COVID Updates
Everyone 16 OR OLDER is eligible to get the vaccine.
Appointments to Get the COVID Vaccine
DICK’S SPORTING GOODS PARK AND THE BALL ARENA BOTH HAVE DRIVE-THROUGH/WALK-UP CLINICS WITH NO APPOINTMENTS NEEDED. Learn more…. See other upcoming walk-up clinics…. State of Colorado’s Find Out Where You Can Get Vaccinated page | Lutheran Medical Center | JCPH Clinic in Arvada (70+ only) | www.vaccinespotter.org/CO/ Jefferson County Public Health’s COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center: 303-239-7000 | State Hotline to answer questions, including location of vaccine providers: 1-877-268-2926. It is staffed 24 hours a day
Jefferson County Case Summary:
Cases in Jeffco – Mon: 45,583 | Tues: 45,691 (+108)
Deaths in Jeffco – Mon: 801 | Tues: 802 (+1)
Currently Hospitalized in Jeffco – Mon: 51 | Tues: 56 (+5)
Recovered – Mon: 43,005 | Tues: 43,194 (+189)
Known Cases in Golden – Thurs: 1908 | Mon: 1929
Golden Testing Sites
Mines COVID Testing | Jeffco Fairgrounds COVID Testing
More Public Health References
School of Mines COVID-19 case page. | Sign up for exposure notifications | CDC | Colorado | Jefferson County | City of Golden
Virtual Events
8:30-9:30AM Virtual Power Training
9AM Golden Walks – Wednesday Morning Celebrating Life
10:15AM Baby Time with the Library
3-5PM Hard Times Writing Workshop
11:30AM-1PM Community Development Committee Meeting
5:30-7PM Golden Orator Toastmasters
6:30PM Planning Commission Meeting
Planning Commission is having a Study Session tonight. That means they will not be taking public comment.
The first topic they will consider is the definition of a “dwelling unit.” Golden has a growth limit, which says that our housing stock can grow no more than 1% per year. In 2021, that means that a maximum of 88 new dwelling units can be built.
A year ago, a developer was approved to build a 160 unit “boarding house.” A boarding house has separate apartments but the units have “kitchenettes” rather than kitchens. That means they can have refrigerators, sinks, microwaves, hot plates, and other small appliances, but not stove/oven units. Because of this difference, boarding house apartments are not considered “dwelling units” and none of the 160 new units were subject to Golden’s 1% growth limit. Planning Commission will discuss whether they should close this loophole.
The second topic is the definition of “Affordable Housing.” In 2017, City Council altered our Comprehensive Plan to say that 45% of our housing should be “affordable” (15% affordable to low income households, 15% to moderate income households, 15% to middle income households). For a family of four, “low income” means $80K/year. “Median” income means $100K/year. “Middle” income means $120K/year.
The meeting memo goes on to detail rents in Golden, then looks at home ownership. It quotes Zillow as saying that the typical home value in Golden is $704,879. (Realtor.com says the median price is $690K.) The memo says that a family of four at the top of Golden’s “affordable housing” category (making $120K) would not be able to afford home ownership in Golden.
The memo is complicated, but I think it’s suggesting that we raise the defined income required to buy a house in Golden from $120K to some higher amount.
I’m not entirely sure of the benefit of doing this, although it might be used to prove that we need more affordable housing in Golden.
An additional possibility: it could be used to reduce sustainability requirements for new construction. When new housing is built, developers can use affordability to reduce their sustainability requirements. Generally new construction is required to have features like solar panels. If a house is defined as “affordable,” it doesn’t need to be as “sustainable.”
By all means, review the meeting memo to draw your own conclusions.
Real World Events
11AM-9PM Cinco de Mayo at the Buffalo Rose
Flights of Tacos & Flybird Samples & Swag
LIVE MUSIC:
6-9PM Music by Los Cheesies @ Buffalo Rose
4PM Chrispy at Mountain Toad Brewing
5PM Steve & The Cruisers at Golden Mill
Golden History Moment
Patrick Klein (whose aerial photos often appear in GoldenToday) and I were recently discussing this interesting photo from the Denver Public Library Western History Collection. It was taken from an airplane in about 1950. As with all old photos, it’s fascinating both for what you do see and for what you don’t.
1 The narrow gauge railroad that ran through Clear Creek valley had been removed in 1941, and Highway 6 had been built along approximately the same route. So we’re seeing Highway 6, as it goes around the west side of Golden and into the canyon.
This modern photo shows two additional major roads–Highway 93, coming from Boulder, and Highway 58, coming from Wheat Ridge.
2 The older photo shows the clay pits in their full flowering, all along the western edge of town. The newer photo shows them converted into Mines athletic fields.
3 The new photo shows the Beverly Heights neighborhood. The only buildings in that area in 1950 were Mines student housing. In fact, earlier Mines housing had been displaced when the new highway was built. It was rebuilt west of the highway.
4 The construction zone in the 1950 project is probably the new Jefferson County Courthouse.
To explore the 1950 photo in more details, visit the Denver Public Library collection. Click the double-headed arrow in the top righ-thand corner of the photo, then click the + sign in the top left-hand corner to zoom in.
