Council District 6 covers southeast Denver, which includes the neighborhoods of Cory-Merrill, Indian Creek, University, University Park, Virginia Village and Washington Park. During redistricting, District 6 lost Rosedale and gained all of Belcaro and a portion of Washington Virginia Vale.
Data Source: Denver Elections Division
Who's running?
Councilmember Paul Kashmann currently represents the district and is running unopposed. He was first elected in 2015 and will be entering his third and final term. This is the second election where he has run unopposed.
Kashmann said he's "blessed" to not have to campaign so he can focus on the work already on his plate.
"This is a great job. It's a profound responsibility and I'll do my best to close out my council career with hopefully some successes," Kashmann said. "We've certainly been working hard the past seven years and I think we've gotten a bunch accomplished."
What's going on in the district?
District 6 is getting some major redevelopments and more opportunity to engage with their local government.
Kashmann said the redevelopment of one of the former Colorado Department of Transportation campuses is nearing completion. That development on S. Holly Street near Evans Avenue will host 62 units for seniors 55 years and older, as well as 198 market-rate townhomes. Kashmann said Kentro Group, the developer working on the project, should be accepting occupants in November.
Kentro Group is also working on the redevelopment of a second CDOT campus on E Arkansas Avenue and S. Birch Street. The 12-acre campus will be a mixed-use development anchored by a 100,000 square feet King Soopers. The development will also have a 1.6 acre park and be home to 151 units of affordable housing for those making 60% of the area median income. For a single person, 60% AMI would be about $50,000.
The King Soopers at this development will eventually replace the grocery store in the Belcaro Shopping Center on S. Colorado Boulevard, a project Kentro Group is also working on. Kentro told BusinessDen they plan to redevelop the entire shopping center to keep some retail components but add housing. Those plans are subject to change.
Maybe the biggest development in the district will be the University Hills-Schlessman YMCA project at E. Yale Avenue and Colorado. The Y has existed at this location for about 70 years and the organization said it's time to revamp the space.
The mixed-use project is in the design stage so everything is subject to change but what will be the anchor to the development is a new and bigger YMCA facility, including a new aquatics center, new spaces for teenagers and seniors, along with better daycare services. The campus may also feature housing, medical offices, a grocer, retail space and park space.
The project would also involve changing some of the infrastructure in that area to better the traffic flow of the huge development. Some of that infrastructure change will also include multi-modal transportation such as more sidewalks and bike lanes.
Again, the project is in the very early stages of development and the organization is still taking public input.
Besides the redevelopment, Kashmann said he'll continue to push engagement in his district via the District 6 Academy and the Community Benefit Fund.
The Academy was originally for leaders of registered neighborhood organizations. It focused on providing residents with tools to learn how to participate in government affairs and how the city operates. Now Kashmann is opening it up to everyone in his district.
The Community Benefit Fund provides RNOs in his district with grant funding. RNOs could apply for up to $2,000 in funding for events or projects that "build community in the neighborhoods." Kashmann said he's hoping more RNOs apply for the program this year.
"Rather than just informing, we're really looking to empower people to participate in their own governance," Kashmann said. "I think it's in our best interest and I think it's the right thing to do our best to bring people into the fold more than we've done in the past."
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