Ten Resolutions for Denver Neighborhoods in 2022

We all make New Year's resolutions: to break bad habits, to get a little healthier, maybe even to never make more empty resolutions, since they usually end in either denial or disappointment. But resolutions don't have to be personal; we can also make them for parts of town that could use some improvement.

Even Denver's most popular neighborhoods could be improved with a few fixes, and set the stage for a better Denver tomorrow, if not on January 1, 2022.

Capitol Hill: Make Parking Possible Again
If you’ve ever had to find a spot for your car  — hell, if you’ve ever had to pass a car going the other way on the skinny streets of Cap Hill — then you know the parking challenges in that part of town. This holds true for visitors, sure, but it’s particularly maddening for residents just trying to park anywhere near where they live. Last year, a plan was circulating to eliminate spaces in favor of bike lanes, without concern for how that would negatively affect the already awful parking issue. That’s a move in the wrong direction for a part of the city in dire need of some parking relief.
Five Points: Retain Your History
Five Points, which includes the Welton corridor, RiNo and Curtis Park, is the historic center of Denver’s African-American population — and it needs to work to stay that way. Too much has been lost already, and challenges keep coming: The Welton Street Cafe will have to move in 2022, and while the Rossonian is still slated to make a comeback, the pandemic has seemingly stalled that project for the time being. But at least much of Five Points is fighting to live up to its legacy.

Downtown: You, Too, With the History Thing
There’s too much development happening downtown that isn't helping to either retain its past or secure its future. For example, the University Building, which for years was Denver’s de facto jewelry district, is a gorgeous old building that should be re-utilized in a project that respects that heritage and also positions it for posterity. The same holds true for all of the 16th Street Mall, which needs more than a makeover: It needs a reason for being the destination that it supposedly already is.

Park Hill: Keep Up the Fight for Your Open Space
The 2020 elections were good for proponents of green space and the Park Hill Golf Course, but the battle to preserve parks over pavement isn’t yet fully won. Westside Investment Partners still has through 2022 to have its development plans approved, though after the November ballot results. they’ll have to subject their conservation easement proposals to a citywide vote. Residents have expressed support for a combination of redevelopment and green space in the past, so perhaps a deal can be struck that benefits the once-redlined North Park Hill community.
Central Park/Stapleton: Diversify
No, Neighborhood Once Known as Stapleton, changing your name wasn’t enough. It was a nice start, though it sort of sucked that a bunch of your kids at DSST had to lead the way and almost shame you adults into admitting that the KKK connection was a little more than cosmetic. So, yes, you’re Central Park now, which is used about as much as people calling Mile High Stadium “Empower Field.” But the gesture has to be followed by action — diversity initiatives to add some spice to your very white potato-soup of a development.

Highland: Get Over Yourself
Hey, 32nd and Lowell — I know you’re putting on airs these days, but let’s not forget that it wasn’t that long ago that you had an old furniture shop where your Chipotle is, and Common Grounds was more or less the only reason to hang out for more than a few minutes. Same goes for the rest of you, Highland neighborhood. You were more interesting when you still had a jeans-resale store and the corner of Federal and 38th was a big ol’ used book store, and your streets boasted a blessed surfeit of panaderias. It’s cool, do your thing, but let’s be serious: Exclusivity doesn’t look good on you.

Baker: Keep Trying
Baker is like the middle child of Denver neighborhoods. It’s there, and it’s great, and it’s got lots to offer, but somehow it seems to get overlooked. One reason might be that the name hasn’t been used for very long —only since the 1980s, which is only like a decade ago, right? Okay, whatever. Still, Baker as an entity is pretty new, but it boasts some pretty classic places. The historic Webber Theater survived its life as Kitty’s South and emerged on the other side as Archetype Distillery, and the Mayan is still up and running. And after the tragic shootings at Sol Tribe on December 27, the community is really pulling together. #BakerStrong.
Sloan’s Lake: Save the Lake
Sloan’s Lake might be Denver’s largest lake, but it wasn’t designed as one. As the story goes, Thomas Sloan created the lake by accident while digging a well; instead, he tapped into the local aquifer, creating the shallow lake enjoyed by Denverites ever since. (Back in the day, some sarcastically called it “Sloan’s Leak.”) But since there’s little to no real water movement in the lake — it’s fed by simple runoff, if at all — it carries with it a host of issues, from deadly blue-green algae to now-too-common fish kills. There was a 2020 study commissioned by Denver Parks and Recreation that recommended mitigations for the oxygenation of the water, but those have not yet been implemented as they have in City and Wash parks. Time for that to change.

Cherry Creek: Save Yourself
It’s a neighborhood that was known for many years as an upscale retail center: Cherry Creek used to boast the eponymous fancy-pants mall, as well as Cherry Creek North, anchored by the ginormous Tattered Cover Bookstore and a big ol’ Sears flagship for those of us for whom Saks might be a stretch. These days, the west side of the shopping center is awaiting a major renovation, and some of the most character-filled stores have left the area. Let’s face it: Malls are going the way of drive-in theaters. Cherry Creek needs to reinvent itself before it becomes nothing more than a memorial to what it used to be.
Globeville: Survive
The number-one goal for Globeville in 2022 has to be to maintain its existence, along with the character and the community that’s disappeared or been pushed out of neighboring areas. Fortunately, from the rise and fall of heavy industry to spoiled soil to the looming Mousetrap, Globeville has gotten used to hanging tough. Here’s hoping Globeville — and the rest of us, for that matter — keep on doing just that.