DENVER | Main Development Thread #6

[COS]

The average condo price is now over $300k in Denver (article on biz journals). I sold my condo on the border of Den/Aurora in spring '16 for $330k and it has a $300/mo HOA. It's not a nice area, not a great home, just a solid condo that happened to ride this ridiculous wave of appreciation.

Denver home prices are rising faster than anywhere but Austin (biz journals). One tidbit about the list of risers, every place on there except for Den and SF are cheap markets that are still relatively cheap even with a large increase.

Denver is now the most expensive metro between the US coasts, like our little slice of the seaboards at the foot of the rockies.

Also, Denver is the fastest growing large city in the US, by percentage. So all of the above is happening while growth is swift. Imagine if growth is regulated beyond natural factors, the consequences would be disastrous. What am I missing?

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by DenverInfill

Thanks everyone for all the good comments about the new blog design! Ryan and I have been working on this since July and have spent dozens of hours weighing our options for a hundred different details about what the new blog would look like. It's been a great experience--Ryan and I think alike on just about everything which made the process quite easy and fun.

I can only imagine... and the great results must bring great satisfaction (for the two of you).

Originally Posted by RyanD

Thanks for the feedback everyone! As far as the text size, that's not going anywhere. It matches every other major 'blog' and news site (like CityLab), and we decided it would be nice to match it.

Oddly it's a bit big for me compared to other sites. I suspect it's bcuz I've got my Chrome browser set at "medium" text and it's not a problem for me to make a quick adjustment.

BTW, I didn't know you could use the "tags" section for something useful. I had just used the search box instead.

Originally Posted by enjo13

Is that surprising? There have been a couple of other townhome projects within two blocks of those. I think those townhomes fit the area very nicely.

Not surprising that I'd agree. I just believe (strongly) that some variety in density helps to make the downtown surrounding area much more interesting; it's character enhancing. Especially for older (quaint) neighborhoods lower density is in fact preferred as compatibility is important.

If we want more density we should get developers who rarely build to the allowable density even in downtown and totally redeveloping areas to step up their game.

[Robert.hampton]

Originally Posted by DenverPoke

What is going on at 2255 Champa? Fenced off from Champa to Curtis and construction trailer on site.

Not sure whats happening on that side, those buildings have been fenced off for a while. Almost the entire other side of the block up to the old Norad building are slated for two different apatment complexes. Thats always been a rough little stretch, looks like things are going to be very different in a couple years.

[DenverPoke]

Originally Posted by Robert.hampton

Not sure whats happening on that side, those buildings have been fenced off for a while. Almost the entire other side of the block up to the old Norad building are slated for two different apatment complexes. Thats always been a rough little stretch, looks like things are going to be very different in a couple years.

I looked into it a bit more last night and I "think" it is going to be a new self-storage facility. The fence is now all the way to Curtis and the alley is closed, plus the construction trailer is new this week, must be starting soon. Definitely nice to see this area getting some much needed attention.

[COtoOC]

Originally Posted by COS

The average condo price is now over $300k in Denver (article on biz journals). I sold my condo on the border of Den/Aurora in spring '16 for $330k and it has a $300/mo HOA. It's not a nice area, not a great home, just a solid condo that happened to ride this ridiculous wave of appreciation.

Denver home prices are rising faster than anywhere but Austin (biz journals). One tidbit about the list of risers, every place on there except for Den and SF are cheap markets that are still relatively cheap even with a large increase.

Denver is now the most expensive metro between the US coasts, like our little slice of the seaboards at the foot of the rockies.

Also, Denver is the fastest growing large city in the US, by percentage. So all of the above is happening while growth is swift. Imagine if growth is regulated beyond natural factors, the consequences would be disastrous. What am I missing?

I don't think you're missing anything. It WOULD be disastrous. I personally view these growth limiters as "chicken littles". This isn't LA and we'll never have 10s of millions of people here. A metro of 3 million isn't that big and we have room to grow. We should probably do more "Phoenix-style" landscaping to save water though.

[mr1138]

Can we limit it to single family homes, and give attached and multi-unit structures a total exemption? If so, then maybe I'd be in. :-)

[PLANSIT]

Originally Posted by DenverPoke

I looked into it a bit more last night and I "think" it is going to be a new self-storage facility. The fence is now all the way to Curtis and the alley is closed, plus the construction trailer is new this week, must be starting soon. Definitely nice to see this area getting some much needed attention.

Plus this across the street:

Site Address and Description
2250 Champa St - 2016PM0000709 - Champa Flats

[TakeFive]

Did the city (successfully) "Kill Stoner Hill"?

[derek.berardi]

BOOOOM!!!

Champa Flats: 5 stories, 65 feet tall, 75 units (i believe according to the parking calculations) and ground floor commercial/office.

Nice massing that doesn't take up a ton of space on the block. Unfortunately, these are prefab and can't expect a lot in terms of design, but that's not unusual these days.

Exact location of plot and mini massing renderings can be seen here:
http://weltoncorridor.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/ZPIN_2250-Champa_Lodging-SRO.pdf

[derek.berardi]

Ewwww! More construction paper buildings....

Champa Flats:

[derek.berardi]

On a better note, a few shots of Le Meridian's interior concepts. The rooms are looking pretty swank!

http://www.denver.org/listing/le-meridien-denver-downtown/18998/

[comoneymaker]

This thread has gotten rather boring without any 10+ story proposals in forever.

[CastleScott]

This thread has gotten rather boring without any 10+ story proposals in forever.

Your absolutely right and it seems as if there's been a lull in the bigger taller projects lately. Have you seen that 36 story apt proposal for midtown St Louis in the Midwest thread? Man its too bad that Denver can't seem to do anything like that..

[DenverPoke]

Originally Posted by CastleScott

Your absolutely right and it seems as if there's been a lull in the bigger taller projects lately. Have you seen that 36 story apt proposal for midtown St Louis in the Midwest thread? Man its too bad that Denver can't seem to do anything like that..

Wow, that is an interesting building in STL. Can't say I'm a big fan but I don't particularly care for Aqua in Chicago either.

I love a lot of the smaller infill projects going on in Denver but it is strange how few new larger scale developments have been proposed in 2016. My guess is developers are taking a wait-and-see approach as so much has been built/currently under construction in the last few years that there is a fear of over-saturation. Hopefully we see new condo projects in 2017, I think a few thousand units would be absorbed pretty quickly if defect issues weren't such a factor.

[Fritzdude]

Originally Posted by DenverPoke

Wow, that is an interesting building in STL. Can't say I'm a big fan but I don't particularly care for Aqua in Chicago either.

.

ok.. I was intrigued enough to take a gander over there. Not the usual tower, that's for sure.



I can't imagine Denver getting something like this, but maybe on the Geller location near Larimer and 14th. Something eventually should fill in that hole.

[Pierre9436]

A building like that would be awesome in Denver. It would fit in real well in the Golden Triangle close to the art museum.

[CastleScott]

^ Hey thanks guys and yes I do think that a unique building like this would be a nice fit in my native old home metro of Denver. I must admit I'm also a big fan on the new Oceanwide project that just broke ground in San Fran (just an hour and twenty minutes from my front door), now that would be and awesome one for a new Denver's tallest..

[Pierre9436]

Originally Posted by Fritzdude

ok.. I was intrigued enough to take a gander over there. Not the usual tower, that's for sure.



I can't imagine Denver getting something like this, but maybe on the Geller location near Larimer and 14th. Something eventually should fill in that hole.

I was riding my bike on 14th and Larimer last night and I was thinking to myself when is this parking lot going to get filled in - the location is unbelievable.

[CastleScott]

^ Yeah that's a great location that's also a gateway to downtown where a unique signature tower would really fit in well..

[COS]

Look at that location from above on google maps. Off the top of my head: Twin towers with a skywalk that goes across the creek? The towers would have opposite facing triangular footprints, great opportunity for an architectural signature...