Denver City Council Meeting - April 29, 2024
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Denver City Council Meeting - April 29, 2024
The Denver City Council convened on Monday, April 29, 2024, at 2:30 PM (recessed and reconvened later) for a full meeting including proclamations, resolutions, public hearings, and final votes on multiple bills. Key actions included passage of a wage theft subpoena power amendment, approval of $5 million in funding for asylum seeker support, and approval of three accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rezonings.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of minutes from April 22, 2024.
- Adoption of resolutions and final passage of bills on a block vote (13-0): Resolutions 24-0294, 24-0296, and numerous others; Bills 24-0492 through 24-0498, 24-0502, 24-0509, 24-0484-24-0491, 24-0497, 24-0498, 24-0296, 24-0457, 24-0454, 24-0458. All passed unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Public Hearing on Bill 24-0264 (ADU rezoning, 1901 N. Oneida St.): Two speakers: property owner Lindsay Cramer (available for questions, no comments) and Jesse Paris (representing multiple organizations, expressed support for ADUs but concern about short-term rental use; asked for statistics on ADU approvals in the area).
- Public Hearing on Bill 24-0270 (ADU rezoning, 735 N. Race St.): Two speakers: Ann Cuthbertson (architect, stated owner intends to use ADU as guest house for grown children, not for rent) and Jesse Paris (reiterated support for ADUs, thanked Ann for answering his question).
- Public Hearing on Bill 24-0328 (rezoning, 1409-1471 N. Julian St. & 3315-3317 W. 14th Ave.): Four speakers: Amy O'Brien (consultant, described community outreach efforts including voluntary neighborhood meetings, tenant meetings in Spanish/English, and sponsorship of West Colfax Neighborhood Festival); Tyler Downs (WASI Partners, applicant, stated no current redevelopment plans, existing Section 8 units will not be displaced, guaranteed relocation within 6-block radius, and intention to honor Paco Sanchez legacy); Jesse Paris (raised questions about AMI levels, unit mix, affordability guarantee, traffic/parking studies, and adequacy of community engagement).
Discussion Items
- Proclamation 24-0586 – National Interpreter Appreciation Day: Recognized May 1, 2024, honored language access program, interpreter workforce training (49 graduates so far), and translation of Denver City Guide into 12 languages. Adopted 13-0.
- Proclamation 24-0587 – Child Abuse Prevention Month: Declared April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, recognized Denver Human Services and prevention partners. Adopted 12-0 (one absent).
- Proclamation 24-0588 – Whittier ECE 8 140th Anniversary: Celebrated the school's history, including first African American teacher Marie Anderson Greenwood and first African American administrator Jesse Whaley Maxwell. Adopted 12-0.
- Resolution 24-0294 (ASM Global contract): Councilmember Parady noted concerns about wage violations by contractor but voted yes following union lead and city agency's handling. Councilmember Hines stressed accountability for wage theft. Passed on consent.
- Resolution 24-0296 (Second Chance Center contract): Councilmember Alvidrez commended the organization's work helping formerly incarcerated individuals. Passed on consent.
- Bill 24-0476 (Auditor's investigatory subpoena power for wage theft): Councilmember Parady introduced an amendment to require hearing officers meet Colorado Code of Judicial Conduct and be subject to disqualification. Amendment passed 13-0. Bill as amended passed 13-0. Councilmembers Sawyer and Hines expressed frustration that wage theft persists despite strong local laws.
- Bill 24-0499 (Capital maintenance funds for asylum seekers): $5 million transfer as part of $89.9 million total. Councilmember Alvidrez voted no, citing lack of accounting for $70 million and concern over xenophobia and budget cuts. Passed 12-1.
- Bill 24-0501 (Rescission from general fund): Passed 12-1 (Alvidrez no).
- Public Hearings and Votes on ADU Rezonings:
- Bill 24-0264 (1901 N. Oneida St.): Rezone from ESU-DX to ESU-D1X to allow ADU. Staff report noted no public comments. Applicant clarified plans: convert existing garage to primary bedroom, build new detached garage and ADU. Passed 12-0.
- Bill 24-0270 (735 N. Race St.): Rezone from USU-C to USU-C1 to allow ADU. Staff report noted no public comments. Councilmember Sawyer and Hines expressed support and desire to end need for individual ADU rezonings. Passed 12-0.
- Bill 24-0328 (1409-1471 N. Julian St. & 3315-3317 W. 14th Ave.): Rezone from GRH-3 to GMU-5 to allow up to 5 stories (with potential 7 with incentives). Staff report noted 4 letters of support, 4 of opposition. Councilmember Sawyer questioned consistency for the smaller parcel (8,500 sq ft) but ultimately voted no; others supported. Passed 11-1 (Sawyer no).
Key Outcomes
- Proclamation 24-0586 (National Interpreter Appreciation Day) adopted 13-0.
- Proclamation 24-0587 (Child Abuse Prevention Month) adopted 12-0.
- Proclamation 24-0588 (Whittier ECE 8 140th Anniversary) adopted 12-0.
- Bill 24-0476 (Wage theft subpoena power) amended and passed 13-0.
- Bill 24-0499 (Asylum seeker funding) passed 12-1 (Alvidrez no).
- Bill 24-0501 (General fund rescission) passed 12-1.
- Bill 24-0264 (ADU rezoning, 1901 N. Oneida St.) passed 12-0.
- Bill 24-0270 (ADU rezoning, 735 N. Race St.) passed 12-0.
- Bill 24-0328 (Rezoning, West Colfax) passed 11-1 (Sawyer no).
- All consent items adopted 13-0.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to your Denver City Council. Please stand by. Full coverage of your Denver City Council begins now. Good afternoon, everyone. Today's meetings being interpreted into Spanish. Sam and Ruth, would you please introduce yourselves and let our viewers know how to enable translation on their devices? Yes, thank you very much for having us. Good afternoon. My name is Sam Guzmán with the CLC. And along with my colleague Ruth today, we will we will be interpreting uh today's meeting into Spanish. I'll now give the instructions in Spanish on how to access interpretation. See the C Escucharloon Spanish. Thank you so much, Sam. Welcome to Denver City Council meeting of Monday, April 29th, 2024. Council members, please rise as you are able and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. The Republicans under God. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you very much. And Council members, um, please join Councilwoman Lewis as she leads us in the Denver City Council land acknowledgement. The Denver City Council honors and acknowledges that the land on which we reside is the traditional territory of the U Cheyenne and Arapahoe peoples. We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado. We honor elders past, present, and future, and those who have stewarded this land throughout generations. We also recognize that government, academic, and cultural institutions were founded upon and continue to enact exclusions and erasures of indigenous peoples. May this acknowledgment demonstrate a commitment to working to dismantle ongoing legacies of oppression and inequities and recognize the current and future contributions of a j indigenous communities in Denver. Thank you so much. Madam Secretary, roll call, please. Here more Gonzalez Gutierrez. Here, Heinz. Here. Cashman. Here. Lewis, present. Parity. Here. Romero Campbell. Here. Sandoval. Here. Slayer. Here. Watson. Here. Madam President. Here. 13 members present. There are 13 members. Present council has a quorum. Approval of the minutes. Are there any corrections to the minutes of April 22nd? Okay.
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