The view-plane variance at Ruby Hill Park that inspired a contentious debate between neighbors and Xcel Energy was approved by the City Council on Monday night with an amendment to one sentence.
New power-line towers that neighbors fought will replace existing ones, but the amendment provides that if neighbors come up with the money, Xcel will run the lines underground.
Meanwhile, leaders of neighborhood organizations around the park told council members they plan to take their cause citywide with the backing of the mayor.
“After much dialogue, hard work and now the enthusiastic support of Mayor John Hickenlooper, we have achieved a memorandum of understanding to work toward ‘undergrounding’ the present and future utility transmission towers piercing the mountain-view plane on the top of Ruby Hill and parks citywide,” Ruby Hill Neighborhood Organization president Jan Marie Belle told the council in a letter.
The ability to reach any common ground was lauded by all sides Monday night. At the beginning of the summer, former City Councilwoman Kathleen MacKenzie accused city officials of backroom politics and referred to Xcel’s posture as “let them eat chemotherapy.”
But neighbors were on board after Councilman Chris Nevitt – who replaced MacKenzie – asked for six weeks to negotiate a deal.
“The whole episode surrounding this has been tragic in that there really haven’t been any villains here,” he said. “We now have a way forward.”
Councilwoman Peggy Lehmann congratulated Nevitt on finding a compromise in “a situation that looked almost impossible.”
And Xcel area manager Jerome Davis thanked neighborhood groups for their participation.
“Over the past few months we have learned a great deal about each other’s interests,” he said. “We are extremely pleased with the progress we have made.”
The debate began when Xcel sought to update the power lines above Ruby Hill Park and asked the city to make an exception to the view-plane ordinance at the park to allow for new power-line towers.
Neighbors wanted the lines run underground – a project Xcel officials said would cost more than $4 million. Residents tried to tax themselves to make up the difference, but could not collect $15,000 necessary to get the issue on the November ballot.
Belle and Xcel officials said there are no “ballpark” estimates for citywide costs of burying lines. But Belle said neighbors have discussed using a range of funding from local taxing districts to bonds to citywide surcharges.
Councilman Charlie Brown applauded the effort, but he noted it was only the beginning.
“I don’t like them any more than you do,” Brown said of transmission towers. But he said Denver voters will have to answer the question: “Are you willing to pay to bury transmission lines?”
Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at 303-954-1657 or gmerritt@denverpost.com.
