DENVER | Main Development Thread #6

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Russian mail order bride? Careful with those things as they might be a sleeper agent for the future invasion of North America.

Originally Posted by RyanD

Well I paid extra for extensive screening... She also comes with a drone which is totally worth the package.

compliments of globaldatingrevolution.com

After a quick check with Google Images I'd suggest the risk is worth it. Especially if she comes drone-equipped. Looks like she may provide her own rocket fuel as well.

[RyanD]

Well this project just got a great unbiased write-up. This is ridiculous. It's like lives are ending and we are soon to be at war with Russia.

Two Massive 30-Story Apartment Houses To Dominate Country Club Area
via Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle

Country Club Gardens — the historic 1940s five-building three-story apartment complex located in a six-acre landscaped garden environment adjacent to the Downing Street Parkway — is about to get hit with a pair of huge apartment houses as densification of the Cherry Creek and Country Club areas continues on unabated. The Broe Group is demolishing two existing garden apartments and replacing them with two overwhelming 30-story towers near the intersection of Downing St. and Ellsworth Ave.

The twin skyscrapers will be the tallest buildings outside of downtown Denver and will be equal in height to the One Tower Center on 17th Street [where's that?], the 15th tallest building in Denver. By comparison, Plaza Tower One — one of the tallest towers in the Denver Tech Center — is only a 22-story [office = larger floor plates] building. The two towers will contain a total of 533 apartment units and several floors of structured parking. The two buildings will be mirror images of one another and top out at 322 feet in height.

The two towers, along with the existing 22 story building at 1001 East Bayaud also constructed by Broe, will block the view of the mountains for much of the Cherry Creek area. [Two towers aren't going to block the views of a 50+ mile mountain range for an entire neighborhood.]

The latest plan is in response to a hostile historic designation effort undertaken in 2007. In response to those hearings Broe agreed to retain the three northern buildings at the Gardens in exchange for the right to build out the balance of the site. Area residents however are not pleased or content with the recent Landmark Planning Commission (LPC) decision to approve the two massive residential towers. They tell the Chronicle that the development-oriented Broe Group has been jabbing away at their neighborhood icon for 20 years and the proposed massive two-tower complex represents the knockout punch.

Residents Up In Arms

How will the twin skyscrapers impact the unique character of this celebrated neighborhood? “It will be devastating to the historic significance, charm and personality of Country Club Gardens,” said Karen Mansfield. “No one likes to have dark circles under their eyes but we’re like the kid that got hit with a shiner and we are fully expecting to have two black eyes soon.” The tower design, they say, tries to put the historic area on a pedestal with a snooty, rock star look. “We’ve been hit with a catchy hook that’s simply not a good look,” said Mansfield.

Kristian Jeichler noted to the Chronicle, “This is going to drastically change the Denver skyline and life in the Cherry Creek area.” The concern is that the two buildings will indelibly alter many Cherry Creek neighborhoods for better or for worse, depending on the perspective. Residents make the case that the towers take the trajectory of the historic area in a direction that falls short. “They will forever change the Valley skyline while damaging the unique layout of the buildings, internal courtyards and connecting open space within the Gardens,” said Jonathan Pierson.

Along with concerns about the mass and scale of the towers, the Landmark Planning Commission has also expressed unease about the project’s impact on the historic courtyards and landscaping. “Preservation and compatible development of the landscape and courtyard are critical to retaining the character of Country Club Gardens,” according to the LPC report. The commission is waiting on a pending arborist report. The LPC is also providing a design review over the demolition and construction activity directly related to the project outside of the boundaries of the Country Club Gardens Historic District. This includes improvements off of Bayaud St. adjacent to the historic landmark Norman site.

Broe’s Reputation

Over the years, Developer Pat Broe has garnered a reputation as a ruthless tough negotiator who is personally despised by many people but admired for his ability to make money. Don Elliman, the former director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, described Broe as “a complex guy who rubs some people the wrong way…” While Tom Clark, when he was executive vice president of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp., declared, “We counsel our clients that they will not face a more challenging negotiation than they will with the Broe company.”

When asked whether he would even do business with Broe, Elliman said he would, “But I’d have my hand on my wallet and I’d have a damn good lawyer with me.”

Excavation Impact

The fight isn’t entirely over yet, Cherry Creek Garden activists say, noting that the Landmark Planning Commission’s recommendation for approval comes with conditions. The LPC report says the mass and scale must be consistent with the development agreement and the axial views and open space preserved and reinforced. Furthermore, approval is conditional on new plantings respecting and reinforcing historic patterns. Additionally, parking is required to be screened on all sides and integrated into massing of the new structures. Few believe that any of those requirements has the possibility of derailing the project.

The Broe Group will begin work this fall to raze the parking garage and portions of two of the apartment buildings where the twin towers are to be built. Construction of the towers themselves is set to begin in early 2015, with completion in late 2016.

When questioned about the impact of construction on people living in the Cherry Creek Gardens area, a spokesman for Broe told neighborhood groups that during peak excavation a dump truck would be coming or going from the project site approximately every 10 minutes. The spokesperson added that construction staging and other activities would be performed away from the site to limit disturbance. Also workers are to be bused to the area to reduce the congestion of trucks and other vehicles within the immediate area.

What Of Historic Significance Is Being Destroyed?

Constructed in 1940, Country Club Gardens was an excellent example of the International Style exemplified by the overall horizontality of the composition. Fisher, Fisher and Hubbell Architects — a leading Denver firm at the time — designed the buildings. The firm’s principals were Arthur Addison Fisher (1878-1965), his nephew Alan Berney Fisher (1905-1978), and Edward L. Hubbell. Nicholas G. Petry (1883-1950) was responsible for construction. He came to Denver in 1921 after building the Frontier Hotel in Cheyenne. Petry built many Valley buildings including Sherman Tower, the University of Denver apartments, and several Fitzsimons Hospital and Buckley Field buildings. With both residents and passersby in mind landscape architect M. Walter Pesman planned the landscaping with meticulous detail.

[comoneymaker]

Please tell me there is a comments section of this article ?

It appears to be disabled.... hmm I wonder why

[comoneymaker]

Please tell me there is a comments section of this article ?

Hmm seems to be disabled .... Gee I wonder why.

Someone tell him after this article that Shotgun Willies is more of a historic landmark than those delapadated crap whole apartments.

http://glendalecherrycreek.com/2014/08/b...-shotgun-willies-building/#disqus_thread

[ToysNoiz]

Originally Posted by RyanD

Well this project just got a great unbiased write-up. This is ridiculous. It's like lives are ending and we are soon to be at war with Russia.

Two Massive 30-Story Apartment Houses To Dominate Country Club Area
via Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle

What are you talking about, Ryan? I thought they were totally being fair when they gave their opinion, and only their opinion, throughout the entire entry. I totally read an informative, non-bias news report, and not an angry editorial.

[denconyny]

Originally Posted by RyanD

Well this project just got a great unbiased write-up. This is ridiculous. It's like lives are ending and we are soon to be at war with Russia.

Two Massive 30-Story Apartment Houses To Dominate Country Club Area
via Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle

This reads as satire to me............

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by ToysNoiz

What are you talking about, Ryan? I thought they were totally being fair when they gave their opinion, and only their opinion, throughout the entire entry. I totally read an informative, non-bias news report, and not an angry editorial.

You're totally right! I've realized that this is a free newspaper and they probably have no care about biased reporting. I'm glad it was on my door today, I'm keeping it for times I need a chuckle at NIMBYism.

[comoneymaker]

The real question is is he a country club member and will this building put a shadow on his putting green ? lol

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by RyanD

You're totally right! I've realized that this is a free newspaper and they probably have no care about biased reporting. I'm glad it was on my door today, I'm keeping it for times I need a chuckle at NIMBYism.

The Glendale Chronicle- a massive contradiction of libertarian talking points and rampant NIMBYism. It's quite funny to read. Even the column by Peter Boyles.

[bcp]

How are Noble Laureates Nominated?

From nobelprize.org

[TakeFive]

Denver getting too expensive? According to the DBJ people are moving on.

The Mile High City came in at No. 9 out of 350 metro areas that families move away from in the study....

[bobg]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Denver getting too expensive? According to the DBJ people are moving on.

Denver may be getting too expensive but I have a hard time believing outward migration is a prevailing trend based on one moving company's statistics. The survey is more or less a way for United Van Lines to get publicity under the guise of useful information. Unless United Van Lines was a monopoly or close to it the statistics they provide really only tell you what routes are most popular for United Van Lines.

[TakeFive]

Isn't it groundbreaking time yet?


Compliments of pinterest.com

[seventwenty]

Ken's new home on Auraria, assuming he actually has an office in this building.

ETA: He does not. Ken, demand a home in the new building.

[seventwenty]

And more NIMBY coverage

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by seventwenty

And more NIMBY coverage

Are you kidding me? The towers are 300 feet tall! The shadows won't even cross over to Alamo Placita. Plus, the sun is never that low in the sky. Mama always said, think before you speak.

"I won't have any sunlight in my yard, said Sara Harmer, another resident of the Alamo Placita neighborhood, which is located less than a mile from the Country Club Gardens project."

##################################################

It's happening because it's called a city. We build things here. This sounds like people are disappearing and the government is oppressing the neighborhood.

"People over here are pretty upset about it," said Kristian Eichler, president of the Alamo Placita Neighborhood Association. "People see it as devastating and they don't understand why it's happening."

##################################################

This is like people coming into my bank to protest a transaction from 2002 (yes it's happened). Seriously 12 years is a long time. Sorry you dropped the ball, but if you really didn't like it, you would have stayed on top of it.

"A development agreement for the project was approved by the city 12 years ago, Luppens said, but residents of surrounding neighborhoods feel they were not properly notified about the project and take issue with several elements of it, particularly its height."

Broe better build these towers. The neighborhood deserves it.

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by bobg

Denver may be getting too expensive but I have a hard time believing outward migration is a prevailing trend based on one moving company's statistics. The survey is more or less a way for United Van Lines to get publicity under the guise of useful information. Unless United Van Lines was a monopoly or close to it the statistics they provide really only tell you what routes are most popular for United Van Lines.

The methodology may be flawed by I have no problem believing the trend. Of cottage families are leaving Denver. Denver is for rich young techies and childless couples who can afford it. All rich.

[DownhomeDenver]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

The methodology may be flawed by I have no problem believing the trend. Of cottage families are leaving Denver. Denver is for rich young techies and childless couples who can afford it. All rich.

Let them eat cake on their way out pulling their rotten old Subarus behind them!

Btw, the Chronicle is a worthless shit rag paper and anyone who writes for them is a total hack.

[bobg]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Isn't it groundbreaking time yet?

Pretty good timing, just got word that 1401 Lawrence is doing a groundbreaking on 10/1.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by bobg

Pretty good timing, just got word that 1401 Lawrence is doing a groundbreaking on 10/1.

giphy.com