West Highlands Epitome District

      The West Highland's neighborhood is a historical area in Metro Denver. It was one of the sub-divisions of the Potter-Highlands. It is located between Federal Blvd. and Sheridan Blvd. from west to east, and from 38th st. and 29th St. from north to south. 

Created by Jason Nielsen using ArcGIS                              West Highlands in Denver Map

     

      Presently the West Highlands neighborhood epitome district, generally referred to as Highland Park or Highland Square, is known for being a active mixed-use neighborhood with a central commercial node, surrounded by classic architecture. A highly pedestrian friendly area that features local and some corporate owned businesses with a mix of restaurant/pubs, boutiques, book sellers, and real-estate offices.   The homes in the area surrounding the commercial center generally are from the same time period, even though some modern architecture has moved in.  

Two different styles of Architecture in the area.

   




   During my latest visit to the neighborhood and through studying the map of the area I have created a Lynch Diagram (see below) to describe the district.  As mentioned previously this neighborhood is bordered by Federal Blvd., Sheridan Blvd., 38th St., and 29th St.  All but one of these streets is a four lane high traffic collector.  Even 29th St., being only a two lane street is still designed to have higher volume of traffic.  These all act as an edge to this district.  Especially the Sheridan edge as it is a border between two different time periods in development in Denver.   

Created by Jason Nielsen using ArcGIS                         Lynch Diagram of West Highlands Neighborhood

    This area is easily accessible by several main paths.  Speer Blvd. is the path that connects West Highlands to Denver's city center.  It only briefly enters the neighborhood before becoming Irving St.  At that interchange is a three way stop light that to the west becomes 32nd St. and to the north becomes Irving St.  32nd St., east to west, cuts directly through the center of the commercial area and connects with Sheridan Blvd. on the west side and with Speer Blvd. on the east side.  32nd is a street that is designed to have parking on both sides of the street and has two lanes of traffic.  During peak shopping seasons and on the weekends and evenings both the car and pedestrian traffic can be quite high.  Parking is relegated to mostly street parking which is on 32nd and throughout the surrounding residential area.   Lowell Blvd.  intersects with 32nd street and runs north to south connecting with the edges of 38th St. and 29th St.  At the intersection of 32nd and Lowell is the center of the commercial district (See images of 32nd and Lowell below).  

32nd and Lowell 1986

32nd and Lowell today

Tennyson St. is the final path it follows the same direction as Lowell and has the same street connections.  Tennyson, however, connects with a the historical elitch gardens area,(located between 35th and 38th along Tennyson St.) which has gone under redevelopment over the last ten years, creating a residential and commercial node with modern single and multi-family home/condominiums and a shopping area that features Sprouts Grocery store and other local shops and businesses.

    I identified two clear population nodes in this district.  Already discussed briefly is the 32nd and Lowell commercial area.  As I was recently touring this area and in remembering past visits it became difficult to single out specific spots in this area to call nodes.  This area is one big attraction.  When visiting during peak shopping seasons or when there are community events such as, the Highlands Street Fair or Street Trick or Treat, this area is the nodal focus. The other nodal area is the Elitch Gardens neighborhood.  This community has turned an area that used to be an amusement park and garden into a high-density residential area (mildly comparable to the Stapleton area).  In this area is an intentional co-housing community called Hearthstone.  Essentially a communal living space with shared facilities, community gardens, art space, mediation and work-out room, and shared toolshop, all in a multi-family higher density neighborhood.  A good example of civil society creating another paradigm in housing possibilities.

Street Fair Poster

    Just as 32nd and Lowell is a node of population it also has the characteristics of a landmark in itself.  This happens with many of these historic neighborhoods in Denver.  The Gaylord St. shopping district, the S. Pearl St. neighborhood, and uptown 17th St. restaurant row area all have this attraction quality that are a landmark to the city.  32nd and Lowell is not just a shopping district it is also a way of describing where you are located in the city.  i.e "I live just four blocks south of 32nd and Lowell."  Some minor landmarks in the area are the Highlands United Methodist Church (see below), built in 1922, in has the iconic feel of a church that has been there since the beginning of the area.  Also Edison Elementary School is the epitome of a walkable  school with a central location to the neighborhood and has that ability to give a sense of location in the area.

Highlands United Methodist Church

   
















   The popularity of this area could also be cited as the cause of many of the issues.  While touring the area the indicators that I noticed were first two businesses that had been operating for ten plus years were no longer there with a new businesses opening on the south east corner of 32nd and Lowell.  There was a large construction area next to a church that had been church and public parking (see below).  These things at first would indicate growth and change in an area.  To a commercial business owner and developer these would seem like positives.  To the local residents it is the opposite.

Demolition site 32nd and Lowell

          Common Grounds coffee shop had been in their location near 32nd and Lowell for 20 years and due to rent increases and lease negotiations that failed, they decided to leave the area.  They reopened in the Sunnyside neighborhood near 44th and Vallejo.  Heidi's deli also decided not to renew their lease and their vacated spot has been taken over by a Seattle restaurant group that has recently opened the restaurant/tequila bar Matador.( http://www.denverpost.com/ci_22411282/highlands-mainstay-common-grounds-pulls-up-anchor-explore)  

     The larger issue in the area is the infill development in the area that would bring three 5-story apartment buildings to the area within a block of 32nd and Lowell.  This has been a contentious issue creating social groups to form, such as, No High Rises in West Highlands(NHRWH).  Whose basic issue is that when the zoning was re-zoned back in June of  2010.  Currently the areas in question are being zoned as U-MS-5, which is the zoning code for a building on a main street built up to 5 stories.  The argument for NHRWH is that over the years the zoning codes have been changed many times and during the most current re-zone back in 2009/2010 suggestions for the area were ignored and the current zoning is a mistake.

    This issue has taken many years to sort out and has been in the courts for a about a year and half.  There have been verbal attacks by residents of the area toward their local city council member Susan Shepherd (who actually opposes the development).  Council Women Shepherd was able to to negotiate mild changes to the plans, however, she refuses to support a zoning code amendment as it would set a negative precedence for the city.(http://www.denverpost.com/)  The most recent decision in the matter was that the zoning code is correct.  Bobby Hutchinson of Red Peak Development stated in a personal interview that due to the litigation of the project that the "site has not been approved. There is a 49 day appeal on the decision...the site will approval will not happen during that time."  When I asked about the social impact of the development when it came to parking Hutchinson informed me that there would be parking under the buildings.

  
    
     

http://www.redpeak.com/developments/west-highland-development/renderings/


     My overall view of the West Highlands neighborhood is that of an area that is still experiencing growth and interest from the business community.  It is a high density mixed use area that has higher income levels than the Denver average, and has a strong sense of identity.  I feel that the growth that they are experiencing is not something to be feared but will bring a more vibrant feel to the area.