Quote:
Originally Posted by wong21fr
It's going to be a mess for sure. I agree that the vast majority of the residents in the area will be driving for most of their needs and streets like Wewatta are going to become pain in the ass boulevards (it also means I'll lose my hidden gem of a parking spot). Residents of Union Station are not going to take the choo-choo to Park Meadows: they'll drive to Cherry Creek instead as Denver's transit system is lacking due to the focus on the commuter system. They'll also ride their bikes to go get shit-faced in the Highlands and will end up getting creamed by an auto trying to go down 15th Street the wrong way, though that might not necessarily be a bad thing in the whole as it will raise further awareness of the use of streets by multiple users and that bad bikers are just as terrible as bad drivers.
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First off, I patently disagree with your assertion that the "vast majority of the residents in the area will be driving for most of their needs." What causes people to drive? Do they enjoy commuting and spending time in a metal box sitting in traffic? They primarily drive to get to work or the grocery. If you work down there you don't need to drive on a daily basis. You also will have 2 large, nice grocery stores right nearby, including the Flagship Whole Foods and a potentially very nice King Soopers. People that do not drive to work tend to not drive much in general because they realize they enjoy spending time not being in a car. I can speak from experience.
What is everyone's love affair with Target? I will admit that I have a Redcard and occasionally hit the Target in Edgewater, but Lodo can get by without a Target. Frankly, its really another big box that sells cheap crap. And no, most people will not drive 45 minutes each way over to Glendale's Target to save a few bucks. This is not that crowd that will live in Union Station, Riverfront, Lohi. I am not alone in saying that my time is worth more to me than driving across town to Target. People keep saying downtown needs a Target? Why? Please enlighten me. Look at Target's demographic. There is a reason most of their stores are in the 'burbs (besides the ridiculous square footage these boxes need).
Park Meadows? I've been there once in 4 years, and that was because I was going to Ikea. It's a very nice Suburban Mall. Cherry Creek has most everything Park Meadows has (ok admittedly you can't get Chinese-made American girl dolls at Cherry Creek) and its closer. As someone else mentioned, most people do a good amount of their shopping online now anyway. You're right though: people living in the Lodo/Riverfront/Union Station/Highland area will still be driving to CC for shopping. Not much way around that for now, but most of that will happen on the weekends.
The car congestion in Union Station will come more from commuters than residents. As mentioned, many residents will not be driving on a daily basis. These new office projects are putting in copious amounts of parking. If you are a commuter, and have a choice to drive to a park-n-ride to pay for the light rail, or drive your cushy single-occupancy vehicle to work and park for free under your building because your employer provides that for you, which do you chose? You probably drive, because you already have the car which you need for all your other activities in the 'burbs.
Again, living car-free in Denver is hard. For some people it would be impossible, both physically as well as psychologically. For others, it is easy. The point is when you live in a location (such as Union Station) that has all your daily needs nearby, you don't end up driving much. Then it becomes more of a car-storage issue, because people still do like to get up to the mountains.
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