DENVER | Main Development Thread #7

[rds70]

New dual brand hotel for 15th and Stout - 21 stories, 382 rooms, 153 parking spaces, 230 feet in height.

Preliminary rendering:

[DenverPoke]

Looks to be a Tru by Hilton and Home 2 Suites. When do they anticipate breaking ground?

[BG918]

Nice, looks like this will be on the parking lot at the NW corner across the street from Aloft.

[The Dirt]

Cool! I was wondering about this one. It looks very similar to the dual brand AC/Le Meridien. Any word on when it's going to break ground? Also, shops anyone know why we've been getting so many dual brand hotels? What's the benefit to hotel brands to do this?

[seventwenty]

Originally Posted by The Dirt

Cool! I was wondering about this one. It looks very similar to the dual brand AC/Le Meridien. Any word on when it's going to break ground? Also, shops anyone know why we've been getting so many dual brand hotels? What's the benefit to hotel brands to do this?

Kills competition while sharing costs.

[COS]

Originally Posted by MHC_DEN

I noticed that some fencing went up around the Tabor II expansion site this week on Monday morning. Has anyone seen that and do you know what's happening there? Could they be getting ready to demo the sidewalk and planters in preparation to excavate?

What type of work (other than actually breaking ground on Tabor II) would prompt fencing? Would they spend money on renting a fence for maintenance work?

[Denver]

Fencing is up around the parking lot across the street from the Civica development in Cherry Creek. Western Development Group had proposed a new office building for the site in the past.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by COS

What type of work (other than actually breaking ground on Tabor II) would prompt fencing? Would they spend money on renting a fence for maintenance work?

Fencing isn't around the capped foundation- its fora redo of the lobby and plaza for One Tabor Center. T2 continues its everlasting slumber.

[twister244]

Another warm, fuzzy article on the state of development in DT, specifically with respect to office vacancy.

http://crej.com/news/cbre-nearly-half-new-office-space-preleased/

[CherryCreek]

Originally Posted by twister244

Another warm, fuzzy article on the state of development in DT, specifically with respect to office vacancy.

http://crej.com/news/cbre-nearly-half-new-office-space-preleased/

For those of us who came of age in the slow-paced Denver of the 1990s and 2000s, the pace of development in Denver continues to be surreal. Imagine going back in time on this forum to 2008/2009 as the recession gathered steam and predicting the Denver of 2017. A fraction of what have now would have been thought optimistic.

[CherryCreek]

Originally Posted by twister244

Another warm, fuzzy article on the state of development in DT, specifically with respect to office vacancy.

http://crej.com/news/cbre-nearly-half-new-office-space-preleased/

Originally Posted by Denver

Fencing is up around the parking lot across the street from the Civica development in Cherry Creek. Western Development Group had proposed a new office building for the site in the past.

I wish the Cherry Creek development could have been more incremental. Virtually nothing for so long, and now its one huge construction site of cranes, holes in the ground, cement trucks and blocked streets.

[BG918]

Originally Posted by CherryCreek

For those of us who came of age in the slow-paced Denver of the 1990s and 2000s, the pace of development in Denver continues to be surreal. Imagine going back in time on this forum to 2008/2009 as the recession gathered steam and predicting the Denver of 2017. A fraction of what have now would have been thought optimistic.

Sometimes I want to go back and sift through posts from this forum during the 09-11 years when Denver had very little development. There are some posters still active that weren't sure Denver was ever going to fully recover.

[ddvmke]

Interesting summary of the revised parking exemption that passed:
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/05/01/denver-parking-scale-back-approved-city-council/

Is it just me or do the Council, City Planning Dept., and majority of residents in the city proper appear to misaligned on the vision for moving the city forward? I imagine Denveright and other programs will help this process, but back to the YIMBY group comments a few pages back, I think it would be good to get some of us together and outnumber these 20 or so neighborhood NIMBYs that seem to be driving citywide policy to the detriment of the rest of us...

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by ddvmke

Interesting summary of the revised parking exemption that passed:
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/05/01/denver-parking-scale-back-approved-city-council/

Is it just me or do the Council, City Planning Dept., and majority of residents in the city proper appear to misaligned on the vision for moving the city forward? I imagine Denveright and other programs will help this process, but back to the YIMBY group comments a few pages back, I think it would be good to get some of us together and outnumber these 20 or so neighborhood NIMBYs that seem to be driving citywide policy to the detriment of the rest of us...

For starters, are you familiar with the history, the original intent and purpose of the "small lot exemption"?

Not that it matters but how long have you lived in your current residence? Have you met many or even any people who have lived in their homes 15, 20, even 30 years? I have and they're generally wonderful souls. It may be quaint but they are the ones who typically care about their neighborhoods. Who knows how long most millennials will stay before moving to a suburb or other city?

It seems reasonable to me that a neighborhood with an historical designation have some reasonable means of oversight. Hopefully not many but some developers who intend to get in and get out could give two shits what they leave behind.

When you mention 20 NIMBY's are you referring to the spokespersons that represented the hundreds of neighbors and residents that they've heard from?

Perhaps the councilors are just representing their constituents which is presumably what they're elected to do. Erica Meltzer writing for Denverite points out that less than 1% of the city's land area is affected. She also had this sub-headline:

It’s the lack of adequate transit in Denver that tipped many council members to vote for more parking.

FWIW, I preferred the less restrive original proposal by Council President Albus Brooks but it's history now. I do believe the affordability argument (specific to small lot development) is a red herring argument.

Let the city evolve naturally as time goes along which it will do.

[CherryCreek]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

For starters, are you familiar with the history, the original intent and purpose of the "small lot exemption"?

Not that it matters but how long have you lived in your current residence? Have you met many or even any people who have lived in their homes 15, 20, even 30 years? I have and they're generally wonderful souls. It may be quaint but they are the ones who typically care about their neighborhoods. Who knows how long most millennials will stay before moving to a suburb or other city?

It seems reasonable to me that a neighborhood with an historical designation have some reasonable means of oversight. Hopefully not many but some developers who intend to get in and get out could give two shits what they leave behind.

When you mention 20 NIMBY's are you referring to the spokespersons that represented the hundreds of neighbors and residents that they've heard from?

Perhaps the councilors are just representing their constituents which is presumably what they're elected to do. Erica Meltzer writing for Denverite points out that less than 1% of the city's land area is affected. She also had this sub-headline:


FWIW, I preferred the less restrive original proposal by Council President Albus Brooks but it's history now. I do believe the affordability argument (specific to small lot development) is a red herring argument.

Let the city evolve naturally as time goes along which it will do.

Some good feedback. I feel the whole NIMBY thing can be very overused to the point of cliche. Unless you think anyone, should be be able to build anything, at anytime, anywhere, without any conditions, then you too are a NIMBY, since there are things you don't think should be built in YOUR back yard.

I'm a little torn on this parking issue and can see both sides of the argument. I do want to trend to a city where its easier to live in without a car or to leave your car at home. I think the City of Denver may need to strike out on its own to design some local transit solutions. No. 1 on the list should be connecting its two largest commercial centers: Downtown and Cherry Creek.

[pablosan]

Originally Posted by CherryCreek

. No. 1 on the list should be connecting its two largest commercial centers: Downtown and Cherry Creek.

Agree with this 100%

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by CherryCreek

No. 1 on the list should be connecting its two largest commercial centers: Downtown and Cherry Creek.

Originally Posted by pablosan

Agree with this 100%

As do I

[Denver]

St. Andrew’s to partner with Mental Health Center of Denver for housing project in Arapahoe Square

https://www.denverite.com/st-andrews-par...er-denver-project-arapahoe-sauare-34859/

I am all for densifying Arapahoe Square and providing supportive housing for homeless and formerly homeless. However, this sort of product needs to be placed throughout Denver- not only in Arapahoe Square Between the Denver Rescue Mission, Catholic Charities, and all of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless projects in the neighborhood, I really do not think the area needs another facility like this.

This is not to say that we should sweep all the homeless under the rug and place them on the outskirts of town. However, Arapahoe Square will remain a black hole of these projects keep getting prosed for this area and no where else in Denver.

[Fritzdude]

Originally Posted by Denver

St. Andrew’s to partner with Mental Health Center of Denver for housing project in Arapahoe Square

https://www.denverite.com/st-andrews-par...er-denver-project-arapahoe-sauare-34859/

I am all for densifying Arapahoe Square and providing supportive housing for homeless and formerly homeless. However, this sort of product needs to be placed throughout Denver- not only in Arapahoe Square Between the Denver Rescue Mission, Catholic Charities, and all of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless projects in the neighborhood, I really do not think the area needs another facility like this.

This is not to say that we should sweep all the homeless under the rug and place them on the outskirts of town. However, Arapahoe Square will remain a black hole of these projects keep getting prosed for this area and no where else in Denver.

Agreed. It's reminiscent of Chicago putting all low income housing together back in the 60's.. You need to intersperse services throughout the city. Then again, it's land provided by the church so it's up to their discretion. Just wish it was anywhere else.

[CherryCreek]

Originally Posted by Fritzdude

Agreed. It's reminiscent of Chicago putting all low income housing together back in the 60's.. You need to intersperse services throughout the city. Then again, it's land provided by the church so it's up to their discretion. Just wish it was anywhere else.

Any thoughts on where else these could go? I'm sure part of the reason for keeping these projects all in the same area is that this ship has already sailed. You aren't introducing a new, controversial use. If you think the neighborhoods were over the top in their opposition to dense housing with low parking requirements, most would go nuclear over the prospect of homeless shelters. Until Brighton BLVD started to develop I thought some of these type of facilities should be dispersed into that area or into Globeville, but I suspect the opposition to that would be massive now.

Maybe you could build facilities on DIA land? Not sure what other open land there is in Denver that would not spark MASSIVE opposition to this sort of use.