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The newsletter featuring Livable Community items of interest that readers value and highlights of happenings along the West Corridor on the RTD West Rail Line serving Golden, Lakewood,
& Denver Colorado
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Hello everyone! This is Bill Spriggs and I have found several news articles, links, and blogs that I wanted to share along THE BACK FENCE & beyond in the Wednesday February 22, 2012 Edition.
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Denver & Colorado
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LongmontTimesCall.com
Make Your Voice Heard on FasTracks
By Lee Kemp, RTD Board of Directors
February 22, 2012 RTD is hosting an opportunity for us all to hear from two of the nation's top experts in commuter rail and bus rapid transit who will provide detailed information on the similarities and differences of the two transit modes and the potential operating characteristics of each in the Northwest Corridor...On behalf of the RTD board, I personally urge you to attend this event to learn more and give us your feedback. This is an on-going partnership and we need your participation.
>Denver, Saturday, March 03, 2012, 10-11am
Denver Union Station Tour
Want an on-site overview of the Fastrack system's center? The Union Station re-development project will be the beating heart of a complex transportation hub in which one of the arteries will be the West Rail Line that will run down the middle of our West Corridor. If you've never been to the site, or haven't been there in a while, you really need to see the progress that has been made and what is currently taking place in front of, and back of this architectural gem.
The tour will be lead by Ken Schroeppel, Instructor of Planning and Design in the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado Denver where he lectures within the Master of Urban and Regional Planning program on topics relating to planning methodologies, urban from and spatial assessments, and professional applications in planning. Mr Schroeppel is also the founder and administrator of DenverInfill.com and its companion blog, DenverUrbanism.com
The suggested donation for the tour is $10 per person and all proceeds go to the non-profit Union Station Advocates, but you're welcome to attend regardless of what you can donate. Meet in front of the historic station at 17th and Wynkoop at about 9:50 AM and the tour will begin promptly at 10:00 AM. The tour will discuss the planned public spaces, the transit and transportation elements, the future vertical development, and anything else about the Union Station project you want to talk about. The one-hour tour will end near the Millennium Bridge.
Although a definitive date for the tour has been scheduled, it might be a good idea visit DenverInfill.com to double-check before you leave home in case the tour has been cancelled due to weather, etc.
>West Rail Line Construction update: The Oak Street Station parking lot has been paved and the permanent light fixtures have been put in. The parking lot will have spaces for 200 automobiles (2,000 bicycles spots for those who dream of a car-lite West Corridor). The Oak Street location will be home of a future transportation museum and it is expected that almost 1,300 riders will board or exit the station by 2030.
TheDenverPost.com RTD Affixes Faces to Fare Infractions so it Can Better Track Repeat Offenders
By Kieran Nicholson, Feb 20, 2012
Scofflaws who fail to buy a ticket and ride an RTD light-rail train illegally should avoid bad-hair days and be ready to smile for the camera.
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National
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TransportationNation.org
LaHood: We Have a Way to Pay for Transportation
by Andrea Bernstein, Feb 17, 2012 "What I support is what the President put out Monday - paying for transportation using the highway trust fund, and taking the other half from the Iran Afganistan war fund.
READ MORE...
DC.StreetsBlog.org Transpo Bills Delayed in House and Senate as Congress Enters Recess
By Ben Goldman, Feb 20, 2012
Both houses of Congress are in recess this week, putting off their mountain of unfinished transportation business until next Monday. The momentum carrying transportation bills forward in each chamber has eroded recently. READ MORE...Politico.com
Transportation Bills to Get Tune-up During Recess It may be recess, but House and Senate leaders are working overtime this week to make the massive transportation bills more attractive to skeptical lawmakers.
READ MORE... TheAtlanticCities.com How Public Perception of Light Rail Influences Its Economic Benefits
By Eric Jaffe, Feb 20, 2012 The River Line of New Jersey Transit opened in 2004. The line, which is considered light rail but also kind of functions as a commuter rail, serves 20 stations in the intercity Trenton-Camden corridor. The state-funded project cost about $1.1 billion to construct and was sold to the public largely through anticipated economic benefits to the main two cities and the area along the line. READ MORE...TheNewYorkTimes.com
Lending Your Car to Strangers (for Cash) By Randall Stross, Feb 18, 2012 Suppose you don't need your car today. And suppose, as it happens, that a stranger in your area does need a car. Would you be willing to rent yours out?READ MORE... OnlineWallStJournal.com
For Women, Is Home Really So Sweet? By Kate Block, Feb 18, 2012 Singles have been buying up houses like never before-but it may be time to rethink the American dream SwitchBoard.nrdc.org
Transforming a Derelict City Building Into Vertical Gardens for Nearby Residents By Ken Benfield, Feb 20, 2012
Aspiring interior designer Lucie Sadakova has come up with a striking concept to bring more green space and nourishment into a scruffy part of London. And, despite being in a sense all about an outdoor activity, it is in fact an interior transformation, a proposed adaptive reuse of an old building way past its prime.
BetterCities.net How Live-Work Can Serve the Working Class
By Thomas Dolan, Feb 2, 2012
...some important points about the ways that regulations and standard ways of viewing live-work do not "serve those who need it most," i.e the working class individuals who need to make a living in whatever way they can, which often means working out of their residences. READ MORE...AmiercanCity.com Sympathy for the Suburbs By Diana Lind, Feb 20th, 2012 The foreclosure crisis changed the housing market forever by lowering housing prices, altering the character of neighborhoods and creating a seemingly limitless supply of abandoned properties, but surprisingly, it has done little to change the kind of housing that gets built. FastCoDesign.com How Do You Wean People Off Cars? By Rebranding Bikes And Buses!
By Skibsted Ideation, February 2012
The only way to get consumers to choose cheaper, more efficient transportation is to make it the cool option. READ MORE...SmartPlanet.com
Philippe Starck Designs a Chic, User-Friendly 'Bike of the Future' By Reena Jana, Feb 20, 2012 Perennially hip product designer Philippe Starck recently unveiled his final rendering of what he's calling the "bicycle of the future" in Bordeaux, France. The hybrid bike-scooter is designed not only with Starck's signature sleek lines, but also with the ergonomic requirements for city dwellers, specifically... TheAtlanticCities.com The Sandwich Board Makes a Comeback
By Charles R. Wolfe, Feb 20, 2012
Rethinking allowed uses in city rights-of-way can change the look and feel of streets in unexpected fashion. One example is the impact of sandwich board signs, something I first noticed last year when researching the key role of corners in rethinking neighborhood spaces. |
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International (when available)
| ThisBigCity.net
Three Ideas for Creating Livable Cities. by Joe Peach, Feb 15, 2012
What makes a city 'livable'? The answer depends, at least in part, on the location of the city in question. In Sana'a, Yemen, water shortages are a frustratingly frequent occurrence, with seasonal rainfall causing major problems for the city's residents. Yet one resident has seen an opportunity to address this challenge through the modification of existing buildings.
READ MORE...
ThisBigCity.net
#CycleSafe - Eight Achievable Steps for Creating Cities Fit for Cycling. By Joe Peach, Feb 06, 2012 Something incredible happened last week in the UK. A Murdoch-owned newspaper embarked on a groundbreaking campaign with the potential to save lives and encourage the development of sustainable cities. You heard me right. Phone-hacking may have defined 2011 for News International, but cities safe for cycling could end up defining 2012. |
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Wednesday's Films (when available)
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Things you need to know along the West Corridor
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>Lakewood, Wednesday, Feb 22, 2012, 7pm to 9pm
Clements Community Center
1580 Yarrow St. Lakewood Co. 80214
The League of Women Voters is sponsoring a public discussion of hydro-fracking. There will be representatives from the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the Oil and Gas Industry and the Colorado Environmental Coalition. After a panel discussion, there will be a question-and-answer session.
>Denver, Wednesday, Feb 29, 2012
Decatur-Federal Station Area Plan
2pm to 3:30pm. and 5:30 to 7pm
Fairview Elementary School Gymnasium
2715 West 11th Avenue, Denver, CO 80204
The City & County of Denver in partnership with Denver Housing Authority are launching the station area planning process. Food and child care provided. For more information, please call Barbara Frommell at (720) 865-2973 or email barbara.frommell@denvergov.org.
>Lakewood, Thursday, March 01, 2012, 6pm to 8pm?
RTD will hold a public meeting regarding the Sheridan and Wadsworth Parking Garages
At this meeting, Swinterton Builders, the awarded design and build contractors for both garages, will present the design progress of the two parking garages. Construction is scheduled to being in March for the Wadsworth Garage, and will be followed by about six weeks for the Sheridan Garage. RTD West Rail Line office, 10455 West 6th Ave., Lakewood, Co. 80215 (enter on the west entrance)
>Lakewood, Thursday, March 01, 2012, 6:30pm to 8:30pm
A community Workshop on Sustainability for the 40 West Arts District
Community Room of the Lakewood Cultural Center
470 S. Allison Parkway.
The workshop will be hosted by the City of Lakewood and Global Green USA.
>Lakewood, Saturday, March 03, 2012
The EVERYTHING Gallery is scheduled to open.
1492-B Ammons Street
Lakewood, Co 80214
The new gallery will offer an array of antique furniture, jewelry, paintings, photography pottery, and jewelry
The new gallery will be located just 0.5 miles, or a 4 minute bicycle ride from the future Wadsworth Light Rail Line.
>Lakewood, Saturday, March 10, 2012, 7pm. RMCAD Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design
1600 Pierce Street, Lakewood Co. 80214
"Life is nothing if you are not obsessed"
RMCAD Presents an Evening with John Waters Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design is proud to present An Evening with John Waters. The cult filmmaker will present his one-man vaudeville show based on his spoken word, "This Filthy World" in RMCAD's Mary Harris Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public; however, reservations are required. Reservations will be accepted online only, beginning on Monday, February 13, 2012. This event is a part of RMCAD's Visiting Artist, Scholar, and Designer Program. Reservations will begin on February 13, 2012 On This Page: The RMCAD campus is located 0.9 miles, or a 6 minute bike ride from the future Lamar Light Rail Station stop (The Brickyard).
The very popular RTD West Corridor bus tours are back!! All tours will be from 9am to 11am on the 3rd Friday of the month (April thru Sept). Each reservation that is made is for one seat only; please sign-up all attendees individually. You will receive e-mail confirmation within one week of your registration. Click here to register
MAY 19 - 20TH, 2012
Denver Union Station
Construction Cam
Golden Jeffco Station
Construction Cam
Wish You Could Find an Apartment/Condo near a Light Rail Station? As part of TBF's continuing efforts to bring TOD's to the West Corridor & elsewhere, this link from Walk Score.com will now be a permanent feature. Thanks. |
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Commercial Real Estate Assemblages, Land or Buildings Available on The West Corridor
Please note: TBF does not
own or sell any real property.
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>4917 West 11th Ave Assemblage
>10th Avenue Light Rail Assemblage
>13th Avenue & Newland St., Light Rail Vacant Land
>5830 West Colfax Ave
THE BACK FENCE supports a corridor wide, regional vision, with individual nodes of unique "places" within that corridor. We hope that the listing of commercial properties available will help to speed this vision to fruition sooner. Learn more about this vision below from the Center for Transit-Oriented Development.
Here's a PowerPoint Presentation of the RTD Elected Officials Briefing held Feb 10, 2012. Part One deals with grade crossing safety (boring) and Part Two has (awesome) photos of the latest civil construction of the West Rail Line. Well worth a peek.
RTD West Rail Line video flyover (entire line from Union Station to the Golden Jeffco Station.
West Corridor Vision
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Things You Need to Know Around the Region
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Applications are now being accepted for the 2012 Transit Alliance Citizens' Academy! Twice a year, the highly-acclaimed Transit Alliance Citizens' Academy holds classes for residents of the Denver Region to learn more about the many facets and huge benefits that transit-oriented living could bring to their neighborhoods. The application process is highly competitive as there are only 50 slots available and the Academy usually receives twice that amount. The Spring and Fall Citizens' Academies will be held on Wednesday evenings for seven weeks at the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM. Spring 2012 classes will be held on Wednesday evenings beginning April 4th and ending on May 16th. Fall 2012 classes will begin on September 5th and end on October 17th, 2012 Clicking here will send you to the application page. Please read the instructions closely and submit your applications from this page. |
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| The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of William A. Spriggs and no one else. |
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