DENVER | Main Development Thread #6

[bunt_q]

Union Station's last hurrah! It's likely most of us will never see such a concentration of cranes in Denver again in our lifetimes.

[DenverInfill]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

Union Station's last hurrah! It's likely most of us will never see such a concentration of cranes in Denver again in our lifetimes.

That's probably true, although if/when the NextStage plan at DPAC moves forward, I suppose there's the possibility that a new Concert Hall could be under construction concurrently with a tower or two of the associated private development that would result in a cluster of four to six cranes at one time.

[Stonemans_rowJ]

http://www.dmarealtors.com/chriscoffeebreak

[Fritzdude]

Originally Posted by Stonemans_rowJ

http://www.dmarealtors.com/chriscoffeebreak

Interesting that he says he reviews comments on Skyscraperpage.com

Haha.. Hi Chris!

[enjo13]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

Union Station's last hurrah! It's likely most of us will never see such a concentration of cranes in Denver again in our lifetimes.

If we could figure out how to build a real european style public square in Arapahoe Square, I think you'd see the same intensity of development in the future.

[Alchemist]

Originally Posted by enjo13

If we could figure out how to build a real european style public square in Arapahoe Square, I think you'd see the same intensity of development in the future.

I think that the "Park Blocks" that the city would put in on 21st St between Larimer and Arapahoe in the "21st and Wynkoop" plan should be moved one block over so that it is centered on Arapahoe St. With 21st closed to traffic in those two blocks and the redevelopment potential on the surrounding corners, the city could work out an arrangement with the owners of those blocks so that a future development could be pulled back from the corner. That would create a fairy decent european-style public square. It is possible to do that at that intersection, not so much at the Lawrence and 21st intersection.

[twister244]

Some additional insight into Zeppelin Station (Gauge) now under construction. The pedestrian bridge inquired about earlier looks mostly done. I am sure it will open sooner than later.

http://www.businessden.com/2016/09/27/zeppelin-station-breaks-ground-in-rino/

[RyanD]

Le Meridien / AC Hotel

[EngiNerd]

Thanks for all the great updates recently Ryan!

[Darius C]

Tallest building versus population for 20 largest MSAs (2015 data):



Click on the thumbnail to enlarge. The two badly overlapping labels are Minneapolis and Boston.

[ddvmke]

I realize this isn't the type of development that's typically discussed here, but significant nonetheless. $1+ billion investment in renewable energy southeast of Denver to support CO's growing population in a sustainable way. Has the potential to power over 300,000 homes depending on efficiency/delivery/etc:

http://renews.biz/104442/green-light-for-600mw-rush-creek/

[Curtis Park]

These neighborhood NIMBY yahoos continue moaning about somebody else trying to take their parking space. What do you think their chances are of getting the permit revoked? What sort of precedent would that set? And wouldn't that set the city up for a lawsuit?
They complain that this is not the right neighborhood for this sort of development. But with 3 frequent bus lines and access to car2go and bcycle, why isn't it?
Now Westword is on it.

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by EngiNerd

Thanks for all the great updates recently Ryan!

You got it!

999 17th Street:

It's peeking out!



Ground level:

[The Dirt]

Originally Posted by Curtis Park

These neighborhood NIMBY yahoos continue moaning about somebody else trying to take their parking space. What do you think their chances are of getting the permit revoked? What sort of precedent would that set? And wouldn't that set the city up for a lawsuit?
They complain that this is not the right neighborhood for this sort of development. But with 3 frequent bus lines and access to car2go and bcycle, why isn't it?
Now Westword is on it.

Thanks for the links! This is seriously getting out of hand, so I wrote the city council and my councilperson. I urge everyone else on here to do the same. If you can't come up with anything, just take what I wrote and tweak it if you want:

Dear Denver City Council,

I am writing to you as a concerned resident of Denver and a member of the citywide YIMBY movement in opposition of the micro-unit moratorium. During this time of relatively fast growth, the city council has become beholden to the hysterics of the vocal minority of NIMBYs. We are allowing self-interested individuals with little in the way of facts and a lot of fear to take control of the agenda. Instead, we should be working to come up with a reasonable solution that benefits the city and region as a whole. Limiting micro-unit construction as well as higher density residential developments within the city is not the answer to our housing crunch and rising prices. We are facing demand for housing that supply cannot keep up with. Instead of limiting development, we need to encourage more dense development faster and allow the process to become more efficient. Instead of talking about red herring topics which the NIMBYs have used across the country for decades like “tall” buildings casting shadows, loss of on-street parking, and traffic, we need to talk about how density is good for the city. Residents of dense developments are less likely to drive and more likely to use transit, making local transit lines and retail more viable, and making these neighborhoods more vibrant over time. New residents are also having to make a choice between moving closer to work into a denser development that allows them to ditch the car or moving to the suburbs and commuting by car. By promoting dense infill construction and doing it fast enough that prices can stabilize, we are giving people viable alternatives. We are helping to keep citizens healthier, by allowing them the option to walk or bike to work, and we’re helping to decrease pollution causing traffic. Thank you!

City council: [email protected]
Councilmember contact page: https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/denver-city-council/council-members.html
District 8 (Stapleton): [email protected]

[Curtis Park]

Originally Posted by The Dirt

I urge everyone else on here to do the same. If you can't come up with anything, just take what I wrote and tweak it if you want:

I'm taking this and tweaking it to send to Councilman Brooks. Thanks!
Thankfully there may be a cure for those folks afraid of losing parking.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by Curtis Park

These neighborhood NIMBY yahoos continue moaning about somebody else trying to take their parking space. What do you think their chances are of getting the permit revoked? What sort of precedent would that set? And wouldn't that set the city up for a lawsuit?
They complain that this is not the right neighborhood for this sort of development. But with 3 frequent bus lines and access to car2go and bcycle, why isn't it?
Now Westword is on it.

I'm happy to take the other side of this argument. I'll start here:

Before construction and negotiation with neighborhood association Curtis Park Neighbors.

In May, Gaddis Properties planned the micro-apartments near the 30th and Downing light-rail station.

Results of cooperative effort between developer and Curtis Park Neighbors.


"A rendering of the proposed site, facing southwest on Downing Street."
Both photos courtesy: Burl Rolett, BusinessDen

"Developer halves Curtis Park micro-apartment plans"
SEPTEMBER 6 by BURL ROLETT - BusinessDen

After proposing more than 50 Curtis Park micro-units earlier this year, developer Doug Gaddis is back with a toned-down, 29-apartment plan and the support of neighborhood association Curtis Park Neighbors.

“It’s a lot different than where we started from and now I think it has a lot more synergy with the neighborhood,” Gaddis said. “We really worked with the neighborhood to reduce a lot of our units, number one, and we also reached out to obtain some parking in the neighborhood.”

The revised plan shows a two-story building with only 17 units at 32nd and Downing with a rooftop deck, bike storage and a laundry room. The Stout Street parcel will now stand two stories tall with only 12 apartments.

Wait... No Parking?

Gaddis has also leased 20 parking spots within walking distance on the building, according to a letter of support presented by Curtis Park Neighbors

Now contrast that result with a 100-unit Micro-apartments that won't offer parking or even bike storage in a neighborhood with an historic designation.

I have great sympathy for residents who have lived in and care about their neighborhood. David Engelken has been in the neighborhood for 32 years.

Per the Westword article BY MATTHEW VAN DEVENTER 10/4 Melissa Rummel, a project manager for developer Nichols Partnership had this to say:

“Micro-apartment projects should not be driven by a pro forma unit count only," Rummel says. "They need to really fit into the context of the neighborhood. Micros make sense in very urban and connected neighborhoods. It does not make sense to bring them to outlying neighborhoods when parking is not provided.”

What do others think?

Engelken and the Humboldt Street Neighborhood Association are garnering citywide support for their appeal before the October 11 hearing. The board of Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation, which represents more than 100 neighborhood organizations, voted in favor of the Humboldt Street Neighborhood Association’s appeal. Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods Inc. also voted in favor of it. Both groups are sending letters of support to the zoning board.

What about Curtis Park?

And there is strength in numbers. In March, the Humboldt Street Neighborhood Association teamed up with the Curtis Park Neighborhood Association, which had been fighting a parking-free micro-unit project at 31st and Stout streets. Seventy-one micro-units on four floors were scheduled to go into two lots, both under 6,250 square feet. Since then, the neighborhood and developer have negotiated the number of units down to 29 , the floors down to two.

[CherryCreek]

Originally Posted by Curtis Park

These neighborhood NIMBY yahoos continue moaning about somebody else trying to take their parking space. What do you think their chances are of getting the permit revoked? What sort of precedent would that set? And wouldn't that set the city up for a lawsuit?
They complain that this is not the right neighborhood for this sort of development. But with 3 frequent bus lines and access to car2go and bcycle, why isn't it?
Now Westword is on it.

Not much chance of revocation I would think. Even when they put a moratorium on the Garden Courts it did not apply to any applications that were pending, much less those that had been approved. Under Colorado law someone who has an approved permit could bring a claim against the City if it subsequently reneged on a permit that had been properly applied for and granted (particularly if they have spent a lot of money and relied upon the approval).

Having said that, I do think this whole NIMBY vs. YIMBY thing is bit silly. Unless you believe in no government regulation on construction or land use, i.e., that developers should be able to build anything, anywhere, at anytime, then EVERYONE on here is a NIMBY person. You just have different list from others of what is that you don't want in your back yard.

[CherryCreek]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

I'm happy to take the other side of this argument. I'll start here:

Before construction and negotiation with neighborhood association Curtis Park Neighbors.

In May, Gaddis Properties planned the micro-apartments near the 30th and Downing light-rail station.

Results of cooperative effort between developer and Curtis Park Neighbors.


"A rendering of the proposed site, facing southwest on Downing Street."
Both photos courtesy: Burl Rolett, BusinessDen

"Developer halves Curtis Park micro-apartment plans"

SEPTEMBER 6 by BURL ROLETT - BusinessDen

Wait... No Parking?


Now contrast that result with a 100-unit Micro-apartments that won't offer parking or even bike storage in a neighborhood with an historic designation.

I have great sympathy for residents who have lived in and care about their neighborhood. David Engelken has been in the neighborhood for 32 years.

Per the Westword article BY MATTHEW VAN DEVENTER 10/4 Melissa Rummel, a project manager for developer Nichols Partnership had this to say:

What do others think?

What about Curtis Park?

Nice call, I agree. Calling someone a NIMBY or calling opposition to a particular project as NIMBYism isn't the same thing as making an actual argument for or against a project.

Unless you don't give a crap about your neighborhood or your city, then you are NIMBY, since presumably at some point there would be SOMETHING that you wouldn't want in your back yard.

I'm for smart development. Not density at all cost.

[TakeFive]

^ and your points are spot on as well.

[mhays]

I bet the resulting units are much more expensive, in addition to being a lot fewer. It might help neighborhood character according to a lot of people, but it won't help other broader goals like regional affordability. As an outsider I'm not the best judge of what "should" go where, but I like denser neighborhoods from a character perspective too...