Downtown Denver Partnership
2015 Denver City Council Candidate Questionnaire
Distributed: Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Due Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at 5 pm – please email to Brittany Morris
Saunders at [email protected] or call 303-571-8232 with questions.
Candidate/Campaign Name: Paul Lopez for Denver
Candidate Address: PO Box 40254 Denver, CO 80204
Candidate Email: [email protected]
Candidate Phone Number: 720-435-3633
Campaign Manager Name, Phone Number and Email:
District #:
3
Instructions: Please type your answers in the form below and limit each response to 300
words or less. Adjust the size of the answer space to fit your response if necessary.
DDP 2015 City Council Candidate Questionnaire
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1. The revitalization of the 16th Street Mall is a key project for Downtown Denver for
several reasons:
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The 32-year old Mall has failing infrastructure that will cost $55-65 million
to upgrade and maintain;
It is the top tourist attraction in the Denver metro region;
While the actual crime statistics for the Mall are low, perception of safety
remains a concern for residents, visitors and businesses;
It is the linchpin of RTD’s transit system, and will become even more
significant once the DIA line opens in 2016; and
The existing configuration of the Mall itself poses economic development
challenges to business retention and recruitment, and to the pedestrian
experience as a whole.
What do you believe is the biggest issue facing the 16th Street Mall? What
policies, programs and/or funding mechanisms do you suggest to address this
challenge?
In some ways, the 16th Street Mall is a victim of its own popularity. The first issue is safety.
We have to make sure that we maintain a visible police patrol presence, and I suggest
that the DPD should have regular foot patrols (not just officers hanging out in cruisers) to
interact with the public, be a resource for those in need, and develop relationships with
the various merchants, property owners and 16th St mall regulars and visitors.
Second, we need to do an inventory assessment on the overall condition and economic
status of the many buildings, properties and businesses along the mall and develop
funding strategies to assist with improvements and upgrades for businesses who need
improvements.
Third, because the mall is a regional amenity, we should make future maintenance and
infrastructural improvements a top priority in any future bond questions.
Finally, we should activate the alleyways along the mall with lighting, murals, art and
other creative uses to transform unsightly and dark areas into livable active spaces.
2. Do you support a smoking ban on the 16th Street Mall? The proposed ordinance
language would ban the public consumption of tobacco products, including ecigarettes, on the 16th Street Mall (16th Street from Broadway to Chestnut, plus 50
DDP 2015 City Council Candidate Questionnaire
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feet in the direction of 15th and 17th Streets). The infraction would be a civil
offense with escalating fees for repeat offenses.
YES or NO:
Please explain your answer:
YES, I do support the proposed ordinance for the smoking ban. However, we need to be
mindful that we are not intentionally pushing smokers on to the properties of businesses
along the mall and creating an unhealthy environment for those who patronize and work
at these businesses. We should work with these businesses to encourage and adopt nosmoking signage and policies areas on their properties in tandem with the rollout of the
proposed changes
3. The Downtown Denver Partnership and the Downtown Denver Business
Improvement District (BID) place a focused approach in working with the
homeless population in Downtown Denver. This includes:
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Over 10 years of directly funding St. Francis Center outreach workers to
connect homeless individuals in Downtown Denver with housing options and
supportive services;
Helping to create Denver’s Road Home and fundraising over $1 million to
support its programs and initiatives;
Acting as a key leader on Denver’s Commission to End Homelessness;
Supporting the building of facilities such as the Lawrence Street Community
Center; and
Working with the Mayor and Denver City Council to support several
ordinances that better connect the homeless population with housing and
services.
What do you believe is the City Council’s role in addressing homelessness in
Downtown Denver?
I commend the efforts of the DDP and its members to generate resources in support of
Denver’s Road Home. Homelessness is a complex issue and requires more effort and
resources from the public sector to fully empower current programs and outreach.
I believe that the city should:
1) Have a more robust outreach effort to homeless individuals by adding more
outreach workers to serve as resources to folks in need;
DDP 2015 City Council Candidate Questionnaire
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2) Continue to build temporary and permanent housing, as well as shelters with
on-site wrap around services for the homeless. If we can be in the business of
using tax dollars to build hotels, we can do the same for shelters; and
3) Truly address the issues that lead to homelessness. Homelessness is the result
of, and is indicative a failure to fully invest in policies and initiatives to fight
poverty. In order to prevent homelessness, we must tackle the issues that lead
to it. By enacting progressive policies that ensure a living wage, access to
affordable healthcare and mental health services, enacting progressive policies
to create affordable housing and encourage local hiring, we then will begin to
make progress in addressing systematic poverty before it puts more people and
families onto the street.
4. The 2007 Downtown Area Plan calls for the addition of 18,000 new housing units
by 2027 and states that a “diversity of housing options and price points is essential
for creating a vibrant, lively 24/7 world-class Downtown.” While there has been
significant development of multi-family rental projects and some townhomes in
Downtown over the past several years, Downtown Denver has seen a dramatic
decrease in for sale product since 2007, as shown in the following chart:
Downtown Denver Housing Production
Rental
For Sale
Total
2007
112
870
982
2008
442
531
973
2009
1099
565
1664
2010
212
102
314
2011
98
15
113
2012
709
0
709
2013
864
82
946
2014
1632
37
1669
The Partnership believes that construction defects legislation has played a part in
the reduction of for sale, affordable product in the Downtown market. While
historically the construction defects issue has been debated at the State level,
cities including Lakewood, Parker, and Lone Tree have created ordinances to
address the issues of construction defects at the local level.
Would you support a local ordinance that addresses construction defects issues?
YES or NO
Please explain your answer:
I would absolutely like to learn more details of a proposed ordinance, and YES, in concept I
would support a Denver ordinance that addressed construction defects to reverse the
DDP 2015 City Council Candidate Questionnaire
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Total
5168
2202
7370
trend in housing unit production, especially at a time when Denver is growing, and
becoming more and more unaffordable for individuals and families.
5. Last year, the Downtown Denver Partnership was the only business association to
oppose the numerous amendments to Denver’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance
(IHO). While the Board appreciated the intent of the changes, they did not believe
the amendments were the best solution to creating more affordable housing units
in Downtown Denver.
Do you support the changes that were made?
YES or NO:
Please explain your answer:
YES, I support the changes made to the IHO. Denver is becoming increasingly
unaffordable for the middle class, for families, and for people who have called
Denver home for decades. Folks who have lost their jobs and homes during the
recession are unable to come back to the city to live because of the lack of
affordability. This is a real problem that the current for sale and retail housing
market by itself will not fix.
6. Many cities across the nation are taking steps to increase local minimum wages. If
existing state legislation was repealed that currently prevents the City and County
of Denver from establishing its own minimum wage, would you support the
creation of a higher minimum wage in Denver?
YES or NO:
Please explain your answer:
YES. I would support the creation of a higher minimum wage. We cannot expect to
end homelessness and reduce poverty if we are unwilling to pay our Denver
workforce a living wage and earnings that will sustain a family in a ridiculously
expensive Denver housing market. Furthermore, we cannot celebrate Denver’s
diversity if our diverse populations are priced out of Denver.
DDP 2015 City Council Candidate Questionnaire
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7. Arapahoe Square is one of the seven transformative projects identified in the
2007 Downtown Area Plan and is Downtown Denver’s largest redevelopment
opportunity, as shown on the following map:
With an urban renewal area already established and the rezoning of Arapahoe
Square currently being initiated by the Partnership and Denver’s Community
Planning and Development Department, what development opportunities do you
believe exist in this part of Downtown Denver?
First, it is critical to understand what the business owners, residents and other
stakeholders desire to take place in this area before I make any decisions or cast a
vote. Conceptually, I think that there are obvious opportunities for development.
There are many parcels that are underutilized, below standard outdated housing
units, and blighted properties that need reinvestment. I would suggest that we
look at the area as a center with mixed uses that accommodates for special events,
provides jobs opportunities, and that serves surrounding neighborhoods of Five
points, Curtis park, Ball Park, LoDo and Downtown rather than an area of
transition and parking lots. A plan must also be devised to create access points to
services for many homeless individuals who congregate in the area.
DDP 2015 City Council Candidate Questionnaire
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8. Parks and open spaces in Downtown are some of the City’s most unique places.
The Partnership and Denver Parks & Recreation are co-funding and co-managing
Denver’s Downtown Outdoor Plan - a cohesive master plan that will outline how
Downtown parks and public spaces may be best utilized to serve a rapidly
increasing population.
Do you believe Downtown parks and public spaces should be maintained,
programed and managed differently than other city parks?
YES or NO:
Please explain your answer:
A Denver park, regardless of where it is located, is subject to basic rules and regular
maintenance. However, every community and its people enjoy different activities and use
their parks differently. Parks are gathering centers for community and culture, and I am a
firm believer in community ownership and would be supportive of local BIDs and
community efforts to have a meaningful role in creatively activating and maintaining their
parks as they see fit to reflect the neighborhoods they reside in.
9. The most recent commuter survey produced by the Downtown Denver
Partnership showed a 43% increase in commuters that choose to bike to work.
Research also shows that Denver remains the number two city in the country to
attract ages 25-34 and this demographic desires a bike-friendly city. To help
support these economic development trends, the Downtown Denver Partnership
has partnered with the City to create an enhanced bikeways plan and is raising
funds for more dedicated and protected bike lanes throughout Downtown
Denver.
How will you help support a Bicycle City?
DDP 2015 City Council Candidate Questionnaire
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I support the creation of a bicycle-friendly city. I have spent time in other cities
across the country and internationally, including Mexico City and Toronto, to learn
about best practices and models promoting bicycle policy that we can bring back
to Denver. Since then, I have been working diligently to create and implement bike
infrastructure in our neighborhoods in West Denver. We have created bike lanes
and infrastructure throughout West Denver, increasing connectivity to the
downtown core. In fact, Denver’s first bike boulevard will be constructed along S.
Irving Street and Knox Ct, connecting Southwest and West Denver to downtown
via bicycle.
10. Studies of American cities have shown that a city’s urban core is a bellwether, and
the status and condition of the downtown reflects the health and vitality of the
city as a whole. Given the limited resources available, how do you plan to balance
investment between Downtown Denver and other areas of the city?
It is important that we maintain a vibrant, safe, and thriving environment in
Downtown Denver for residents, workers and visitors to the Mile High City. I believe
the key to balancing resources is to improve transit and connectivity between
surrounding neighborhoods to create an economically vibrant and cohesive city.
11. Is there anything else you want us to know about you or your candidacy?
It has been my honor to represent the third council district for the past eight years.
The unfortunate reality is that my Council District has been long underserved and
often overlooked, resulting in outdated infrastructure and a lack of access to basic
amenities such as grocery stores, park space and community-focused businesses.
As a result, my mission has been to close the equality gap for the residents of West
Denver. Although that has often put me in precarious political situations, I have
never lost sight of the importance of a vibrant, safe and thriving Downtown
Denver.
DDP 2015 City Council Candidate Questionnaire
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