In attendance were: Eugene Keyser, Stephen Gale, Al Davis, Charles Brantigan, Steve LeMoine

Chris Gleissner, Michael Henry, Ted Freedman, Dave Webster, Carla Madison and Bethany Gravell.

The meeting was called to order at 5:30 pm. The minutes were approved as read.

Mike Henry reports that there is an application before the Board of Adjustment for zoning pertaining to 2105 Lafayette, the Chairman’s address, applying for a variance to put up a fence. The Chairman denies knowledge of that but will research the issue.

The meeting next month will be devoted to Leslie Lipstein’s planning studio, explaining what their plans are for our neighborhood. All are encouraged to come.

The bridge is going to be placed in approximately May 2007. The services and scope of practice in the new building is not yet defined. Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center would like to have as much information about the planned uses of the building as it studies its need for traffic planning. St. Joseph Hospital is hoping to get the parking structure functional and to get a certificate of occupancy for the parking structure before the office building is built so that they will no longer have to provide transportation to employees for off-site parking. Al Davis assures the group that everyone at St. Joseph Hospital has been cautioned against using the Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center’s parking facilities and he encourages Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center to go ahead and tow the cars that have a St. Joseph Hospital sticker if that is necessary to control the problem. From Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center’s standpoint, as they begin their traffic study, it is important to segregate St. Joseph Hospital’s cars from Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center’s cars. St. Joseph Hospital did not receive a copy of the minutes concerning the billboard at 18^th and Lafayette. Al Davis commits to researching that further, and if St. Joseph Hospital promised to eliminate the billboard, then they will do that.

Steve LeMoine reports that the hospital has engaged a firm to carry out a parking study. The hope is that Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center can develop data suggesting that adequate parking can be provided without building a huge parking structure at the corner of 21^st and Williams. The Forum looks forward to hearing the results of that study.

Ted Freedman met with Elbra Wedgeworth and Mike Halpern. The original plan was that he wanted to rezone the area to put in a strip mall. He was informed that that would probably not be supported by the neighborhood. In addition, the area had been rezoned R-4-X for a reason, and the reason was still valid. There was some discussion about construction defects at the Pearl in the City.

Steve LeMoine also asked the question about the current view plane ordinance becoming irrelevant. He points out that if one stands on the prescribed spot in City Park, the view of the mountains is obscured by the increasing numbers of high rise buildings in the Downtown area. On further discussion, it is noted that height limitation in Downtown is based on the glide slope to Stapleton. That ordinance has apparently be rescinded and there is no meaningful height limitation Downtown. There was some further discussion about the view plane ordinance and its ability to allow one to see the skyline of Denver in addition to the mountains. Nonetheless, the question about the relevance of the view plane ordinance if there is no height limitation in the Downtown area is an intriguing concept.

The meeting closed with the discussion of the importance of resurrecting neighborhood groups representing the area served by Uptown on the Hill and, particularly, San Rafael. The San Rafael area faces an eminent crisis regarding its lack of protection either with an OD-9 designation or local landmark status, and there appears to be no sign of activity in that area. Eugene Keyser says that he would be happy to be a participant, but he feels a little uncomfortable about that as he is not a property owner. We have emphasized that property ownership is not a prerequisite but being a stakeholder in the neighborhood is.

There being no further discussion, the meeting was adjourned.

Charles O. Brantigan, MD, FACS

Chairman, Hospital District Urban Design Forum

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