DENVER — As part of Mayor Mike Johnston's plan to house 1,000 people, Denver is looking to convert another hotel in North Park Hill.
Neighbors showed up to a community meeting on Tuesday to say they're not happy with this idea. They believe too many units are going in their area, when some city council districts don't have any proposed sites.
The meeting was about a proposed shelter option at the Comfort Inn at 4685 Quebec St. Part of the property has been used for lodging, and some rooms have been offered as temporary emergency housing for families experiencing homelessness.
During a presentation at the meeting, the city said they now want to lease the entire hotel as a non-congregate shelter in 2024. The 138 rooms would support individuals and couples.
The Comfort Inn is one of several hotels proposed in District 8 for the House1000 Initiative.
The former Best Western Central Park hotel, 4595 Quebec St., is currently sheltering people. The city is also leasing the former DoubleTree hotel, 4040 Quebec St., as a supporting site for the House1000 initiative.
There's another proposal to create a shelter option at the Stay Inn at 12033 E. 38th Ave. This is a micro-community site that would have 54 pallet shelter units. There's a community meeting for that idea on Dec. 5.
The former Best Western, DoubleTree, and Stay Inn offer more than 500 units, according to Cole Chandler, Mayor Mike Johnston's senior advisor for homelessness. Chandler said if city council approves all of the proposed resolutions they have filed, Denver will have acquired 1,173 units.
Johnston also attended the meeting.
People who live in District 8 said they are concerned about the city's proposal for the Comfort Inn. Safety was top of mind for families who live and work in the area.
"We have been assaulted. Our vehicles have been stolen. We have had vandalism up and down the streets," a business owner said.
"It is unfair to the children who ride their bikes," a resident said.
City leaders said this type of shelter will be different.
"Unsheltered homelessness is not safe. The police are responding to more than 8,000 calls a year to encampments, and we are seeing something really different in the shelters and micro-communities online," Chandler said. "The data shows there is a significant reduction in crime and responses to calls at those sites. We know this is safer than the status quo."
Some people at the meeting said there are too many sites proposed in their community when other districts don't have any proposed sites.
"Would this happen in Cherry Creek? Would this happen in Wash Park? No, it would not," a resident said.
The city has eliminated four sites from the mayor's proposed site map issued this past summer. The eliminated sites were in District 6, District 4, District 10 and District 11.
- 1380 Birch St. — After further review and evaluation, the city said, a combination of logistical and operational challenges contributed to this site not being economically viable.
- 5500 Yale Ave. — The city said they removed this site from consideration based on the criteria they've identified, which include economic viability, projected site yield and consideration of other viable options.
- 1151 Bannock St. — The city said they removed this site in October due to additional complexities centered on cost concerns. It was not economically viable given the size of the site, prospective number of units, lease cost, and site preparation costs, including a sinkhole that would be costly and take too much time to fix.
- 5000 Tower Road — The city determined this site is not economically viable to develop due to costs to develop the land.
The city said they are moving forward with three sites, while other micro-community sites are under evaluation. They said they're working to open these sites as soon as possible:
- 2301 S. Santa Fe Drive in District 7
- 12033 E. 38th Ave. in District 8
- 1375 N. Elati St. in District 10
The administration said they are committed to opening a micro-community in every district, and will work with community partners to identify additional micro-communities.
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