Twenty-three years after its creation, the Stapleton Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) is questioning its own future. A meeting titled “Role of the Citizen Advisory Board” has been scheduled for 6pm, Jan. 10 in the first of a brief series to answer issues such as membership responsibility and CAB’s independence from other Stapleton groups such as the Stapleton Development Corporation (SDC). The meeting will be held in the SDC boardroom, 7350 E. 29th Ave., Suite 200.
CAB has created a working committee of its members to deliberate these issues. Formal invitations to the Jan. 10 meeting include SDC, the Stapleton Foundation, City Councilman Chris Herndon and several longtime Stapleton-area activists.
CAB’s mission is to “provide input from a broad spectrum of interests in the community to the Stapleton Development Corporation regarding the planning and development process for the redevelopment of the former Stapleton International Airport.” CAB and its predecessor (the Stapleton Tomorrow Citizen Advisory Committee) were directly involved in the creation of the “Green Book,” the Stapleton Development Plan. Original members were appointed by the mayor but over the years, the committee has coordinated such appointments through the SDC.
The current self-evaluation stems from several factors including a drop in CAB participation and SDC criticism this fall when CAB communicated directly with Denver City Council requesting that Stapleton builders not be exempt from Denver’s new affordable housing linkage fee. The larger factor relates to Stapleton’s approaching build-out and whether CAB’s functions are more appropriately handled by other groups such as the Stapleton Foundation, Stapleton United Neighbors (SUN) or the Master Community Association (MCA).
The Jan. 10 meeting will be facilitated by Darvin Ayres, whose services are being paid for by the Stapleton Foundation.
