Mike Griffith
Candidate for Arvada City Council – At Large

2025 – Answered the following questions from APA:

Learn more about Mike Griffith at michaelforarvada.com

What is your plan to help the city reach 100% renewable energy use by 2035? What are some other initiatives you would champion to help Arvada become more sustainable?

Griffith: As the lead consultant for Arvada’s first Transportation Systems Plan, I had numerous opportunities to collaborate with the City staff, the Mayor, City Councilmembers and the community on the nearly complete Climate Resilience and Sustainability Action Plan. Achieving 100% renewable energy by 2035 is an ambitious and commendable goal for any city. However, the real test lies in the day-to-day implementation. Below are key steps Arvada needs to take to move closer to this goal:

• Arvada Facilities: Vehicle electrification – currently there are several all-electric vehicles used for parking monitoring in Olde Town and for other staff uses. I would encourage the continued adoption of an electrified vehicle fleet
• Arvada Parks: Landscape maintenance vehicle electrification – this is now a state law for motors under 25 horsepower. I support the continued electrification of our city’s maintenance equipment
• Traffic Synchronization: Improve signal timing for better traffic flow, up to 30% greenhouse gas reductions can be found with this one bullet!
• Better Transit Connectivity: Enhance transportation options and connectivity to the west. Give folks on the West better options to connect to regional transit lines (G-Line)
• Comfort: Ensure that new transportation options are safe, convenient, and cost-effective to encourage adoption among residents
• Composting: I am a big gardener and would love to participate in a Citywide composting program, as long as it is optional!
• Tree Canopy: Urban heat island significantly impacts all front-range cities. Having a robust tree canopy is the best way to offset our massive heating and cooling costs, and it adds to the great places Arvada has to offer. I have loads of data on how trees help reduce carbon emissions, heat, crime, pollution, erosion, runoff, etc. happy to share if someone wants to nerd out on trees with me!

What does the city need to do to address the 24/7 year-round shelter needs of the homeless in Arvada, without putting the burden only on Mission Arvada?

Griffith: The City has faced several setbacks in addressing the pressing issue of housing insecurity. Recently, I participated in the “Homelessness Forum” at the Standley Lake Library, where, with Jefferson County officials, we brainstormed about community messaging, regional partnerships, and funding strategies. I firmly believe in transparency, collaboration, and taking incremental steps toward our goals. Here are the challenges we must address to effectively tackle housing insecurity:

Transparency: We owe it to the communities affected by housing insecurity to be open and upfront about all plans and goals. I advocate for robust outreach and clear communication with community members to prevent them from feeling blindsided or excluded from the process. Good intentions can turn negative in the absence of information.

Partnership: As a member of the City Council, I will support collaboration with neighboring municipalities to address regional homelessness challenges, advocating for pooled resources and shared facilities. Currently, organization across the metro area is lacking, leading to urgent demands for immediate action from communities. Forming appropriate intergovernmental agreements will lead to more sustainable outcomes for everyone, especially those most affected by housing insecurity.

Incremental Approach (Crawl First): We must first prove that the City can manage and sustain an effort effectively. I recommend starting by immediately addressing the cold weather emergency shelter issue, which could be done in collaboration with Mission Arvada or another organization. If we cannot establish and maintain an emergency shelter that meets our current needs, larger initiatives such as a 24/7 shelter may struggle to succeed.

By focusing on these key areas, we can make meaningful progress in addressing housing insecurity in our city.

Walk-ability and bike paths are increasingly popular. What are your ideas to increase the walk-ability of neighborhoods and assist the ease and safety of bicycle riders?

Griffith: I assume this question pertains to alternative transportation rather than recreation. While recreational walking and biking are great, to truly build a more walkable and bikeable Arvada, we need to focus on our transportation network.

Key Factors Affecting the Choice of Active Transportation:

Comfort & Convenience: These are the primary factors influencing active transportation adoptions over vehicular options. Currently, Arvada falls short in both areas for a few reasons:

• Missing Connections: Some locations lack connections to and from activity centers, bike lanes to nowhere.
• Suboptimal Facilities: In certain areas, bike and pedestrian facilities exist but are not designed for maximum comfort. Width and adjacency are both critical, imagine riding on a 5’ foot bikeline right next to cars traveling 45-55mph with no buffer… congratulations, you just experienced several of Arvada’s bike facilities.
• ROW Constraints: Many cross sections do not meet our standard details due to Right of Way (ROW) constraints. Often, the road classification requires more width than is available without acquiring additional private property, which is unpopular. Compromises lead to suboptimal facilities for bikes and peds.

Good news! Recent community and Transportation Plan surveys have revealed significant support for improved bike and ped facilities and more connections.

My Advocacy Plan If Elected to Council:

• Better Facilities: Advocate for enhanced facilities that address comfort issues.
• More Connections: Work towards closing network gaps to improve convenience.

By focusing on these areas, we can make Arvada a leader in safe and fun active transportation.

How will you promote fair and equitable treatment of diverse and marginalized communities in terms of fair policing, economic advantages, and employment?

Griffith: As the Chair of the Arvada Planning Commission, I have attended several meetings where it was evident that some members of the public were experiencing City Hall and formal public meetings for the first time. I have always made it a priority to meet with anyone interested in understanding how our city government functions and how they can effectively voice their opinions in public meetings.

In Council meetings, this would include spending time with community members before/after the meeting, offering to meet for coffee, or attending grassroots efforts and community meetings. Essentially, I strive to make myself available, transparent and accountable as an elected official to demystify the role City Councilors play in local government and to encourage public participation in the process from all community members. I will always be aware of and demand the City of Arvada continue to work towards making sure our community is welcoming to all who seek to live, work, learn and play here. I will be vigilant with respect to the fair and equitable treatment of diverse and marginalized communities, support fair policing, look for ways to improve economic advantages for marginalized communities, and for employers including the City of Arvada to further diversify their teams and employees. Arvada is for everyone!

What is your opinion about citizen-initiated resolutions presented to the council for adoption?

Griffith: It is fantastic when community members formally present thoughtful resolutions to Council for adoption. I often hear compelling testimonies during public comment that could easily be transformed into citizen-initiated resolutions for Council consideration. I encourage more active participation from community members who have suggestions on resolutions. Additionally, I believe there is an opportunity for the Council to provide clarification on what resolutions entail and how they impact future decisions.

What should be done about short-term/vacation rentals in Arvada?

Griffith: Great question! Back in 2017, I recall a robust discussion around short-term rentals (STRs). Arvada was in a unique position as one of the only metro area cities that did not have a formal policy in place, and we were in the process of rewriting our Land Development Code (LDC). STR requirements are now included in the LDC.

At that time, I advocated for restricting STRs to “primary residence” only. This means you could use your personal property for an STR, but it had to be your primary residence, defined as where you live for at least six months and one day out of the year. This approach would address several challenges:

• Residents Only: Only Arvada residents would be able to operate an STR.
• Property Rights: Homeowners would be allowed to rent out part or all of their homes as STRs, provided they live at the same address for six months and one day each year.
• Limit STRs: Each property owner could have only one STR.
• Code Enforcement: Enforcement would deal directly with the property owner/resident.
• Housing Market: More properties would be available for long-term rentals, helping stabilize the housing market.

When I am on Council, I will continue to advocate for the above STR solutions. I believe I could work effectively with our current Council to address community concerns during future LDC updates. I recently spoke about this issue during a City Council meeting in public comment after the drive-by shooting in the Highland Place neighborhood.

What would you do to improve the physical and mental health of Arvada residents?

Griffith: Arvada has an amazing parks system and a growing network of trails, with a diverse range of recreational amenities across rural, urban, and suburban areas. To improve the mental and physical health of our residents, future investments must focus on balancing affordability with infrastructure development.

Arvada is close to becoming a “bedroom community,” where most residents work elsewhere and most workers live elsewhere. This creates instability in our tax revenue, wears on our infrastructure, and affects the mental well-being of those forced to commute in and out of the city daily. With roughly 125,000 residents, Arvada only has water resources for an additional 18,000 to 20,000 people. Presently, many of those working in Arvada cannot afford to buy a home here. To address this, we must attract higher-paying jobs and increase affordable housing availability.

Improving traffic and road conditions is crucial, as peak AM/PM traffic is largely from commuters who would prefer to live and work in the same city. To enhance mental and physical health, we should invest in a broader range of housing options for service industry jobs, teachers, and first responders while also attracting high-paying tech sector jobs to the city. With limited space for new homes, prioritizing affordability and access to transit can help balance our infrastructure needs with our health goals.

Neighborhood schools strengthen communities. How would you work with Jeffco School District to ensure equitable access to neighborhood K-12 schools, preschools, and other educational opportunities in all areas of the city?

Griffith: I agree that neighborhood schools strengthen our communities, and I am concerned about the number of Jefferson County Schools closing due to declining enrollment. While the Arvada City Council has no formal role in relation to management or oversight of Jeffco Schools, I am very supportive of the open and collaborative relationship the City of Arvada enjoys with Jeffco Public Schools and am interested in exploring how City Councilors can support better learning outcomes and equitable access to education within the city limits

One area of interest that could be a good starting point is coordinating bus stop locations with our city transportation team. An Arvada community member recently brought to my attention an issue with a Jeffco Public Schools bus pick-up location. Through my research I learned that the City of Arvada’s traffic team considered the pick-up and drop-off spot less than ideal from a safety perspective. While the City cannot dictate to the school district where school buses pick up and drop off, I believe we should advocate for better coordination between agencies, particularly when the safety of our children is at stake.

The recent announcement of numerous new business enterprises (Quantum Commons, Electra Steel, an aerospace industry, a massive AI data center at NREL Flatirons campus, etc.) will cause an influx of population and traffic. What specific steps should the City of Arvada take to update policies to meet the rental and ownership housing needs (both affordable and market driven), transportation, and infrastructure needs of west Arvada/Jeffco’s current and future workforce?

Griffith: Arvada is destined to change and grow, just like any other city. The key is to ensure that community feedback remains a core tenet throughout our development journey. The final iterations of the

projects mentioned above are far from settled, and the precise impact on our housing market and transportation infrastructure is uncertain. What is clear today is that the current housing market is out of reach for many of those working in Arvada, and our core transportation infrastructure citywide is generally rated at a D or worse. This presents a significant opportunity to address our current challenges, as many people want to do business, conduct research, and invest in Arvada. As a city, we need to be proactive and make tough, data-driven decisions to tackle these challenges universally.

Specific steps I would advocate for as one of seven council members include:

Encouraging Community Participation in Comprehensive Planning:

• The planning department anticipates a December 2025 kickoff.
• The Comprehensive Plan update is the single biggest opportunity to address citywide policy needs.

Supporting Our Housing Committee:

• Ensure that their hard work and research can inform future policy decisions.

Compatibility and Community Outreach:

• Spend time with community members to understand their concerns and vision for Arvada’s future.
• Compatibility is critical in planning to maintain the charm that attracts people to Arvada.
• Engage neighbors from the beginning of the decision-making process.

Promoting Smaller Footprint Homes:

• Support a sliding tap fee (smaller home, lower tap fee).
• Identify incentives for building affordable housing throughout Arvada without burdening one neighborhood.
• Prioritize affordable housing near transit.
• Expedite the review process when appropriate.
• Monitor downstream cost burdens that impact affordability.

By focusing on these areas, we can ensure that Arvada grows and develops in a way that addresses the needs of our community while maintaining its unique appeal.

Parking is an issue in Olde Town, there is ample parking in the RTD garage, how can the city make parking in the garage more attractive and useful? What is your position on parking fees for the close in lots and spaces in Olde Town?

Griffith: Parking in Olde Town has become a bizarre issue for our city, we need more – but we have plenty. On one hand, Olde Town is a popular destination, generating 9-10% of our sales tax revenue, so the more visitors, the better! On the other hand, circling for parking can be frustrating, especially for those with disabilities. Currently, the number of ADA (handicap) parking spaces is insufficient for the number of destinations, which is a significant concern.

Since the street closures began in mid-2020, there are fewer parking spaces available, but more pedestrian-friendly experiences have driven increased interest in visiting Olde Town. The City has implemented parking time limits and enforces them (I received a ticket recently for exceeding the 2-hour limit). The City is also discussing whether to implement paid street parking. All these efforts aim to make it easier to visit Olde Town and enjoy its amazing small businesses and amenities.

What is truly frustrating is that we have a nearly empty FREE parking structure built to accommodate Olde Town visitors and G-Line riders. The RTD garage was completed over 10 years ago, yet many people are still unaware that it offers free parking.

My position on parking in Olde Town is that the City first needs to assist the Business Improvement District with messaging and signage that informs people about the free parking in the garage and encourages them to use it for quick access to their favorite amenities. If the garage remains empty and people continue to circle for parking, it may be time to consider implementing paid meters to incentivize turnover.

Street parking is essential to local businesses for various reasons, and high turnover of parking spaces is generally beneficial for business foot traffic. However, it is crucial to strike a balance between what the public wants (more convenient parking) and what business owners need to survive (customers!). If paid parking meters deter people from visiting Olde Town, causing businesses to lose customers, that would be problematic. At this time, I believe paid parking for the lots is unnecessary.

Parking Priorities:

1. Ensure Olde Town meets ADA accessibility requirements (handicap spots are currently limited).
2. Utilize the RTD garage with improved signage and customer messaging (e.g., “Did you know there is free parking?”).
3. Increase turnover with stricter enforcement of the 2-hour limit. o If this fails and the garage remains vacant, consider metered street parking.
4. Monitor parking utilization during peak periods and adjust the parking program as needed.