BUCKLEY ANNEX Q&As

Planning Process/General Questions Housing/Density Traffic Homeless Housing Retail

How is the Buckley Annex redevelopment process different from the Lowry Air Force Base redevelopment process?

The Lowry Redevelopment Authority (LRA) is a non-profit, quasi-public organization established by the Cities of Denver and Aurora to redevelop the former Lowry Air Force Base using the Lowry Community Reuse Plan. When Lowry Air Force Based closed in 1994, the LRA purchased most of the property from the Air Force at an appraised price. The LRA then, acting as the master developer, financed horizontal improvements (building demolition, new roads, utilities, etc.) and sold property to private developers for residential and commercial construction. Other property was conveyed at little or no cost by the Air Force to nonprofit organizations and homeless housing providers through a Public Benefit Conveyance. In recent years, however, the Defense Department policy has changed. They now prefer to sell property directly to private developers through a public sale such as an auction. This will be the case for the Buckley Annex. The Air Force has designated the LRA as the local planning agent, but the Air Force will sell the Buckley Annex property to a private company or companies for development.

Why is the Lowry Redevelopment Authority involved?

Federal base closure regulations require that a local redevelopment authority create a redevelopment plan for closed facilities before property is transferred for development. This provides one local point of contact for the Department of Defense as well as efficient property transfer and community consensus for development plans. The Air Force through the Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) designated the LRA to manage the public process for the redevelopment plan and ultimately deliver a plan that balances the needs of the community, the Air Force and future developers. Federal base closure regulations state that the proposed plan is “consistent with the highest and best use of the property.”

Please describe the Buckley Annex planning process.

The LRA has been tasked by the Air Force to manage the public process for Buckley Annex. The LRA will not be the developer of the property. Last year, the LRA administered the federal public benefit conveyance process, which can make surplus federal property available to qualifying nonprofit organizations and homeless assistance providers. The LRA received two Notices of Interest (NOI’s) from organizations. One was from a consortium of 12 homeless providers, and the other from the Denver Public Library requesting two acres of additional parking. In the summer of 2006, the LRA, with the help and recommendations of area representatives including Councilwoman Marcia Johnson, formed four community task forces for the Buckley Annex public process. The four Task Forces are Market Research/Economic Development, Housing, Transportation and Planning. All neighborhoods surrounding Buckley Annex have representation on the Task Forces. Through a series of meetings over the past several months, the task forces met on different parts of the reuse plan. The task forces have been working with the LRA staff and consultants to gather input, consider various approaches and generate specific development strategies. Agendas and meeting summaries for all these meetings are available at www.lowry.org/buckleyannex. The public is welcome to attend and participate in all task force meetings. The next meeting is set for September 6.

The goal of the public process is to create a redevelopment plan that the community supports, but that also, by law, creates optimal value for the Air Force. The Department of Defense Base Redevelopment and Realignment Manual, which outlines the legal process on how to reuse or redevelop bases, officially states that the proposed use is “consistent with the highest and best use of the property.” The City of Denver will maintain authority over development approvals, zoning and incorporation into the city's comprehensive plan. Once the Air Force and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development accept the final redevelopment plan, the Air Force will convey the property to another developer through a public sale process. The proceeds of the sale will go to the Air Force. Neither the LRA nor consultant team will receive any proceeds from the sale of the property.

Who is the consultant team and how are they compensated?

Through a competitive RFP process, the LRA hired several consultant firms to assist with the Buckley Annex process.
• Design Workshop provides urban planning services. The firm is not new to Lowry, having worked on several projects in the area, including the planning and design of the Lowry West and EastPark neighborhoods, the Lowry Reading Garden, Crescent Park, West Park, East Park, Roslyn Park and Powerhouse Plaza.
• URS Corp., an international firm, provides engineering services.
• Economic & Planning Systems (EPS) researched the market and economic impact analysis.
• The Osprey Group will facilitate the public involvement throughout the planning process.
The LRA requested funds and received a grant from OEA to pay the consultants and the LRA to create the Buckley Annex Redevelopment Plan. Neither the LRA nor the consultant teams will receive any proceeds from the sale of the Buckley Annex property.

How does the Department of Defense define “highest and best use?”

According to the Department of Defense Base Redevelopment and Realignment Manual, “ ‘highest and best use’ means the most likely use to which a property can be put, which will produce the highest monetary return from the property, promote its maximum value, or serve a public or institutional purpose. The highest and best use determination must be based on the property’s economic potential, qualitative values (social and environmental) inherent in the property itself, and other utilization factors controlling or directly affecting land use (e.g., zoning, physical characteristics, private and public uses in the vicinity, neighboring improvements, utility services, access, roads, location, and environmental and historical considerations). Projected highest and best use should not be remote, speculative, or conjectural.” (41 CFR Part 102-71.20)

What assurance does the community have that the Air Force or subsequent developers will adhere to the redevelopment plan?

The Department of Defense guidelines state that the sale of the property to a developer is contingent on implementation of the local redevelopment plan. The goal of the Buckley Annex planning process is to create a redevelopment plan that balances the needs of the community, the Air Force and the future developer. Property that has a strong redevelopment plan in place, backed by broad community and political support, is more valuable to both the property owner and to subsequent buyers who want to minimize risk and development delays. In addition, the LRA and its consultants are investigating entitlement strategies and development agreements as a way to provide community assurance as well as some measure of flexibility for private developers to enhance our plans or adjust to changing market conditions.

Will the plan that the Lowry Redevelopment Authority submits to the Air Force be exactly what will be developed?

Not necessarily. The goal of the Buckley Annex planning process is to create a redevelopment plan that balances the needs of the community, the Air Force and the future developer. The plan will be a representation of that balance. In regards to retail, commercial and housing, the submitted plan will give the developer choices and ranges for what will actually be built. However, when the LRA submits the plan to the Air Force, there will be several agreement provisions that the developer must adhere to. These mandates would include, among others, parking for the Schlessman Family Library, provisions for homeless housing, height restrictions, set backs along Monaco and requirements of open space.

Why are the Lowry Design Guidelines not applied in this project?

The LRA was created in 1994 to be the local redevelopment authority for the Lowry Air Force base. At that time, the Buckley Annex was still home to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) and was not included in the Lowry Community Reuse Plan. Therefore, Buckley Annex plans do not go through the Lowry Design review process. Buckley Annex was also not annexed into the Lowry Community Master Association (LCMA) and therefore not subject to those conditions, covenants and restrictions. However, through the public process, the Task Forces, community members and the LRA have voiced that the Buckley Annex should complement the surrounding Lowry neighborhood.

Were the neighborhood areas informed of this process?

Yes. The Buckley Annex Task Forces have 45 members. The LRA, with the help and recommendations from elected officials and area representatives including Councilwoman Marcia Johnson, formed the community task forces. All surrounding neighborhoods have representation on the Task Forces, including Crestmoor, Crestmoor Downs, Park Heights, Mayfair Park, George Washington and Lowry West Neighborhood.

How has information for this process been publicized or advertised?

Information about the Buckley Annex process has been advertised through www.lowry.org, the LRA’s website; www.LowryLink.com, the Lowry community website; and through Re:Developments, Lowry’s community monthly newsletter. Buckley Annex updates have also been shared at community meetings of the LCMA, the Lowry Community Advisory Committee (CAC) and the Lowry Board of Directions.

How can I learn more about Buckley Annex?

Background information, the public planning process, redevelopment draft plans and all meeting agendas and summaries can be found on www.lowry.org/buckleyannex. Buckley Annex meetings and updates are also posted on www.LowryLink.com. To receive Buckley Annex email updates, submit your contact information to info@lowry.org.

What is the vision of the Buckley Annex plan?

Together, the four task forces came up with the following vision for the Buckley Annex Redevelopment Plan: We must investigate plan alternatives for the Buckley Annex that are marked by choices, offering jobs, diverse housing, a hierarchy of public spaces and civic destinations that appropriately balances the needs and wants of many interest groups and delivers quality and value and a clear path to implementation.

Will there be a new parking lot for the Schlessman Family Library at the Buckley Annex?

Yes. The Department of Defense makes military property available to communities for many public purposes. Nonprofit organizations can acquire property through a process called a Public Benefit Conveyance. The City of Denver submitted a Notice of Interest in a Public Benefit Conveyance for two acres of land near 1st Ave. and Quebec St. for a parking lot to support the Schlessman Family Library. Federal statute and regulations place the responsibility for implementing the Public Benefit Conveyance process with the local redevelopment authority. The request itself has been evaluated by the Buckley Annex Task Forces as part of the redevelopment planning process. The LRA will include a development provision with the development plan that a shared parking lot be mandated for the development.

Has Denver Public Schools been involved in the planning process? Will there be a school built on Buckley Annex?

We have been in contact with the Denver Public Schools (DPS). At this time, the DPS has no plans for a new school in the Lowry area. However, the planning process will continue to include DPS. As the plan evolves with more specific residential unit totals, types and a timeline for residential occupation, DPS will conduct analysis of the impact of new residential development on schools in accordance with its standard projection procedures.

When will development occur at Buckley Annex?

Development could start as early as next fall (if development is phased) or it could be several years before a developer starts any work at Buckley Annex. The Department of Defense aims for closures to occur within three years, though federal law allows for up to six years. The Buckley Annex redevelopment will most likely be developed in two or three phases.