Denver's New Zoning Code Takes the Cake

Remarkable. That’s the word that comes to mind to describe the Denver City Council’s 13-0 approval of a wholesale revision of the zoning code that governs development across the entire city and county. On June 22, Mayor Hickenlooper made the new zoning code official after more than five years of planning and public input. It replaces a flawed code that was more than a half a century old.

It’s hard to fathom the amount of work that led to this accomplishment. The Denver Department of Community Planning and Development (CPD) zoning code team members put vacations and their personal lives on hold for this massive undertaking, logging tens of thousands of hours poring over maps, attending many dozens of meetings, and addressing the myriad of issues that arose. The CPD staffers toiled largely in obscurity – except for this Westword cartoon (which no doubt made them yearn for obscurity). For all their work they got a sense of accomplishment and a sugar rush, courtesy of a cake we delivered last week. (Denver’s Director of Strategic Marketing Steve Sander and Director of Legislative Services R.D. Sewald also played key staff roles but, alas, they didn’t even get any cake.)




Also deserving of praise are the volunteer participants in the process, including members of the Zoning Code Task Force, co-chaired by Diane Barrett and Stephen Kaplan. We learned a lot about public service from these intensely committed community leaders. And the City Council could teach Congress a thing or two about how to solve complex challenges. “Government that is non-partisan, close to the people works best. Monday night's 13-zip vote is proof,” wrote Zoning Code Task Force member Susan Barnes-Gelt in The Denver Post.

SE2 drafted and helped implement a communications plan for The New Zoning Code that included an interactive website created with our frequent partners at rabble+rouser. NewCodeDenver.org functioned as a virtual meeting place for Denver residents interested in learning about the plan, submitting questions and feedback, finding public meetings, and following the effort’s progress. While 4,580 people attended the well-attended community meetings, almost seven times that many people visited the website. By lowering barriers to participation, NewCodeDenver.org helped CPD provide a transparent and accessible process that led to widespread public acceptance.

Communications Arts named NewCodeDenver.org the webpick of the day, stating that “this visually compelling, content-rich site uses animation and video blogging to communicate how changes to regulations will affect the community.”

We are thrilled to have been part of the process to get the word out about what The New Code will mean to Denver.

Congratulations, Denver!

Colorado Nonprofit Taking Care of Kids' Basic Needs

With the arrival of summer, many of us are thinking about places and opportunities to spend time with friends and family. However, many Coloradans still worry about the basics – jobs, housing and making sure their kids have enough to eat.

When people think about hunger, it’s not something they typically picture right in their own back yard. But it’s here: from the cities along Colorado’s Front Range to the towns of the Western Slope and even in the food-producing regions of our state.

One of SE2’s newest clients is working to change that.

Hunger Free Colorado (HFC) is working to feed an even greater number of Colorado kids this summer. An expanded number of Summer Food Service Program sites are open throughout Colorado this year, prompted by concerns about an increase in nutritional deficiencies and hunger among children during the summer months. The effort follows recent studies showing that only eight percent of Colorado children who qualify for food assistance at school participate in the Summer Food Service Program.

“Many Colorado children who receive free or reduced-price lunches at school are at risk of poor nutrition or missing meals when school lets out for summer,” says HFC Executive Director Kathy Underhill.

Thanks to efforts by Hunger Free Colorado and its community partners, children and teens can receive a free, nutritionally balanced lunch daily, often at sites near their homes. There are no registration or income requirements necessary to qualify, and many sites also offer day camps or activities for kids.

A complete listing of sites throughout Colorado can be found at http://www.summerfoodcolorado.org/ or by calling 877-93-HUNGER.

At SE2, we’re thankful that we continue to have opportunities to contribute to issues that really matter to our state.