What neighbors told me on my second week of door knocking
I've knocked on 150 doors and learned a lot!
I’m going door-to-door every weekend with my family to make sure everyone knows there’s an election on May 6 for the board of directors. This weekend, I hit the 100 house mark and learned a lot from neighbors who have been in Pleasant View for generations, neighbors who just moved in, and everyone in between.
Development is changing Pleasant View, and people have a lot of feelings about that
Unsurprisingly, there were a lot of opinions about new development in Pleasant View. Many neighbors acknowledged you can’t stop change and that some of it is good, but were concerned about new development of any size in Pleasant View. When I asked specifically what was concerning, I heard:
Traffic: It’s already very difficult to turn left out of the neighborhoods north of South Golden Road. There used to be traffic lights, now there are traffic circles, and some neighbors are worried how much more difficult it will be to get out when all the new apartment buildings behind King Soopers are built.
Water: In one neighbor’s experience, Consolidated Mutual (our water company) didn’t provide a lot of information to support their statements for what the water district can support. They wanted to know what data or studies, if any, went into figuring out how much demand the water district can support.
Fire Department: Many neighbors asked how the fire department was planning to accommodate all the new residents that come with new apartment buildings, duplexes, and townhouses.
Like my neighbors said, you can’t stop change. The quiet, rural feeling of Pleasant View is part of what I love about living here. But the common thread I see through all of this concern about development is that there isn’t enough information for the public.
Planning and zoning is the county’s responsibility, but neighbors want to know that Pleasant View is advocating for its residents with the county and providing information - even if it doesn’t change the outcome.
People are excited about the prospect of more community engagement
I got to meet several folks who had served on the board previously, or whose family members had. Besides those people, most neighbors were confused by the difference between the county, the metro district, the water district, and the City of Golden.
Since you’re reading this newsletter, you may already know. But in case you don’t, here’s a quick breakdown!
City of Golden: The eastern boundary of the City of Golden is Ulysses Street. Everything east of that until (very roughly) Colorado Mills is Pleasant View.
Pleasant View: Not a city so we don’t have a city council like Golden does. We do have a metropolitan district, which is where our property taxes go. The metro district manages the parks and fire department. The district has employees but is ultimately governed by a board of directors. (This is the board election on May 6 that I’m running for.)
Jefferson County: Manages planning, zoning, permitting, open space like South Table Mountain, and roads (plus many other things obviously).
Pleasant View Water District manages our sewer and Consolidated Mutual Water Company manages our water.
Every neighbor I talked to this weekend was excited about the prospect of getting more information about how all these districts work together, or what work they are doing in Pleasant View.
I’m so grateful for the people of Pleasant View!
The best part about going door-to-door continues to be meeting so many neighbors. I got to sit on porches and learn from people who have lived in Pleasant View for generations. I gave some chin scratches to Timber the cat; learned about flying kites on windy days in Camp George; and fortunately did not wake up any napping babies with my door knocking (as a parent this is one of my greatest fears).
Thank you to everyone who answered their door and sent emails to tell me what you care about in our great community. I can’t wait to meet more of you as I try to get to as many places as possible by election day!
Vote for me on May 6! Reach out with questions, comments, or concerns.
You can vote in person from 7 am - 7 pm on May 6 at the fire station (955 Moss Street). If you would like to learn how to vote by mail, I can help you fill out the request form.
Reach me at:
lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com
720-675-8093 (call or text)