DENVER | Main Development Thread #7

[TakeFive]

Denver’s Historic Tennyson Street Feeling Growing Pains As Debate Over Development Continues
January 31, 2020 By Jamie Leary - CBS4

Interesting article that is not anti-development but that previous zoning changes is having the affect of wiping out all the retail for more residential. Most feel that is not the most desirable nor anybody's original intent. So Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval wants to address the issue via changes.

[Curtis Park]

Originally Posted by The Dirt

When you guys have a minute (or 90), I highly recommend this podcast, especially this episode that talks about neighborhood defenders and the adverse effects on our built environment.
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/voxs-the-weeds/e/66321406

Thanks for this. A new podcast to add to my subscriptions. I was able to hear about half of it and found it thought provoking. I'm pro development and also what she would call a "neighborhood defender." And I find these two sides of me at odds. I'm all for building more density and I believe there are some areas that should be preserved. Some folks seem to think Curtis Park is full of rich folks, and there are plenty. But we have plenty of people, myself included, making less than the AMI. I just happened to buy many years ago and live in a house that needs lots of work. I think these historic homes should be saved and not just the nice ones. But on empty lots and lots containing non-contributing structures I am all for density. I'd love to see more apartments going in all over the neighborhood, as long as they are not the land barges we have on Welton. The new Wheatly and Lydian are both really nice, if not a little too tall if they were to be in the center of the neighborhood.

[DenverInfill]

Good news about 1420 Wynkoop!


https://denverinfill.com/blog/2020/01/1420-wynkoop-is-back-and-moving-forward.html

[SirLucasTheGreat]

Thanks, Ken! The building looks great and that would be a great addition to LoDo. The rendering of the Cherry Creek is a little ridiculous but it will be great to knock out another parking lot.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by DenvertoLA

If the developers wants to max out the available bonuses, yea a building could be leaner than a barge and have affordable units. My phrasing was exclusive to one building though, just more of those components in many projects are just as good.

That makes sense- I was looking at it from a pure market perspective and an overall project unit price point. Bonuses will add a few affordable units, but it’s not going to produce a project that is more affordable overall.

Now killing residential parking minimums....

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by Curtis Park

Thanks for this. A new podcast to add to my subscriptions. I was able to hear about half of it and found it thought provoking. I'm pro development and also what she would call a "neighborhood defender."

This has been debated before only Wash Park was the (primary) focus.

With respect to Denver, Ken's own residential survey finds over 4,000 residential units under construction with another 8,000 in the pipeline. There's prolly another 4-5,000 units that will be built outside the line. Thousands more are in conceptual planning.

The current zoning claims of the 'neighborhood defenders' or other sources that promote upzoning as the only cure for affordability has many intentionally overlooked dynamics and fallacies. The only way Curtis Park could move the needle would be to scrape it clean and open the area up to much higher density.

With respect to an incremental approach, adding a few hundred units over the next 10 years won't hurt but it will hardly move the needle. But if more is better than less, then sure. From my personal view the notion of more "missing middle" sounds —. But will it impact affordability? Fat chance.

Some context please

Denver is not Boston, NYC or San Francisco. Denver is not a coastal city. The current land available for much higher density in Denver is enormous. I love all the current "infill" and there's an easy two more decades for this to continue. I know this b/c bulldurhamer said so and he's no ordinary junk yard dog.

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Now killing residential parking minimums....

will only help when developers and their equity partners, investors and lenders decide "all that parking" isn't necessary. Denver has been evolving some but there's room for much more change for sure.

[twister244]

Looks like VF is going to encompass a footprint beyond their main HQ office in downtown - https://businessden.com/2020/02/03/vf-corp-leases-building-along-brighton-in-rino/

Just one more new office building getting gobbled up, which increases the chances of more office space breaking ground in RiNo....

[SirLucasTheGreat]

Cool! Excited to see the other components of the Vario project break ground soon

[BG918]

Originally Posted by DenverInfill

Good news about 1420 Wynkoop!


https://denverinfill.com/blog/2020/01/1420-wynkoop-is-back-and-moving-forward.html

Is there actually going to be a pedestrian plaza at the end of Wynkoop like what is shown in that rendering?

[SirLucasTheGreat]

I saw this intereting rendering for the transit oriented development at Belleview Station provided by the commercial real estate firm leasing the new DTC office tower 6900 Layton. I hope that we can see density like this around that station:

[CherryCreek]

Originally Posted by SirLucasTheGreat

I saw this intereting rendering for the transit oriented development at Belleview Station provided by the commercial real estate firm leasing the new DTC office tower 6900 Layton. I hope that we can see density like this around that station:

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^


That's pretty amazing. Ironically, it's missing what is probably the next dense development to break ground there. The 18 story hotel to replace the Economy Suites right across from the Bellevue Station. (The Economy Suites is already fenced off, looks ready for demo).

https://businessden.com/2019/09/09/hotel...on-plans-involve-more-office-than-rooms/

Bellevue will need some work to support that density there.

[SirLucasTheGreat]

Yeah I cannot feel too confident in the accuracy of the rendering given that omission but there truly is a lot of vertical development going on and about to start right there at that location. I hope that more projects come to fruition north of East Union Avenue, as depicted in that rendering.

I am excited for the development at 38th and Blake. However, the TODs at Broadway Station and Belleview Station are certainly more transit connected at the moment. Between May and August of 2019, the I25 and Broadway station had the third-highest rail ridership out of all stations with 10,690 daily boardings. Broadway station services five lines. Belleview had the twenty-second highest boardings with 3,025 per day. Belleview station services three lines. 38th and Blake had the 34th highest ridership with 2,051 daily boardings. 38th and Blake has one line.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by SirLucasTheGreat

38th and Blake had the 34th highest ridership with 2,051 daily boardings. 38th and Blake has one line.

But what A Line.

Seriously, I feel sorry for the miscreants who have to suffer RTD's LRT system and the f**kups you know are going to be coming for the N Line (who wants to bet that RTD debuts the N line with operator shortages and cancelled trains?). The contracted out operations on the A and G line are superb compared to the rest of the turd sandwiches that compose RTD's operations.

As for Bellview Station, it's a great bit of TOD and I suspect that the omission of the Stonbridge project in the rendering is purposeful as Front Range Land and Development is certainly perturbed about Stonebridge not having to pay into the metro district that built all of the infrastructure improvements in the area.

[BG918]

The next wave of development in Belleview Station isn’t even depicted on that rendering:
-18 story hotel (Staybridge site)
-20 story Kimpton Hotel (Block E)
-17 story Alexan Belleview Station (Block E)
-16 story Revesco condos (Block D)

[SirLucasTheGreat]

The A line is awesome. I hope this is not too much of a transportation-related comment but I really wish that the southeast corridor was able to utilize commuter rails as opposed to light rails that top out at 55 mph. The fact that a light rail trip from lone tree into the CBD takes an hour is a tremendous disincentive for people who might otherwise use it. Part of that issue is perhaps an overabundance of stations in the suburban segments of the corridor.

I am excited for the development in the city to hopefully orient itself more around our transit system than it has in the past. Union Station is seen as a national standard for contemporary TOD. I just hope that we can really capitalize on developing 38th and Blake, I25 and Broadway, Alameda Station, Colorado Station, and Belleview Station in a manner that takes a maximal number of cars off the road.

[mishko27]

Originally Posted by BG918

The next wave of development in Belleview Station isn’t even depicted on that rendering:
-18 story hotel (Staybridge site)
-20 story Kimpton Hotel (Block E)
-17 story Alexan Belleview Station (Block E)
-16 story Revesco condos (Block D)

I am aware of Stonebridge and Kimpton projects, any details / info about Alexan and Revesco? Google is not coming up with anything.

[RyanD]

Here are some things I dug up in the permits around Belleview Station:

6811 S Chenango

Site development plan filed but needs a resubmittal.

A proposed 17-story mixed-use building that contains approximately 250 apartment units with approximately 6,500 square feet of ground floor retail and 200 parking spaces located within the structure. The development is located on 0.91 acres at the northeast corner of Chenango Avenue and South Newport Street within Block E of Belleview Station.

Belleview Station Mixed Use project located at 4885 S Quebec St (Extended Stay Lot)

They have a construction permit out for this for demo / excavation.

Site Plan - The proposed project is a Mixed-Use building with 18 stories above grade and 3 levels of below grade structured parking. The building includes ground level retail and restaurant space, amenities such as conference and fitness centers, hotel, and office functions.

4900 Syracuse - Kimpton Hotel

Going through the process, no construction permits filed just yet.

Site Plan - 20-Story, 190 room hotel with approx. 154,345 sqft. including 13,595 ground level lobby/ restaurant. One level of above ground parking (40 Spaces).

[SirLucasTheGreat]

Thanks, Ryan! One small note - I am not sure that is the right address for the Kimpton Hotel. BusinessDen says that the building will be on the northwest corner of Chenango and Olive. At any rate, that is going to be one dense cluster of buildings right outside the station.

[SirLucasTheGreat]

For those that are interested, here are some very basic renderings from the master planner:

North of Union Avenue -



South of Union Avenue -

[The Dirt]

So much parking!