Contentious Platt Park rezoning request fails at Denver City Council
The Denver City Council voted 10-2 Monday to block a rezoning request in Platt Park, a request that had prompted one neighbor to accuse the chairperson of the Denver Planning Board of a conflict of interest, which she said she had addressed appropriately.
The controversy surrounded a property at 1630 South Ogden Street, purchased in 2022 by Brendan and Katie Harrison. They needed city approval to get the property rezoned so they could build a duplex on the Platt Park site.
"This is for our family," Katie Harrison said, noting the plan was to live in half of the new duplex with their three children and have their aging parents live in the other half. But neighbors protested the rezoning, complaining it might bring more traffic, parking issues and change the character of the neighborhood.
City planning staff recommended the rezoning be denied, but the volunteer planning board voted in favor of the zoning change. The chairperson of the planning board is Caitlin Quander, who recused herself from the vote and discussion.
But John McKenna, a neighbor, noted that Quander, an attorney, also represented the Harrisons in their rezoning application, and called it a conflict of interest. He said it "looks like a pre-determined outcome for the Denver Planning Board." Quander said she abided by the Denver ethics code by disclosing her conflict and recused herself from the voting.
In defeating the rezoning request, most council members did not address McKenna's concerns, except for District 9 Representative Darrell Watson, who scolded McKenna for his comments.
Watson said, "They're (planning board members) not in it for any outcome. I encourage folks to speak... but to question a member of the planning board who has served with distinction, we can't let things like that slide... If you don't have facts that someone did something that was against any ethical rules, try not to go there."
Watson noted members of the Denver Planning Board are volunteers.
Prior to the Monday vote, the Harrisons said they were unsure what they would do with the property if they did not get the rezoning approval.
