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THE BACK FENCE NEWSLETTER
Will Cease Publication on April 25, 2013.
There Are 5 Editions Left.
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The Newsletter Featuring Livable Community Items That Readers Value and Highlights of Happenings Along the West Corridor on the RTD W Rail Line Serving Golden, Lakewood & Denver, Colorado.
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The "W" Line Opens in:
36 Days.
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Hi 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 Weekly Edition, March 21, 2013. |
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West Corridor, Denver & Region
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OPENING DAY CELEBRATIONS!
We are 36 days away from the greatest event to take place in "old" northern Lakewood Colorado in over 88 years. The area will be sent "back to the future" by returning to train service from Denver, traversing through "old" Lakewood, Colorado and eventually winding its way to Golden Colorado as in days long past. Resurfacing lately are names of companies like the Denver Tramway Company, The Denver & Intermountain Company (D& IM) and the Denver, Lakewood & Golden Railroads. Train station stops are being remembered as well: Barnum Junction, Devinny Station, County Line Station, Eaton Street Substation, Dennison Street, Lamar Street, Golf Club Station, Grandview, Lakewood Crossing Road, Wight, Smith, Bee Hive, Colleridge, Morningside, Daniels, Barrows, Camp George West, Wymans, Jack Rabbit Crossing, and finally - The 13th & Washington Station in Golden, Colorado.
So, now, it is only appropriate that those of us who look forward to all the new developments that this "new," modern transit system will bring, will celebrate the return of common sense transit and livable, walkable communities on April 27, 2013.
As such, there will be a series of Opening Day Parties along the entire 12.1 miles of the W Line which will undoubtedly make it to the local history books praising our return to transit and sustainability. Mark your calendars now and plan on spending all day riding the rails and stopping at each stop and enjoying the local culture. The following is from RTD West Rail Line's website which lists the Parties from downtown Denver west to Golden, Colorado. SEE YOU OUT THERE!
Station Parties
Opening Day Celebrations,
April 27, 2013
Denver Union Station
1600 Wewatta St., Denver, CO 80202
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Downtown Denver Showcase: Stop by and enjoy live music and delicious food from local vendors. While you're here, get to know downtown businesses and get a sneak peek into the future of Denver Union Station.
Decatur*Federal Station
1310 N. Federal Blvd., Denver, CO 80219
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Denver Sports and Activities: Meet Miles, the Denver Broncos Mascot and the Broncos Cheerleaders! Enjoy food trucks, music from Radio Disney and activities for all ages, including a climbing wall, step team and Zumba.
Perry Station
1199 N. Perry. St., Denver, CO 80219
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Ride West @ Perry: Join the businesses and residents of West Colfax at Perry Station in the ultimate community-driven party. Grab a bite to eat, listen to live music from Confluence Music Group, and learn about the community organizations and businesses that make up this great neighborhood. The party doesn't stop at Perry. Ride a B-Cycle bike, hop a free shuttle, or hike the hill to a Justice League of Street Food party at the historic St. Anthony's campus Saturday afternoon. The Justice League party will extend to 8 p.m. Food and adult beverages will be served at the historic campus.
Sheridan Station
1198 Sheridan Blvd., Denver, CO 80219
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Working Together: Denver and Lakewood! See plans for the many new housing opportunities along the light rail and visit with many nonprofits. Hear great music and enjoy many food trucks.
Lamar Station
6363 W 13th Ave., Lakewood, CO 80214
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
40 West Arts District Street Fair! Come visit with artist vendors and demonstrations, enjoy kid's activities and giveaways, chalk art, live entertainment, great food and more. Celebrate the arts!
Lakewood*Wadsworth Station
1350 Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood, CO 80214
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Celebrating Lakewood's Past, Present, and Future: History and Sustainability: Lakewood's history showcased alongside live music, locally-owned and operated businesses and restaurants, sustainability information and a video booth to share memories of Colfax and Lakewood. Come explore the social media tent!
Garrison Station
9091 W. 13th Ave., Lakewood, CO 80215
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Eiber: Great Neighbors!: Acapella bands and local schools perform. Visit with a local real estate agent on site! See the historic Lakewood Police car on display. Brought to you by the Eiber Neighborhood Association and St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
Oak Station
1311 Oak St., Lakewood, CO 80215
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Play Lakewood! Demonstrations and interactive fun including a motorcycle and car show, Lakewood's parks, recreation and art/crafts. Lakewood Community Resources highlight fun things to do and see in Lakewood.
Federal Center Station
11601 W. 2nd Pl., Lakewood, CO 80226
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Walk This Way: Celebrating Health, Wellness and Safety! St. Anthony Hospital and West Metro Fire teach safety and staying healthy. Come check out the St. Anthony Health and Wellness Fair. West Metro Fire truck will be on display. Locally-owned food and businesses serve up great food.
Red Rocks Station
13400 W. 6th Ave., Lakewood, CO 80228
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Celebrating Lakewood's Great Education: Join us as we celebrate education and meet the Red Rocks Community College mascot.
Jefferson County Government Center*Golden Station
605 Johnson Rd., Golden, CO 80401
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Front Range Activities and Access: Get in touch with your wild side! Have fun at the petting zoo, learn about the Foothills Animal Shelter and start the animal adoption process and explore beautiful nature trails. Enjoy music, food from local vendors and much more.
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In Other Sustainability News:
TheDenverPost
RTD West Rail Line Nearly Ready to Roll (Plus DenverPost Video) By Monte Whaley, Mar 21 2013
A trial run of the soon-to-be-opened West Rail Line on Wednesday revealed a few problems and generated plenty of high hopes that it will make life easier for commuters in the west metro corridor.
READ MORE...
BizJournals/Denver
Denver's Union Station Makeover Taking Shape: Slideshow
DenverBusinessStaff, Mar 15 2013
Most of the work to create the country's most unique urban transportation and private development hub has been behind the scenes in recent years. But now, the Denver Union Station project has become very visible - with six cranes planted in the area, buildings going up rapidly and the new, white steel canopy going up west of the station.
READ MORE...TheDenverPost
Spike in Denver's Auto-Pedestrian Cases Has Officials Seeking Answers
By Joey Bunch, Mar 20 2013
This year's spike in auto-pedestrian collisions is deadly serious, Denver police say, regardless of whether it's a statistical anomaly or an early sign of a long-term problem.
READ MORE...
Denver's East Colfax Transit Planning Update
By Robert Wilson on March 17, 2013
Today I have an update on transit planning for the East Colfax corridor, Denver's iconic main street. Anyone who has traveled on or through the East Colfax area knows that it is one of the busiest urban areas of the city; however, it is not nearly as efficient as many commuters, residents and business owners would like...
Denver Commits to Protected Bike Lane on 15th Street
By Ken Schroeppel on March 14, 2013 BikeDenver is reporting that Denver Public Works Manager José Cornejo has committed to constructing a protected bike lane along 15th Street in Downtown Denver.
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National
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TheEconomist
America's Infrastructure is in a Dire State, Stimulating a Search for Creative Solutions By Staff, Mar 16 2013
Rahm Emanuel, The mayor of Chicago, Illinois, lifts up a decayed wooden tube and waves it for emphasis. Many of the city's water pipes are over 100 years old, he says. Some, it turned out when the Water Department got round to replacing them, are made of wood. No wonder the network sprang 3,800 leaks in 2011 alone. Yet at the pace of investment that prevailed until last year it would have taken the local water company until 2059 to refurbish all the mains, the mayor points out.
READ MORE...
TheAtlanticCities
The Economic Case for Rail Subsidies
By Eric Jaffe, Mar 18 2013
One argument against government rail subsidies is that public transportation should pay for its own costs through fares. Setting aside the fact that road users don't pay their own costs either, cities should certainly strive for user-pay transit systems with high farebox recovery rates. At the same time, many benefits of rail travel come from reducing road externalities - things like pollution or safety hazards - that are harder to calculate in strict financial terms. READ MORE...
DC.StreetsBlog
Will an Upcoming Tax Reform Finally Be the Place to Hike the Gas Tax?
By Tanya Snyder
Rep. Paul Ryan's budget proposal has gotten a conversation going about a tax code rewrite. Rep. Dave Camp, head of the Ways and Means Committee, recently put out a small business proposal that included some tax reform, and he's pledged to pursue more reforms this year.
READ MORE..
DC.StreetsBlog
Lawmakers Fret About Impact of Budget Cuts on Transit
By Tanya Snyder, Mar 14 2013
"In 2014, federal investment in surface transportation - which is currently about $50 billion per year - will drop to $6 billion or $7 billion. In one year."
READ MORE...
TheNewYorkTimes
Obama Seeks to Use Oil and Gas Money to Develop Alternative Fuel Cars
By John M. Broder, Mar 15 2013
Warning that the United States risks falling behind in the international race to develop alternative energy, President Obama on Friday proposed diverting $2 billion in revenue from federal oil and gas royalties over the next decade to pay for research on advanced vehicles.
READ MORE...
StreetsBlog.net
How the U.S. Tax Code Favors Driving Over Other Modes
By Angie Schmitt, Mar 19 2013
If you get to work by transit or bike, you're saving a lot of money on gas, but come tax season, Uncle Sam probably won't be as generous to you as he'll be to car commuters.
READ MORE...
DC.StreetsBlog
Obama's Clean Energy Policy Elevates Efficient Cars Over Efficient Modes
By Tanya Snyder, Mar 18 2013
It has a nice ring to it: using oil and gas revenue to shift transportation off oil and gas dependence. President Obama announced a plan to do just that on Friday - but the details of his plan are disappointing if you want to see the conversation on clean transportation go beyond cars. READ MORE...
TheWashingtonPost
Cars in the U.S. are More Fuel-Efficient Than Ever. Here's why.
By Brad Plumer, Mar 16 2013
We've noted before that cars and trucks in the United States have starting becoming more fuel-efficient in recent years - after decades of stagnation - in response to high oil prices and strict new vehicle standards. That's one reason why U.S. oil imports have plummeted. READ MORE...
TheAtlanticCities
How Park-and-Ride Encourages Car Use
By Eric Jaffe, Mar 20 2013
On paper, park-and-ride facilities seem like the ultimate transport compromise. Free or cheap parking near transit stations should, if the theory holds, make partial transit riders of metro area residents who used to drive the whole way into work. The system acts like a nicotine gum for daily commutes - weaning people slowly off the single-occupancy car.
READ MORE..
TheAtlanticCities
Metros Clobbered by the Housing Crisis Are Growing Again
By Jed Kolko, Mar 14 2013
Population growth in markets "clobbered" by the housing crisis - like Phoenix, Orlando, and Las Vegas - is speeding up but is well below the hyper-growth of the bubble years. This morning the U.S. Census released population estimates for 2012. Among large metros, Austin grew fastest in the past year:
READ MORE...
DC.StreetsBlog
New Threat: States Robbing From Education to Pay for Highway
Expansions
By Angie Schmitt, Mar 19 2013
Last week, protesters gathered on the statehouse steps in Little Rock, Arkansas, to oppose a bill that would transfer money from the state's general fund into its highway fund. READ MORE...
TheAtlanticCities
Is There a Link Between Walkability and Local School Performance?
By Emily Badger, Mar 15 2013
Public and charter schools in the District of Columbia are now classified into one of five accountability categories, all with equally uplifting names: reward, rising, developing, focus and priority (the "reward" schools are the top performers, although one might want to try to reward improvement from the struggling ones). The index is built on measurable data like test scores, enrollment growth, attendance and graduation rates, and it offers the simplest shorthand parents can use to make the weighty decision about where to send their kids to school. READ MORE...
Blog.WalkScore.com
10 Tips to Advocate for Biking and Walkability
Want to advocate for improved walking and biking infrastructure, but not sure how to start? Anywhere you live, there is likely to be a walking or biking non-profit ready to help you get involved or be a voice for change. From group bike rides to lobbying tools to encouraging kids to walk or bike more-a bevy of resources is at your fingertips.
READ MORE...
DC.StreetsBlog
As Youth Driver Licensing Dips Again, A Focus on Gen-Y.
By Tony Dutzik, Mar 15 2013
In 2011, the percentage of 16-to-24 year olds with driver's licenses dipped to another new low. Just over two-thirds of these young Americans (67 percent) were licensed to drive in 2011, based on the latest licensing data from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and population estimates from the Census Bureau. That's the lowest percentage since at least 1963.
READ MORE...
TheAtlanticCities
Why We Just Might Want to Build Skyscrapers Out of Wood
By Anthony Flint, Mar 18 2013
Sweden has already approved a 30-story wood tower, and Vancouver is reviewing Green's proposal for a structure nearly as high.
READ MORE...
TheAtlanticCities
A Brief History of Suburbia's Rise and Fall
By Eric Jaffe, Mar 14 2013
"The suburb has a claim to being one of the most successful and least loved inventions of the modern era. Many intellectuals, being city people at heart, find the suburb a hard place to love." So writes city historian Graeme Davison of Monash University, in Australia...
READ MORE...
TransportationNation
Freakonomics Radio: Parking Is Hell
By TN, Mar 15 2013
Our friends at Freakonomics Radio take on the perennial puzzle of automotive life: where to put your car when it's not moving. The average car spends about 95 percent of it's life stationary. Give a listen.
READ MORE...
DC.StreetsBlog
Local B-cycle Memberships Will Be Good in 15 Cities
By Angie Schmitt, Mar 15 2013
B-cycle memberships are about to get a lot more portable.
Beginning next week, annual memberships from this bike-sharing company will be honored in 15 cities where B-Cycle operates, from Nashville, Tennessee, to Kailua, Hawaii. The program is called B-connected.
READ MORE...
Blog.WalkScore
5 Simple Ways to Improve Your City Cycling
By Duncan Hurd, Mar 15 2013
Like any tool, a bicycle becomes more useful if it is designed for the task at hand. The growing demand for city bikes has resulted in an increased availability of bicycles that are made to be used daily, carry items, and keep the rider free from grease and street crud.
READ MORE...
TheAtlanticCities
Is This a Good Way to Reinvent the Recumbent Bicycle?
By John Metcalfe, Mar 14 2013
Recumbent bicycles aren't for everyone, what with the loss of balance control, difficulty in starting and the sometimes cruel put-downs from the non-recumbent masses. But for someone who loves the ungainly contraptions, here is one that's a little bit different - muscled and formidable like a motorcycle, with a classic racing fairing to match.
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Weekly Film (If available)
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USAToday
Farmscape Hopes to Bring Farming to the City Eliza Collins, Mar 19 2013
Rachel Bailin wants the next Los Angeles mayor to end dependence on foreign soil, balance the budget with equitable fertilizer, and appoint a compostmaster general.
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Things you need to know along the West Corridor.
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Hey, Hey, Hey!
Come one, Come all
to the Opening Day Celebrations, Saturday, April 27th, 2013
(The listing of the Parties is at the top of the page and will appear here every week until Opening Day).
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.
Prices displayed may not be correct.
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>4917 West 11th Ave Assemblage [sold]
Sold, See Press Release
>10th Avenue Light Rail Assemblage
>1010 Sheridan Blvd TOD Site
>5310 West 10th Ave TOD opportunity
>13th Ave & Newland, Ideal TOD property
>5830 West Colfax Ave
1025 Ammons St. Complex - Sold
>6990 West Colfax Ave Pad Site
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.
West Corridor Vision
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Residential Real Estate Agents
who get the "big picture" of
transit-oriented living of
walkable, sustainable
neighborhoods.
JIM SMITH REALTOR, GOLDEN
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Things You Need to Know Around the Region
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National Adaptation Forum
Action Today for a Better Tomorrow
Denver Marriott City Center, Denver Colorado, April 2-4 2013
You are invited to be a part of the Inaugural National Adaptation Forum: Action today for a better tomorrow. Please join us as we kick-off the inaugural convening of adaptation practitioners and experts from around the country focused on moving from adaptation planning to adaptation action.
What is the National Adaptation Forum?
The National Adaptation Forum is a national event on climate change adaptation at which the latest scientific knowledge about climate adaptation and state-of-the-art practices will be presented. It combines professional development training, individual presentation, peer networking, and working group innovation opportunities, in order to create the most productive event possible in three days!
Click Here to Learn More & Register
Colorado Foundation for Water Education - 2013 Tours!
CFWE hosts tours of Colorado's agriculture, river restoration and much more! Save the date for this upcoming tour - registration will be available two months before tour date. To be placed on a priority list, send your interest to Kristin Maharg at kristin@yourwatercolorado.org to be notified as soon as registration becomes available.
May 2 and 16: Explore how waterways are managed, restored and protected on an Urban Waters Bike Tour in Denver.
For more information: Click Here
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| The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of William A. Spriggs and no one else. |
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