DENVER | Main Development Thread #6 - Page 166

LAM · #**3301** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 12:55 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DenverInfill

As soon as the developer or architect say it's OK.

I'm an architect and I say it's okay

pablosan · #**3302** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 3:16 AM**

^
LMAO!! That's funny.

DenverInfill · #**3303** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 4:09 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LAM

I'm an architect and I say it's okay

How thoughtful!

Denver · #**3304** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 4:36 AM**

The Denver Post recently ran an article on the renovation of the Walgreens store on the 16th street mall and the reopening of the 2nd story office space above. While not a huge project by any means, IMO this is the type of project the mall desperately needs. I'd love to see some new retail replace some of the older stores on the mall (sorry but the 16th st mall is not the right place for a Ross or a TJ Maxx...)

Source:http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_27...denvers-16th-street-mall?source=infinite

bobg · #**3305** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 1:26 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denver

The Denver Post recently ran an article on the renovation of the Walgreens store on the 16th street mall and the reopening of the 2nd story office space above. While not a huge project by any means, IMO this is the type of project the mall desperately needs. I'd love to see some new retail replace some of the older stores on the mall (sorry but the 16th st mall is not the right place for a Ross or a TJ Maxx...)

Walgreens is also adding more fresh food options and turning it into a "wellness center" as a result of the renovation/expansion.

But what would you replace Ross and TJ maxx with? They are the only retailers providing the bread and butter retail that people on this forum constantly say doesn't exist downtown. It's where I got my workout clothes, coffee maker, new bedding, socks, boxers, tea kettle, etc. Typically other stores that provide those items need much more square footage, and/or already exist 3.5 miles down the road in Cherry Creek. IMO given the current retail mix those two stores are absolutely vital to downtown. Of course that retail mix could change if say a Target, Kohl's, etc comes downtown, but they are certainly not here yet.

seventwenty · #**3306** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 3:05 PM**

Downtown. Not for poor people since whenever we started to not like them.

Denver · #**3307** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 3:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by seventwenty

Downtown. Not for poor people since whenever we started to not like them.

That is not it at all. What I was trying to say is that you cannot bill the 16th st mall as being one of the top tourist destinations in Denver and then have the majority of store on the mall be places where the average conventioneer will not want to shop. If you want to perceive that as an attack on poor people then that is understandable. However, the mall has a serious imagining issue and have a plethora of stores that are not attractive to tourist does nothing to help with this issues. I see the importance in keeping these stores downtown but do not think they should be on the mall. I would love more store the can showcase the city and the state or on the alternative see the city stop advertising the mall as a tourist destination because right now, I have a hard issue believing that any tourist is saying to themselves "wow I loved the 16th mall. I can't wait to go back."

TakeFive · #**3308** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 5:26 PM**

Denver... While I think your intent is good I suspect your thinking could use a little broadening.

"Tourists" I would think run the gamut of people from one end of the spectrum to the other. Convention goers brings a finer filter but even there likely includes a wide variety of people. In fact if you look at the roster of events over the year at the convention center you'd probably notice that many will bring in local visitors from all of the suburbs that would indeed be potential visitors/shoppers for a day or two on the mall.

Additionally, I'd assume that the Denver Pavilions and Writer Square should also be considered and maybe even Larimer Square by extension.

Lastly, even convention goers won't usually shop for themselves as much as they shop for the spouse and most especially the kids.

The Mall should also retain a distinctly local flavor even including Head, T-shirt and crappy (or nice) gift shops. That's central even for out-of-town visitors who love the local flavor of things.

Could the Mall benefit from an upgrade and better variety of retail offerings? I would think so. That could easily include TJ Maxx or Ross as well as many other names.

Cirrus · #**3309** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 5:41 PM**

We want 16th Street to be a main street for everyone, not just Denver's version of Fisherman's Wharf. Too many Ross's, TJ Maxx's, and Marshall's drive away tourists, but too many tchotchke shops drive away locals. It takes a balance.

That said, it would be nice if large local-serving stores like Ross took up the basement or 2nd floor, leaving the ground floor to more interesting options.

wong21fr · #**3310** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 6:06 PM**

Well, we're filling up. An April 9th ground-breaking has been announced for Union Tower West:

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/r...wer-west-to-break-ground-near-union.html

In 3 months or so we'll have 3-5 new construction cranes behind Union Station building 640 residences, 300 hotel rooms, 150K sq ft of office, and about 100K sq ft of retail. All with plenty of parking to ensure that the non-wealthy can visit occasionally for a peak of the good life.

TakeFive · #**3311** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 6:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Well, we're filling up. An April 9th ground-breaking has been announced for Union Tower West:

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/r...wer-west-to-break-ground-near-union.html

In 3 months or so we'll have 3-5 new construction cranes behind Union Station building 640 residences, 300 hotel rooms, 150K sq ft of office, and about 100K sq ft of retail. All with plenty of parking to ensure that the non-wealthy can visit occasionally for a peak of the good life.

I'm so grateful that there will be room for my Ford Focus car rental.

This is another good example of a fairly prominent East Coast developer diversifying their portfolio by planting seeds in Denver.
While it may not be as nice as the Shanghai Centre development...

courtesy of

...it will be a nice addition to the Union Station neighborhood (no jpg's available yet).

wong21fr · #**3312** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 7:06 PM**

Tragically, this means that only 3 million sq ft of office space has been either completed or is U/C downtown since 2010. That's only 2.5 Republic Plazas.

balugajames · #**3313** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 7:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denver

(sorry but the 16th st mall is not the right place for a Ross or a TJ Maxx...)

Completely disagree. Probably the most frequented shops on the 16th street mall for me. I agree we could use more variety and 'scale' and the conversion is great! but we don't need to get rid of those. Don't hate on frugal people.

balugajames · #**3314** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 7:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Well, we're filling up. An April 9th ground-breaking has been announced for Union Tower West:

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/r...wer-west-to-break-ground-near-union.html

In 3 months or so we'll have 3-5 new construction cranes behind Union Station building 640 residences, 300 hotel rooms, 150K sq ft of office, and about 100K sq ft of retail. All with plenty of parking to ensure that the non-wealthy can visit occasionally for a peak of the good life.

That looks like a new rendering. Not the biggest fan of the look, but happy about the scale!

http://media.bizj.us/view/img/5475321/screen-shot-2015-03-31-at-113358-am*600xx564-376-0-24.png

Denver · #**3315** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 8:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cirrus

We want 16th Street to be a main street for everyone, not just Denver's version of Fisherman's Wharf. Too many Ross's, TJ Maxx's, and Marshall's drive away tourists, but too many tchotchke shops drive away locals. It takes a balance.

That said, it would be nice if large local-serving stores like Ross took up the basement or 2nd floor, leaving the ground floor to more interesting options.

Ill modify my previous statement and say that your proposal is better. I guess is would be nice to see a retail mix like what you have on south Broadway. Local bar, small boutique with a chain stores mixed in. The mall is missing the local Colorado companies that you see in other areas of town.

seventwenty · #**3316** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 8:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denver

The mall is missing the local Colorado companies that you see in other areas of town.

Uhhh what? Just because you don't like the t-shirt shops doesn't mean they don't exist. Plus Obento has boba tea.

RyanD · #**3317** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 9:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denver

mall is missing the local Colorado companies that you see in other areas of town.

I'm sure high rent is a factor to that. Over the past couple weeks, I've had 4 clients come in to close their small business accounts all because of rent prices in Denver. They're moving to the burbs... A lady just said today, 'Sorry we can't afford you anymore Denver, it's been a fun 20 years. Movin' to Englewood.' A growing city is always an interesting thing to watch, especially when we are at capacity / jumping prices, quickly.

CharlesCO · #**3318** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 9:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cirrus

We want 16th Street to be a main street for everyone, not just Denver's version of Fisherman's Wharf. Too many Ross's, TJ Maxx's, and Marshall's drive away tourists, but too many tchotchke shops drive away locals. It takes a balance.

That said, it would be nice if large local-serving stores like Ross took up the basement or 2nd floor, leaving the ground floor to more interesting options.

You're right— it shouldn't be Fisherman's Wharf. What it should be, rather, is San Francisco's Market Street.

It's really interesting to get an out of state perspective. I know multiple people from the Bay Area who have gone to Denver recently and really enjoyed it, though they always mentioned how disappointed they are by the 16th Street Mall. Sure, a few of them discovered Union Station, but very few of them take the time to find all the best parts of Denver that I would argue are in the adjacent neighborhoods— Cap Hill, Congress Park, Highlands, RiNo, Broadway, Cherry Creek etc. And you can't blame them for not venturing out, either. It's not surprising that people new to town (as well as any locals who aren't skateboarding Aurora teens) expect more from 16th Street— where else would all the cool stuff in Denver be but in the gigantic pedestrian street that runs through the middle of town?

I'm not saying that the bar needs to be set really high. I think Cherry Creek has solidified itself as the premier retail center so much that 16th Street Mall or downtown could never replace it, nor should they. But I do think that the disappointing stretch from the Tabor Center down to the CBD could be cleaned up to feature the higher quality (not high end) type of retail and restaurants that are found at the western end of the mall and inside DUS. 16th Street Mall can be more than the worst of both worlds of tourists and locals— and I don't think we need to try very hard to improve it.

TakeFive · #**3319** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 9:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by RyanD

I'm sure high rent is a factor to that. Over the past couple weeks, I've had 4 clients come in to close their small business accounts all because of rent prices in Denver. They're moving to the burbs... A lady just said today, 'Sorry we can't afford you anymore Denver, it's been a fun 20 years. Movin' to Englewood.' A growing city is always an interesting thing to watch, especially when we are at capacity / jumping prices, quickly.

Dang - Wow - Sad - Intriguing - What does this mean?
Just curious: did these stores happen to be towards one end of the mall?

Maybe Denver's point is well taken that more upscale and/or national names have more interest now in downtown. I also like his point about stores similar to what you might find on South Broadway. That would add nicely to the mix and ambiance I'd think.

CharlesCO... Well said.

seventwenty · #**3320** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 9:50 PM**

I think my favorite thing about the 16th Street Mall website is that it has so many listings on 17th.