​Cheesman Park Ranger Statistics

​Below in comparative form are statistics for violations in Cheesman Park and the Esplanade since May 2017:​​

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FANS Annual Meeting January 26, 2021, 6:30 pm

To attend the FANS annual meeting, please send an email to board@FANSCheesmanPark.com and we will send you a registration link.

Annual Meeting Agenda

• Greetings and Introductions
  
• Approval of Last Annual Meeting Minutes (click here for copy of the minutes)
  
• Treasurer’s Report
  
• Comments from Councilman Chris Hinds
  
• Cheesman Park Issues:
  

               Recycled Water for Irrigation

               Park Ranger Report – Crime, Safety, Homeless

               Park Road Closure

• District Six Police Department Report
  
• Proposed Franklin Street Closures – Update and Announcement (South Central Community Transportation Network: Virtual Open House, Thursday, February 4, 5:00 to 6:00 pm) 
• Proposed Annual Membership Dues
  
• FANS Board Member Election
  
• Open Forum – Comments / Q&A
  

North Franklin Bike Route
Northbound Through-Traffic on Franklin to be Blocked at 14th Avenue

As part of the Denver Moves initiative to improve bikeways throughout Denver, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) has proposed a bike route on North Franklin Street from 21st Ave to 13th Ave. As part of this plan, parking on the east side of Franklin between 21st Ave and 20th Ave would be eliminated (the planners refer to this as “repurposing” the parking lane) in order to create a bike lane. Speeds would be slowed on Franklin with speed cushions. Traffic on Franklin north of Colfax would remain two-way. 

South of Colfax the planners are proposing to make Franklin essentially one-way going south between Colfax and 14th Ave. Left turns from 14th Ave onto northbound Franklin would be prohibited, and northbound traffic on Franklin from 13th Ave could not continue north and would have to turn right (east) at 14th Ave. In the 1300 block of Franklin traffic would remain two-way. According to DOTI planners, 3,800 vehicles use Franklin south of Colfax; it is assumed that 1,900 vehicles are traveling in each direction.

Parking would continue to be allowed on the east side of the 1400 block of Franklin. But to access these parking spaces, planners say that southbound vehicles would have to do a U-turn or three-point turn midblock to get to them. Cars leaving parking spaces would apparently still be able to travel north on Franklin.

A curb extension is proposed on the east side of Franklin at both 13th and 14th Avenues. The claim is that this would shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians and bicyclists. It is not clear why bicyclists would use the curb extension since it primarily benefits pedestrians and bicyclists are prohibited from riding on sidewalks.

Click here for a copy of the South Central Community Network’s overview of existing conditions on North Franklin Street. Click here for a copy of the current proposed plan. This is a large PDF file and the closure of Franklin to northbound at 14th Avenue is not explicitly stated. This is the most recent plan we have.

Concerns:

• Franklin Street is a major neighborhood access route to businesses north of Colfax as well as to hospitals and medical clinics. Blocking northbound through-traffic on Franklin at 14th Ave would force drivers to take alternate routes on narrow adjacent side streets. To get back to northbound Franklin, drivers from Cheesman would have to go north on a street east of Franklin to Colfax, turn left (west) onto Colfax, and then right (north) onto Franklin. Drivers from west Cheesman wanting to get to businesses and hospitals north of Colfax would have to take Downing Street north because left turns from Colfax onto northbound Franklin are already prohibited.  
  
• Traffic and left turns on Colfax will only become more problematic when the Bus Rapid Transit lanes are developed.
  
• Drivers doing U-turns or three-point turns in the 1400 block of Franklin to park on the east side of the street would likely interfere with southbound traffic because they would have to stop mid-street to execute this complicated maneuver. According to DOTI, peak-hour traffic counts on July 7, 2020, showed 124 cars heading south in the morning and 278 cars in the afternoon. During these same periods there were 16 bicyclists and pedestrians in the morning and 22 in the afternoon.
  

If you have questions about the proposed changes, see the DOTI Community Transportation Network's webpage and look at the South Central Denver links. You can also sign up for virtual office hours with DOTI planners to discuss any questions.