CHEESMAN PARK MOUNTAIN VIEW AT RISK!
CURRENT INFO ON THIS TOPIC IS HERE
A proposed rezoning of Denver’s Golden Triangle to permit so-called “point towers” of up to 300 feet in height threatens to block views of the Front Range from Cheesman Park. Neighbors for Greater Capitol Hill opposes allowing these structures, and is calling for expansion of the existing view plane ordinance to protect these iconic mountain views.
Why Do We Have View Plane Ordinances?
It has long been recognized that mountain views are a source of great civic pride among Denverites. Given where our city sits, at the foot of the mountains, these vistas are among the attributes that make Denver unique and special. They are something that residents and visitors alike greatly appreciate. Many years ago, the City adopted ordinances designating a series of view planes that would protect views of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.
The Cheesman Park-Denver Botanic Gardens View Plane
One of the view plane ordinances starts just east of the Botanic Gardens and extends west over the Cheesman Park Pavilion.
It has been enshrined in the law for decades. Using an equation that allows building heights to rise slowly as the distance increases from the point of origin, this ordinance protects a stunning view of Mount Evans that many visitors to Cheesman Park cherish.
Now that view is threatened. Currently, the land area covered by the Cheesman Park – Botanic Gardens mountain view ordinance stops at Broadway. This iconic mountain view is now threatened because the view plane does not extend far enough to block an upcoming proposal to rezone the Golden Triangle area to allow some extremely tall buildings.
The Golden Triangle Zoning Proposal
Currently, buildings in the Golden Triangle are limited in height to a little under 200 feet – or approximately 20 stories. This is well below the limit that would exist if the Cheesman Park – Botanic Gardens mountain view ordinance extended past Broadway to Speer Blvd.
The proposal being considered is to allow certain buildings (so-called “point towers”) to rise up to a height of 300 feet. This would permit buildings of up to 30 – 35 stories. Such a “point tower would extend 90 feet into the mountain view protected zone. Please press image for enlargement.
This poses a clear risk to the treasured mountain views from Cheesman Park.
The Time to Act Is NOW!
Fortunately, this proposed rezoning is still in development. The Denver Planning Board will hear information about the rezoning proposal – including the impact of 300-foot “point towers” – at its online meeting on Wednesday, April 15th. Public comment will not be allowed during the meeting, but can be submitted in advance. Here is a link to the Planning Board’s comment page.
Expand the Cheesman Park View Plane
It would be tragic to lose one of Denver’s great amenities – its prized mountain views – in service to unnecessarily tall development projects. Neighbors for Greater Capitol Hill, a Denver Registered Neighborhood Organization (RNO) in whose boundaries Cheesman Park sits, believes reasonable and profitable development projects can continue to be constructed in the Golden Triangle without unalterably destroying our beloved views of the Rocky Mountains.
Adopted by the Board of Neighbors for Greater Capitol Hill on April 11, 2020
Why is this being posted here? This is clearly a campaign of Neighbors for Greater Capitol Hill. City Park Friends and Neighbors is all about this, too, as it effects the City park view plane, but we shouldn’t immediately assume that Congress Park residents agree with the leadership of either organization. Many Congress Park residents, and members of CPN, including myself, would like to see the view plane ordinances relaxed in order to allow taller buildings, in order to allow our city to grow. They have prevented the growth of transit-oriented development around LRT stations in other parts of the city and threaten to nullify the incentive height overlay program that urbanist residents have fought for for many years. Additionally, most of the view plane ordinances were created to prevent intrusion into the portion of the view that is the relatively featureless and monotone foothills (the forested belt), way below the bottom of the “Rocky” / feature-rich portion of our mountain views. Adding an additional 4-8 stories in most cases in Golden Triangle would still keep the top of the towers in middle-ground view in front of the foothills, so the impact to visual resources is minimal. Furthermore, a “point tower” is what it’s name suggests: it comes to a point near the top, meaning that the area of the background views it would overlap is really skinny. If Congress Park Neighbors wants to make an issue about this, why don’t we set up a special meeting in which various viewpoints can be presented, before automatically assuming that members will line up to oppose the proposed changes?
I haven’t reviewed the plan yet, but I too am concerned about the Post on the CPN Facebook page, which lead me here.
Clearly against the plan.
Why is an RNO opposing a plan unless it’s Residents have indicated that they wanted to oppose it?
Did you conduct a Survey?
If so, I didn’t get an opportunity to participate.
This is an example of why I believe we need to replace the Members of the Board.
You people are beyond the pale. We live in a CITY for goodness sake. Cities are dense places. The alternative is continued sprawl, and the increased pollution and traffic associated. Continued densification of close-in neighborhoods – especially neighborhoods that are predominantly surface parking lots today – is critical if we are to house our growing population in an equitable fashion, and if we are to do anything about the existential threat that is climate change.
But please, go on about how important views are.
Say it with me “VIEWS ARE NOT PROTECTED”
A picture is worth a thousand words. Looking at the photorealistic simulations on page 27 and 28 above, which models a couple of 300′ point towers as they would appear from the slab a couple steps down from the top height of Cheesman pavilion, it’s clear that the towers are not visible. The actual legislated viewpoint is on the York side of the DBG parking garage. It’s rare to make out mountain views anywhere between the legislated viewpoint and the Cheesman Pavilion. With that in mind, opposition to the change really can’t be based on impacts to views from Cheesman. Perhaps Neighbors for Greater Park is trying to get folks to oppose this on faulty grounds of preserving views because being opposed to it just because it is more urban development is less likely to build support.