South Federal Green Boulevard

The project is located within the public right-of-way of South Federal Boulevard between West Alameda Avenue and West Mississippi Avenue. The businesses along this corridor are within an area officially designated as the “Little Saigon Business District” with support from Councilman López in 2014.

The design phase of the project is scheduled to be completed by Spring 2020 and construction is tentatively scheduled to begin Summer 2023 in coordination with CDOT led transportation projects.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, green infrastructure is a cost-effective way of managing stormwater while also providing numerous community benefits. A major cause of poor water quality in urban areas is polluted stormwater runoff. Rainwater from roofs, streets and parking lots is unable to soak into the ground as it would in a natural setting. Stormwater runoff carries trash, garbage, bacteria, and other pollutants from the urban landscape and can cause unhealthy environments, erosion, and flooding from higher flows which damage property and infrastructure.

While the conventional stormwater infrastructure system moves urban stormwater away from built environments, green infrastructure reduces and treats stormwater at its source.

In a natural setting rainfall is absorbed and filtered by soil and plants. Green infrastructure tries to mimic the natural setting by using vegetation, soils, and other elements to restore some of the natural processes.

The City and County of Denver is making green infrastructure a fundamental part of the city’s long-term stormwater management strategy by looking at ways to incorporate large scale green infrastructure and site-scale green infrastructure. This green infrastructure approach will target multiple pollutants while increasing open space, improving air quality, and facilitating connectivity.

Large Scale

Network of parks, open space, floodplains, and constructed facilities that mimic natural systems by using vegetation, soils, and roots to filter stormwater runoff

Site Scale

Stormwater planters, green gutters, and green alleys that slow and treat stormwater runoff before it reaches creeks and rivers.

Benefits of Green Infrastructure

Cities across the nation, as well as the City and County of Denver are using green infrastructure to meet water quality goals and provide more livable communities. While the water quality benefits can be easily estimated there are a number of social, economic, and environmental benefits that are not measurable in a short period of time.

Short Term Benefits

• Improves water quality
• Reduces flood risks
• Improves air quality
• Absorbs local carbon emissions
• Lower traffic speeds

Long Term Benefits

• Reduces energy demands
• Reduces injury crashes
• Enhance community livability
• Reduces urban heat island effect
• Increases social cohesion
• Creates a sense of place/destination

Vision Zero is a transportation safety philosophy that was developed in Sweden in the late 1990s to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries in the transportation system. Sweden has reduced traffic fatalities by half, making it one of the safest places in the world.

The City and County of Denver and Mayor Michael Hancock are committed to reducing traffic related deaths and serious injuries by 2030. The city began laying the groundwork for its Vision Zero initiative in 2015. The Action Plan, developed in coordination with dozens of city agencies and partners, is a five-year plan that sets Denver on a clear path to achieve safe streets for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, motorcyclists and automobile drivers in Denver.

Green infrastructure is a tool that can help create safer streets by acting as a physical buffer between pedestrians and automobiles, being strategically located to encourage safer crossings, and lowering traffic speeds.

As part of the Vision Zero program, the City and County of Denver created the “One Federal Boulevard” task force to expedite and coordinate improvements with DOTI, CDOT and the Denver Police Department. This task force is entrusted to expedite and coordinate safety improvement projects on Federal Boulevard, including the South Federal Green Boulevard Project.

Learn more about Vision Zero Federal Boulevard

Boards(PDF, 1MB)

October 25, 2018

Thanks to all who attended! 

• Boards/Handout(PDF, 4MB)
• Frequently Asked Questions(PDF, 334KB)

The Advisory Group (AG) is comprised of local non-profit organizations and community leaders that have a significant stake in the future of the project area’s green infrastructure. AG members have an important role in helping identify issues and opportunities to effectively reach and engage the communities that will be impacted by the project.

The Advisory Group will:

• Provide input and recommendations to City and County of Denver for consideration in the decision-making process.
• Share information with, and solicit input from, their organizations, elected officials, and other constituents.
• Provide input and support for the project’s public outreach through efforts such as sharing project information with constituents via their organizations’ websites, social media, or regularly scheduled meetings.
• Meet approximately five or six times from September 2018 to December 2019.

Meeting: Thursday, October 4
3:30-5pm, Federico Peña Southwest Clinic

Members

Renee Martinez-Stone
Director, West Denver Renaissance Collaborative

True Nguyen
President, Vietnamese American Community of Colorado

Fr. Joseph Dang
Denver Police Department, District Four
Chaplain & Vietnamese American Community of Colorado Ambassador

Jose Esparze
Executive Director, BucuWest

Ken Knoblock
Board President, Athmar Park Neighborhood Association

Nga Vuong-Sandoval
Colorado Department of Law, Việtnamese Community Leader

Leslie Twarogowski
Executive Director, Federal Boulevard Business Improvement District

Jill Locantore
Executive Director, Walk Denver

Outreach to businesses and residents in the project area is critical to ensure that the project addresses local concerns and desired outcomes for future improvements. The business and resident outreach will occur throughout the design phase and provide opportunities for meaningful involvement and input.

Our Approach

• Engage businesses and residents in the project area early in the process and at key milestones throughout the design phase.
• Reach out to the different communities in their language and with culturally relevant information.
• Hold public open houses, one-on-one meetings with interest groups, neighborhood meetings, and targeted meetings with business owners along South Federal Boulevard. 

The approach will be collaborative, allowing for an open exchange of information, concerns and potential improvements for the corridor.

Key business, resident and property owner stakeholders in the project area include those immediately adjacent to South Federal, as well as neighborhoods that would be potentially affected by any changes in access and circulation in the project area. 

Other potential stakeholders include area commuters, business organizations, and alternate transportation groups in the corridor.