Why should you contact 311 or go to pocketgov? “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” is true. In the city, activities in agencies are often driven by volume. The more issues are reported, the more likely they are to get attention. In addition, if you don’t report an issue, how will city agencies know there is a problem? Because of this, it is imperative that you report the problems you encounter in our neighborhood; this is how we will drive change and improve our community!
by Paul Cancik, Urban Forestry Operations Assistant
Paul Cancik, Urban Forestry Operations Assistant
With spring upon us, many residents are eagerly planning their gardens and starting to spruce up their yards. Pruning helps trees live longer, which allows them to grow taller and contribute to Denver’s urban canopy. With this in mind, Denver’s Office of the City Forester is offering helpful tips for pruning. It’s important to keep in mind that if you cannot safely prune your tree from the ground, it’s best to hire a licensed tree care professional since they use specialized equipment and have the necessary field knowledge. When you prune a tree, you are planning for the future, and with patience, you will ultimately have results that benefit generations to come.
Why should you prune your trees?
Pruning helps ensure that your tree develops a strong form/structure and prevents breakage in the future.
Thinning your tree makes the crown (top) healthier by allowing more air and sunlight to pass through it.
Pruning, much like watering, helps give your tree longevity; future generations will be able to enjoy it.
Removing deadwood from your tree helps prevent insect infestation.
If pruning is neglected, a tree can become susceptible to breakage, making the tree potentially dangerous.
Blūm at High Line Preliminary Site Plan, subject to change (Photo courtesy of Forum Real Estate Group)
by Maggie Janco
Forum Real Estate Group has already created some changes on the 13-acre Kmart site at Monaco and Evans. This summer the Plum Creek Garden Market operated a pop-up selling plants, and more recently Fluid Truck Share has been on-site as well as Covid-19 testing. They are hoping to continue the Santa Claus Shop tradition and host Christmas tree sales this winter. Beyond the interim uses, we now have a sense of what is planned long term for the development they are calling Blūm (“bloom”) at High Line. The Forum team and the City of Denver held a zoom community meeting in May to share details and obtain feedback from neighbors.
Some overarching design themes were improving the sense of place and breaking up the mega block to bring a pedestrian scale to the area. While the first goal seems easily attainable, the second will take significant transformation at a busy intersection. Here are some of the pieces of their concept.
South Development – Townhomes You’ve likely seen the demolition of the CDOT Holly site is well underway. This will soon be complete and horizontal improvements (utilities and paving) are expected to begin in late October. One noticeable improvement will be a 7′ wide landscape buffer along Holly between the street and a new 8′ wide sidewalk. Lokal Communities is the owner, developer and architect for the southern portion of the site which consists of 198 for-sale 3-story townhomes. Two garage parking spaces per unit will be provided.
