DENVER | Main Development Thread #7

[twister244]

Originally Posted by The Dirt

As long as I'm working hours that are resembling something between EST and PST, and have a permanent US address, then why do they need to know? Sure, I think if it becomes overly prevalent, employers are going to clamp down on it. It's not going to stop me from taking advantage of it for the time being, however.

My employer has indicated those who want to go remote long term (including abroad) can now. The only caveat, as Dirt just mentioned is time zone differences. In my case, I might do a couple months in Europe, then a month in Tel Aviv (we have an office there), then maybe a few weeks in Dubai. Then maybe, I will come back to stateside and do Florida next Winter.

I can't speak for Dirt, but I am not planning on being in one spot for more than a month or two (as most nomads are). If you are talented enough, and bring value to a company cloud-based and international, I don't think folks care much. Plus, it cuts down on office expenses if less people are coming into the office. I am on the hook for work-related supplies (and co-working memberships) if I go remote long-term. But for me, that's more than worth it to have that privilege.

[jhwk]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

You guys all need to take a breather and do some math. The entire general fund of the City and County of Denver is between $1.3-1.5 billion/year. All of Denver Public Schools' budget is just over $1 billion/year.

At $500M/mile, how much subway could the City of Denver ever build on its own? The answer is, almost none. You could literally double City taxes and not come close to having the cash for a meaningful system.

Denver is just too small. Wonder why RTD District A is so large? Because it is not dense. Barely denser than some of the suburbs around it. We can speculate about a regional tax going to fund Denver's "densest" neighborhoods, but politically, it is never happening.

We live in a City and a State that can barely scrap together $50 million for capital projects, let alone $5 billion (one subway line, maybe) or $15 billion (rail to the mountains).

Seattle has an additional million people than Denver (though the metro GDP is about twice that of Denver). They passed a $53.8 billion transit initiative in 2016 as a follow-up to a project in 2008 that was about twice the size of Fastracks. The city of Seattle is actually a bit smaller than the city of Denver and is a lower portion of its metro region population than the Denver area. What is stopping the Denver region from spending something in the $10 billion range as a follow-on to Fastracks?

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by jhwk

Seattle has an additional million people than Denver (though the metro GDP is about twice that of Denver). They passed a $53.8 billion transit initiative in 2016 as a follow-up to a project in 2008 that was about twice the size of Fastracks. The city of Seattle is actually a bit smaller than the city of Denver and is a lower portion of its metro region population than the Denver area. What is stopping the Denver region from spending something in the $10 billion range as a follow-on to Fastracks?

Sound Transit 3 is more like $28 billion in new taxes; only $11 billion in bonds. The $53.8 billion number is future dollars (clever of them, though). So it’s actually only about 2.5x Fastracks. And it is regional. Nothing at all would prevent us from doing that - although Sound Transit’s footprint is even bigger than RTD’s; it’s more akin to a Front Range system. (Seattle’s geography is what forces such robust investment, and such robust grade separation, in the urban core.)

That is nothing at all like trying to fund a subway on the backs of Denver-proper voters, or asking regional voters to fund a Denver-focused subway system.

I’m all for it. Good luck getting the arrogant whiners in Boulder to support it.

[mhays]

Sound Transit only hits the core metro, though it gets a little large at the south end (much of that a military base). It's just that the metro is linear.

As for Denver, a basic point I agree with: tunnels are expensive, and it's hard to pay for them unless the whole metro helps pay for them. So they should be built as central parts of regional lines, and are very hard to build for a localized population only.

[rds70]

Originally Posted by rds70

El Jebel Tower is back (although shorter).

Concept review submitted to City:

30 Story residential tower (340 feet) with some retail at the ground level. 120 residential units totaling more than 250,000 SQ FT. 5,000 SQ FT of retail space at Sherman Street level, and 175 space parking garage.

Architect is listed as DLW Architects, Dunedin, FL

Courtesy Businessden

[SirLucasTheGreat]

I like that design on the El Jebel Tower. Would you consider this more uptown or central business district?

[DenvertoLA]

Where did they get that architect, the toilet store? The city allows up 650 ft here and this is what they do?

Not even a crown to utilize that height they decided to waste.

[rds70]

A few more 1750 Sherman renderings from the Denver Business Journal:

[The Dirt]

I'm really digging it. I worked in the building across the street for 5 years and would state down at the parking lot waiting for something to happen.

[EngiNerd]

Originally Posted by twister244

My employer has indicated those who want to go remote long term (including abroad) can now. The only caveat, as Dirt just mentioned is time zone differences. In my case, I might do a couple months in Europe, then a month in Tel Aviv (we have an office there), then maybe a few weeks in Dubai. Then maybe, I will come back to stateside and do Florida next Winter.

I can't speak for Dirt, but I am not planning on being in one spot for more than a month or two (as most nomads are). If you are talented enough, and bring value to a company cloud-based and international, I don't think folks care much. Plus, it cuts down on office expenses if less people are coming into the office. I am on the hook for work-related supplies (and co-working memberships) if I go remote long-term. But for me, that's more than worth it to have that privilege.

I'm guessing no one in here has school aged kids?

[DenvertoLA]

Originally Posted by EngiNerd

I'm guessing no one in here has school aged kids?

dogs are the new children, plants are the new pets

[Robert.hampton]

The El Jebel rendering is better than I thought it would be but not hard to see the cheap suburban-Hampton Inn influence. And still pretty shocked at the idea of focusing on very large 2-3 BR rental units.

[laniroj]

Originally Posted by EngiNerd

I'm guessing no one in here has school aged kids?

[zoom function - raise hand] - I do. Strangely enough, my wife and I have actually discussed spending this summer and next summer out of the country with our kiddos (provided we are allowed to do so once/if covid passes). No nomadic hopping for us, but along the same vein. My office has gone to a permanent work from home model, so easy enough for me.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by EngiNerd

I'm guessing no one in here has school aged kids?

Some of us took that plunge.

[jhwk]

Originally Posted by DenvertoLA

Where did they get that architect, the toilet store? The city allows up 650 ft here and this is what they do?

Not even a crown to utilize that height they decided to waste.

I don’t know how anyone can read this board for very long and not realize that the architect has nothing to do with how high a building gets built or whether the building gets a “hat”.

If you have any friends or relatives in China looking for a place to park some capital in exchange for citizenship, the name of the EB-5 developer is in the article. Toss $50 million in and I bet they will add as many floors as you want.

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by The Dirt

I'm really digging it. I worked in the building across the street for 5 years and would state down at the parking lot waiting for something to happen.

I need the 16th-to-17th block to see some action to really have much of a view from the office. Alas, someday.

This is a perfectly fine filler building. All for it. Seems like some great, larger-ish unit, affordable housing 30 years from now.

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by EngiNerd

I'm guessing no one in here has school aged kids?

Well, yes. But if the future of humanity is through a zoom meeting and social skills are no longer relevant, do we really need school? Get that kid coding for a few hours per day from your lakeside villa in Montenegro and he or she'll have all the life skills one needs.

We decamped to Hawaii for a while. A 4:30am to noon workday is actually no worse than not having afterschool at home these days - kid is interfering with 3+ hours of the workday regardless.

[UrbanT]

Anybody have any insight into this proposal I found on Milender White's website? It looks relatively new (I like the skybridge too) - Posted 10/7/20



https://www.milenderwhite.com/our-work/35th-wynkoop/

Also, looks like there is another early stage proposal for the Overland neighborhood called The Oso. I used to live down in that area and there's a lot of positive change happening down there!

https://www.milenderwhite.com/our-work/the-oso/

[BG918]

Originally Posted by UrbanT

Anybody have any insight into this proposal I found on Milender White's website? It looks relatively new (I like the skybridge too) - Posted 10/7/20



https://www.milenderwhite.com/our-work/35th-wynkoop/

That's McCaffery's 35th & Wynkoop proposal caddy-corner to Zepellin Station.

[SirLucasTheGreat]

Anyone seen any new groundbreakings or other construction activity? I saw a new crane at I-25 and Belleview for what I think might be the Kimpton Hotel