DENVER | Main Development Thread #6 - Page 185

lumos · #**3681** Posted **Apr 19, 2015, 5:00 AM**

That means a lot coming from you, Ryan. All you guys are so kind. I simply love the excitement of living in Downtown Denver.

TakeFive · #**3682** Posted **Apr 19, 2015, 6:15 PM**

So Denver gets a crown jewel?
Umm, yeah, well sort of.

No value engineering then?
Not a chance. Over designed and over engineered from the ground up!

What's an extra billion here and there, right?
Precisely. Just need to get by the frustration and jealousy between states. "Why does Colorado get the most awesome VA hospital and we get leftover crumpets?"

From a story by Molly Armbrister, Denver Business Journal:

Quote:

On Monday, the VA announced it had found the additional $830 million needed to fund the $1.73 billion project, which would require looting a fund created by the 2014 Veterans' Choice Act to help improve efficiencies within the VA following allegations of excessively long wait times and substandard care at VA clinics in several locations nationwide.

But the VA needs Congressional approval to take the money from the fund and re-appropriate it to the Denver project...

In an updated article by Molly Armbrister, Denver Business Journal there's 15 photos of the current state of construction HERE.

When completed this project may forever be an "iconic" part of the landscape and lore.

seventwenty · #**3683** Posted **Apr 19, 2015, 7:42 PM**

Stock Show bill update:

Quote:

Originally Posted by DBJ

Colorado House members gave overwhelming approval Friday to the state having a role in the plan to refurbish the National Western Center.
By a vote of 52-12, House Bill 1344, sponsored by Majority Leader Crisanta Duran, D-Denver, and Rep. Jon Becker, R-Fort Morgan, passed onto the Senate. It is not expected to face significant opposition in that chamber either.
National Western Stock Show officials and Denver city leaders are in the early stages of a facility makeover that would enlarge the home of the annual show, open it to year-round events and create an equine health center there in conjunction with Colorado State University. HB 1344 would create a partnership between the state and CSU to secure lease-purchase agreements for up to $250 million to finance the construction of that portion of the facility.

seventwenty · #**3684** Posted **Apr 19, 2015, 7:55 PM**

Colorado oil and gas companies go downtown

Quote:

Originally Posted by DBJ

The industry is downtown’s fifth-largest industry sector, according to the DDP.
It accounts for 10,466 mostly high-paying jobs, and generates $10.8 million in convention business each year, as well as hotel rooms and sales taxes related to regular business travel, according to the study, done for the partnership by Economic & Planning Systems Inc.

DenvertoLA · #**3685** Posted **Apr 19, 2015, 9:50 PM**

I bet you there is some "House of Cards" Sh!t going on for why Colorado getting this behemoth

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakeFive

So Denver gets a crown jewel?
Umm, yeah, well sort of.

No value engineering then?
Not a chance. Over designed and over engineered from the ground up!

What's an extra billion here and there, right?
Precisely. Just need to get by the frustration and jealousy between states. "Why does Colorado get the most awesome VA hospital and we get leftover crumpets?"

From a story by Molly Armbrister, Denver Business Journal:

In an updated article by Molly Armbrister, Denver Business Journal there's 15 photos of the current state of construction HERE.

When completed this project may forever be an "iconic" part of the landscape and lore.

TakeFive · #**3686** Posted **Apr 20, 2015, 3:47 AM**

I know many of you are more worldly than I.

Have you ever been to a nice furniture store? A nice BIG furniture store?

NEBRASKA?
Umm, yeah, but Texas sized. Takes 40 photos to see it all.

Zmapper · #**3687** Posted **Apr 20, 2015, 6:48 AM**

I've been Nebraska Furniture Mart locations in Omaha and Kansas City. They put American Furniture Warehouses to shame.

mr1138 · #**3688** Posted **Apr 20, 2015, 3:36 PM**

Haha... kind of random on here, but yeah, Nebraska Furniture Mart is awesome. And a bit inexplicable. My parents grew up back there and say that it goes WAY back, and was once "Mrs. B's" Furniture store or something like that... though I believe it is now part of Berkshire Hathaway. They sell way more than furniture too. It's like American Furniture warehouse combined with Best Buy, and elements of Target and Costco mixed in. The whole thing takes up an entire campus of multiple show rooms and warehouses.

Denver · #**3689** Posted **Apr 20, 2015, 5:22 PM**

Anyone know about this project at 3501 Wazee Street, Denver (Site of Wazee Union)? It is currently being marketed by Cushman and Wakefield as 100,000sf "new generation work space."

Source:http://looplink.cushwake.com/looplink/cu...&R_QR_PT=80&R_FL_RML=10030&R_FL_ML=20202

Stonemans_rowJ · #**3690** Posted **Apr 20, 2015, 5:24 PM**

It sounds like it is mostly cheap, disposable furniture that will probably end up in the landfill in a relatively short period of time. More of the Wal-Mart-ization of everything in our disposable society.

US-made, quality furniture retailers like Room & Board are experiencing record growth, but they are still a niche, just like all the creative, hand-made, local, "hipster," "return to quality" products that are gaining in popularity with a certain subset of millennials and other demographics. These things are still very much a niche. It's like craft beer. It's immensely popular in Denver, Portland, Brooklyn, and many other hip cities, but its a ridiculously small (but growing) percent of overall beer sales. I think less than 10% of overall market.

The vast, vast majority of Americans will continue to buy cheap, disposable things because it seems to them like a better value in the moment, even though you'll end up paying far more in the long run.

balugajames · #**3691** Posted **Apr 20, 2015, 5:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denver

Anyone know about this project at 3501 Wazee Street, Denver (Site of Wazee Union)? It is currently being marketed by Cushman and Wakefield as 100,000sf "new generation work space."

Source:http://looplink.cushwake.com/looplink/cu...&R_QR_PT=80&R_FL_RML=10030&R_FL_ML=20202

Nice, north Brighton has a bright future ahead of it!

wong21fr · #**3692** Posted **Apr 20, 2015, 6:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stonemans_rowJ

It sounds like it is mostly cheap, disposable furniture that will probably end up in the landfill in a relatively short period of time. More of the Wal-Mart-ization of everything in our disposable society.

US-made, quality furniture retailers like Room & Board are experiencing record growth, but they are still a niche, just like all the creative, hand-made, local, "hipster," "return to quality" products that are gaining in popularity with a certain subset of millennials and other demographics. These things are still very much a niche. It's like craft beer. It's immensely popular in Denver, Portland, Brooklyn, and many other hip cities, but its a ridiculously small (but growing) percent of overall beer sales. I think less than 10% of overall market.

The vast, vast majority of Americans will continue to buy cheap, disposable things because it seems to them like a better value in the moment, even though you'll end up paying far more in the long run.

Room & Board is overpriced fluff built with non-sustainable resources, but at least they are semi-honest about it. Cherry hardwood from old-growth trees? Yeah, that's really sustainable. A more sustainable practice is to buy an old cabinet off of Craigslist, strip and refurbish it, and give it another 20 years of life. Which is something you can do with anypiece of hardwood furniture rather than buying something that was ripped out of an old-growth forest last year. Also, not a single piece of fast-growth hardwood furniture (such as pine) that's painted? That's about a narrow a focus as American Furniture Warehouse- just at a different price point.

Consumerist pigs.

Stonemans_rowJ · #**3693** Posted **Apr 20, 2015, 7:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Room & Board is overpriced fluff built with non-sustainable resources, but at least they are semi-honest about it. Cherry hardwood from old-growth trees? Yeah, that's really sustainable. A more sustainable practice is to buy an old cabinet off of Craigslist, strip and refurbish it, and give it another 20 years of life. Which is something you can do with anypiece of hardwood furniture rather than buying something that was ripped out of an old-growth forest. Also, not a single piece of fast-growth hardwood furniture (such as pine) that's painted? That's about a narrow a focus as American Furniture Warehouse- just at a different price point.

Consumerist pigs.

I totally agree with you that used is better, but I respectfully disagree about your assessment of Room & Board.

Nothing made of old growth is sustainable. Humans are inherently unsustainable, but one thing we can do is if we are going to purchase something, we can purchase something of quality with a long or indefinite life cycle.

Just my .02 and I understand that it is expensive for a lot of people. I only mention R&B because I worked there and their devotion to quality, design, value, and yes sustainability is really unmatched in the industry, certainly as compared to "Giant Cheap Furniture Warehouse X"

seventwenty · #**3694** Posted **Apr 20, 2015, 8:26 PM**

And in not downtown news:

Builders begin at Boulevard One at Lowry

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inside Real Estate

wo homebuilders are the first to break ground at Boulevard One.

Boulevard One is the final portion to be redeveloped at Lowry.

“This is the last chapter of a 20-year story of smart growth at Lowry,” said Monty Force, executive director of the Lowry Redevelopment Authority. The LRA is overseeing the development of Boulevard One.

At 70 acres, about the size of Cherry Creek North, Boulevard One is also the largest infill developments in Denver.

The first builders to break ground Boulevard One are Infinity Home Collection and Wonderland Homes.

More than a half dozen other builders are planning homes at Boulevard One.

Overall, homes are expected to range in size from 1,400 square feet to 3,200 square feet. They are expected to be priced from the $400,000s to more than $1 million.

Paulopolis · #**3695** Posted **Apr 20, 2015, 8:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denver

Anyone know about this project at 3501 Wazee Street, Denver (Site of Wazee Union)? It is currently being marketed by Cushman and Wakefield as 100,000sf "new generation work space."

Source:http://looplink.cushwake.com/looplink/cu...&R_QR_PT=80&R_FL_RML=10030&R_FL_ML=20202

Wazee Union was purchased by Zeppelin Development not very long ago. The purchase was mentioned in a DP article about artists being pushed out of RiNo by rising rents. Zeppelin mentioned at the time that they weren't sure what they were going to do with the property, if anything at all. Sounds like they maybe had an idea what they wanted to do with it all along. One hundred thousand square feet sounds big!