ARVADA 3/14/13
March 14, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourarvadanews.com
Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 8, Issue 42
Council passes moratorium against marijuana Marijuana establishments are prohibited in city through Oct. 1 By Sara Van Cleve
svancleve@ourcoloradonews.com City Council unanimously approved a moratorium prohibiting marijuana establishments in Arvada through Oct. 1. The moratorium prohibits the operation of any marijuana establishment, including private marijuana clubs, which condone, permit or promote the consumption of marijuana. It also prohibits the cultivation or processing of marijuana except in a private residence by the dwelling’s resident with
the owner’s permission. “Essentially, what this is going to do is a call a time out on any sort of cultivation or having any sort of marijuana establishment in the city of Arvada,” said City Attorney Chris Daly. “As staff gets more information from state legislation and the rules and regulations that will be adopted, staff will be back in touch with council with recommendations on how to deal with the longer term issue of marijuana within the city of Arvada.” Provisions under Amendment 64 require the Department of Revenue to develop and approve policies for the regulation of marijuana establishments by July 1, Daly said, and licenses to begin being issued Oct. 1. The moratorium will be in effect through Oct. 1 so staff can recommend further policies for Arvada pending statewide policies. The issue was faced with both support
and opposition from citizens. During the public hearing, two residents were against the moratorium but did not speak about the issue. Arvada resident Aaron Azari spoke in favor of the ordinance though. “It is clear the residents of Colorado and citizens of Arvada supported the legalization of small quantities of marijuana for private use,” Azari said “It is also true that possession of marijuana remains a federal offense, and there is good reason for it … marijuana is not a benign drug.” Azari referenced a new study by the National Institutes of Health about the effects of marijuana on adolescents, including a negative effect on brain development. “Establishing retail businesses which promote behaviors of substance abuse, which have been shown objectively in national journals to harm people, especially
young people, should be regulated. To do less would be a collective moral failure.” Homerule municipalities, such as Arvada, have the power to prohibit marijuana establishments under Amendment 64. However, “I am in favor of the moratorium,” said District 2 Councilman Mark McGoff. “I just think we don’t have enough information, we don’t have the final state legislation, we don’t have the final rules and regulations from the state … I think the moratorium allows us to gain that information and legal counsel to make a determination after this moratorium.” The moratorium was unanimously approved by Mayor Marc Williams; Mayor Pro Tem Rachel Zenzinger, District 1; Mark McGoff, District 2; Shelley Cook, District 3; Bob Dyer, District 4; Councilmen At-Large Bob Fifer and Don Allard.
Jeffco schools alter district boundaries
BEYOND THE WARZONE
By Glenn Wallace
gwallace@ourcoloradonews.com
Army Spec. Cody Jones, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008-09 sits with girlfriend Sondra Welsh. The 12 Topics in 12 Weeks story features a look at challenges after returning from deployment. See Page 19. Photo by Andy Carpenean
Developer submits application for Walmart Owner of Arvada Plaza begins process of redevelopment approval By Sara Van Cleve
svancleve@ourcoloradonews.com Industrial Realty Group filed a development application with the city of Arvada for the redevelopment of Arvada Plaza, which includes a Walmart. IRG has been looking for potential tenants since it bought the property in 2007, said Peter Goffstein with IRG. He said IRG has an agreement with Walmart. “Walmart certainly is impactful in terms of the financial benefit to the community and the urban renewal district,” Goffstein said. The Arvada Plaza is part of the Arvada Triangle, a group of three shopping centers
near 58th Avenue and Independence Street that has been the focus of redevelopment by the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority since 2002. Walmart officials announced in January its intention to build a superstore at the Arvada Plaza, which would require razing some of the current buildings. According to the preliminary development plans IRG submitted, which can be viewed at www.ArvadaTriangle.com, locations in the Arvada Plaza not affected by the redevelopment are Santiagos, U.S. Bank, KFC/Taco Bell and a vacant property adjacent to Santiagos. The submitted application seeks to create two parcels on the property owned by IRG, Goffstein said. The parcels would include 13.85 acres for Walmart and about 2.78 acres of other development. “We’ve done some initial planning based on land and other typical development re-
straints, and it can include between 20,00025,000 square feet of additional retail space,” Goffstein said. Though IRG has submitted an application, the development process is still in its early stages, city of Arvada Communication Manager Wendy Forbes said. Public hearings with the Planning Commission and City Council will probably be in a couple months. “Public hearings won’t be set until the application is considered complete,” Forbes said. “It has to go through review with various engineers assigned to the project, and typically plans go through two rounds. The length of time is very unpredictable depending on the number of rounds it goes through.” In the review process, engineers from different departments review every aspect of the plans, make recommendations for Walmart continues on Page 25
By 3-2 vote, the Jefferson County School District’s Board of Education changed district lines. Board members Laura Boggs and Paula Noonan voted against the redistricting, saying they did not approve with how the new lines bisected some school articulation areas. The vote came during the board’s March 7 meeting, and alters the board district lines that were established in 2003. State law requires school districts to update district lines at least every four years. The state statute reads: Director districts shall be contiguous, compact, and as nearly equal in population as possible. Board members are elected by all members of the school district, but represent a specific section of the district. The version of the new boundaries was reviewed at the board’s Feb. 28 meeting. Among the larger changes, District 5 now extends west to take in Morrison in exchange for more of Littleton to go to District 2, along the western side of C-470. District 3 also gained the Pleasant View and Denver West neighborhoods near Golden. In the new population distribution, District 5 would have the least population,105,656; while the smallest geographic district, District 4, would represent the most people, 109,434.
New districts
District One: Treasurer Robin Johnson, representing Westminster and Broomfield. District Two: Second Vice President Laura Boggs, representing Evergreen and Conifer. District Three: Secretary Jill Fellman, representing Arvada and Wheat Ridge. District Four: Board President Lesley Dahlkemper, representing Lakewood. District Five: First Vice President Paula Noonan representing the Morrison and Littleton area. Population of 105,656.
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