DENVER | Main Development Thread #6

[mhays]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

I used my own proprietary algorithm. I call her my butt beast.


I'd agree with "1" more than "2." These tech companies typically become chameleons when they leave the Bay Area often using a sharp pencil in analyzing costs. (Seattle is different)

I'd agree with the "urban lifestyle" angle but at some point it's subject to demand/supply, law of diminishing returns, risk/reward analysis. Too much partying can leave a hangover; doesn't mean parties go completely out of style.

I gather Denver/Boulder is getting some high-value, urban-centered tech too. That's the sort that goes where the top talent wants to be, vs. chasing the cheap deals around the country.

Demand for urban infill isn't infinite, but given how few people already live in that type of area, I'd say there's a vast amount of room to grow. If most big downtowns are 1% of their regional populations, the amount who'd like to live there might be many times that...and the "desire" numbers can grow explosively as things get progressively nicer. Same for any core district where transit, business, and residential mix with enough critical mass. Maybe that's a few more percentage points. But massive numbers of people say they want walkable, mixed-use areas.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by Robert.hampton

http://www.businessden.com/2015/02/04/nonprofit-eyes-uptown-hq-build/

Colorado Health Foundation HQ

Looks like this project will take up approximately 1/3 of the parking lot. Denver Housing Authority will continue to own the remaining 2/3. Given a 40,000 sq ft project, it will probably end up being 3-4 stories depending how the vehicle parking is configured (underground vs. structured).

[Pedalrob]

Schematic designs for Alexan Arapahoe Square are posted on the planning board's website. Look under Board Meetings for 2200 Welton. Or this is the PDF, if the link works.

[PLANSIT]

Originally Posted by Pedalrob

Schematic designs for Alexan Arapahoe Square are posted on the planning board's website. Look under Board Meetings for 2200 Welton. Or this is the PDF, if the link works.

Sweet!


Also, one block south(ish), along Welton, we have another apartment project:

Site Address and Description
2015PM447 - 21st and Welton Apartments

[The Dirt]

Originally Posted by PLANSIT

Latest rendering of Central Denver Rec Center (5 stories):



Accompanying DP article about potential names.

I wish they would have anchored the corner of Josephine and Colfax rather than being set so far back.

[CPVLIVE]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Looks like this project will take up approximately 1/3 of the parking lot. Denver Housing Authority will continue to own the remaining 2/3. Given a 40,000 sq ft project, it will probably end up being 3-4 stories depending how the vehicle parking is configured (underground vs. structured).

They have fenced approximately 2/3 of the lot however, leaving only a six or seven space wide lot that are marked as free for Ace customers only.

[Sam Hill]

Denver Leads Forbes' 2015 List Of The Best Places For Business And Careers

[TakeFive]

Some pretty heady numbers.

"Rents up 13 percent in metro Denver in Q2"
Jul 29, 2015 by Molly Armbrister, Denver Business Journal

Vacancy rates in the metro area were 4.5 percent on average in the quarter...

The number of new units added to the market increased in the second quarter as seasonal construction was completed, with 2,581 new apartment units delivered. In the second quarter, 4,550 units were absorbed, an usually high number.

"This illustrates how demand is keeping up with the new developments," said Mark Williams, executive vice president of the apartment association. "Absorption rates at this level have only occurred four times over the last 25 years."

Nothing in these numbers that would even hint at a slowdown. These are metro numbers btw. As the pipeline continues to reload the next nine months (at least) should continue to see these projects move to groundbreaking.

These are historic times for the core urban area.

[balugajames]

Originally Posted by Pedalrob

Schematic designs for Alexan Arapahoe Square are posted on the planning board's website. Look under Board Meetings for 2200 Welton. Or this is the PDF, if the link works.

Really glad to see AS getting some love; however, I wish the ordinances put in a statement to limit overall mass above the 5th floor. It looks like another ocean liner/commie block. If it just had a notch to make it 2 towers past the 5th floor it would do wonders. But alas! Another massive wall of windows and more peeps downtown.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by Sam Hill

Denver Leads Forbes' 2015 List Of The Best Places For Business And Careers

From the linked Forbes piece by Kurt Badenhausen:

There is one drawback to Denver’s highly educated workforce. “Our ability to qualify for many relocation projects has gone down, and we are limited to competing for the top 3-4% of projects in terms of wages paid,” says Metro Denver Economic Development Corp CEO Tom Clark, who points to the fact that education and compensation go hand-in-hand. Denver needs to target high-wage projects like the Panasonic and Lockheed moves.

The trend is your friend
All that matters for now is let all the developers build all the apartments they wish to. Once built they become a permanent part of the inventory.

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by balugajames

Really glad to see AS getting some love; however, I wish the ordinances put in a statement to limit overall mass above the 5th floor. It looks like another ocean liner/commie block. If it just had a notch to make it 2 towers past the 5th floor it would do wonders. But alas! Another massive wall of windows and more peeps downtown.

An ocean liner, I like it. I've always called them commie blocks or landscrapers, but ocean liner is a nice visual.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

An ocean liner, I like it. I've always called them commie blocks or landscrapers, but ocean liner is a nice visual.

I like the guy out front on page 5 of the pdf. It looks like he's whizzing on the plants.
I do like the use of recessed balconies; that's my thingy.

[PLANSIT]

Originally Posted by balugajames

Really glad to see AS getting some love; however, I wish the ordinances put in a statement to limit overall mass above the 5th floor. It looks like another ocean liner/commie block. If it just had a notch to make it 2 towers past the 5th floor it would do wonders. But alas! Another massive wall of windows and more peeps downtown.

Arapahoe Square Zoning and Design Standards & Guidelines

[balugajames]

Originally Posted by PLANSIT

Arapahoe Square Zoning and Design Standards & Guidelines

Glad to see this is moving forward. I am assuming the Alexan AS development, even though its in the D-AS zoning, will not have to go through these DSGs will they?

The latest document is spot on with my thinking. If they could break the building up into a 15 and 9 story tower instead of a full 12 block monstrosity it would do wonders!

Here is the latest pdf from the design board. Great read
http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/646/documents/Zoning/rezoning/Arapahoe_square_rezoning/Mtg-5.pdf

Slide 40 - 45 are exactly what I propose for this development.. Scaled down from 20 - 12...

[PLANSIT]

Originally Posted by balugajames

Glad to see this is moving forward. I am assuming the Alexan AS development, even though its in the D-AS zoning, will not have to go through these DSGs will they?

The latest document is spot on with my thinking. If they could break the building up into a 15 and 9 story tower instead of a full 12 block monstrosity it would do wonders!

Here is the latest pdf from the design board. Great read
http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/646/documents/Zoning/rezoning/Arapahoe_square_rezoning/Mtg-5.pdf

Slide 40 - 45 are exactly what I propose for this development.. Scaled down from 20 - 12...

I thought you might like that. And yes, the Alexan is moving forward as we have seen in the Planning Board doc. Although, it's mildly better than the Alexan Uptown.

From what I understand, the AS Zoning and Design Guidelines, in a nut shell, should give us more point towers, similar to what you see in Vancouver.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by PLANSIT

I thought you might like that. And yes, the Alexan is moving forward as we have seen in the Planning Board doc. Although, it's mildly better than the Alexan Uptown.

From what I understand, the AS Zoning and Design Guidelines, in a nut shell, should give us more point towers, similar to what you see in Vancouver.

Given all the residential (in particular) development that has already occurred I think upping the standards is a very timely and appropriate idea. I know there's still many potential development sites scattered around and despite AS's significant "desert landscape" it still kinda feels like downtown Denver's last frontier.

[TakeFive]

Gosh, It had been so long since I've seen Jon Caldara's mug I didn't even know if he was still around. Oh yeah.

"Development booming by new light rail stations"
July 29, 2015 by Jaclyn Allen - 7News Denver

[CherryCreek]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Gosh, It had been so long since I've seen Jon Caldara's mug I didn't even know if he was still around. Oh yeah.

"Development booming by new light rail stations"
July 29, 2015 by Jaclyn Allen - 7News Denver

Boondoggle! Waste of tax money! Government overreach! Librul conspiracy! Lol.

Can you imagine where metro Denver would be if voters over the past 30 years had not voted to tax themselves to fund many, many billions of dollars in new highways, streets and viaducts, light rail, commuter rail, urban renewal and redevelopment, parks, arts facilities, two stadiums, a sports arena, an airport, and more?

Denver isn't succeeding because it "won the lottery" . It's called "investment" and the result of these "investments" have been "profits" to the region, profits that are now soaring.

There was an article in the Colorado Springs Paper wondering why Colorado Springs had not shared in the boom of the northern Front Range Cities and suggesting the City, which was notorious for having its voters reject even the most modest proposals for government investment, might be suffering the consequences of its lack of foresight.

[balugajames]

Originally Posted by CherryCreek

Boondoggle! Waste of tax money! Government overreach! Librul conspiracy! Lol.

Can you imagine where metro Denver would be if voters over the past 30 years had not voted to tax themselves to fund many, many billions of dollars in new highways, streets and viaducts, light rail, commuter rail, urban renewal and redevelopment, parks, arts facilities, two stadiums, a sports arena, an airport, and more?

Denver isn't succeeding because it "won the lottery" . It's called "investment" and the result of these "investments" have been "profits" to the region, profits that are now soaring.

There was an article in the Colorado Springs Paper wondering why Colorado Springs had not shared in the boom of the northern Front Range Cities and suggesting the City, which was notorious for having its voters reject even the most modest proposals for government investment, might be suffering the consequences of its lack of foresight.

You are exactly the right. Denver didn't play the lottery, we ran a successful business. Very different approaches.

I completely agree with the Colorado Sentiment (CS) sentiment. Why would anyone want to invest in a community that doesn't invest in itself and instead solely totes the 'mine' attitude with infrastructure. Colorado Springs has a lot of things going against it: uber conservative, uber religious, uber military, ie dependent on gov handouts, uber polarized and uber lack of thoughtfullness in design and planning are all issues CS has. CS's only sense of place is the peaks around it which would be there with or without CS. Unfortunately they built a very mediocre city.

I think the saying goes.... You get what you pay for. We had some great thought leadership in Denver over the last few decades, hopefully its not lost in the decades to come. We are about to finish our last big idea with no big ideas that I know of on the drawing board aside from the horrible wasteful spending of I-70 widening (Tear it down!).

Its odd we are investing so much in this corridor, which should never have been built, when a train running parallel too it is about to open.. Just imagine what those 2 billion (likely going to be 4 billion) could do across the state.

[EngiNerd]

RDS70 has a nice update for us this morning:

Greystar Residential of Charleston, SC is planning the development of a 16 story apartment building at the intersection of Speer Boulevard and Bannock Street in the Golden Triangle. The project is proposed to include approximately 300 residential units and 32,400 square feet of ground floor retail facing Bannock Street. The building will also include four floors of structured parking and a 6th floor amenity area. The project architect is Ziegler Cooper Architects of Houston. Construction in proposed to begin in mid 2016. Here are a couple of conceptual renderings of the project:

http://www.denver-cityscape.com/