DENVER | Main Development Thread #6

[comoneymaker]

Originally Posted by awholeparade

Am I the only one who buys shampoo, toilet paper, toothpaste, etc. at the grocery store?! I have a car, but I would never even consider driving all the way to a Target (I live in Capitol Hill) for those things. I'm a single guy, not buying quantities for a family, so maybe that's the difference? Basic socks and underwear? I go to H&M or TJ Maxx, both downtown, and I ride my bike or walk there. Again, this is probably easier for me as a single guy, but I'm really not sure why I'm supposed to feel the need to go to Target.

Nope you are not. I get clothes from Ross or TJMax or Sports Authority and all my groceries from King Soopers. Target is easy a 10% to 30% mark up from most stores. I only go to the Target at Tamarac square once in a blue moon for something random where I want slightly better quality than Walmart. But their crap is just as cheap quality wise (book shelf I bought is a complete joke). I hate Target's prices just as much as Safeway's. Huge markup even though quality stinks. Only Target worth while is the Glendale cause groceries aren't actually that bad and you can get your booze too.

Everyone I know that lives downtown gets their groceries at the King Soopers on Speer or drives a bit for whatever they want. Downtown Denver is about 5% of they way to people not wanting or needing a car to shop like NYC. Many people here just want it as much as a new skyscraper no matter how stupid and awful a idea it is.

That being said the type of people (young adults) prefer Whole Foods because they think it is better when really it is just over priced junk same as Trader Joes.

[Fritzdude]

Originally Posted by DownhomeDenver

Major projects spreadsheet finally updated. Of note:

2099 Chestnut - 2014D00258 - 5-story Office/restaurant
C-MX-12
Mixed-Use
Greg Savage

California Tower - 2014D00334- 622 16th St Mixed Use: Office; Lodging Accomm
D-C
Mixed-Use
Steve Oliver **** This was posted before

It'll be interesting to see how close they'll build this 2099 Chestnut structure to the HOV overpass. Moreso.. Curious to know what will eventually happen to the historical structure across the street on 20th - facing the the new King Soopers.. This is going to be a tight corner.

Also - I'm totally drawing a blank on 622 16th street.. A tower? Come again..?!

[Paulopolis]

I like all of the River North development news posted over the past few days. There is some neat stuff going on (and coming up) in that neighborhood. The area between Blake and Larimer north of Broadway is going to be a lively, interesting neighborhood in a few years.

The Denver Business Journal has a drawing for the development on Brighton Blvd somewhere between 31st and 35th that was discussed earlier. It can be found here: http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/r...bring-condos-retail.html?s=image_gallery. Maybe someone with better SSP skills than me can put it up on the thread.

I like how the development directly abuts the river. I don't see any sign of Arkins Ct at all, though. I know that there's been discussion about moving it to make room for the new park, but the drawing in the DBJ makes it look like it's gone completely. Downhome, did you ever make it down there to see which building(s) were being demolished? If Broadstone at RiNo takes up the corner of 31st and Great Divide will eventually develop all of the Brighton Blvd frontage from 33rd to 35th, then this project must span 32nd to 33rd.

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

I think that the first Costco in Denver, it's shocking that one isn't here yet, will end up at Stapleton given that it's one of the only places left in the city where a large-format retailer the size of Costco can fit without having to get creative with the layout.

There's an urban format Costco with a residential tower on top of it in Vancouver. Pretty amazing.

[Pedalrob]

If you're trying car free living, or are thinking of getting a car share membership, Car2go has a promo going that keeps popping up on my Pandora player. Free membership plus 30 free minutes. Go to
http://www.car2gotime.com/?cid=c2g_ola_us_cbs_fall14_micropage and enter this promo code: CAR2GOTIME. It's a nice option to have in your wallet.

My husband and I share 1 car but with so many options now, including 2 different car share models, B-Cycle, my bus pass from work, and the large cargo trailer I have on my bike, we are thinking we no longer need the one car and plan to give it up when our lease expires next year. We'd need to us the car share a LOT or rent a lot of cars to come close to what we spend on payments, insurance, and gas each month.

[balugajames]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

How much time are we willing to concede in the, "change takes time" rational? Two years? Five years? Twenty years? Given the time that we've been talking about car-free lifestyles DT (for at least the last five years)

I don't know. But I am guessing it will take some time given we are trying to undo 60 years worth of transit development mistakes.

Your right, its not ready for the mainstream in Denver because lets face it. 80% of us are lazy. And 100% of us are lazy sometimes.

Transit + Bike is a winning combo right now, but without the 'Bike' transit is pretty tough here.

But in the end, the network will work if its properly distributed. More people downtown evens out the distribution and should improve network performance over time. Additionally if overall trip count decreases per house hold that decreases the load on the network as well. I think if anything we are seeing reduce trip count for downtown or walkable houses, not necessarily less cars per household. Hopefully that will change.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by Fritzdude

Also - I'm totally drawing a blank on 622 16th street.. A tower? Come again..?!

It's Block 162. My questions are a) Where's someone with a goddamn rendering or site plan, and b) there's no mention of retail and I wonder if this is not going to be a phased project?

[mr1138]

Originally Posted by balugajames

I don't know. But I am guessing it will take some time given we are trying to undo 60 years worth of transit development mistakes.

Your right, its not ready for the mainstream in Denver because lets face it. 80% of us are lazy. And 100% of us are lazy sometimes.

I completely second this. I was thinking around 30-50 years. Maybe upwards to 60-80 or longer if we count all the planning dating back to the 1980's that set the groundwork for the CPV today. Anyone who thought or thinks it will only take 5, or that Denver won't go through some growing pains in the process is kidding themselves. "Walkable cities" are amazingly complex, multi-layered networks. 5-10 years takes us through 2-3 real estate cycles at best, and if we're lucky a single layer of transit lines. None of the transit systems we admire were built all at once, they are built line by line.

I feel that some people are quite uncomfortable with the reality of that kind of timetable. I don't think Denver will ever make those people happy, especially if they don't have many more decades to wait. Maybe try living in an older, more well established city instead? For me, the glacial, multi-generational pace of change is what I actually like about cities. It gives them a sense of larger-than-life timelessness.

[PLANSIT]

Originally Posted by Fritzdude

It'll be interesting to see how close they'll build this 2099 Chestnut structure to the HOV overpass. Moreso.. Curious to know what will eventually happen to the historical structure across the street on 20th - facing the the new King Soopers.. This is going to be a tight corner.

See 2014D00387

[Denver]

To add to the project report, did we know that 2120 Welton st. was in play? I know there was the proposal for 25th and Welton and the workforce housing apts but I think this is different. It is listed as a 300 unit apt building....

[Brainpathology]

Originally Posted by Stonemans_rowJ

Denver IS adding the shopping people want (see: Whole Foods flagship store) and adding apartment units like its nobody's business. Clothing retail and other retail stores will no doubt follow close behind.

I get busy for a couple months and this sort of thing gets said unchallenged? In a downtown that is too expensive for all of you to own a condo in and barely able to afford apartments and no one gets the ramifications of "adding the shopping people want?"

Of course ME and my partner shop at Whole Foods and if I lived in Denver we'd live downtown and I'd shop at the new whole foods.. but that's because we can and we don't like looking at poor people (poor = everyone who makes less than me of course.. everyone who makes more are greedy robber barons who must be taxed more before civilization crumbles). More of you plebes need to find ways to make downtown work for you instead of moving out to the adjacent neighborhoods where the low brow shops like King Soopers and Safeway actually ARE waiting for you and the rest of the rabble. (I'm looking at you Ryan ) Maybe then regular grocery stores for regular people might follow.

Also I'll be in town again starting next Friday (black Friday) anyone want to try to arrange something for 2 or 3 of us to actually show up for? (once again looking at you Ryan hehe)

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by Brainpathology

(I'm looking at you Ryan ) (once again looking at you Ryan hehe)

Damn. Burning eyes over here... Of course I'm down to meet! It was a fun little adventure last time you were in town.

My three favorite regular stores around me right now are:

Target (Colorado + Alameda)

King Soopers (Cherry + Leetsdale THEY HAVE FREAKING LIQUOR AND A HUGE CHEESE DEPARTMENT)

Trader Joe's (8th and Colorado)

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by RyanD

Damn. Burning eyes over here... Of course I'm down to meet! It was a fun little adventure last time you were in town.

It was not fun. Bastards.

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

It was not fun. Bastards.

That's your own fault for not getting phone numbers.

[seventwenty]

I feel snubbed and hate you all.

[bunt_q]

Maybe Brain has a couch in his suite at the Four Seasons that a few of us plebes can crash on?

[COtoOC]

Originally Posted by awholeparade

Am I the only one who buys shampoo, toilet paper, toothpaste, etc. at the grocery store?! I have a car, but I would never even consider driving all the way to a Target (I live in Capitol Hill) for those things. I'm a single guy, not buying quantities for a family, so maybe that's the difference? Basic socks and underwear? I go to H&M or TJ Maxx, both downtown, and I ride my bike or walk there. Again, this is probably easier for me as a single guy, but I'm really not sure why I'm supposed to feel the need to go to Target.

I have two kids.. a family of 4 burns through a lot of everything lol! The prices are much higher for toiletries, paper towels, TP, etc. at a regular grocery store, so we always go to Target for those things.

[COtoOC]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

I think that the first Costco in Denver, it's shocking that one isn't here yet, will end up at Stapleton given that it's one of the only places left in the city where a large-format retailer the size of Costco can fit without having to get creative with the layout.

I've heard rumors that Costco is looking at Northfield for a new store.

[Brainpathology]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

Maybe Brain has a couch in his suite at the Four Seasons that a few of us plebes can crash on?

Four Seasons? thhhpt ... Imma stay at Dana's... With any luck I'll get a window facing the train room so I can watch sleet fall through the middle onto hapless transit riders basically being told by RTD what the rest of the city actually thinks of them.

In all seriousness I haven't hotwired my hotel yet.. so I have no idea where I'll be. But if there's a couch in my room it's always available for people to pass out on.

[EngiNerd]

nm