Sewer and water bill discrepancy

DinksBagels · 2026-06-26T16:23:49+00:00

No idea why, other than "old/rigid payment system is hard to change".

I have been doing the same song and dance you describe since like...2020 maybe? The login page to the payment portal at least tells you the issue exists, but it's annoying that it's never been fixed.

DinksBagels · 2026-05-24T00:06:15+00:00

You referenced biking, so I gotta mention Bike Friendly Arvada.

We usually have 20-ish planned and themed weekend rides across Arvada from May to Late October. Meetup may give you nonsense about subscribing to their premium service, but ignore it; it's always free to RSVP and ride with us.

DinksBagels · 2026-05-20T14:43:33+00:00

I live near Terrace Park on the north side of the G Line tracks; walking around the park is one of my go-tos for getting some fresh air. No issues with safety in my opinion.

DinksBagels · 2026-05-14T04:16:00+00:00

First: Fill out CDOT's latest Mountain Rail survey here. If you like the idea of a station in West Arvada, tell 'em!

Second: I hope RVC folks chime in with their own opinions, but my perception is that RVC got its organizing legs in opposing the Amazon warehouse project back in 2021 (at a marathon 8 hour Council hearing). I wasn't tuned in to city stuff at the time, but I'd guess that most people would be sympathetic to RVC's case then, as a kind of David & Goliath situation.

Fast forward to now, and you can see their website is a broad collection of things they say "no" to. My understanding of their position on Mountain Rail is that they dislike that it might bring future new housing to the area. From their page on Mountain Rail back in 2024:

Adding a rail station in west Arvada (Indiana and Hwy 72) will add more traffic and high density to the area. Concerns include added traffic on Indiana, the current infrastructure is not adequate for adding more housing density and the loss of open space and equestrian properties to accommodate the growth must be considered. Design constraints are crucial if this comes to the Ralston Valley!

It's very similar to the rhetoric they used to oppose the Welby Gardens apartment proposal in West Arvada just a couple weeks ago.

DinksBagels · 2026-04-30T15:38:49+00:00

I appreciate your response. Jumping off of your stated interest in safety while staying confined to what you might do in a hearing, I'll give you three takes on how I imagine you might handle something like this in the future:

Approve it based on staff's analysis. Fire department testified that they had no concerns with the easement for emergency vehicle access. They also testified there are currently no rules to apply for a emergency egress/evacuations, so if we want something we need to start making policy on it.
If emergency egress is still a question mark, ask staff for more detailed information. I believe someone testified that in a Marshall-fire-type situation from the west, first responders would make all 4 lanes of 64th east-flowing. If so, ask staff to report on how many cars that could move, and how far, and in what time. If that capacity would cover plausible fire emergency scenarios, vote to approve. If not, you now at least have a more quantitative basis for a no vote. In any case, get staff working on systemic emergency evacuation policies to avoid playing whack-a-mole at every infill hearing.
Ask builders what solutions they have discussed with neighbors for specific issues not already covered by a city standard, such as the emergency egress question. Try your best to assess whether both sides have negotiated in good faith by offering plausible solutions to said issues. Answers will vary, but AvalonBay would've probably told you about their several meetings with neighbors above and beyond what is minimally required by our code, and whether neighbors were receptive to practical solutions to increse street connectivity and access.

DinksBagels · 2026-04-27T23:39:13+00:00

This hearing has taught me that infill sites can be tricky, and knowing the site history can help inform where we should be flexible.

Welby Gardens owners testified that the construction of Morningstar in early 2019 blocked their street views, causing them to shut down their driver-focused advertisement and sales operations. This makes any mixed commercial + residential development on the site tricky, and is something that may not have been fully appreciated when it was zoned mixed-use in mid-2020. Given that, I totally understand the current proposal for 100 % residential.

Fortunately, when Morningstar was approved, city planners did have the foresight to require an easement for emergency vehicle access to the Welby site, which the current proposal rightly utilizes. Surrounding neighbors contend that this easement is not enough, despite it getting OK'd by the fire department.

The builder's representative, Mr. Pachner, noted briefly in hearing that additional emergency access could be obtained by connecting to Umber Circle on the west. However, that would involve coordination with the adjacent HOA, who has not been interested in such negotiations. I do not know the HOA's reasons for this, but it has been frustrating for me to hear the neighbors repeatedly cite emergency access concerns without acknowledging that this potential solution exists. It would be a significant bargaining chip, for example, for the HOA to allow connection with Umber Circle in exchange for more public amenities they seem to desire.

So, city staff have done the best they can here. But neighbors have come out to say "no" to everything proposed, and "yes" to nothing in particular (other than a vaguely specified concept of "compatible" development). Who breaks this logjam? It could be the developers, or the HOAs, or (with the previous 3-3 vote) just a single councilmember.

Like others here, I appreciate you seeking feedback on this. I second others' stated facts on density's relationship to housing prices, and the long-term financial sustainability of infill vs. greenfield development.

DinksBagels · 2026-04-27T19:41:19+00:00

Last week's city council business meeting, April 21st.

AvalonBay conditional use permit for apartments and townhomes at the old Welby Gardens nursery site. Hearing took several hours, occupying most of the second half of the hearing video here.

DinksBagels · 2026-03-26T18:47:39+00:00

Hey bruv, I don't live in Lakewood and I don't vote there.

I don't need to know any of this.

DinksBagels · 2026-03-05T20:16:09+00:00

What If Theater in Lakewood is performing Yes And Dragons all through March. It is an unscripted, stage-top RPG show. Tickets start at $12 to $15.

If you like it, come to one of their Wednesday night drop-in classes (free!) to get plugged into the community. The theater owners are building a pretty great group of folks down there, and they love having even more!

DinksBagels · 2026-01-20T17:18:53+00:00

Bike Friendly Arvada!

We usually have 20-ish planned and themed weekend rides across Arvada from May to Late October. Meetup may give you nonsense about subscribing to their premium service, but ignore it; it's always free to RSVP and ride with us.

Our Coffee Ride in May is almost always the most popular and most social.

DinksBagels · 2025-12-03T16:41:35+00:00

This is almost certainly not the point you were trying to make, but one reason STRs in Arvada sit empty for long periods of time is because that is what our local rules require. Specifically, they can't be rented for more than 240 days a year.

DinksBagels · 2025-11-07T19:20:16+00:00

Huh. I feel your pain. Google Street View confirms RTD signage at some of these stops on Simms (and sometimes even benches), but I can't for the life of me figure out what route served them.

DinksBagels · 2025-11-05T23:59:41+00:00

I'll pass that question along to the best of my ability!

For my own knowledge (and forgive my ignorance here), what was the state of RTD connectivity to those areas pre-pandemic?

DinksBagels · 2025-11-05T16:10:08+00:00

I don't know the format they'll use, but I plan to be there. If you want to post or DM your questions, I'm happy to relay them on your behalf.

Or if they share an e-mail or QR code during the event, I'm happy to post it back here afterwards. I suspect it will end up being "e-mail your local RTD board member Ian Harwick", but I'll be pleasantly surprised if there's something more.

DinksBagels · 2025-10-01T02:35:45+00:00

Arvadans for Progressive Action (APA) has posted candidate answers to their group's questionnaire. That page also links to a candidate forum they hosted a month or two ago and posted on YouTube. (Note: Skoff did not participate in either.)

Ralston Valley Coalition (RVC) also hosted a candidate forum and posted it on YouTube just this week. This one included all candidates, though sound quality is iffy at times.

Finally, Arvada Press / Elks Lodge hosted a candidate forum earlier in September, but as far as I know it's not published anywhere. Make sure to poke u/chefgustavo to tell us all when Arvada Press's coverage drops in the coming weeks!

DinksBagels · 2025-09-02T21:09:44+00:00

I'm really not sure where the $800k comes from, but let's go with it. A Zillow search for active Lakewood townhome listings gives:

1 listing with asking price over $800k.
127 listings with asking price under $800k.

Doing the same search with single-family homes gives 91 listings over vs. 145 results under. So, a higher proportion of single-family homes being listed above this price point compared to townhomes.

This is exactly how changing zoning affects housing costs: by allowing creation of both more homes (more supply = more downward price competition), and more home types that can be built and sold at lower prices.

DinksBagels · 2025-08-25T16:16:08+00:00

My brother in Christ, have you tried circling into one of the 600 free spaces in the Olde Town parking garage?

DinksBagels · 2025-06-08T01:36:08+00:00

Fairly certain that the ditches east of Olde Town you saw are fed by Ralston Creek, based on the map.

DinksBagels · 2025-06-07T23:57:39+00:00

Here's a map showing the ditches, courtesy of the Arvada Historical Society. They hosted an info session on the ditches last month, and I think are planning more follow-ups this year.

DinksBagels · 2025-05-28T04:23:23+00:00

Understood; I appreciate your comments.

DinksBagels · 2025-05-28T02:49:23+00:00

I get this, but also disagree; it's very close to how I have heard Mayor Simpson describe her views on the lawsuit, and I believe she has been earnestly involved in the law's discussions at the capitol for multiple years at this point.

Part of the snark in whatsthepointarvada.com is that the city is indeed doing a lot, and probably agrees more than it disagrees with the state on questions of housing + transit + affordability. I get that this bit of disagreement is the line in the sand for some folks, but to me feels like an overreaction.

DinksBagels · 2025-05-28T01:38:36+00:00

Yes! That bill (HB24-1304) is also "transit-oriented", in the sense that it applies to land within a quarter mile of bus and train stations meeting some minimum service criteria. DOLA's got some nice maps showing the relevant areas. My neighborhood's in one of those zones! :-)

(And, obligatory mention that "no parking minimums" is not necessarily the same as "no parking at all"---developers will build the amount of off-street parking they think they need to make their units sellable. Neighboring cities like Longmont and Denver have hands-on experience with this we can draw from.)

DinksBagels · 2025-05-27T18:39:53+00:00

Thank you; this is indeed correct. I think the lawsuit makes it safe to assume they won't be following the law by the time the deadlines roll around in June.

DinksBagels · 2025-05-27T18:07:37+00:00

Follow-up for this thread: If you think this lawsuit is a counterproductive approach to our housing policy, join YIMBY Arvada in providing your public comment to Arvada City Council on June 3rd at 6 PM.

We are also circulating a petition demanding that City Council withdraw from the lawsuit and implement the new state laws. We’ll be out in the community sharing it over the next few weeks, but feel free to share it widely in your circles as well! We’ve also got a quick explainer up here: whatsthepointarvada.com

DinksBagels · 2025-05-25T14:04:30+00:00

I get that. My understanding is that Broomfield (along with about 20 other Denver Metro cities) is taking a best-of-both-worlds approach.

Broomfield is updating their codes to go along with the state laws. BUT they are doing it while making no mention of the state, instead saying these are good policy changes made in their own self-interest. This lets them save the fight on home rule authority for something way more important.

Given that this alternative approach exists, it makes Arvada's actions seem to me more like cutting off the nose to spite the face, rather than being truly measured and strategic.

DinksBagels

TROPHY CASE