DENVER | Main Development Thread #7

[The Dirt]

Originally Posted by escodu05

I’m surprised no one has pulled the rendering from the Post on Diamond Hill.

https://www.denverpost.com/2021/06/24/new-office-residential-buildings-denver-jefferson-park/

I wish they would have extended Zuni all the way to Byron Pl. and fixed the wonky street grid. Oh well.

[TakeFive]

Thanks; that's all

Originally Posted by The Dirt

I wish they would have extended Zuni all the way to Byron Pl. and fixed the wonky street grid. Oh well.

Actually, that's not all... caught myself in the nick of time... but I'll add my own comment.

"Posted yesterday, this project has a good distance to go and much could change between now and groundbreaking. You can, at least, get some sense of how they plan to orient the buildings including retail to a common area. They have proposed over 55K Sq Ft of retail space."

[Cirrus]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

What do these two apartments have in common?

Now you know what I've been up to lately.

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Nice looking; nice area; what's not to like?

The "SOUTH PEARL" sign on the side, lol. Seriously though, great-looking building.

[TakeFive]

Side Pocket Topics

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again

Is it true that steel (rebar) can expand when it gets a headache?

Now that we know that buildings can and do collapse following the tragedy in Surfside, Florida (near Miami) how many more Humpty Dumpty buildings are out their would you guess?

Specific to Denver
any thoughts on what might be a 'collapsible' building? Any favorite picks for buildings you'd like to see imploded before they fall down?

---------------------------
Didn't take Colorado's new Governor and Legislature long to start getting a national reputation

Major companies ask Colorado residents not to apply for remote positions
Jun 19, 2021 - Economy & Business - Axios

Major companies have said in recent job postings that Colorado residents are ineligible to apply for certain remote positions because a new state law requires businesses to disclose the expected salary or pay range for positions, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The big picture: Businesses have argued that the wage disclosure law is overly burdensome for employers, while the state's labor department is investigating complaints of postings excluding Coloradans.

So has Colorado now become so elite that being business friendly is not necessary?

[TakeFive]

Reading Tea Leaves and Speculating

"We have a deal!" - Joe Biden
Using CNN for a source

A) Funding for roads and bridges - $109 billion

• Should be enough to untangle the I-70 Floyd Hill mess
• Needed funding for the NoCo I-25 improvements
• Funding for Pena Blvd improvements

B) Money for transit, airports - $49 billion for public transit, $66 billion for rail, $25 billion for airports

Bus Rapid Transit in order of priority

1. East Colfax
2. Boulder-Longmont Diagonal
3. Federal Blvd

DEN Airport

• Funding for the Great Hall renovation and Security improvements

C) Improving water and power systems - $55 billion would be invested in water infrastructure and $73 billion in the nation's power structure. Some of this money would be used to eliminate the nation's lead service lines and pipes.

Denver Water & City of Denver

• Accelerate the existing lead pipes replacement
• Accelerate the schedule for drainage improvements

Xcel Energy et al

• Accelerate renewable energy plan and retirement of coal facilities

D) Broadband investment - $65 billion

E) Electric vehicle investment - $7.5 billion

• Another $7.5 billion would go toward making thousands of school and transit buses electric.

Betting Odds
Despite a slew of reasons why this might not succeed in getting passed, I'm putting the odds at 70% chance of it passing.

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Now you know what I've been up to lately.

The "SOUTH PEARL" sign on the side, lol. Seriously though, great-looking building.

Guess I misjudged you (again). I figured you were up to no good.

[Sam Hill]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Side Pocket Topics

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again

Is it true that steel (rebar) can expand when it gets a headache?

Now that we know that buildings can and do collapse following the tragedy in Surfside, Florida (near Miami) how many more Humpty Dumpty buildings are out their would you guess?

Specific to Denver
any thoughts on what might be a 'collapsible' building? Any favorite picks for buildings you'd like to see imploded before they fall down?

The odds are literally far greater that I will be struck by lightning than get crushed in a collapsed building; nevertheless, this news from Florida (why does the weirdest shit always happen in Florida?) does have me a bit paranoid about how well this ugly old mid-century high-rise - on the 9th floor of which I and my wonderful (yet very heavy) record collection reside - is holding up.

I’m posting this from my balcony where I’m currently engaged in my Saturday-morning coffee ritual. But this Saturday morning feels a bit different. I’m just now noticing my balcony does have a bit of a lean to it. Hmmmmm.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

So has Colorado now become so elite that being business friendly is not necessary?

Eh. I don't buy that wage disclosure is an overly burdensome requirement for an employer, but it does remove a transparency barrier in the salary negotiation process by giving workers more information on compensation. Which ultimately will likely lead to a general rise in industry salaries as low-ball companies are more easily identified.

Though I can see an impediment to companies if they are offering geographic specific salaries if they cannot provide salary ranges only once the prospective employee is applying.

[The Dirt]

So, apparently someone is proposing that the city require public hearings for all developments, including those that are by-right and don't need a rezoning. How has the city become so incredibly NIMBY is such a short amount of time?

[Sam Hill]

Originally Posted by The Dirt

So, apparently someone is proposing that the city require public hearings for all developments, including those that are by-right and don't need a rezoning. How has the city become so incredibly NIMBY is such a short amount of time?

It seems Colorado in general has always been particularly NIMBY. It’s baked into our culture much like the ol’ passive-aggressive “native” bumper stickers. In times of rapid growth the NIMBYs get loud. I just hope the current wave of environmental/new-urbanism school of thought that is gaining traction here and elsewhere wins out in the end. I also think YIMBY-ism will get louder the worse our housing shortage gets.

I’m guessing you’re talking about the ballot initiative spawned by the Park Hill golf course fiasco? I haven’t read the language of it yet. Honestly, if it gets to the point where there has to be a hearing for every development, each individual objection to development will get lost in a sea of objections as City Council figures out a way to expedite and diminish the whole hearing process so the City can continue to function. I hope.

[The Dirt]

Originally Posted by Sam Hill

It seems Colorado in general has always been particularly NIMBY. It’s baked into our culture much like the ol’ passive-aggressive “native” bumper stickers. In times of rapid growth the NIMBYs get loud. I just hope the current wave of environmental/new-urbanism school of thought that is also gaining traction here and elsewhere wins out in the end. I also think YIMBY-ism will get louder the worse our housing shortage gets.

I’m guessing you’re talking about the ballot initiative spawned by the Park Hill golf course fiasco?

Actually, no. This is a separate proposal from the ballot initiative by the SOS folks (Save Open Space), who are proposing that a defunct golf course remain a golf course for all time. Not to be confused with the ballot initiative that the owners of the golf course, Westside, are running, which proposes to turn the golf course into a park and housing. Not to be confused with SOS (Safe Outdoor Spaces), the group running the tiny home villages for the unhoused, who are currently building a village not too far from the golf course. They are under legal fire from the same people behind SAS (Safe and Sound), the group who is running a ballot initiative to overturn GLAC (the Group Living Amendment change that legalized roommates). This group is bankrolled by the Anschutz and Gorsuch families, yet complain about "dark money" in city politics. Catch all that? Yeah... Denver's a real shit show right now.

[Sam Hill]

Originally Posted by The Dirt

Actually, no. This is a separate proposal from the ballot initiative by the SOS folks (Save Open Space), who are proposing that a defunct golf course remain a golf course for all time. Not to be confused with the ballot initiative that the owners of the golf course, Westside, are running, which proposes to turn the golf course into a park and housing. Not to be confused with SOS (Safe Outdoor Spaces), the group running the tiny home villages for the unhoused, who are currently building a village not too far from the golf course. They are under legal fire from the same people behind SAS (Safe and Sound), the group who is running a ballot initiative to overturn GLAC (the Group Living Amendment change that legalized roommates). This group is bankrolled by the Anschutz and Gorsuch families, yet complain about "dark money" in city politics. Catch all that? Yeah... Denver's a real shit show right now.

Jesus.

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Eh. I don't buy that wage disclosure is an overly burdensome requirement for an employer, but it does remove a transparency barrier in the salary negotiation process by giving workers more information on compensation. Which ultimately will likely lead to a general rise in industry salaries as low-ball companies are more easily identified.

Though I can see an impediment to companies if they are offering geographic specific salaries if they cannot provide salary ranges only once the prospective employee is applying.

That cuts both ways. Companies that overpay (particularly for non-professional
positions) because they think that’s market (mostly because idiot recruiters tell them they have to pay that much) are going to learn real quick that analogous postings from other companies are paying significantly less. I think this reduces the sucker factor as well. there may be a talent arms race today, but I don’t think this lasts. I think this is post-COVID, and I also don’t think the casual willingness to quit your job and not work for a while lasts either. Pretty soon people are gonna have things they wanna spend money on again.

also, my understanding is that nothing precludes a company (legally) from posting a position at 31,200 (minimum wage) to 500,000.

[TakeFive]

Sadly, everything has to boil down to Politics

See The Dirt's previous comment for a localized version.

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Eh. I don't buy that wage disclosure is an overly burdensome requirement for an employer...

The Art of Politics
It's no secret that Republicans like to deploy a "Divide and Conquer" strategy along with making (liberal) Dems look scary.

Friend, either you're closing your eyes
To a situation you do not wish to acknowledge
Or you are not aware of the caliber of disaster indicated
Meredith Willson

https://kdvr.com/news/local/cherry-creek...ace-theory-how-history-should-be-taught/

Dozens of parents, former students and community members attended the meeting to weigh in on how history should be taught. The line to get into the meeting stretched down the sidewalk and into the parking lot. The board room and lobby were full of attendees and people watched the live stream on cell phones in the parking lot.

And this is in (generally) liberal Arapahoe County and Cherry Creek School District.

Well, Ya got trouble, my friend, right here in Denver; that's Trouble with a capital "T"

Who knew three months ago, that the Hot Topic issue for the 2022 election would be teaching Critical Race Theory in schools. Republican donors are jacked up to support this issue Big Time. What's more important to parents than their children and what they are taught in schools (indoctrinated)? Forget debating the issue itself (not interested) because in politics "Perception is Reality."

What's this got to do with businesses hiring from Colorado? Partly it's about looking for the tipping point.

[TakeFive]

My Libertarian Heart

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Eh. I don't buy that wage disclosure is an overly burdensome requirement for an employer... Though I can see an impediment to companies if they are offering geographic specific salaries if they cannot provide salary ranges only once the prospective employee is applying.

Originally Posted by bunt_q

That cuts both ways.

There are many reasons why I admired President Obama. For one thing whenever possible he made a point to be business-friendly. Fast forward to today and it's clear that at the Federal and local levels Dems look to Big Business (and the Uber Rich) to fix all their social concerns. That may not be a bad thing; it may not be a good thing. Ultimately the voters get to decide.

Generally, I have a distinct allergic reaction to "Growing Nannyism" which is promoted from both ends. Arizona has reverted to going anal with wanting to dictate what should NOT be taught in schools - for example. But they also just cut income taxes from 4.5% at the top down to (a flat) 2.5% to be phased in over time.

Liberals love to create Red Tape; lots and lots of rules and regs; it's in their DNA. Sometimes companies piss and moan and then adopt and adapt. But when and where is the tipping point? When does it become easier to just do business in a red state like Idaho, Utah, Arizona or Texas? The cost and convenience of doing business is often the determining factor. It may be a seemingly little thing that might send companies over the edge. Luckily, red states are often their own version of Stupid.

[spr8364]

Originally Posted by The Dirt

Actually, no. This is a separate proposal from the ballot initiative by the SOS folks (Save Open Space), who are proposing that a defunct golf course remain a golf course for all time. Not to be confused with the ballot initiative that the owners of the golf course, Westside, are running, which proposes to turn the golf course into a park and housing. Not to be confused with SOS (Safe Outdoor Spaces), the group running the tiny home villages for the unhoused, who are currently building a village not too far from the golf course. They are under legal fire from the same people behind SAS (Safe and Sound), the group who is running a ballot initiative to overturn GLAC (the Group Living Amendment change that legalized roommates). This group is bankrolled by the Anschutz and Gorsuch families, yet complain about "dark money" in city politics. Catch all that? Yeah... Denver's a real shit show right now.

I think they want the golf course to remain as open space. I don't think they want it to be a golf course. I think they were hoping for a large park, since it already has a bunch of old trees. I think that is what it was zoned as, or there is some kind of easement that requires it. But, the City is trying to change it for development purposes.

[Sam Hill]

Originally Posted by spr8364

I think they want the golf course to remain as open space. I don't think they want it to be a golf course. I think they were hoping for a large park, since it already has a bunch of old trees. I think that is what it was zoned as, or there is some kind of easement that requires it. But, the City is trying to change it for development purposes.

As I understand it, the easement specifically requires it remain a golf course.
No matter what happens, the easement must be done away with.

[coolmandan03]

..

[SirLucasTheGreat]

I think the Carmel project at 3900 Brighton is starting. Saw mgroudwork and equipment there yesterday. I've also seen a bunch of utilities and staging near the huge Evans School development in Golden Triangle.

[BG918]

Originally Posted by SirLucasTheGreat

I think the Carmel project at 3900 Brighton is starting. Saw mgroudwork and equipment there yesterday. I've also seen a bunch of utilities and staging near the huge Evans School development in Golden Triangle.

That’s the sanitary sewer upsizing under Bannock that the City is requiring because of the huge increase in residential density in the Golden Triangle. More towers = more, well you know…

[SirLucasTheGreat]

Makes sense. Golden Triangle is going to have a lot of crap to deal with.