DENVER | Main Development Thread #7

[RiNo Randy]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Google Maps offers a pretty good update. Is that central parcel still undeveloped?

The corner of Blake & Downing seems like a missed opportunity for a nice public space. Are there any plans for this patch of dirt? I assume RTD owns it.

Wish I'd've had the chance to get over there last summer.

I was at a RiNo Art District BID meeting last night. The topic of the small empty parcels at 38th & Blake Street station came up. Turn out, RAD and RTD recently entered into conversations about making that area more inviting.

[Cirrus]

Hey, that's great. It's such low-hanging fruit. Ought to be the hub of the whole neighborhood.

[RiNo Randy]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Hey, that's great. It's such low-hanging fruit. Ought to be the hub of the whole neighborhood.

Agreed. My comment was since that is where many will debark the train to enter the district, it shouldn't just be plots of gravel & weeds.

[RiNo Randy]

Holy cow! $15M seems like a shitpile of money for the build-out of the new F1 Arcade going in at 2734 Walnut Street. Not to mention the $5.25M price for the property (sold on 5/28/2024 per Denver County Assessor website). It is set to open in mid-September.

Story here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DLaBueiO3l7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

[TakeFive]

Report: Lone Tree acknowledges Broncos stadium talks
Jun 29, 2025 By Ian St. Clair -- Mile High Report

Now, Mike Klis and 9News are throwing Lone Tree back into the mix. On Friday, Klis reported that Lone Tree and the mayor’s office acknowledged the Broncos’ interest in the city as a site for a stadium. The two sides have had multiple discussions at the Broncos headquarters and in Lone Tree, according to 9News.

The Lone Tree mayor’s office sent a full statement to 9News, but here’s a part of that comment:

Since the Super Bowl in early February, the topic of a Broncos stadium has gained steam. The focus has been on three areas:

• Stay at the current site and either renovate the current stadium or build a new one.
• Find another place near downtown, specifically the possibility of a new location between the 6th Avenue and 8th Avenue exits off Interstate 25, known as the Burnham Yard.
• Build a new stadium in the Lone Tree suburb.

I was trying to figure why Lone Tree would be attractive to the Broncos. They do have three freeways and two light rail lines that serve that area.

Given the team headquarters’ location in Dove Valley, a Lone Tree stadium would be just miles away, so that is a definite possibility. You also have numerous ways to get to the stadium, whether driving yourself or using public transportation. There are I-25, I-225, C, and E470, plus public transport with Light Rail lines and bus routes. For fans in Northern Colorado, it would be a little longer and tougher to get to a Lone Tree Stadium location.

I'm guessing at this point that the Burnham Yard area is their 1st preference.

Of those options, the Burnham Yard area has had a lot of smoke. The Broncos have purchased $150 million of land and have had multiple discussions with city officials and Denver Water about purchasing more land.

Whether there's some potential issues with this site... and whether they can be overcome is TBD.

[TakeFive]

Broncos must build income-restricted housing after $7M deal by Burnham Yard
June 30, 2025 By Justin Wingerter -- BusinessDen

The team now has until October 2027 to find a location for 150 housing units within one mile of the vacant lot it bought, which is sometimes referred to as 1390 W. 10th Ave. and other times as 944 Osage St. The Broncos can build apartments at that site or somewhere else, but half the units must be income-restricted...

I assume this is not an issue; certainly they bought the site with their "eyes wide open."

[AHS1983]

What's odds that the Walton family will demand Denver metro taxpayers cough up a new stadium lest the Broncos depart for greener pastures?

Worked for Bowlen in 1998.

[TakeFive]

Golden Triangle Updates

LMC may be long gone but there are still two Big Boy apartments well into construction. I became curious about Parq II. I knew Greystar had started work on the site in 2023 including demoing what was on the site. I got a bite as the retail space (4,100 SF) has been listed for lease. The property will wrap around 955 Bannock

We have a name change:

The Parson -- 990 Cherokee St




Images courtesy Greystar

The projection is for completion 1st quarter of 2026 including Pre-leasing with occupancy available in the Spring.

------------------------------------------

AMLI Golden Triangle -- 855 N Broadway



..... (January 2025)
Images courtesy Swinerton

This area near Civic Center Park, the Colorado State Capitol and Denver Art Museum is a vibrant blend of Denver history and the future to come for the Mile High City. With a 16th floor sky lounge, rooftop deck, west-facing mountain views and exclusive apartment amenity packages, our sustainably built community is the perfect place to watch the drama unfold.

Pre-Lease -- Early 2026
First Move-Ins -- Spring 2026

[TakeFive]

A New Park Post

Outdoor padel court to open at a new Denver park
Jun 25, 2025 By Maddie Rhodes -- KDVR

DENVER (KDVR) — An outdoor padel court, which mixes tennis, pickleball and squash, is opening in a new park between the Hale and Congress Park neighborhoods.

The new park, Cloud 9 Park, sits at 9th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard as part of an urban infill project. The developers, Continuum Partners, LLC, said the 1.7-acre park includes a food truck court, trails, outdoor foosball, ping pong table games and soon, one of the fastest-growing racket sports in the world.

Credit: Teri Fotheringham Photography

[TakeFive]

Downtown Denver is falling apart -- LITERALLY

Wall collapse on cars prompts closure of Champa St. in downtown Denver
Jun 30, 2025 By Brooke Williams -- KDVR


Courtesy KVDR

DENVER (KDVR) ... The Denver Police Department reported the incident just before noon and said Champa Street is closed between Broadway and 22nd Street.

Police said a wall collapsed onto unoccupied vehicles in the area. FOX31 saw a police presence on the scene as well as a collapsed brick wall and damaged vehicles.

If that was bunt's BMW, it's a mess.

[jhwk]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Downtown Denver is falling apart

I'm afraid Bar Bar was the last real dive in Denver. RIP. I love dive bars but it was too much for even me. Where else could you get dollar beers with homeless people at 11:00AM while you wait for a punk/metal show?

[RiNo Randy]

The tower crane base is in at 3850 Blake. It's pretty wild how quickly they are moving on that site! Interestingly, the tower crane base is right in the middle of that parcel, in the alleyway. My assumption is that they'll be able to use it on the other two buildings that Formativ has planned there. You can see it in the photos from this IG post by Naked Denver: https://www.instagram.com/p/DLhsHW2ORF6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

[Fritzdude]

I’ll always thought that Cherry Creek would make an excellent transit corridor for an elevated train, similar to what they have in Germany. Highlands to Glendale? https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLjlKIaS2Mf/?igsh=NXlsYmhrdmo0Z2hx

[RiNo Randy]

Originally Posted by Fritzdude

I’ll always thought that Cherry Creek would make an excellent transit corridor for an elevated train, similar to what they have in Germany. Highlands to Glendale? https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLjlKIaS2Mf/?igsh=NXlsYmhrdmo0Z2hx

Agreed! Seems more feasible than light rail or BRT along that route.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by jhwk

I'm afraid Bar Bar was the last real dive in Denver. RIP. I love dive bars but it was too much for even me. Where else could you get dollar beers with homeless people at 11:00AM while you wait for a punk/metal show?

I don't recall this bar but I was a fan of 'The Pec' as well a the Bonnie Brae Tavern which is also now gone.

[TakeFive]

"Big Beautiful" a big boost to Affordable Housing
July 03, 2025 By Taylor Driscoll, Ciara Long, Dan Rabb, Jonathan Rose, Ethan Rothstein, Matt Wasielewski and Mark F. Bonner

A Boost To Housing Tax Credits

The budget measure includes reforms to the policy most commonly used to finance affordable housing construction in the country, the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. The change is “the biggest investment in the housing credit in 25 years,” said Ayrianne Parks, a senior director of policy advocacy at Enterprise Community Partners.

How It Works

LIHTC funding comes from the federal government issuing tax credits to state governments, and state housing agencies then award the credits to private developers building affordable housing. Private developers often sell those credits to investors to get funding, and investors can use credits against their federal income tax in exchange for making equity investments in the developments.

What has Changed

In order to get LIHTC, projects have historically had to meet what’s known as the “50% test”: half of the development’s costs have to be financed by municipal bonds. The federal government also caps the volume of tax-exempt bonds each state can issue, leading to funding shortfalls.

The bill cuts the 50% test down to 25% and makes the funding permanent instead of something that is voted on every four years. The measure will have immediate local impacts, New York Housing Conference Executive Director Rachel Fee said.

Also This:

It locks in opportunity zones as a permanent fixture of the tax code...

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Speaking of Affordable Housing

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s latest affordable housing strategy: tax rebates for developers
Jul. 02, 2025 By Kyle Harris -- Denverite

The public-private partnership is called the Partnership for Middle Income Housing Pilot Program. It’s a collaboration with the Denver Housing Authority, which will offer tax rebates for developers who build affordable housing for households making between $60,000 and $100,000

I have no clue how impactful this may be, if at all, but props for creativity; sometimes it works.

[TakeFive]

TOD is Good; it means more transit riders

Transit-oriented affordable housing opens in Denver metro area, offers easy access to RTD station
June 28, 2025 By Kennedy Cook -- CBS News Denver

A new opportunity for affordable living has arrived in the Denver metro area. The South Platte Crossing Apartments in Commerce City is a newly built, transit-adjacent affordable housing development... The project represents a significant step toward addressing housing accessibility in one of Colorado's fastest-growing areas.

South Platte Crossing -- 7190 Colorado Blvd., Commerce City




Images courtesy Urban Land Conservancy and Carvell Architects

[TakeFive]

BusinessDen picks up the Burnham Yard story

Developer ‘sitting here in purgatory’ after acquisition notice from Denver Water
July 8, 2025 By Thomas Gounley

Previously the Denver Post had an interesting piece on the topic

Amid Broncos stadium talks, Denver Water quietly seeks to buy more than 20 properties near its campus
June 26, 2025 By Elliott Wenzler -- The DP

Denver Water quietly began the process of acquiring more than 20 properties near its campus this spring, just as the utility and the Broncos were discussing a potential deal to use some of its current land to build a new stadium.

Denver Water’s board authorized the acquisition plans — for 23 properties spanning roughly 18 acres that are a stone’s throw from its complex south of downtown — in April and May. Its members didn’t publicly discuss the items before voting.

Okay, sure.

“At this time, Denver Water is just exploring some voluntary acquisitions of properties near our operations complex to meet future operational needs. There are no set plans, as we are only evaluating potential options for the future,” he wrote in an email.

The water utility has spent nearly $200 million on its campus, including on a new modern headquarters building that opened on the north end of the property in 2019.

"A person walks out of the Denver Water headquarters building, left, with Empower Field at Mile High visible in the distance, in Denver on Wednesday June 18, 2025"
(Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)

Let me make a wild guess

With covered stadiums it is very difficult, virtually impossible to grow and use a natural turf. The AZ Diamondbacks, for example, have a retractable roof.

The AZ Cardinals football team did something more innovative. Their playing surface of natural grass is literally rolled in and out of the stadium. Obviously you need the land/space to do this. Given the number of home games in football there's plenty of time to grow a nice grass turf.

And if you want to hold a Super Bowl you need to have a covered stadium - in Denver.

While Denver Water appears to be colluding with the Broncos it may be that the Broncos could merely lease the use of space, enough to roll a real grass field in and out of the stadium. Additional space might be used for a park-like area.

[RiNo Randy]

Tower crane is now up at 3850 Blake. Started on Thursday, looks like they are finishing the rigging today.

[TakeFive]

Ongoing changes along South Broadway

Banded Oak Brewing closing after nearly a decade, citing rising rents, safety issues on South Broadway
Jul 11, 2025 By Colin Riley -- Denver7 News

DENVER — After nearly a decade of brewing and serving craft beer, Banded Oak Brewing will close its doors this September, citing rising rents, safety concerns, and a shifting customer base along Denver's South Broadway.

"Rents on Broadway are just a little too high for a standalone brewery that doesn't really do any food," said Will Curtin, Branded Oak Brewing's owner and operator.

Staff photo by Jonathan Shikes -- The Denver Post

Interesting take that he's hurt by the loss of nearby food options.

Curtin said that the loss of nearby dining options has directly impacted the brewery's foot traffic. “We always wanted to do food trucks and sort of switch it up. But yeah, having this Pizzeria Locale closing, Moe's BBQ closing, Subway closing, people need food,” he said.

In addition to financial strains, Curtin shared concerns about safety and vandalism by people experiencing homelessness in the area. He told Denver7 it's a tough balance between sympathy and helping his staff and customers feel safe.

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Heavy metal brewery closes taproom on Broadway after 13 years
July 11, 2025 By Jonathan Shikes -- The Denver Post

After 13 years of great beers, heavy metal music and honest takes, TRVE Brewing founder Nick Nunns said Thursday that he is closing both of his taprooms in Denver and Asheville, N.C. The final day will be Saturday, July 12.

(Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)

You gotta love how people put their heart and soul into their (small) businesses.

“More than anyone, I have to thank my wife, who helped Zach and I by keeping the wheels on this thing through crisis after crisis after crisis. I’m so sorry it was so hard for so long. I love you. Ultimately, this brewery has provided me with things that cannot be measured by capitalism... I am rich beyond measure and handshakes, high-fives and hugs. My mantra in making this decision has been and will continue to be, ‘No man is a failure who has friends.'”

What about City Hot Chicken?

Music City Hot Chicken, located inside the Denver taproom, said on social media that it hopes to remain in the space and possibly take over the lease, adding “TRVE gave us a home, believed in what we do, and created a space where our food and their beer could come together in a way that felt truly special. We owe them more than we can put into words.”