“Think globally, act locally.” This phrase encourages individuals who care for global issues to first make a change in their communities. As Regis students, our community involves not only our campus but the wider Berkeley-Regis neighborhood. The Registered Neighborhood Organization (RNO) of the Berkeley-Regis neighborhood is the Berkeley Regis United Neighbors or BRUN. On Tuesday, March 21, twenty community residents gathered at Holy Family Church for the monthly Berkeley Regis United Neighbors (BRUN) meeting.
The meeting opened with a message from the office of City Councilman Rafael Espinoza, our District 1 representative. Currently, the Denver City Council is considering a measure that would allow for extended hours for marijuana dispensaries. Espinoza’s representative encouraged all neighborhood members to take a 4 question survey to express whether they would like dispensaries to retain their 7:00 p.m. closing time, or extend their hours to 10:00 p.m., or remain open until midnight. The survey is accessible via a community e-newsletter, or on Rafael Espinosa’s Facebook page.
Some residents expressed concern over extending business hours for marijuana dispensaries, as it could affect parking in the area as well as noise levels later into the night. Additionally, residents pointed out that the neighborhood isn’t directly impacted by revenues. However, others for extending hours believed dispensaries should be treated in the same way as liquor stores, and the extended hours would benefit the dispensaries’ business.
The BRUN board members also raised the issue of businesses seeking liquor licenses to serve alcohol in the neighborhood. Currently, when a business applies for a liquor license, BRUN is notified and offers the proprietor the chance to sign a Good Neighbor Agreement. The purpose of the agreement is to ensure businesses respect the community and its expectations. The four conditions expressed in the community agreement are establishment closing time, patio closing time, trash expectations and dumping times, and noise level. If the proprietor chooses to sign the community agreement, BRUN will offer support at the liquor license hearings, while if they do not, BRUN will voice their concerns and opposition at the hearings.
Other announcements included the formation of a new group, Historic Berkeley Regis, which is a group of residents interested in studying the history of the neighborhood’s architecture. The annual Easter egg hunt was announced for Saturday, April 15th at 10:00 am. at Berkeley Lake Park, just east of Smiley Library on 46th and Tennyson.
BRUN holds meetings every 3rd Tuesday of the month. The next meeting is April 18th at 6:00pm at Holy Family Church (4377 Utica St.).
If you’d like more information on BRUN visit: http://www.berkeleyregisneighbors.org/
If you’d like to contact District 1 Councilman Rafael Espinosa, he can be reached at
Maggie Lacy Staff Reporter