Mention the words “growth” and “development” in Denver and there is an immediate reaction. In describing the anti-development subtext of the recent Denver City Council races, it generated interesting Facebook commentaries. A Butch Montoya comment on the Susan Shepherd, District 1, loss brought in a Hilltop response about congestion, traffic and safety, and a Belcaro/Washington Park reference to the child killed across from the Bonnie Brae Ice Cream shop.
The exceptional growth spurt (50,000 people added from 2010 to 2013) will taper off, but the City has been a magnet for suburbanites returning neighborhoods, such as Cherry Creek; young families moving into Stapleton and Lowry; and Millennials and Gen Xers filling up LoDo and the Highlands. (See The Buzz: Roiling under the surface (May 8) and Denver Development (March 9)).
As this blog has described, it will require a careful balance to ensure Denver doesn’t become inhospitable to new and improved housing or jobs while ratcheting up protection for neighborhoods.
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