Eye On Englewood

Link: http://www.englewoodcitizens.org

Englewood businesses (BID) have begged the City for better lighting in the parking lots along Broadway for at least four holiday seasons. Instead, the City installed decorative lighting on the street front of two city blocks two years ago. But all of Broadway's back lots remain dark during the prime shopping season.

When Santa sneaks down the chimney this Christmas, is this going to be a liability for Englewood as to crime and property insurance? Doug Cohn, Appeals Commissioner, believes so because the Grinch has been notified repeatedly and yet continues to neglect the safety and welfare of its citizens who refuse to buy their bizzle-binks in Whoville. Mister Grinch is a depressed, wicked-tempered grouch with a sour attitude who lives in a mountain cave near the north end of Whoville. He absolutely hates everything about Christmas because of the trash that accumulates around the entire town after Christmas Day. "For fifty-three years I've put up with this threat!"

But, wouldn't it simply be awful if one of Santa's elves evaporated without a trace in the back lot, while attempting to buy toys from Mr. Cohn's Bonnie Brae Hobbies store?

Some of the business owners remember when the EDDA was active (Englewood Downtown Development Authority). This was a joint venture between the officious City of Englewood and those doing real business on Broadway.

Nothing could be done within the city bureaucracy, however, and it was dissolved in 2002; But, the Grinch kept the $100,000 investment from the owners, rather than turning it over to them to start their new independent organization.

Perhaps the Grinch was punishing the nemesis business owners for pulling out of his cheating game. "You're a mean one, Mister Grinch!" Says, Thurl Ravenscroft. "You're foul, bad-mannered and sinister! And, that goes for your little dog, Max, too!" Though, City Council cared less what the citizens of Whoville thought of them. They absolutely refused to encourage Whoville business sales, even at Christmas. Sigh... Instead, they funneled the business owners' money to the new and improved City Center, and tightened the sign codes against the businesses on Broadway.

With or without the dressed up Grinch and his fraud of a reindeer-dog, the new Business Improvement District(BID)began working to market Broadway in 2006 with meager funds. The first years' fees went to pay off the attorney. But at a quarter til dawn, business owners took marketing into their own hands, and have begun to decorate the street with gigantic flower pots, welcome banners and bike art.

Part of the problem, says Cohn, is that the Grinch tried to take some of the Broadway parking lots and turn them into an arts center, so the Mister Grinch couldn't have cared less about lighting the shopping areas targeted for eminent domain. But scratching out the numbers couldn't save the proposed arts complex viability to bring in funds to the city, so Grinch released his grip over the business lots.

Yet, the lots remain dark. Especially in winter months, the businesses on Broadway seem foreboding when considering parking or shopping after five pm. One could imagine that the Grinch is actually trying to blight his own shopping mall!

Gene Turnbull explained that the lighting in Littleton's Old Town is owned by Public Service (Xcel) but Littleton pays to maintain the lighting and pays the utility bills. This may be feasible, but the Grinch of Englewood continues to provide only a perception of "help" while the Whoville battle goes on to get the Grinch to do anything.

Yet, at the November 9, 2010 City Council meeting, Grinch recommended that a lighted sign be installed at Broadway and Girard in the foreboding empty lot to point people away from the Businesses on Broadway (BOB is the newest private marketing campaign) and toward the light rail station and Civic Center. Mister Grinch's pet project apparently needs to be pointed out, at the expense once again of Businesses on Broadway.

It almost seems humorous in light of last year's drama when the Grinch's claims against business signage was shot down at the higher court level, that Gary would suggest for his own benefit a violation of the Englewood sign code. The sign he was suggesting was 28" and 40" wide, proposed by Mile High Outdoor Advertising.

In repeated efforts to solidify the Grinch's hold on Englewood shopping, the City has again brought up the green Santa's idea of too many trash businesses roaming the alleyways. They reason that if only one company pulls the trash sleigh, the Grinch could regulate how many Christmas and Hanukkah wrappings, boxes and packaging might find a way into the alleys, and how much they can charge for the extra trucks needed to pick up all this holiday trash.

Link: http://www.EyeOnEnglewood.com

If Steve Schalk and Jon Cook have their differences, these developers agree on one thing. With the present economy, and business lagging on Broadway, Englewood’s signs, banners and mural codes need an overhaul. Mr. Schalk (pronounced shock) is the owner of the Gothic Theater and also Moe’s Barbecue and Bowling Alley near Dartmouth. Cook's newly developed business at Yale and Broadway hosts Colore! Italian cuisine.

On Monday evening, Council was treated to an entourage of complaints from unreasonable sign codes to moms, dads and little kids about dogs rushing them and jumping them in parks. Apparently, the city has decided not to intervene in the parks between unleashed dogs and children by putting up fences. They cited expenses for this consensus. But, a father, also appearing as a professional educator, addressed the liabilities the City would incur if even one child was bitten, and they had not chosen to protect humanity above the beasts.

One mother reprimanded Councilwoman Wilson for physically turning her back while an honor student presented a video on unleashed dogs at last Council’s meeting. Wilson apologized and said she was only searching for something in her purse.

Between these complaints, was an attorney representing the medical marijuana industry warning them about their vote on a moratorium and offering his legal aid free of charge to develop appropriate ordinances.

Laurette Barrantine addressed council on their ethical abuse of Citizen seats on boards and commissions stating the conflict is not just one of finance, but of power and the appearances of undue influence. She tried to clear her own name as the Council had previously claimed she had held a seat on Code Enforcement herself during her term on Council. She stated that yes, at first, this was the case, until she recognized there were ethical issues, and resigned from the board. She challenged both the Mayor and also Jill Wilson to take the high road and accused them of defaulting to what City Attorney Brotzman informed them they could get away with.

Another interesting spokesperson was Laura Bartnick representing her household as a Small Group Home, and requesting the Mayor use his trump card to set the City’s reputation aright or else send her an official letter to specify as to what “full compliance” with the City's remaining two regulations would look like. Her boarding house won two and lost two which didn't get dismissed yet the implications of it are still unclear. Her comments included that the City has not been forthcoming with codes or communications over the two years she has been seeking their help. She related to me that the City’s intention has never been to grandfather in their home, and it has been an unending expensive game of chess or cat and mouse.

There is an old adage, “Just when I found the answers, they changed all the rules.”

During Mayor’s choice at the conclusion of a long evening, he responded that it was unfortunate, but because the City was a Manager Council run government form, that his hands were tied as to the municipal court findings, and he could not see how he could help the Bartnick household.

Attorney Brotzman leaned over and whispered loud enough for the audience to hear, “Yes, yes you can.” (Listen to Mayor at bottom of the page).

A spectator commented, “Does anyone know who the Mayor is here? Because it doesn’t seem like he knows who he is or what power he has.”

If Mayor Woodward gets re-elected this year, he will have served more than two terms on council and by the time he is finished he will have tucked 10 years under his belt.

Well, it was almost midnight and Cinderella and I were both about to turn into pumpkins, so I hit the road.

Link: http://www.englewoodcitizens.org/

Over the years, Community Development has received a budget of $2,000,000.00 per year. The exact “USES of FUNDS” according to the 2009 budget for the Community Development Department is $1,639,615, that would be $32,792,300 for a twenty year period IF that was the budgeted amount for every year which it probably is not, factoring in inflation, etc..

If this figure has been consistent, they will received at least $40,000,000.00 over the course of the next 20 years. With that money they have developed a fine two story brick strip mall called Trolley Square, which was not thought through sufficiently, -- therefore could not be leased, -- and which within five years time, was demolished.

Community Development also oversaw the demolishing of much of Historic Broadway, the old City Civic Center and Cinderella City.

They received grant money to clean up the brownfill on the backside of Elati and made a deal with RTD for the development of a walk on station. But, Community Development tried to cut out the existing residents' mountain views by inviting loft high rises into the area.

Robinson brick now uses the contaminated land for storing bundles of brick. When asked about the development of this property this year, City Councilman, Jefferson stated that Community Development deemed it too expensive to develop. It might be a bike park, or a retail mall or a hotel for light rail accommodations, but for some reason, the City has become disenchanted with their previous agreements.

They paid professionals for studies on the redevelopment of the RTD Light Rail cleaning and maintenance facility, brought in the station for light rail to Englewood at Hampden, and designed the new transit oriented City Center. This City Center was the recent subject of a video published on the Englewood Citizens For Open Government website. The results of the video show how several deadly marketing choices were made so as to prevent the open offices at the base of the light rail station to receive no access, and thus remain unleased office space.

The study also resulted in the claim that most retailers will not inhabit a retail mall area so small, and that a broader nucleus of retail stores would likely need to be offered to bring in willing businesses who viewed the traffic in the area as viable for money making.

Despite these critiques, Community Development is currently trying on new shoes East of Broadway, at the Swedish Medical PUD site, where they hope to offer a Whole Foods Store in the old Bali’s Gym structure. This idea would likely be a hit for health conscious citizens, and accessible to much of the outside public driving through Englewood on Highway 285.

Nevertheless, Community Development has the Kent Place at University and Hampden to worry about. When they initially cut the deal with the buyers to develop the highly visible property, the City accepted a deal where they would not take the tax monies from the property owners for up to 30 years.

Because Kent Place has changed hands a couple more times, concerned citizens would like to know whether they must continue to face the 30 year deprivation of tax revenues at the hands of the new investor/developers, or if that aspect of the deal was not an asset passed through from developer to developer.

In any case, Kent Place lies dormant, while the relocated Denver Seminary which vacated the premises has flourished in their new Aspen Grove property for three years onwards. Give it another four years, and the property’s renewed soil nutrients should sustain a farm pretty well.

Meanwhile, there is the McClellan Reservoir Foundation whose board of directors are the Community Development and Finance gurus of the City of Englewood. The City recently spent approximately $45,000.00 for a weekend in Las Vegas, marketing this property to the World. Maybe Las Vegas looks like modern Dubai? For that price, it might as well have been a trip half way around the world.

Why would Englewood market this piece of property at such an expense, when it is situated inside of another town, the town which would profit from the taxes of the Reservoir’s development? Why would Englewood agree to pay for the moving around of the dirt on this property, when the City doesn’t stand to gain tax revenues back? If Englewood were a large corporation, it certainly would have enough losses to qualify for great tax shelters each year.

We turn now to Historic Downtown. Why do Broadway’s sidewalks have weeds growing through the cracks? Why are they dirty and unkempt? Why do so many storefronts remain vacant?

The empty lot next to Bonnie Brae Hobbies could be transformed into a delightful, accessible Farmer’s Market in Summer or an Ice Skating Rink in Winter. Why not? It seems the City of Englewood would rather not claim the historical parts, but treats them as the unwanted step-child. Historic Englewood could prove to be a real Cinderella itself, if Community Development chose to throw a little dress on her shoulders.

Could it be that no amount of marketing Englewood’s prime retail space can spin itself as a good deal while Community Development hassles new business owners on Broadway about signage, paint choices, bed bugs, murals, signage, outdoor seating, taxes, and signage? What safety issues are Community Development trying to curb by micro-managing the small business dealers?

Meanwhile important issues such as the parking crises, empty storefronts, brick walls facing the public’s access to City Center, and lack of passageways, bridges, sidewalks to these areas are simply ignored.

For $40,000,000.00 budgeted over the next 20 years, I’d demand a little more attention to detail for my money. That kind of budget could at least clean up the issues that remain before embarking on more speculative deals.