DENVER | Main Development Thread #6

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by mojiferous

Looking out my office window this morning, I noticed a crane somewhere in the West Highland-ish area... Anyone know what that is for?

+1 curious as well

[seventwenty]

Originally Posted by Mulligan

Then there'd probably still be some managing to find a way to complain about it then too.

Eh. Could have have second floor retail.

[CPVLIVE]

Originally Posted by mojiferous

Looking out my office window this morning, I noticed a crane somewhere in the West Highland-ish area... Anyone know what that is for?

There is a crane up at the No high-rises in Highlands site.


I also noticed that they started installing glass at Skyhouse yesterday.

[The Dirt]

Originally Posted by CPVLIVE

There is a crane up at the No high-rises in Highlands site.

I hope the WeHi NIMBYs stage a burka-wearing protest again and break down in tears. I would pay top dollar to see that.

[mhays]

They're erecting a six-story billboard to protest five-story projects.

Where I live, if something might be historic, the land owner or developer will file a nomination and recommend "no." They want the nomination to be accurate since they know it'll be a debate and the review board will see through any BS. When the answer comes, then they start design and entitlements on the new job. Seattle's process is time consuming and costly, and we charge massive fees. But unless they need an alley vacation or something (which can get political and interminable), it's reasonably straightforward, and projects don't get the rug pulled out.

I thought Denver's new zoning code was intended to simplify things. If projects can get randomly stopped by politics, that's a big problem. Developers don't like to propose projects when they can't control their own destiny within a set of known rules. They're already dealing with guesswork on project cost, financing price/availability, the rental market, and so on.

[Stonemans_rowJ]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

I fail to see how replacing a Queen Ann with four 2-story townhouse units is a big win for density? I really would hate to see all the nice single-family homes in West Highlands replaced by new 2-story townhouses. I think the same about the many well regarded neighborhoods in Denver.

I'm content and impressed with the recent zoning redo. Some areas were up-zoned while other areas were down-zoned - as I understand it.

At least at this time I don't see any shortage of opportunities for new high density housing? I'd guess that 90/95% of the time "old houses" or structures aren't worth saving. The small percentage of buildings worth preserving should be an easy enough load to lift.

The vast majority of the city is zoned single family so its really not a concern that West Highlands will change much. Jefferson Park and Sloan's has a lot of Row Home zoning, and that is why those areas are ground zero for rowhomes. For the most part, there are few homes worth saving in Jefferson Park in particular. The housing stock just isn't as good as most of the other older neighborhoods. I think the Park used to be a landfill. The best and highest use for this parcel is clearly not a derelict old house. the issue is no doubt exacerbated by the developer who is known for replicating the same thing over and over, pretty blah design and architecture.

[bunt_q]

What would you guys say if the owners of an old Queen Anne just wanted to tear it down and build themselves something nicer and newer with actual closets, without having to move to Stapleton? Take the big bad greedy developer out of the equation - would you allow an individual to scrape their own "pretty" old home?

EDIT: Moved the rest to a pm

[Brainpathology]

Didn't the residents of Washington park have seizures over similar happenings a couple decades ago? Though it involved "pop tops" and not actual scrapings. And I don't recall if any actual change in laws or permits came of that.

I think it's pretty clear, whatever complaints to the contrary you may get here or in private, that there is and always will be a contingent of people in Denver and everywhere else who think they have a right to veto any change in visual stimuli that goes to their brain whenever they want to.

[RyanD]

So I have press access to the 9th and Colorado implosion. I'm going to have 3 cameras on it! HD Video, burst still shots, and my GoPro for slow-mo!

[The Dirt]

[Cirrus]

Originally Posted by TheNation

Hawaii aims for 100% renewable energy

Hawaii Governor David Ige says his administration will not use natural gas to replace the state’s petroleum-fueled electricity plants, but will make a full-court press toward 100 percent renewables by 2045.

Ige, trained as an electrical engineer, is leading his state in the most ambitious clean-energy program in the United States. On June 8, he signed into law a bill calling for Hawaii’s electricity to be entirely generated from renewables in only 30 years.

Something tells me that faced with the choice of clean energy generated on moutain tops, or pristine-looking mountains hiding destructive energy production, Colorado wouldn't make this same choice.


julian v on flickr

[PLANSIT]

That's what the plains are for. We have a lot. And it's plenty windy out there.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Something tells me that faced with the choice of clean energy generated on moutain tops, or pristine-looking mountains hiding destructive energy production, Colorado wouldn't make this same choice.

Yes, because those turbines on the mountainside will meet all of Hawaii's needs and that's how it's going to be done. But, it would be idiotic to put wind farms on mountains in Colorado when we have wind-swept plains with some of the best generational capacity in North America.

For Hawaii, how about a picture of a ginormous geothermal plant pumping out columns of steam and resembling a natural gas plant? Or how about a picture of a redox battery facility with stacks of 2000 or so coupled 250kWh stacks along with a 500MWh wind farm? That's the only way that Hawaii goes 100% renewable unless they want to go the mainland route and have a 100% gas-fired "renewable" generating portfolio that progressives circle-jerk at the thought of.

[PLANSIT]

Aren't we (CO) building the largest Solar plant in the US, east of the Rockies? Yes, we are.

And shouldn't this be in the COLORADO thread?

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Something tells me that faced with the choice of clean energy generated on moutain tops, or pristine-looking mountains hiding destructive energy production, Colorado wouldn't make this same choice.

Of course there's THIS courtesy of discounthawaii4u to consider:

Roughly speaking, there are two seasons: from November through April the climate is cooler and more humid, with daily high temperatures of about 81°F and lows of 65°F at night. More rain falls during the cooler season, but there are also many lovely sunny days. From June through October the climate is warmer and drier with daily high temperatures of about 84°F and lows of 70°F at night.

[comoneymaker]

Originally Posted by RyanD

So I have press access to the 9th and Colorado implosion. I'm going to have 3 cameras on it! HD Video, burst still shots, and my GoPro for slow-mo!

What time is the implosion ?

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by comoneymaker

What time is the implosion ?

8am sharp. I have no idea where you can watch it from the street, they'll have a pretty large radius closed off.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by PLANSIT

Aren't we (CO) building the largest Solar plant in the US, east of the Rockies? Yes, we are.

And shouldn't this be in the COLORADO thread?

Probably. Though, in the electrical generation realm, I wonder if Cirrus supports those progressives working to derail the North Anna 3 plant in Virginia because, well, because environmentalists are the greatest scourge of humanity since leisure suits?

But let's move these posts to another thread please.

[bunt_q]

The whole point of renewable energy sources in Hawaii is so they can stop boating in gas. It has little to do with feel good environmentalism. It has everything to do with common sense economics - they might be one of the only civilized places on the planet where there is little doubt that renewables can be done more economically.

[TakeFive]

"Denver Park to host ribbon cutting ceremony Saturday"

Interesting location for a Denver Park is all I've got to say.