neighborhood schools allows children to walk to the library for class visits and after school programs. The co-location of the library with the schools creates an education campus and encourages greater use of the library by students and parents. Central Park Boulevard is more accessible to the community south of Stapleton. This site would fill a gap in Library service and encourage further retail development in the surrounding neighborhood.

After the land is acquired, the Library will select an architect to design the building. Additional public input will be gathered to inform the design of the building and the services offered. Public safety and environmental impact will be high priorities. All City buildings including the new library are required to meet at least LEED Silver certification.

Bond funds approved by voters will cover $12 million per location. Additional funding from grants and donations will be sought to fund enhancements to the basic designs.

The anticipated opening for the new branch is late 2011.