Readers: Plan for No-Parking Micro-Apartments Blows Up Into Major Debate

On October 11, the Denver Board of Adjustment for Zoning Appeals will hear the Humboldt Street Neighborhood Association's appeal of the city permit issued for a project on two small, combined lots in the 1500 block of Humboldt Street. Real-estate developer Pando Holdings has partnered with Denver businessman and philanthropist Barry...

By Westword Staff

October 8, 2016

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On October 11, the Denver Board of Adjustment for Zoning Appeals will hear the Humboldt Street Neighborhood Association's appeal of the city permit issued for a project on two combined small lots in the 1500 block of Humboldt Street. Real-estate developer Pando Holdings has partnered with Denver businessman and philanthropist Barry Hirschfeld to develop the lots into two five-story micro-apartment buildings with 108 units between them, a restaurant on the ground floor of one...and no parking anywhere. Although council passed a seven-month moratorium on the city's small-lot parking exemption this summer, this project — as well as ten others — was grandfathered in because it was already in the works.

And neighbors are plenty worked up. Says Karolina:

Parking has always been an issue in this area. We can't have extra cars trying to street park; it already takes a long time to find a spot. Also, I believe that the 17th Avenue bars and restaurants would suffer if customers cannot find parking.

Responds John:

This development is utterly walkable: retail, services, grocery, bike lanes and transit are all within blocks. Not to mention no one has a right to street parking; it's for everyone. Stop complaining that something is being taken away that's not yours to begin with.

And then there's this from Shirley:

Besides streets crowded with cars, one of the downers of Denver's growing pains is community members living in substandard conditions in shelters and along streets and alleyways, and the greed-factor in housing development. These community-minded developers should build their 108 apartments to be like the 100 micro-apartments at 14th/Bannock, where people who used to be homeless have lived with a modicum of dignity for 20 years. No extra parking needed there.

What do you think of the city's small-lot parking exemption? This specific project? The hearing is Tuesday, October 11, in the Webb Municipal Building.

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