Candelas

 I used to live on the outskirts of Arvada, Colorado.  Our small neighborhood of single-family homes was surrounded on three sides by expansive farmlands. Trails and open space areas were within walking and biking distance. The grocery store, high school, and bank weren’t far either; just a quick five-minute car drive.  It was the perfect little enclave, a close community with easy access to everything important. It even included a tiny park.

               My family no longer lives on the outskirts of Arvada, even though we have remained in the same house for over two decades. What has moved is the city, expanding outward in an alarming display of backwards thinking and archaic logic.

The pastoral landscapes I loved are gone, replaced by wide roads that twist and meander through new neighborhoods like rivers of black asphalt. The homes all exhibit similar characteristics—features that developers believe are essential to fulfilling the “American Dream.”  They are expansive displays of opulence: multi-car garages, wide driveways, and two-story heights. Multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, and activity rooms are abundant in the floor plans. All homes are single-family in design.

With every planning commission approval of such projects, part of me whimpers, disappointed that opportunity after opportunity is missed to create something new.

Change is needed in this suburban community, which is why I was elated when I heard of Candelas back in 2011. In an undeveloped tract of land on the western edge of Arvada was the location for a master-planned community. Their website touted Candelas as  something different: a community that prided itself on sustainability, walkability, and mixed-use zoning. It was to have several town centers, complete with pedestrian promenades and apartments above shops. Instead of just offering single-family homes, Candelas would offer an array of different housing options and styles, including condominiums, townhomes, and apartments. Open space would be abundant, and trails would connect the town centers to parks and the Rocky Mountains. Offices would be incorporated too, so commutes to and from work would be a quick bike ride or walk.

Candelas was to be the largest building expansion in Arvada’s history. I hoped other Colorado mixed-use projects, like Broomfield’s Arista and Lakewood’s Belmar neighborhoods, would be envious.

In the past, as evident by the continuous approval of new single-family neighborhoods, Arvada and its City Council had been stuck in the mentality that the only way to get people into the city, and to establish a decent tax base, was to build houses. They saw no need to attract businesses or industry through improved connectivity between commercial and residential areas. This emphasis on single-family residential had been a disservice to the community. It promoted unhealthy lifestyle choices, and priced younger buyers and less fortunate ones out of the market.  With the development of Candelas, I thought there would be a transformation. I wanted to believe in Candelas’ slogan: “Life Wide Open.” I yearned for stronger community connections, better health, and more concern for the environment.

So far, Candelas has not met my expectations.

Further delving into the design of the project, it’s evident that it was intended for the automobile and the old way of living. While marketed as mixed-use, a majority of the land is platted for single-family homes; fifteen hundred, to be exact. Floor plans range in size from 2,000 square feet, all the way up to 5,000 square feet.

The developers have even made modifications to the project to convert designated higher density housing into lower density single-family units. They claim nobody wants apartments and condos. Yet, they can’t back up their facts with evidence, unable to cite anything but “the market” driving single-family sales. In just the past few months, several zones with signs designating opportunity for mixed-use, office, and multi-family residential have come down, too, replaced by ones offering land as “pad sites.” Still, the developer reassures the public that there is still plenty of opportunity for a blend of housing options in Candelas, despite their continuous requests for modifications to the master plan.

I’m skeptical.  

The project also relies heavily on a conceptual plan to build a tolled highway that connects the communities surrounding Denver. Proponents of the six-lane Jeffersonian Parkway claim that the highway will reduce sprawl by concentrating building projects alongside it. If the highway isn’t built, the developer has threatened to remove the town center elements of the project and replace them with strip malls. If there’s no visibility from the highway, they say it will be too costly to build such amenities. So far, there have been no discussions on alternative transportation options, like improving the bussing system in the area, or expanding nearby county roads to include bicycle lanes to broaden Candelas’ connectivity with the rest of Arvada and the Denver Metro Area.

I encourage development. Populations grow and evolve; the only constant in the environment is change. What I don’t accept is the idea that the “American Dream” is to have a house with a white picket fence in a quiet neighborhood for your wife and two children, and a large car to drive you to and from work and everywhere in between. That’s no longer relevant. The vision has evolved into something better. It no longer focuses on the quality of one’s possessions; it focuses on experiences. The way we live and the places we live in need to transform with that new dream.  

I have watched in dismay as sprawl consumed the landscapes I cherished growing up. People are starting to listen now. City Council has approved the development of two large apartment complexes, and has passed an ordinance streamlining the litigation process for multifamily construction defect laws. All of this has been done in anticipation of the Gold Line light rail stations coming in 2016. Yet, there is still much to do, and I will continue to advocate for smarter development, and smarter ways of living.  

With my eyes open to the real Candelas, I see that their motto doesn’t align with my vision of smart growth as much as I’d hoped, but that doesn’t mean I will be silent and resign to the status quo. There’s always opportunity to bring forth positive change in the community, and it starts with the citizens. I hope you, dear reader, will join me.