Residents in the Elyria-Swansea have told the city they want better connectivity and more jobs in their neighborhood as Denver finalizes plans for the new 40th and Colorado station, scheduled to open in 2016.
“Access to the station for the community is limited. Sidewalks and roads would be nice,” resident Shelli Johnson said.
The station is one of the last to get an area plan, which will be tied in with a neighborhood plan for Elyria-Swansea. Connecting to the station is a problem, as many of the surrounding roads don’t go through due to the industrial nature of the area; sidewalks are sparse.
The city is working closely with the Urban Land Conservancy, which purchased the land surrounding the station for $6 million in March 2013, and the station plan is part of the .”
Urban Land Conservancy vice president of master site development Tony Pickett said the community has expressed a desire for better connectivity, beautification and more retail, commercial and residential opportunities.
“What we heard loud and clear from the community is that they want employment opportunities,” Pickett said.
Residents have also expressed a desire for more green spaces and parks and an area known as the “market lead” is a prime candidate. The lead is an old rail line that runs through a ditch near the station. If the land is filled in, it could better serve the area from a connectivity standpoint and would be an ideal location for a green area.
“It’s a bit of a diamond in the rough,” said Michael Leccese, executive director for the Urban Land Institute, a think tank on land and real estate issues.
The 40th and Colorado Station, which in reality will be closer to 42nd Avenue and Smith Road, will be the second stop along the
“It’s very fragmented in parts due to the rail corridor,” Denver planner Tim Watkins said.
The city and Urban Land Conservancy have held three neighborhood workshops and discussed many of the issues surrounding the station as well as opportunities for the future.
More housing in the area is already on the way as a 156-unit affordable housing complex is due to break ground Sept. 18. Urban Land Conservancy began its community outreach in 2013 shortly after purchasing the property.
The group also owns the land around the ..
The city will continue to take feedback about the plan on its website after the meetings are complete. Watkins said the Elyria-Swansea plan should go to the planning board for approval late this year and hopes it will be passed by Denver City Council in the early spring 2015.
It’s uncommon to have a neighborhood plan paired with a station-area plan, but Watkins said there is precedent with the La Alma/Lincoln Park plan, which incorporated the 10th and Osage light rail station.
Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com or
