DENVER | Main Development Thread #6

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Oh sweet Jesus, that's awesome. I think this might warrant a mini-orgasm as this is the largest office project to be built in Denver, and the Metro Area, in quite some time.

Bunt, do you concur?

I concur, mini-orgasms are in order. Just be sure to use protection, everybody.

[DenverPoke]

Very nice, there should be some serious crane-action around downtown beginning late this year/early 2016.

[The Dirt]

Queue Ryan's sex-laden innuendos about pile drivers and swinging concrete.

[seventwenty]

The Dirt just found Ryan's new signature.

[RyanD]

As you all know, I know a lot of things blah blah blah HOWEVER, one piece of information I can share is that they are not using luffer cranes for this project. Heart. Broken.

Shattered.

Crushed.

Originally Posted by The Dirt

Queue Ryan's sex-laden innuendos about pile drivers and swinging concrete.

But I am excited to see the earth take a pounding by some tasty pile drivers. And oh boy, they're goin' deep.

[BG918]

Originally Posted by DenverPoke

Very nice, there should be some serious crane-action around downtown beginning late this year/early 2016.

CBD
- 1144 15th (2 cranes)
- 1401 Lawrence (1)
- Skyhouse (1)
- AC/Le Meridien (1)
Lodo
- Z Block (1 maybe 2)
Auraria
- Metro State Aerospace Engineering Bldg (1)
Union Station/CPV
- 17W (2 most likely)
- 1801 Wewatta (1)
- Kimpton (1)
- 18th & Chestnut (1)
- Confluence (1 maybe 2)
Am I missing any? Total by end of 2015/early 2016 could be as many as 15 tower cranes up downtown...

[DenverInfill]

Originally Posted by rds70

Lots of construction folks at the 1144 15th Street site this morning. There were several Coggins and Sons vehicles. They will be doing the excavation and shoring. It looks like initial construction may be imminent.

Edit: It looks like the shoring and excavation permit has been issued.

As of Ryan's and my meeting with the guys from Hines just a few days ago, they were still planning on "business as usual" at the site (aka parking) until May (exact date TBD) with the closure of the parking lot and the commencement of construction occurring simultaneously. I assume this is some final testing/sampling going on. I can see them from my office window as I type this!

[DenverPoke]

Originally Posted by BG918

CBD
- 1144 15th (2 cranes)
- 1401 Lawrence (1)
- Skyhouse (1)
- AC/Le Meridien (1)
Lodo
- Z Block (1 maybe 2)
Auraria
- Metro State Aerospace Engineering Bldg (1)
Union Station/CPV
- 17W (2 most likely)
- 1801 Wewatta (1)
- Kimpton (1)
- 18th & Chestnut (1)
- Confluence (1 maybe 2)
Am I missing any? Total by end of 2015/early 2016 could be as many as 15 tower cranes up downtown...

Plus Alexan Uptown and maybes on Eviva Cherokee and the Hilton Garden Inn at 20th/Chestnut.

[DenverInfill]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

One of the disadvantages to the Tech Ctr so far as becoming a 2nd downtown I'd guess is that west of I-25 all the way to Broadway (mostly) and from roughly Orchard all the way up to Hampden is low density higher end housing.

The DTC isn't becoming a second downtown. There's really nothing downtown-like to the DTC, nor are there any plans for it to become a second downtown. The only comparison between the DTC and Downtown Denver is total office space, and even with that it is still an apples-to-oranges comparison. The DTC's office square footage (technically, the "Southeast Submarket") is spread over 20 square miles, compared to about 3 square miles for Downtown.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by DenverInfill

As of Ryan's and my meeting with the guys from Hines just a few days ago, they were still planning on "business as usual" at the site (aka parking) until May (exact date TBD) with the closure of the parking lot and the commencement of construction occurring simultaneously. I assume this is some final testing/sampling going on. I can see them from my office window as I type this!

Hold the orgasms.

[DownhomeDenver]

/\ Take5 we're just edging now.

Anyhoo, in other news.... I notice that there is a landmark preservation case for 2560 Welton St which is the parking lot adjacent to the light rail station on Welton and 25th. I guess this will be our next infill development on Welton! Still waiting for something to happen with the Rossonian.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by DenverInfill

The DTC isn't becoming a second downtown. There's really nothing downtown-like to the DTC, nor are there any plans for it to become a second downtown. The only comparison between the DTC and Downtown Denver is total office space, and even with that it is still an apples-to-oranges comparison. The DTC's office square footage (technically, the "Southeast Submarket") is spread over 20 square miles, compared to about 3 square miles for Downtown.

Well it depends... 1st on one's definition of a 2nd downtown and what that should look like. IIRC the City of Denver portion has B-8 zoning?

Second I'm referring to the original DTC except for including both sides of I-25. Essentially everything north of Arapahoe Road.

It also depends on one's time frame; a lot can change over three decades (looking forward). As you allude to there is plenty of land that could be redeveloped into much higher density office/residential/retail.

If they were to revive the Cherry Creek Parkway (or whatever it was called) from Aurora/Parker Road for both an auto and BRT corridor they could solve a lot of their access issues. Guessing Orchard Road rather than Belleview would be the preferred route.

Personally I'd rather see DTC densify than Douglas County continue to steal the thunder.

[Denver]

Looks like the former DPS building is going to be turned into apartments

900 Grant 2014D00431 900 Grant Convert Office to 118-Unit Multi-Famil Muti-Family Residential C-MX-8 S

Hopefully the improve the street presences of the building (which is pretty horrendous right now)

[TakeFive]

Accolades for DIA; I like it.

DIA hailed as 2nd-best airport in United States
Mar 12, 2015 by L. Wayne Hicks, Associate Editor- Denver Business Journal

The company's World Airport Awards were announced Wednesday in Paris, with the winners chosen from the opinions of more than 13 million customers.

Side Topic... With Enos Stanley Kroenke being in the news lately - he happens to own a good sized parcel of land including developable parking lots downtown along with his 3 1/2 professional Denver sports teams - I decided to do a dive into the St. Louis Business Journal.

It's not the prettiest of pictures although the city is not the same as the county. The area does still have a number of legacy Fortune 500 companies. One story described the ongoing A-B Inbev downsizing on the corporate side although they still are fully supporting the brewery production. Another big story (of course) is their likely losing the St. Louis Rams back to L.A.

FWIW, today, United Airlines announced they were laying off workers at Lambert International Airport as they move to outsource their ramp operations. They're doing the same thing at Kansas City.

Moral of the story... One of the more critical drawbacks with St. Louis is their airport. Last decade they lost their hub status and they suck for non-stop destinations. Few things have been more critical to Metro Denver's success than DIA. Bank it.

[denconyny]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

One of the more critical drawbacks with St. Louis is their airport. Last decade they lost their hub status and they suck for non-stop destinations.

Just curious, but what does an airport have to do with an NFL football team? Don't teams basically charter their own planes for the season? As for the fans, well, the rabid ones they'll take dilapidated freight trains and ride with the hobos if they have to get to a game in another city...... and air connects really aren't that bad to most NFL cities - Green Bay Packers survive. I have yet to hear any reasons for an NFL team moving because of the local airport......

[BG918]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Moral of the story... One of the more critical drawbacks with St. Louis is their airport. Last decade they lost their hub status and they suck for non-stop destinations. Few things have been more critical to Metro Denver's success than DIA. Bank it.

No doubt DIA has been monumental in the growth of Metro Denver and especially for growing businesses as well as tourism. Not many airports except maybe DFW, ORD or ATL can touch it as far as number and quantity of nonstop domestic flights. Now if they can just keep getting more international routes which are still limited for such a large hub. Having the train connect DIA to downtown next year will be a huge milestone.

[denconyny]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Last decade they lost their hub status and they suck for non-stop destinations. Few things have been more critical to Metro Denver's success than DIA. Bank it.

BTW, just checked and St Louis has nonstop flights to 28 of the 31 (not counting St Louis itself) NFL team cities (if you can count San Francisco/Oakland as one), and none to Buffalo, Green Bay and Jacksonville. Same as Denver almost (DEN has a nonstop to Jacksonville) and most other NFL team cities.......

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by denconyny

Just curious, but what does an airport have to do with an NFL football team? Don't teams basically charter their own planes for the season? As for the fans, well, the rabid ones they'll take dilapidated freight trains and ride with the hobos if they have to get to a game in another city...... and air connects really aren't that bad to most NFL cities - Green Bay Packers survive. I have yet to hear any reasons for an NFL team moving because of the local airport......

I think that TakeFive digressed from the original point of his post.... call the airport musings a new line of thought.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by denconyny

Just curious, but what does an airport have to do with an NFL football team? Don't teams basically charter their own planes for the season? As for the fans, well, the rabid ones they'll take dilapidated freight trains and ride with the hobos if they have to get to a game in another city...... and air connects really aren't that bad to most NFL cities - Green Bay Packers survive. I have yet to hear any reasons for an NFL team moving because of the local airport......

Granted the Rams have little to do with the airport. That is more part of St. Louis, cut by cut, losing their bona fides of being a Big League City. It also speaks to the ambitions and success of Stan. All along I thought Phil Anschutz had the inside track in L.A. Only problem was he didn't have an NFL franchise and Stan does. I've wondered if Stan and his lovely wife Nancy Walton Kroenke would ever leave their Columbia, MO. home and move to Denver or at least Colorado. I know they've invested in other Colorado properties.

Originally Posted by BG918

No doubt DIA has been monumental in the growth of Metro Denver and especially for growing businesses as well as tourism. Not many airports except maybe DFW, ORD or ATL can touch it as far as number and quantity of nonstop domestic flights. Now if they can just keep getting more international routes which are still limited for such a large hub. Having the train connect DIA to downtown next year will be a huge milestone.

Denver could use more international routes but they're doing well with respect to growing those. But then I'm used to "read it and weep" Phoenix - U.S. Airways, now American adding 5/6 international routes from DFW while for Sky Harbor... crickets. Rest assured though they love all their Sky Harbor and Tempe employees (for now).

Phoenix does have a lot of flights to Mexico and Canada though which are busy. They are caught between LAX and DFW and especially too close to LAX. Meanwhile DFW as a growing hub for Fortune 500 companies must have a half dozen flights to SE Asia and Australia. My guess is that ORD is the loser to a degree.

I was impressed when United added a flight to Panama City as that is a gateway to all of South America. Agree the new commuter rail and convenient DIA train station should do a lot.

wong... you got the gist of it although the airport was primary; I just took a round about way to get there. LOL

[Curtis Park]

Originally Posted by DownhomeDenver

/\ Take5 we're just edging now.

Anyhoo, in other news.... I notice that there is a landmark preservation case for 2560 Welton St which is the parking lot adjacent to the light rail station on Welton and 25th. I guess this will be our next infill development on Welton! Still waiting for something to happen with the Rossonian.

2560 will be an 8 story mixed use. It will have set backs after the first three floors. Ground floor retail, I think some offices or a health club, then apartments on top. Starting construction at the same time will be the Rossonian project. They are demoing everything on that side of the block except for the Rossonian, then building 8 stories. Ground floor retail with a restaurant by Sage in the Rosonian. Two floors of a hotel by Sage, then offices on top. Each will have underground parking and they may share amenities between buildings. Craine Architecture is responsible for the design. Same developer is doing the 25th and Welton project and the town homes on 2400 Washington.