Serving Residents of Lower Downtown & The Central Platte Valley

            As we make the transition from summer to winter, the Good Neighbor Committee wanted to pass on some recent developments.  First, we successfully negotiated Good Neighbor Agreements with several establishments, including FreshCraft, 1530 Blake St.; Organixx, 1520 Blake St.;  Cholon Bistro, 1555 Blake St.;  and Blokes (a barbershop), 15^th and Wewatta Sts. In addition, we entered into a GNA with an existing bar/club, Oak Tavern, in exchange for our agreement not to oppose its application for a roof top patio.  The GNA has many strong provisions, there are no nearby residents and out past dealings with the owner have been very positive.

            Not everything went so well.  Smashburger, between Larimer and Lawrence on the Mall, declined to go along with our demand that they not have outdoor speakers.  Since we determined that alcohol is not a significant part of their operations—it’s kind of like Chipotle and Noodles—we declined to discuss a GNA further.  Also, in the context of transfers, where our input and leverage are quite limited, we tend to meet a lot of passive resistance, which has so far been the case with Big Game, 1546 Wazee, St. and Hayter’s Sports Bar, 1920 Blake St.  Hope nevertheless does spring somewhat eternal.

            A previous report talked about Sports Page, 1434 Blake St., vacating the premises to the delight of the neighboring Chandlers.  The reprieve was only temporary, however, as Pre-Game shortly appeared on the scene and opened with a bang, which led to noise complaints and visits from the police.  Then the bloom faded and Pre-Game copied Sports Page’s exit strategy of leaving owing lots of rent, just a few days before the hearing on a proposed modification which had been opposed by the Chandlers and LoDoNA.  No one else yet, but hard to believe there won’t be, and in fact we were able to get a GNA with Russell Green, which is taking over Below’s license in Larimer Square.”.

            One thing we all noticed this summer was the increase in noise due to more and more open doors and windows.  The good news was that for the most part this took place in areas with few if any residents, but there were a couple exceptions—the bars owned by Paul Piciocchi on 15^th St. between Market and Larimer (near Larimer Place) and Mellow Mushroom on the Mall across from Writers Square.  Thanks to work by the Committee and persistence by the affected neighbors, there seems to be progress in dealing with the situation, although it is never as fast as we would like.  All the more reason to be glad that the weather is turning cooler.

            The main change on the street was the retirement of Commander Deb Dilley , who served us so well for many years.  Her successor, Commander Tony Lopez, is very energetic and intent on bringing the same level of service to District 6.  He and his folks are looking at ways to deal with some of our nagging problems like let-out time late Fridays and Saturdays and people making sidewalks nearly impassable to pedestrians—who do have a right to be there.  Commander Lopez is going to be meeting with the GNC at its meeting November 2 at 4:00 pm in the Community Room of Northern Trust, 1400 16^th St.  Anyone who is interested is welcome to attend.

            The Good Neighbor Committee’s charge is to try to make sure that this area we call home, which undeniably offers vibrant and diverse entertainment opportunities, remains safe and secure.  We welcome your feed back on how we’re doing.  Contact Jim McCotter, 303.883.9542; jmccotter42@gamil.com, or any of the other GNC members listed on the website.