Virtual Golden
8:30-9:30AM Virtual Power Training
10:15AM Baby Time with the Library
11:30AM-1PM Community Development Committee Meeting
3-5PM Hard Times Writing Workshop
5:30-7PM Golden Orators Toastmasters
6-7:30PM Golden United Housing Task Force Meeting
6:30PM Planning Commission Meeting
Last month, the Planning Commission was asked to approve a 150 unit apartment complex at Golden Gate Canyon Road and Hwy 93. The site was 100% residential in a commercially zoned area, so it required a Special Use Permit. The Commission approved the SUP.
The rest of the discussion was held over until this month (tonight).
The developers also requested a variance which would allow them to provide fewer parking spaces than Golden’s code requires.
They also requested a variance on the density of the dwelling units being proposed for the property.
They also asked to borrow future allocations against our 1% growth limit, based on the fact that the apartments would be affordable to middle income tenants.
After last month’s meeting, the developers changed their plan to reduce the density from 150 units to 129. This eliminates their need to request a parking variance.
They still need a density variance, though with fewer units, the density is lower than it was in the original plan.
There was much discussion last month about the “affordability” aspect. Planning Commission members were concerned that tenants need not qualify to live in these apartments, and could in fact all be millionaires.
The developer proposes to ask the tenants their income once a year. They plan to use this annual survey to demonstrate that the average income of the tenants does not exceed $120K. Based on this plan, they ask to be allowed to proceed with construction without waiting to collect the 129 allocations required by our 1% growth limit.
Many people have submitted public comment on this project, and the comments are included in tonight’s meeting packet. A few more comments appear on GuidingGolden.com.
If you want to contribute comments on this project, send them to Rick Muriby and ask him to forward your comments to members of the Planning Commission.
If you want to provide live public comment during the meeting, register here by 5PM
Real World Golden
Restaurants are open again for in-house dining at 25% seating capacity.
Summer-Readiness
The Golden History Museum has opened registration (for museum members) for their popular Hands-On History summer camps. Non-members will be able to register starting January 16th.
Dinosaur Ridge summer camps are also open for registration, as of today.
Foothills Art Center will open registration next week for their full-day and half-day summer youth classes.
We continue to update our Camps and Classes page as registration periods open.
Golden History Moment
Golden Sewers – Part 2
After 40 years of living with outhouses and open sewers, Golden residents were coming to appreciate the value of underground sewers. By 1900, we had hundreds of feet of buried sewer pipes, but they were all privately installed and owned. People who had sewer lines running past their property were often able to connect to the pipe, but most homes and businesses in Golden had no access to a sewer.
At last, town leaders began to urge the development of a wide-reaching city owned system.
All the sewers in the city thus far have been inaugurated by private enterprise and money, and we believe…that the time has arrived when Golden should begin the establishment of a complete system of sewers.
The Colorado Transcript, February 4, 1904
In 1906, City Council hired an engineer to survey a potential sewer system. In 1908, they voted in favor of installing sewer lines on the south side of the creek. That was so successful that in 1910, they built another sewer system north of the Creek.
While the new systems were owned and maintained by the City, individual property owners were assessed the cost of running past their property and hooking them up to the system. Some property owners were reluctant to pay that assessment, and continued to rely on outhouses for many more years.
Golden continued to discharge its waste directly into Clear Creek until Coors built a sewage treatment plant in 1953.
Many thanks to the Golden History Museum for providing the online cache of historic Transcripts and to the Golden Transcript for documenting our history since 1866!
Coronavirus Update
Public Health References
CDC * Colorado * Jefferson County * City of Golden
Jefferson County is at Level Orange, “High Risk.” Here’s the most recent Coronavirus report from Jeffco Public Health’s Case Summary Page:
Cases in Jeffco – Mon: 30,326 | Tues: 30,701 (+375)
Deaths in Jeffco – Mon: 651 | Tues: 658 (+7)
Currently Hospitalized in Jeffco – Mon: 141 | Tues: 81 (-60)
Known Cases in Golden – Mon: 1127 *
Recovered – Mon: 27,883 | Tues: 28.234 (+351)
* Golden cases are updated on Monday and Thursday. The other stats are updated Monday through Friday.
Mines COVID Testing | Jeffco Fairgrounds COVID Testing | School of Mines COVID-19 case page. | Stage 1 fire restrictions | Sign up for exposure notifications.
