DENVER | Main Development Thread #6

[RyanD]

See? This what I'm talking about. This project doesn't seem too unreasonable given there is absolutely dismal transit access to this neighborhood. I'm not going to take my fancy date out to Sushi Den via bicycle... It's bringing more retail, replacing a surface lot and providing a more viable parking option to ease the neighborhood a bit.

Streetsblog Viewpoint:



BusinessDen article:

Sushi spot paves way for large parking deck
via BusinessDen

A South Pearl sushi spot is making room for a lot more cars.

Demolition has started at 1540 S. Pearl St. where the Sushi Den is working on a 158-space parking garage. The latest plans submitted to the city, which are not yet approved, show a 60,900-square-foot structure with two ground-level retail stalls.

The development would replace a surface parking lot at 1530 S. Pearl St. and the former Whole Cat & Dogs, Too shop at 1540 S. Pearl. Sushi Den’s owner Toshihiro Kizaki owns both lots. Kizaki has owned the parking lot since at least 2012 and bought the pet store building, now demolished, for $1.2 million in June 2014.

Sushi Den is located at 1487 S. Pearl St., just across Florida Avenue from the parking deck site.

Kizaki could not be reached for comment on the project on Thursday afternoon. The deck was designed by Semple Brown Design, and the general contractor is Spectrum General Contractors.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

Any chance the 1% could lend RTD some of that brainpower to make the trains run on time? Every other western country can manage it, not sure why we're mired in such incompetence. The Concessionaire is the biggest reason I hold out hope for the A Line not sucking. The less RTD is involved in anything the more successful I expect it to be.

In any case, I digress. Back to bitching about terrible humans.

I blame the lawyers. Then again, I tend to blame them for everything and it dovetails into the terrible human discussion. Oh, and environmentalists. If we could somehow harness the power of arrogance and ignorance that the collective legal and environmental activists professions generates, we'd be carbon free tomorrow. Plus, the trains would run on time.

Alright, off to talk to the lawyers about why a corporate announcement of two paragraphs necessitates two pages of forward looking statement disclosures.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by RyanD

See? This what I'm talking about. This project doesn't seem too unreasonable given there is absolutely dismal transit access to this neighborhood. I'm not going to take my fancy date out to Sushi Den via bicycle... It's bringing more retail, replacing a surface lot and providing a more viable parking option to ease the neighborhood a bit.

Streetsblogs' David Sachs would suggest otherwise. If only Denver had more multi-modal streets then you could easily bike from Stapleton to Pearl Street for a great date night. Because 'da bus is for suckers who can't bike. Or you could stop being a loser and just live in Wash Park.

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by comoneymaker

How is the Country Club Towers progressing ?

Here you go!

Speer: Country Club Towers Update #1
via DenverInfill

[awholeparade]

Anyone know what's going in at 17th and Lafayette?

[Robert.hampton]

Originally Posted by awholeparade

Anyone know what's going in at 17th and Lafayette?

http://www.businessden.com/2015/07/21/uptown-apartment-project-sold-for-7-3m/

"After selling Ascent, Henry is setting his sights two blocks west to a property he cleared earlier this year at the southwest corner of 17th Avenue and Lafayette Street. He said he’s talking to potential joint venture partners and hopes to have a development plan in the coming months."



I think thats as much info as I have seen on it.

[Cirrus]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

Worst people in the world up there in West Highland.

Given all this talk of no-growth charter amendments, I'd say Boulderites still win that by a long shot. No small-time project-by-project NIMBYism for Boulder; it's institutional and by-decree. And they're still claiming it's all for environmental benefit. That destroy-the-environment-but-say-we're-saving-it shtick is honestly abhorrent. The nicest possible reading is that it's the prisoner's dilemma run amok.

You have to give credit to Will Toor though. He's taking a stand against it. Of course, only a retired politician could do that in Boulder.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

I blame the lawyers.

Alright, off to talk to the lawyers about why a corporate announcement of two paragraphs necessitates two pages of forward looking statement disclosures.

Off Topic

"Commodity Gauge Slumps to Lowest Since ’99"

"Exxon Mobil on track for worst annual performance in 34 years"

There's an old expression that when the U.S. economy catches a bad cold the rest of the world gets Pneumonia. In the case of China's economy getting sick it's (especially) the commodities complex - the miners/producers and their countries that suffer.

On the whole this should be a positive for wong's 'MERICA.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Off Topic

"Commodity Gauge Slumps to Lowest Since ’99"

"Exxon Mobil on track for worst annual performance in 34 years"

There's an old expression that when the U.S. economy catches a bad cold the rest of the world gets Pneumonia. In the case of China's economy getting sick it's (especially) the commodities complex - the miners/producers and their countries that suffer.

On the whole this should be a positive for wong's 'MERICA.

Not too positive for my 'merica- the one that rides the boom and bust cycles of the commodity sector.

[The Dirt]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Given all this talk of no-growth charter amendments, I'd say Boulderites still win that by a long shot. No small-time project-by-project NIMBYism for Boulder; it's institutional and by-decree. And they're still claiming it's all for environmental benefit. That destroy-the-environment-but-say-we're-saving-it shtick is honestly abhorrent. The nicest possible reading is that it's the prisoner's dilemma run amok.

You have to give credit to Will Toor though. He's taking a stand against it. Of course, only a retired politician could do that in Boulder.

Ugh, why did I read the comments section.

[corey]

Originally Posted by Brainpathology

What a great Monday morning. One of the largest safety net hospitals in the country continues to expand and "it's not even worth commenting on." And besides it's going to be built with public money so by definition it goes to the top of Denver's architectural jewels. Meanwhile asshat NIMBY's are whining over a two story medical office building in West Highlands but at the same time valiant hero NIMBY's are still doing their best to steal 200k from a man with no retirement savings.

I'm beginning to see why so many of the 1% think they got there because they are smarter than everyone else.

I said the DESIGN is not even worth commenting on. It's great the hospital is expanding onto that property. I also said I don't care that it isn't anything great. But I would expect a prestigious firm like Davis Partnership to come up with something a hell of a lot better. Way to cherry pick other people's comments.

[DownhomeDenver]

According to the Lower Downtown Design Review Board there's a project that's in the planning stages for 1701-1725 Blake St which is currently a parking lot.

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by DownhomeDenver

According to the Lower Downtown Design Review Board there's a project that's in the planning stages for 1701-1725 Blake St which is currently a parking lot.

It's neat but the staff recommendation is denial. I wonder why?

[TakeFive]

The Roundup

Denver Urban Review has fresh renderings of Union Tower West which broke ground in April.

Molly Armbrister Denver Business Journal writes about WeWorks leasing about two-thirds of The Lab in Denver's Highlands neighborhood. BusinessDen had rumored this some time ago and now it's official.

Not new but Cathy Proctor Denver Business Journal has a nice story about Denver Water's headquarters redevelopment which will start after the first of the year.

Cathy Proctor also has the story about a newly funded oil & gas company - Evolution Midstream LLC. Great time to start a company in the oil patch so this is good news.

[BG918]

Will the building that used to house El Diablo and Sketch at 1st & Broadway ever be reopened? I had lunch at the Hornet today and seeing all the boarded up windows going on well over two years now is pretty sad. Either rehab it or tear it down.

[comoneymaker]

Originally Posted by RyanD

Here you go!

Speer: Country Club Towers Update #1
via DenverInfill

You want to post this to the City Compilations? We need more updates there.

[comoneymaker]

Also I took this today. 55 Cook st I believe. Right next to the building being renovated. I think I recall a rendering posted a few months back but was not expecting construction to start already. Info?

[Brainpathology]

Originally Posted by corey

I said the DESIGN is not even worth commenting on. It's great the hospital is expanding onto that property. I also said I don't care that it isn't anything great. But I would expect a prestigious firm like Davis Partnership to come up with something a hell of a lot better. Way to cherry pick other people's comments.

What would you expect them to come up with exactly? Budget for design elements that stand out from thin air (do you, for example, think the sculpture of the mother holding the baby was a gift from the architectural firm who designed the maternity wing it decorates)? Or were they asked by their client possibly, maybe, to build something that maximized the usable area of the building while keeping with the general theme of all other buildings Denver Health has built in the last 2 decades? Could they have possibly, maybe been asked to do that as a competent architectural firm? Just maybe?

It's not going to be stick (likely given it's height), it's likely going to be clad in brick (if it does follow the lead of other DH buildings), it DOES fit with all the other buildings the hospital has been making for the last many years, there's no surface parking, the entrance to the garage is on the side street, and not all that big, they've even slightly broken up the facade along the long length of the building. It continues new height that has been being added to Broadway recently. Hell it hits nearly every erogenous zone of the teachers I had in Architecture school. We could even imagine a soft sigh, stroke of the beard and thoughtful nod while we all contemplate how much of an intelligent statement the building makes by NOT making too much of a statement.

And while we're on cherry picking, way to not defend cheerleading the stealing of money from private citizens through 'historic by contract' BS.

[Brainpathology]

Originally Posted by RyanD

See? This what I'm talking about. This project doesn't seem too unreasonable given there is absolutely dismal transit access to this neighborhood. I'm not going to take my fancy date out to Sushi Den via bicycle... It's bringing more retail, replacing a surface lot and providing a more viable parking option to ease the neighborhood a bit.

Streetsblog Viewpoint:



BusinessDen article:

Sushi spot paves way for large parking deck
via BusinessDen

THat site is some FUN reading. Including blaming an inanimate street for the death of a cyclist riding against traffic. And that's not to say the street (CO blvd) is safe for anything other than cars. It isn't. But that doesn't mean the people who designed the street are responsible for the death of someone using an unsafe street unsafely.

Although, does Sushi Den need more parking? Are they getting ready to expand seating? It seems like it's hard to get a table there already. They aren't going to do themselves any favors if they increase average wait times by 30 minutes or more by making it easier for more and more people to get there.

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by Brainpathology

THat site is some FUN reading. Including blaming an inanimate street for the death of a cyclist riding against traffic. And that's not to say the street (CO blvd) is safe for anything other than cars. It isn't. But that doesn't mean the people who designed the street are responsible for the death of someone using an unsafe street unsafely.

Darwin. On my way in this morning I watched a cyclist going the wrong way down Broadway - happens every day. Guy crossed an intersection that had a green left turn arrow. Had he gotten creamed - and it was close - I have no doubt Sachs on tomorrow's Streets(Bikes)blog would've blamed the left turn arrow, and the favoritism they show for the automobile. And anyone who dared push back and point out that the dude was going the wrong way down a major road would be accused of victim blaming. That's just the level of thought and discourse in Denver today.