DENVER — In the Globeville and Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods, it's not hard to find people full of passion and pride for their communities – for Alfonso Espino, that passion at one point started with anger.
"Growing up here, at a certain point you start to realize that the conditions that you’re subjected to live under are not normal circumstances," he said. The list of those conditions is a long one, "the environment, the pollution, the degradation, the disinvestment, the underdevelopment, the crime, the health hazards, the lack of access to healthcare...they’re not conditions fit for a dignified life," said Espino.
Once Espino was no longer angry at the living conditions he and his neighbors are subjected to, he began organizing and advocating for the neighborhood.
As a member of the Globeville Elyria-Swansea Coalition, he and others in the community are now asking the city of Denver for land proposed for a new arena near the National Western Complex to be handed to the community.
"The conversation about reparations is exactly that and we get to decide what that looks like," said Espino. "If it’s possible to take that land from our community, it’s very well possible to get it back.
Espino said there are more pressing issues facing people in the GES neighborhoods that need to be addressed, with housing and health issues being at the top of the list. "...and they’re gonna sell you a new arena? I’m sure people are smart enough to decide on their own what to do."
The decision is now in the hands of voters in November.
He believes new developments, such as the I-70 and National Western projects contribute to the displacement of families in the neighborhood. "There are plenty of people in the neighborhood that probably love the prices going up, we don’t represent those people, but the people that we do, happens to be most of them...there’s a debt owed to communities like ours and across the city, across the nation," said Espino.
During an interview with 9NEWS, CEO of the National Western Center Authority, Brad Buchanan, said they are committed to helping the Globeville and Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods thrive. "At the core of the mission is about creating this neighborhood place, creating a place that’s about healthy food access, and food equity and supporting the community," Buchanan said.
The City of Denver said they expect the project to bring more jobs to the adjacent neighborhoods. In a statement to 9NEWS, they said in part " Nearly 3,400 of the projected 7,500 jobs that will be created through this bond package will be created through the proposed arena and 1909 Building projects."
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A spokesperson for the city said the National Western project has already created more than 1,200 jobs. There are 19 contracts through the program, but said a pilot workforce through Horizontal Integrated reported in 2019 and 2020 they had 102 new hires from target zip codes, that include Globeville and Elyria-Swansea. Those zip codes include: 80216, 80205, 80239, 80204, 80219, and 80223.
Despite the uphill battle, Espino said the last thing he feels is ignored by the city. "They can try to delegitimize our concerns as much as they can, but they can’t ignore us."
Full statement from City of Denver:
The rationale for this bond package is to stimulate the economy, create jobs and careers, and support local businesses for years to come. That includes expanding opportunities and equity in the neighborhoods around the National Western complex, which the Mayor is committed to seeing happen. Nearly 3,400 of the projected 7,500 jobs that will be created through this bond package will be created through the proposed arena and 1909 Building projects. The events and businesses after construction is complete will support additional jobs there and in the neighborhoods on top of that. Any significant amount of funds and resources for meaningful local community investment will need a sustainable revenue source, and the arena and 1909 Building package provides just that.
Full statement from National Western Center Authority:
The National Western Center Authority and the City and County of Denver share the GES Coalition’s commitment to codifying robust community benefits as part of this redevelopment project. Together with community groups and representatives — including among others the GES Coalition — we are looking at a variety of ways to identify and implement community benefits above and beyond a required Community Investment Fund whose proceeds will go to the neighborhood. Residents of GES were at the table for the creation of the vision of the National Western Center, and continue to be at the table in a variety of ways. We are listening, and we are actively working together to find the best paths forward.
We agree that further coordination with the community is needed as land development plans become established. In 2021, due to the economic impacts of COVID-19, the Triangle P3 procurement was halted. The Triangle project included robust community outreach, a range of public and private investments with requirements for jobs, affordable housing, open space, mobility, financial investments in GES, and a community benefits agreement that would have been negotiated between the community and the developer. While 2020-2021 had been quiet due to the pandemic and the cancellation of the P3, meetings with and by the community about these topics have escalated recently.
First steps are already underway. A community-based committee is codifying community goals and priority areas, and will accept Community Investment Fund proceeds. Next steps will include a land development process for the Triangle that balances community goals and commitments with land use and economic development needs.
The rationale for this bond package is to stimulate the economy, create jobs and careers, and support local businesses for years to come, and the Arena and 1909 Stadium Building account for nearly half of that economic stimulus. They will bring immediate jobs and economic opportunities to GES and the broader Denver community. The Arena and 1909 Stadium Building are expected to create almost 3,500 jobs during their construction, generating more than $184 million in wages for workers and sustaining hundreds more jobs, from venue managers to maintenance personnel, once they are complete.
These projects will have a lasting economic impact on the entire city, region and state. The arena will support a wide variety of events, from live music to food festivals and the annual National Western Stock Show event. Additionally, the creation of these two buildings is expected to generate the greatest source of funding for the \Community Investment Fund.
The GES Coalition is one of many groups providing vital input on this process and we are committed to continuing engagement with them as well as many other groups and individuals moving forward.
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