DENVER | Main Development Thread #7 - Page 106

TakeFive · #**2101** Posted **Feb 1, 2018, 9:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CherryCreek

Seems pretty Ivory Tower to me. There's nothing wrong with businesses asking for incentives to locate in a particular city. There's nothing wrong with cities and states paying incentives.

I think Colorado's approach is great. We will pay some significant incentives based on the value you are adding, but they are fairly modest.

Richard Florida is a well-known author and urban guy. I don't recall if it was him or one of the other writers at CityLab who a few years ago, made a hell of a case for why Texas wasn't getting enough bang for their yuge bucks. Problem is there's always different ways to slice & dice your analysis and Texas seems to be intoxicated with the results they've created.

CherryCreek · #**2102** Posted **Feb 1, 2018, 9:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Richard Florida is a well-known author and urban guy. I don't recall if it was him or one of the other writers at CityLab who a few years ago, made a hell of a case for why Texas wasn't getting enough bang for their yuge bucks. Problem is there's always different ways to slice & dice your analysis and Texas seems to be intoxicated with the results they've created.

Good point. Lots of fuzzy math used to justify incentives that may not really make sense.

Also, another point: who benefits? It may be that a region's builders, developers and land owners make a killing but that normal tax payers don't. There's real risk that excessive subsidies can be nothing more than a roundabout way to take money from taxpayers pockets and put into the corporate target's pockets and/or local developers, all while increasing the burden for local taxpayers without increasing their own prosperity.

Again, I think incentives can make sense if used modestly. I have no sense that Colorado has overdone it. Not so sure about other cities or states.

Matt · #**2103** Posted **Feb 2, 2018, 2:28 AM**

And now for something a little different...

Large Version: https://www.flickr.com/photos/76751977@N06/39134864725/sizes/o/

Large Version: https://www.flickr.com/photos/76751977@N06/39134832295/sizes/o/

TakeFive · #**2104** Posted **Feb 2, 2018, 6:14 PM**

Friday Follies

South Broadway construction likely to continue for another decade
by Jennifer Turner - Denver Metro Media
Nice summary of what has happened and what's next - well organized and relatively brief.

For your dumb friends; a new place to go.

Underground Tunnels Make New List Of Colorado Endangered Places

Song of the Day

The Dirt · #**2105** Posted **Feb 2, 2018, 7:56 PM**

Google Maps Lite got a satellite imagery update for Denver:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.7539161,-105.0016914,18z/data=!3m1!1e3?force=lite

Google Maps Full once again didn't.

twister244 · #**2106** Posted **Feb 3, 2018, 12:37 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BG918

There is definitely work being done by Mortenson, who is the GC. It looks like a lot preliminary sitework separate from the street project. Not sure when the vertical piece will start.

So I took another pass at the site today before sunset. I can see why it may have slipped under the radar a bit as it's pretty buried among other construction projects (as I stated the other day). So, from Brighton, it appears things are mostly site demo as a couple buildings have already been removed. However, when I went to the north end of the site (between the property and Iron Mountain Data Center to the north), there's a small parking lot that goes back east past the industrial building being gutted against Brighton. I got a good view of the eastern part of this property where a whole set of buildings have not only been razed, but there is a large swath of excavation occurring. This excavation is within the property boundaries and doesn't appear to be part of any outfall project. It appeared to me that this project has actual buildings under construction on the eastern half of the project. If you look at this page I had bookmarked from months ago - https://issuu.com/trybaarchitects/docs/170504_4040_wynkoop_brochure_issuu - Flip through the "brochure" to pages 20-21. It appears the excavation would be for building #6 and maybe #5?

It was a great spot to see the scope of construction, the HUB site in the distance, along with the Denver skyline. Would be a great spot for someone to put up a drone to get a good scope of the project *cough nudge hint*

BG918 · #**2107** Posted **Feb 4, 2018, 6:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CherryCreek

How sad would it be if this monster hole in the urban fabric makes it through yet ANOTHER boom cycle (one of the biggest in city history) without getting filled as the owner/developers AGAIN waited too long into the cycle so that they missed the opportunity.

I have heard that one of the primary investors has pulled out and they are trying to find another partner. I'd put it at 50/50. Hope it happens but they are quickly running out of time as we are definitely at the end of the current boom cycle.

BG918 · #**2108** Posted **Feb 4, 2018, 7:01 PM**

Interesting news from DU regarding their expansion plans. They had already announced plans to build a new residence hall along High St at Asbury and remodel/expand the student union. This is the first I've seen about a potential new hotel and conference center at University & Buchtel, even though such a project has been rumored for years just like more student housing on the parking lots south of University station. Evidently they will be unveiling the plans in April...

https://letsgodu.com/2017/12/15/new-hotel-to-anchor-du-transformation/

TakeFive · #**2109** Posted **Feb 4, 2018, 10:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BG918

I have heard that one of the primary investors has pulled out and they are trying to find another partner. I'd put it at 50/50. Hope it happens but they are quickly running out of time as we are definitely at the end of the current boom cycle.

Interestingly both the Bond and Stock markets went bonkers on Friday. More typically money flows from one to the other. Ten year rates popped and that's what RE loans sort of look to for guidance. One day doesn't mean that much; the question is this the start of a new trend?

A cycle pause for the cause could be good news for input costs. Looking out a few months if money is going to come out of both the bond and stock markets where's it going to go? It may not be that long... say 6 mo. to a year from now that an investor says "I'll take that RE risk as a long-term investor."

Robert.hampton · #**2110** Posted **Feb 5, 2018, 4:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BG918

I have heard that one of the primary investors has pulled out and they are trying to find another partner. I'd put it at 50/50. Hope it happens but they are quickly running out of time as we are definitely at the end of the current boom cycle.

This would be a really shame. Also the only project trammel crow has put half a thought into....would have loved to see any of their other projects over the last five years hit the wall but not this....

BG918 · #**2111** Posted **Feb 5, 2018, 6:49 AM**

I didn't know about this project - 89 units at 38th & Walnut. Per the I-Kota website it should break ground this summer..

http://www.i-kota.com/projects/walnut/

mojiferous · #**2112** Posted **Feb 5, 2018, 8:30 PM**

A couple of things:

The tower crane for the 15th & Stout hotel is up.

There were a couple things mentioned in the Denverite article about Sun Valley (https://www.denverite.com/sun-valley-denver-neighborhood-future-48263/) that I was hoping someone had some insight into:
1) They mention that 13th is being realigned to connect to Federal - presumably this won't cut through the middle of the rec center, but does anyone have any idea of how this alignment will look? Because I didn't really think the neighborhood suffered from a lack of street connections.
2) The first phase is a building at 13th and Decatur in a lot that is currently dominated by the high-voltage power lines that continue up Lakewood Gulch and on into Lakewood... I kind of assumed these aren't going anywhere, even though the Zuni station is only being used for steam. But even construction of an 8-story building would necessitate moving or removing the pylons in that lot. Has anyone heard of what the plan is for the power lines?

PLANSIT · #**2113** Posted **Feb 5, 2018, 8:57 PM**

^ Regarding 13th

Link to project

mojiferous · #**2114** Posted **Feb 5, 2018, 9:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by PLANSIT

^ Regarding 13th

Link to project

Changing traffic flow so that 13th from the east connects to Holden makes a lot more sense than adding a new connection to Federal like the article implies. Thanks!

Matt · #**2115** Posted **Feb 6, 2018, 12:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojiferous

A couple of things:

The tower crane for the 15th & Stout hotel is up.

Still no renderings yet? And the tower crane is already up? Already in the process of going 21 stories vertical with a tower crane on site, and we still have no idea what this looks like?

Odd, considering that we usually get our hopes up based on renderings for projects that never actually materialize.