Join the Movement! Together, we can advocate for the removal of Cherry Creek North Neighborhood from the GID Tax.

Donate to Support CCN!

Neighbor Letters

protect Cherry creek north!

Why Your Letter Matters

Every message sent to the board strengthens our collective voice. Decision-makers need to hear directly from the people who will be impacted by the GID — and they need to hear it often.

Whether you write your own letter or use one of the letters below as a template, your outreach shows that Cherry Creek North residents are informed, engaged, and opposed to this unwanted city tax.

How to Use These Letters

  1. Pick a Letter:
    • Use one of our ready-to-send letters.
    • Review our examples from neighbors who have already sent theirs.
    • Copy/Paste into an email and make it your own!
  2. Personalize It:
    • Add your own name, address, and any specific concerns.
    • Share how the GID would affect you — whether it’s the financial strain, the uncertainty of long-term assessments, or the loss of control over how your tax dollars are spent.
  3. Send It:

Resident Letter 1 | Opposing the GID and Demanding Transparency

Subject: Respect the Will of Cherry Creek North Residents

Gentleperson,

This letter is to express complete revulsion to the surreptitious attempt to form a General Improvement District (GID) in Cherry Creek North (CCN).

After watching the City of Denver and developers try and ride roughshod over matters affecting Cherry Creek North for years, the GID cram down is no surprise. Nevertheless, it’s a sad day when the voices of the majority of people affected are ignored and/or misrepresented.

In spite of the GID pushers own stilted survey of CCN residents on the matter, the responding residents rejected the concept of a GID for Cherry Creek North by two-thirds against and only one-quarter in favor. This alone would stop any honest effort to evaluate the desirability of the subject.

You as board members/officers have the audacity to report in the CCNNA newsletter that the “feasibility study has wrapped up”! Do you even know what a feasibility study is? If not, let me give you the most basics. It should assess the practicality of a project by analyzing aspects like market, technical, financial and legal factors. It should determine if resource allocation is justified.

How can you say that a feasibility study has been done when the projects and use of GID funds has not been determined. The feasibility of what projects were “wrapped up”? What amount of money would be needed for the mystical projects? How can feasibility be determined if the GID pushers don’t know what the GID “leadership” supports, or do they and won’t say. Moreover, who the leadership is, what will the priorities be and what it will cost residents affected on an individual household basis? To date the GID pushers can’t or won’t even say how the GID tax will be levied.

If anything remotely resembling a feasibility study was conducted it should be shared in its entirety with the affected parties. You as a board member should be demanding it. If you have seen such a study and its results, why aren’t you sharing it with the community? If you haven’t seen such a study, why are you saying it’s “wrapped up”?

As a Cherry Creek Neighborhood Association board member/officer, the residents of the neighborhood expect and deserve your attention to and honest support of their views and desires. As leaders it is your duty to stand against matters directly opposed by the residents. You directly solicit money in the CCNNA newsletter by claiming membership benefits include “protecting our neighborhood through advocacy in zoning, area planning and a sense of community”. Where is that protection and neighborhood advocacy now?

You say you will not take a stand on the GID issue yet you don’t even ask questions on the behalf of the community. Great work.

It will escape no-one who is watching, that the GID effort likely will take the funds and use them outside of CCN. This is the proverbial “camel’s nose under the tent”. Meaning, once formed the GID taxes will likely be leveraged into a long term bond commitment affecting the broader community.

Denver’s fiscal house is in deep trouble. Picking the pockets of residents under the veil of vague promises of services and value yet to come is not the answer. Residents of CCN already pay the highest residential taxes in the city. Spending changes are needed, not more money grabs by the city leaders.

Fiscal shortcomings of the city at large and pressure from loud voices that represent the vocal minority should not result in people in positions of responsibility, such as yourself, to be cowed.

I suspect this issue will galvanize CCN residents like no other. Listen to the people you represent and stop the GID now!

– Concerned Cherry Creek North Resident

Resident Letter 2 | Why I Oppose the GID

Subject: Stop the GID in Cherry Creek North

Hi Amanda, Jamie, Linda,

I’m writing all of you to express my opposition to the GID being considered for our neighborhood.  I am a resident and homeowner in Cherry Creek North.  My address and contact information are below.  Based on what I know now, I believe this effort should be curtailed and no more money and time should be spent on it.  

Here are my objections.

  1. I received a post card to complete the survey and did submit my responses.  The survey questions certainly indicated to me that considering a GID was a solution in need of a problem.  It was not and is not clear to me what the City of Denver is not providing what the neighborhood really wants or needs, e.g., we already have security and lighting seems to be a trivial issue.  I saw nothing in the materials available that would warrant this effort.  Safety should very much be a City function.  
  2. The survey results, as expressed in the StoptheGIDinCCN website, do not indicate sufficient support to proceed with this.  Why push this through without the express support of the neighborhood residents?
  3. The additional property taxes would certainly not be welcome given the very large increase in those taxes that were implemented recently.  Any other mechanism for funding would be equally unwelcome.
  4. The management and budget of a GID has not been made clear.  What would we be buying and how are the management and bylaws to be set up?  This has not been addressed to any extent.  Additionally, what has been spent already on this effort by the Council 5 office?
  5. Are some of the CCNNA board represented on some kind of steering committee.  Is this why the CCNNA will not take a position on this topic?  This certainly wasn’t the case for the absurd new parking regulations.
  6. Why are somewhat divergent neighborhoods being included in this effort?  I would guess the makeup of the other areas to be included represent fundamentally different needs compared to my neighborhood.
  7. Why would apartment/condo dwellers (if they are not owners) have the same vote as a residential homeowner?  It seems to me that only direct property taxpayers should be considered.  Renters certainly have an interest is how their neighborhood works but they can express their feelings to a landlord.  If they vote, the density of those voters could potentially swamp the wishes of less dense, and more common (area-wise) living situations.
  8. While I can’t point to specifics, I have a feeling that there is a lot going on behind the scenes that should be made transparent.

Hopefully, this message will encourage all of you to consider/reconsider your approach and address issues that should be far more important.

– Concerned Cherry Creek North Resident

Resident Letter 3 |

City Must Fulfill Its Responsibilities, Not Shift Them to CCN

Subject: Protect Cherry Creek North from Failing City Management

Hi Amanda, Jamie, Linda,

I would like to express my opposition to the GID being considered for our neighborhood. I am a resident and homeowner in Cherry Creek North.

My opposition is based on everything that I have been able to learn about the proposed GID. My primary concerns are.

A. The city of Denver should not be relieved of any of  its obligations to provide for the safety and welfare of its citizens.  Security and adequate lighting are clearly city responsibilities

B. Control over how the money in the GID is spent is very murky, but appears to be controlled by the city.  It also appears that money could be diverted to projects outside of our neighborhood in the future.

C.  The GID appears to be another attempt to avoid the limits on taxation in TABOR that were passed by the voters.  I am struck by how much and how frequently the city government attempts to avoid the TABOR limits instead of trying to live within the TABOR  limits as the taxpayers directed

I respectfully ask you to discontinue all efforts and spending on this proposed GID, which is clearly opposed by a majority of the taxpayers of Cherry Creek North

Thank you.

– Concerned Cherry Creek North Resident

Resident Letter 4 |

“The GID Is Not Needed and Not Wanted”

Subject: Protect Cherry Creek North from Failing City Management

Hi Amanda, Jamie, Linda,

I have been a resident of Cherry Creek North for 22 years. In that time I have witnessed a number of changes some positive and a number not necessarily good for the residents and property owners of CCN or for the overall character of our community.  This current effort to form a GID however takes the cake.  In my opinion this is a self interest and yes in fact stupid effort to cram something into being that the vast majority of the property owners and residents of the neighborhood have resoundingly said is both not needed and not wanted. The logic frankly defies me and the effort cries out to say what else is behind this effort.

May I remind you that in running for election and in asking for our votes you in fact pledged to do your best to do what is best for the residents and property owners of Cherry Creek. In addition, the city of Denver appears to be in a financial bind that evidently precludes the city, for example, from even properly maintaining many of the parkways and parks that have given our city its character.  I sincerely doubt that the city has funds for continued studies and efforts to implement something that has resoundingly been determined not needed and not wanted.

I deserve and expect a response from you.  If you choose to continue this effort, I shall expect to be able to understand your logic and objectives and to be able to understand what you feel any tangible benefit would be to the property owners, tax payers and residents of Cherry Creek North.

– Concerned Cherry Creek North Resident

Resident Letter 5 |

Why the Proposed GID is Wrong for Cherry Creek North

Subject: The GID Ignores Majority Opposition and Shifts City Costs to Us

Hi Amanda, Jamie, Linda,

A proposal is currently advancing to establish a General Improvement District (GID) that would place an additional, mandatory tax burden on every property owner in Cherry Creek North. While many of us value our neighborhood and want to see thoughtful improvements made, I believe the proposed GID is not the right path forward. I want to share several concerns for your consideration before this proposal proceeds further.

1. Majority Opposition is Being Ignored

In a recent survey funded by Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer’s office, nearly two-thirds (65%) of respondents said they are not interested in forming a GID. Despite this clear majority opposition, the proposal continues to move forward toward the formal electoral process. This disregards the democratic will of neighborhood residents who have already spoken out.

2. Mandatory New Taxation Without Clear Benefits

If approved, the GID would impose mandatory assessments on every property owner. There is no defined list of improvements, no cost estimates per household, and no guarantee that projects would benefit Cherry Creek North exclusively.  These costs are supposed to be assessed at “work groups” or if the GID is formed, by a committee.  This is basically a wild guess as to what things might cost.

3. Limited Local Representation and Oversight

The GID would be controlled by a board appointed primarily by the Mayor and Denver City Council, with only minority representation from our neighborhood. This means residents would have little say in deciding which projects are prioritized, how funds are allocated, or whether spending decisions reflect the wishes of the community.  There has been no explanation as to how residents would actually have any input in years to come. Once established, the GID would be difficult and costly to dissolve.

4. City Responsibilities Should Not Be Shifted to Us

Many of the improvements being suggested for funding through the GID—such as construction mitigation, basic infrastructure, or security—are core responsibilities of the City of Denver, not costs that should be shifted onto property owners in prosperous neighborhoods. As Councilwoman Sawyer herself stated, the City believes communities like ours should “pay for their own improvements,” even for services normally funded by the City. This sets a troubling precedent.  CCN has been an established neighborhood for years and we don’t need the items found on the ‘wish list’ we all saw on the manipulative survey done by Amanda Sawyer’s office.

5. Uncertain Long-Term Costs and Commitments

The GID could last forever, with no clear cap on costs or clear exit strategy. Once the city begins collecting these funds, history shows it will be extremely difficult to unwind the GID or reduce future assessments, even if promised projects are completed early.

In Summary

The proposed GID creates a new layer of taxation and bureaucracy, offers limited accountability to neighborhood residents, allows funds to be spent administering a huge bureaucracy, and ignores a majority voice of opposition already expressed in the city’s own survey. Before committing Cherry Creek North to this long-term, mandatory financial burden, residents deserve transparency, real choice, and a guarantee that our voices will be respected.I urge you to stay informed, attend upcoming working group meetings, and join other neighbors in calling on our elected officials to stop the GID process now!

– Concerned Cherry Creek North Resident

Resident Letter 6 |

Rising Costs, Broken Promises, and Opposition to the GID

Subject: 42 Years in CCN, Opposed to the GID

March 24, 2025 

Ms. Amanda Sawyer, 

Re: Do You Want to Create a General Improvement District for Cherry Creek? 

Dear Ms. Sawyer: 

Here is my feedback to the question that you sent. 

61.2% increase in property tax in 2024. 

2.2% increase in property tax in 2025. 

Guest parking permits changed from receiving two for free to only one that we are required to pay for. 

Residential parking permits changed from receiving two for free to being required to pay for them both. 

Paying for trash pickup that was formerly covered by other taxes. 

I paid for 50 feet of new sidewalk in front of my house and soon will be contributing to everybody else’s new sidewalk. If there was a property valuation limit on this, that would be fine. But if a neighborhood like Country Club gets sidewalks from this community supported funding, it will be outrageous. 

Unreasonable density has been added to the area resulting in undesirable congestion. 

Minimal parking enforcement resulting in the masses parking for free in the area in front of my house that I am required to pay to use. 

I’ll stop. My answer to the question is a resounding NO. I am a 53 year Denver resident including 42 years in Cherry Creek North who for the first time is negative about the city. They haven’t made our lives better. They have made life less convenient and more expensive. I’d take old Cherry Creek North over the new anytime. 

Thank you. 

– Concerned Cherry Creek North Resident