February 2023

A Letter from John

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Welcome to the February edition of Urban Dweller! I don't know about you, but 2023 has gotten off to a frenetic start. While this may cause a few more grey hairs, it is also great to see the number of community activities and opportunities for volunteerism and engagement in our communities. Last month, CHUN recognized the recipients of its SEED Award program. Further information about the wonderful recipients is below. We thank them all for their contributions to enriching life in greater Capitol Hill and for supporting some of the most vulnerable in our communities.

Now that the festive season and January blues are behind us, we are looking forward to the range of programming and activities planned throughout this year. From bi-monthly happy hours, to informational webinars, to park clean-ups in conjunction with Denver Parks Trust, CHUN offers a range of activities for you to support our great neighborhoods and also get to know one another. In March, we are delighted to host Rowena Alegria of the Denver Office of Storytelling, for the webinar "30 Years Later: How the ADA enabled Denver's Disability Community to Boldly Go Where Everyone Else Has Gone Before." Please join us using the zoom link in the article below.

In February, we honor Black History Month. Please check out History Colorado, National Museum of African American History and Culture, denver.org, and blackhistorymonth.gov, amongst many others, that offer a variety of programming throughout the month.

Thank you for being part of CHUN!
John Deffenbaugh, Executive Director | Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods

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CHUN Member of the Month

X Bar

​X Bar has been a CHUN business member since 2021.

They have been providing entertainment to Denver residents for more than 10 years. 

XBar is a happening LGBTQ+ friendly hangout with DJ’s, dancing and drag queen bingo. They also boast a big outdoor patio.

February events include renowned standup comedy night 'Laugh your YAS! Off' on February 15 and 'Lip Sync Thursdays' every Thursday.

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CHUN News and Updates

March 14: CHUN Bi-Monthly Member Happy Hour

Regional Neighborhood Organizations (RNOs) are all about bringing neighbors and local businesses together.

CHUN will host a member Happy Hour every other month in 2023.  Our first Happy Hour is scheduled for Tuesday, March 14 from 6 p.m. to 7p.m.  Watch your inbox for the announcement of the March location.

Bring your neighbors! ​​See you there! 

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March 15: History Matters Webinar: ​ADA 30 Years Later with Rowena Alegria

Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods (CHUN) History Matters is partnering with the City of Denver Office of Storytelling to host a Zoom event designed to share the Emmy nominated "30 Years Later: How the ADA enabled Denver's Disability Community to 'Boldly Go Where Everyone Else Has Gone Before'".

We will show the short film and hold a discussion with Rowena Alegria and others with expertise and experience in the struggle for disability rights in Capitol Hill and beyond.

Learn about the role Denver activists played in fighting for the civil rights of people living with disabilities.
​
Wednesday, March 16
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Please click here to attend.​

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Congratulations to our 2023 SEED Award Recipients

In January, ten deserving groups in the Greater Capitol Hill neighborhood received community funds from the CHUN SEED awards program. SEED is an acronym for Smart, solutions-oriented development, Enrichment, Environmental sustainability, and Diversity and all recipients are awarded funding to encourage civic entrepreneurship and to promote neighborhood engagement in one or more of these funding areas. 
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The SEED awards are an opportunity for CHUN to fuel creativity through local solutions and community-based impact investments. The 2023 SEED award recipients are:

• B-Konnected to fund the implementation and scaling of a tenant housing stability tool.
• Denver East High School to fund the creation of the Madam C.J. Walker Black Girl Hair Project.
• Denver Park Trust to help fund the annual Parks, Rivers, Trails and Trees event at Cheesman Park.
• Headwaters Protectors to fund compassionate water and trash services for people experiencing homelessness.
• Our Savior’s Lutheran Church to support Helping Hands sidewalk events and purchase of essential products for those experiencing homelessness.
• Queer Community Cultural District to help launch a new cultural district to acknowledge and honor the historic and ongoing contributions of Queer people to Denver and Capitol Hill.
• ReCreative Denver to underwrite Head Room Sessions -- live music sessions featuring BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ artists at various locations throughout greater Capitol Hill.​
• ReMerg to help fund the Housing, Opportunity, Unity, Stability, and Engagement (HOUSE) program for justice-involved populations.
• Senior Housing to provide outdoor activities for residents of Olin Hotel Apartments.
• Urban Servant Corps to provide professional development for their full-time staff.​

B-Konnected

Denver East High School

Denver Park Trust

Headwater Protectors

Our Savior's Lutheran Church

ReMerg

Queer Community Cultural District

Senior Housing Options

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CHUN Honors SEED Award and Good Neighborhood Awards Recipients at its Annual Meeting

At its January Annual Meeting, CHUN honored its SEED Award and Good Neighborhood Award recipients. 

After a brief welcome and conducting a few house matters, 2023 SEED award winner, Brittany Katalenas of B-Konnected spoke about the goals of her organization and how it works with landlords to improve housing retention, especially for those underserved in today's tough housing market.  B-Konnected will use their SEED award funds to help fund the implementation of a social impact tool that will measure tenant's housing stability.

Afterwards, CHUN members and award recipients met at the newly-updated Tears-McFarlane Mansion for tours and a social hour.

​ Thank you to the Althea Center for hosting this year's annual meeting.

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¡Viva! Streets Denver is Open to Everyone

At CHUN's January board meeting, Sam McCrory of Downtown Denver Partnership introduced a new event for Denver that is open to everyone: ¡Viva! Streets Denver.  
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¡Viva! Streets Denver offers everyone the chance to walk, bike, roll or scoot down activated streets in the heart of our city. You will be able to enjoy the diversity of our community in a unique way, free from motorized vehicles on Broadway, from Alameda to Downtown Denver and Welton, from 20th Street to Five Points! 

Cars will be able to cross Broadway and Welton on high-traffic roads like Colfax and Speer, but won’t be able to turn onto the car-free streets until the event is over.

The 3.5 mile stretch will host ¡Viva! Streets Denver on the following dates in 2023:

• May 14​
• June 4
• July 9​
• Aug 6

​Visit their website for more details and updates.

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CHUN Committee Reports

Urban Planning Committee

The Urban Planning committee has drafted a candidate questionnaire for distribution to candidates on the April ballot for Mayor, City Council At-Large and Council Districts within CHUN borders. Candidate responses will be posted to the CHUN website in the order in which they are received.  CHUN does not formally endorse candidates for political office.  We hope that the responses might help you better inform your decisions.

Development Committee

The Development Committee is meeting to plan membership recruitment and fundraising events.  If you have ideas on events that you would like us to plan and support, please send your ideas to [email protected].

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Denver and Colorado News and Updates

Cherry Creek West $1B development coming to Denver

Cherry Creek West, a $1 billion mixed-use development plan is underway to transform 13 acres that span from University Boulevard to Clayton Street and 1st Avenue to the Cherry Creek waterway. 

The developers' goal is "to create a vibrant, people-centric neighborhood that embraces the creek," according to East West Partners' presentation at a community information meeting in August.

Blueprints include a "public plaza" with green space for concerts and events, a market square, seven buildings with office, residential and retail space, a dedicated two-way bike track and above- and below-ground parking. A section of Cherry Creek Drive may also be buried, which would allow a wildlife overpass and connect Cherry Creek West with the waterway and nearby trails.

The development is planned to bring more publicly accessible greenspace to neighbors who lack it and create more affordable housing for mixed-income residents.

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Denver Releases Draft Recommendations on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs); Seeking Feedback 

After a year of soliciting feedback from an Advisory committee, focus groups, neighborhood organizations, and the public, Denver has released draft recommendations to make building accessory dwelling units (ADUs) easier and more responsive to different neighborhood needs. The recommendations won’t rezone any properties to allow ADUs. They will improve flexibility of ADU design and provide different standards for different neighborhood contexts (e.g., different outcomes for urban lots with alleys versus suburban lots without them).

Read more in the full strategy report and the 2-page summary. The recommendations are open to public comment through February 24, 2023.  Comments can be submitted via the project comment form or at an open house or at their office hours.
 
Read more about ADUs in Denver here.

Denver Public Schools Needs Your Feedback on Redistricting

The Denver Public Schools Board of Education is composed of five representative districts and two at-large members. According to Colorado state law, after each US Census, DPS must adjust the Board representative district borders in order to balance the total population in each district. In order to get the 5 board districts in balance, they will be changing the borders of the 5 representative districts and need your feedback on how to shift the lines. 

Maps in consideration can be found here.

Visit the web page here to learn more about the process or watch this slideshow and send your feedback. ​

DPS Board of Education boundaries as of January 2023

Nature Play in City Park

As part of the City Park Master Plan Update, and inspired by Coloradans' passion for nature, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and Denver Parks & Recreation are excited to support the creation of natural play experiences in City Park.

This project will restore the historic waterway in the southeast corner of City Park while showcasing the diversity of Colorado’s ecosystems through natural features and play experiences. 

The project will be in construction through late 2024. ​Through the construction of this community-driven design project, the Museum’s award-winning Explore Colorado dioramas found on the 3rd floor of the Museum will be brought to life as an immersive experience designed for accessible, multi-generational, and multi-sensory exploration, respite, and play.

Feb 25: Launch Party: American Indian/Indigenous Peoples Historic Context

​The City and County of Denver is launching the second historic context in the Denver in Context series, which seeks to explore the diverse ethnic and cultural history of Denver.

​In partnership with Native communities, Denver Landmark Preservation and the Office of Storytelling will develop a written study and documentary to honor and share the history of American Indian, Native American, and Indigenous Peoples in Denver.

​Join the Launch Party:
Denver Indian Center, 4407 Morrison Rd
Saturday, February 25 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
RSVP here for the event

Learn more about the American Indian/Indigenous Peoples Historic Context.