The coming together of a community is exactly what is being recognized tonight.
So, it is only fitting that we are recognizing the huge undertaking of many residents, business owners and city staff to bring about The West Area Plan adopted by Denver City Council on March 28th this year.
A quote from The Denver North Star:
Work toward the West Area Plan, which encompasses the neighborhoods of West Colfax, Villa Park, Sun Valley, Barnum, Barnum West and Valverde, began in 2019.
The West Area Plan is the first area plan to itemize and address historic and present inequities; and it is the first to address the role of water (gulches, ponds, streams and the South Platte River). Council President Jamie Torres, whose district includes several of the neighborhoods in the plan, emphasized the significant role the community played in shaping it.
“Oftentimes, our engagement or even the planning initiatives themselves struggle to reach communities of color, families with multiple jobs, working families,” Torres said. “So, I just want everyone to know that we partnered intentionally with Colorado Jobs with Justice to make sure that we were able to reach into the community and gather input to inform the priorities that neighbors wanted.”
The West Area Plan addresses the inequities and impacts of historical decisions by identifying equitable investment opportunities and future projects that will help retain residents, improve quality of life, enhance mobility solutions and reflect neighborhood values and culture for years to come.
As a result they now have a community- developed guide that outlines a vision that seeks to make the area whole through repair and regeneration and offers solutions to the complex existing challenges in support of “a common home where we all get to be alive, well, and free”.
Please help me welcome these neighborhood representatives to receive the 2023 INC Climate & Sustainability Award:
Chala Mohr with Barnum,
Evon Lopez with Valverde,
Jeanne Granville with Sun Valley,
Jamie (haime) Aguilar with Villa Park and
Heidi Newhart with West Colfax
