Platt Park

Rest in Peace

Oct 17, 2001

1995 South Logan Street
Yes, another telling end to an eighty-plus year history. The corner lot will soon support a stucco ?“long-house?” duplex of significant proportions. Neighbors concerned about this trend have gathered on several occasions to discuss the possibility of creating an ?“Overlay District?” or template (which rests on the current R-2 zoning) to guide future site redevelopment.

Why is it that the new developments planned at Lowry and Stapleton prioritize family-scale homes & aim to fabricate the neighborhood features Platt Park has enjoyed for over a century, yet ?“infilling?” of lots in already medium-to-high density historic neighborhoods is one favored course of action?

The debate gains momentum in Platt Park, one among the few older Denver neighborhoods to have retained their original character thus far. No matter where you stand on the issue, the discussion is not a simple economic development equation. There are plenty of positive ways (& examples) to expand or improve your property without resorting to scrape-offs. Denver has areas with historic and/or redevelopment guidelines that have also made significant gains in property value while retaining their original scale and much of the community integrity. Which direction will Platt Park take?

Surely most of us have noted the rapid redevelopment of residential lots, particularly double-lots or corners. How many have received notes reading: ?“Will pay top dollar for this property and any of its contents?”? Now?’s the time to join the dialogue?…

Here?’s one local example:
Working within the City Planning guidelines of a 50% footprint occupation for residential lots, one estimate for a typical 1920s bungalow & its original double-garage on Sherman Street finds that it takes up about 23% of the lot: less than half what the city would allow! Fear not if your plans include additions, the abovementioned bungalow could stay within city guidelines and easily double its space --- But wait, that?’s when counting the garage, which is less than eight feet in height & therefore exempt from the building-to-site square footage calculation! Thus, in this example the home could actually triple in size before the city would take notice.