DENVER | Main Development Thread #7

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by mojiferous

The Denver city council members that will cry about how expensive it is here, but happily fight rezoning for housing and not offer other solutions? (not building anything, anywhere, ever is not a solution)

I really want to try to push rezoning on the last DUS lot for 30ish-stories but then I remember who my District 9 rep is, and how poorly Downtown Denver is represented by this person... So I quickly lose motivation.

[TakeFive]

I have to agree

Originally Posted by Ndj

I'm not sure I see the point of attempting to assign blame via sweeping, data-less generalizations

Plus, it's too easy to conflate issues. I suspect it doesn't really matter much how long someone has lived in Denver. And since I'm a macro-guy...

At least prior to social media
People met and communicated with others at work aka the 'Water Cooler' or at bars, restaurants, church etc. It's not a surprise that a herd mentality results from all these forms of communication. Add in social media and the speed and passion multiplies.

Dude; where you from?
Denver and Phoenix sort of grew up together and new residents tended to come from the Midwest, the rust belt - predominantly. Over time by sheer numbers this also included California and movement between city of origin and California and Denver or Phoenix grew and grew.

Tell me about your Hometown
Most people grew up in a residential neighborhood and they have fond memories of where they lived, where they matriculated etc. While there's nothing wrong with an urban neighborhood, Denver & Phoenix saw little in-migration from dense cities like NYC, Philly etc.

Hispanic Migration
well, they've moved everywhere. Culturally they are more accepting of density because (historically) they've come from denser areas and big families that often live together in one modest-sized house (sometimes multiple families). That said, later generations have found living in single family homes in neighborhoods is something they've learned to love.

Bottom Line
People come in all flavors and have various opinions but a significant majority live in neighborhoods that have become "their Home" and they love their 'hood and want to preserve it. It's a very natural human condition regardless of one's ethnicity and social standing.

So far as Affordability
We've pretty much beat this topic to death. I'll just add that the National Association of Realtors as well as builders estimate it will take three years for supply to catch up with demand. This is NOT just a Denver problem; it exists everywhere that's considered desirable.

[Robert.hampton]

Originally Posted by RyanD

I really want to try to push rezoning on the last DUS lot for 30ish-stories but then I remember who my District 9 rep is, and how poorly Downtown Denver is represented by this person... So I quickly lose motivation.

I bet your representative would get on board if the eventual developer agrees to a requirement that 90% of the residents come from the elyria swansea neighborhood and be housed for free -- she had some similar proposal for a re-zoning request in RiNo.

[bunt_q]

-deleted-

[SirLucasTheGreat]

I really wonder how long Candi wants to stay on the council. Curious if she makes a move for mayor or some other higher office. She really seems primarily motivated in serving her political brand rather than making Denver more affordable in any serious sense.

[TakeFive]

Holland Partners
Very interesting
Indeed

Originally Posted by SirLucasTheGreat

Holland plans second apartment complex along Santa Fe in Denver’s Lincoln Park
https://www.denverpost.com/2021/06/25/apartment-complex-santa-fe-denver-lincoln-park/

Holland Partners which has shown a distinct preference for building in the best areas, has been building apartments in Denver/metro for nearly 11 years.

https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/print-edition/2011/12/23/holland-partners-group-plans-three.html

Clyde Holland, a former West Coast managing partner for Trammell Crow Residential, formed the company 11 years ago.

“We’re following our capital partners’ interest in urban infill properties for a longer-term hold,” said Erik Hagevik, chief operating officer of development. “We don’t know of another U.S. city spending this much money on infrastructure, namely public transit. The commitment for that is unprecedented.”

Hagevik has been in the Denver area for 10 years, most recently as vice president of acquisitions for Fairfield Residential LLC. He joined Holland in March.

That article was from December of 2011.

Once Holland had completed the Platform and Union Denver apartments at DUS they then pivoted, non unlike Mill Creek, to looking for niche neighborhoods for future projects. RyanD and I are both fond of their recently completed Neon Local apartment building at 99 S. Broadway.

After adding additional land along So Santa Fe I realized that Holland will have over 400 units in multiple buildings in that one area. I'll assume they see this area as stable/improving.

Holland also has projects in motion along Tennyson Street and at 2950 Arkins Ct in RiNo.

[TakeFive]

A Lookback to January

Granite Tower
1099 18th Street, Denver, CO


All Images courtesy KBS

Iconic Granite Tower in Downtown Denver Reveals $11M Renovation
January 14, 2021 - Mile High CRE

Granite Tower, a 31-story Class A office building located at 1099 18th Street in downtown Denver, recently underwent a series of renovations. Originally built in 1984 as part of a four-tower block and
formerly known as Stellar Plaza and Plaza Tower, Granite Tower today covers two city blocks and features 593,527 square feet of office space

Side Note: I brokered a project in Lakewood on behalf of the developer of this four-tower development. Most fascinating person I've ever met. Jewish, he escaped, literally crawled away from a concentration
camp ending up in France where he lived for a number of years before moving to Montreal.

The improvements serve to activate the building’s street-level space to invite interaction with downtown Denver’s local community, in addition to providing a full slate of new indoor/outdoor amenities
to enhance tenant’s experience at the property in preparation for a post-pandemic environment, according to Giovanni (Gio) Cordoves, Western regional president for KBS.

“After these improvements, what was formerly dark and dated at Granite Tower’s street level is now a new, modernized experience that is light, bright, and expansively streamlined,” says Johnson.
“The building is now open and welcoming to pedestrians, visitors and tenants as well as visually pleasing from the interior and exterior.”

....

Fast Forward to May

Aging Critical Systems Replaced at Denver’s Granite Tower
May 19, 2021 - Mile High CRE

Transwestern Real Estate Services (TRS), KBS and Haynes Mechanical Systems, Inc recently completed a highly technical project to update aging essential equipment located on the roof of Granite Tower,
one of the most iconic office properties in downtown Denver.

Not your ordinary improvement project.

The three-cell cooling tower serves the entire block’s 1900-ton cooling needs and support critical operation rooms, IT closets, and 24/7 data centers within the Granite Tower building. Because a lift
of this capacity had never been performed in downtown Denver, the team worked closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Denver Police Department (DPD) to establish protocol.

[The Dirt]

Originally Posted by RyanD

I really want to try to push rezoning on the last DUS lot for 30ish-stories but then I remember who my District 9 rep is, and how poorly Downtown Denver is represented by this person... So I quickly lose motivation.

You also have 2 at large council members. One of which is pretty smart and pro housing, while the other one doesn't think people will live next to train tracks in downtown.

[The Dirt]

Also, redistricting is happening soon, so I'm guessing Candi will lose downtown. I heard she wants to run for at large anyway.

[TakeFive]

Thinking back to the Old Days the hobos weren't so bad compared to today's homeless miscreants

Originally Posted by The Dirt

You also have 2 at large council members. One of which is pretty smart and pro housing, while the other one doesn't think people will live next to train tracks in downtown.

I would hope that the DCC along with the Mayor would better address Denver's downtown blight.


Image courtesy of CBS4 Denver

'We Are At A Boiling Point’: Homeless Encampments Proliferate, Property Owners Express Frustration
July 1, 2021 By Brian Maass - CBS4 Denver

DENVER (CBS4) – Exhausted from dealing with a homeless encampment adjacent to his Capitol Hill home last summer, Brendan McCormick says he and his wife put their Denver townhome on the market to sell last August. They found potential buyers spooked by homeless encampments in his neighborhood.

McCormick said after a half dozen showings, buyers generally liked his home, but “were worried about homelessness in the city,” he said. “We were told directly, you have a lovely home, but we are concerned about what’s going on in the City of Denver right now.”

16-year-old girl hit by stray bullets in downtown Denver
Jun 30, 2021 by: Michael Konopasek - KDVR Fox31 Denver

DENVER (KDVR) .... Police were called to the incident at 15th and Champa streets shortly after midnight on Sunday. Esteban Romero, who said he provided surveillance video to police, has been helping his uncle manage the parking lot where he said Tello was shot.

“Forty-five years we’ve been here,” Romero said. “Never has this happened.” Romero said he’s not surprised by the violence, despite the incident being the first shooting he can remember at his parking lot. “Every single day there’s people smoking heroin…selling heroin,” he said.

Denver unsheltered homeless counts have almost tripled since 2014
Jun 29, 2021 by: DJ Summers KDVR Fox31 Denver

BTW, the Colorado Convention Center had a mediocre safety rating coming in 16th out of 25 cities. It's hardly a surprise that Denver is trying to clean up and put on a better face for the upcoming Baseball All-Star game.

Remind me again why the Old Days were so awful? Like 2004 when I could picnic at Commons Park (unmolested) or park down by Denargo Market when I went to a Rockies game.

[BG918]

Originally Posted by The Dirt

Also, redistricting is happening soon, so I'm guessing Candi will lose downtown. I heard she wants to run for at large anyway.

Candi is a — joke, the sooner she is booted the better off Denver will be.

[Interzen]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Remind me again why the Old Days were so awful? Like 2004 when I could picnic at Commons Park (unmolested) or park down by Denargo Market when I went to a Rockies game.

My wife and I still picnic in Commons Park unmolested. Normally we take our dinner to stoner hill for the people watching but we have planted on the north end mid day a couple times this spring and only had one passing crazy that was compelling passing peds to cross the grass to the other sidewalk.

I'm sure you could find a parking spot by the river behind Denargo Market between homeless campers and vans if you move a little trash

[mr1138]

Originally Posted by Interzen

My wife and I still picnic in Commons Park unmolested. Normally we take our dinner to stoner hill for the people watching but we have planted on the north end mid day a couple times this spring and only had one passing crazy that was compelling passing peds to cross the grass to the other sidewalk.

I'm sure you could find a parking spot by the river behind Denargo Market between homeless campers and vans if you move a little trash

I remember Commons Park in 2004. I used to walk my dog down there. Except for the occasional fellow dog walker or jogger, or the kids at the skatepark, the place was pretty dead. There were most definitely still people sleeping under the bridges too, even back then.

Today the park is bustling with people. Dozens of people on the hill people-watching on their blankets. People playing games on the main lawn. People hanging out on just about every grassy surface on a sunny day and hundreds of people walking around. The park is starting to feel more like Wash Park now - a real urban destination. This spring in particular I couldn't believe my eyes when going for a walk after going to REI - it is definitely "cooler" now than it was in 2004.

Plus, now you can park remotely and take the train for a walk in the park or to the Rockies game!

[Ndj]

Originally Posted by mojiferous

I assume that was to me and my ranting. I'm curious about what kind of data you want -

An academic paper that relates regulation like density and zoning restrictions to higher costs? https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w20536/w20536.pdf
OR maybe this one: https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.32.1.3

How about a really damning one, the number of new housing starts by state https://www.census.gov/construction/bps/ (click on Annual History by State by Structure)
So you can see how there was less housing built in Colorado last year than there was in 1983. There were roughly half the people here then. That's a problem.

And what could be the source of this problem and the inspiration for my ranting? Maybe groups like https://www.facebook.com/NoHighrises/ who fought against 5 story apartments 2 miles from downtown? The Lakewood residents that were so angry about housing for the homeless possibly being built on a huge empty field that it sparked a move to pass legislation that restricts construction city-wide? The Denver city council members that will cry about how expensive it is here, but happily fight rezoning for housing and not offer other solutions? (not building anything, anywhere, ever is not a solution)

I guess I don't have a smoking — to blame Denver's housing problems on land-rich people fighting for their views and "stability", so feel free to write it off as sweeping, data-less generalizations!

Data that shows that one demographic is more responsible for the housing crisis than another.

[The Dirt]

Originally Posted by Ndj

Data that shows that one demographic is more responsible for the housing crisis than another.

450 people gathered in east Denver to argue (or agree) over how neighborhoods there grow and develop

You see this picture from a public meeting on the East Area Plan back in 2019? This was regarded as one of the most diverse crowds and this was the general sentiment of anyone over 50:

“The fort is full,” Callison told Denverite. “Bad development equals bad traffic equals bad air.

“Nobody deserves the right to live in Denver or anywhere else. You just don’t. Your right comes by how hard you work. The harder you work, the more money you make, and you know these kids who say they can’t afford it? Well they’re in bars every night buying 10-dollar beers. That’s not my problem.”

[Interzen]

I actually know two of the youngest people in that picture and I wouldn't consider them NIMBYs from our conversations. They did buy near Dexter and 13th about 8 years ago but lived in various apartment buildings around cap hill, congress park and colorado blvd before that. I know for a fact they appreciate the need for increased density and mixed density zoning.

I suppose they could be the outliers though and I don't think either is over 50.

P.S. I wonder what was said just before they took this picture that has nearly everyone grimacing.

[TakeFive]

eww

Source

Originally Posted by Interzen

My wife and I still picnic in Commons Park unmolested. Normally we take our dinner to stoner hill for the people watching but we have planted on the north end mid day a couple times this spring and only had one passing crazy that was compelling passing peds to cross the grass to the other sidewalk.

Thanks for the updated feedback. Sounds like Commons is doing fine and a few stoners on Stoner Hill is a rather benign slice of the homeless problem anyway. If some of them sleep under the bridges that's a great place for them.

Originally Posted by mr1138

I remember Commons Park in 2004. I used to walk my dog down there. Except for the occasional fellow dog walker or jogger, or the kids at the skatepark, the place was pretty dead. There were most definitely still people sleeping under the bridges too, even back then.

Today the park is bustling with people. Dozens of people on the hill people-watching on their blankets.

I stand corrected. I don't doubt that in 2004 Commons Park was a bit of an undiscovered gem. On occasion I'd grab a lunch-to-go and head over to Commons and it was usually nice and peaceful. Not that I don't like kids playing and whatnot as that's what parks are for but the opposite can also be nice. It's fair to say that day-of-week and time-of-day will make a difference at any of the parks - of course.

Speaking of Coors Field
What a special night last night was.

Good building news from CNBC
Lumber prices dive more than 40% in June, biggest monthly drop on record

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by The Dirt

You see this picture from a public meeting on the East Area Plan back in 2019? This was regarded as one of the most diverse crowds and this was the general sentiment of anyone over 50:

So you're saying saying there are cranky people in the world that have a different opinion than yours?

East Colfax Area Gets Development Road Map for Next Twenty Years
NOVEMBER 17, 2020 By Conor McCormick-Cavanagh - Westword

While there was almost unanimous consensus on the steering committee for what the plan should entail, some critics worry that it goes too far in allowing for density and height increases along Colfax. But other critics question whether the plan goes far enough in calling for affordable housing in parts of the city at extreme risk for displacement, including the East Colfax neighborhood.

Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer says:

"We have to make sure we’re [growing] in a thoughtful way, and that’s what this plan does," noting that not everyone got what they wanted.

Denver passes $15 million project to turn former East Colfax — into affordable housing
Mar 14, 2021 By Hannah Metzger - Denver Gazette


Image courtesy of Van Meter Williams Pollack via Denver Gazette

The project will construct an 82-unit affordable multifamily apartment complex at 8315 E. Colfax Ave., the former site of the neighborhood’s last — PT’s All — II, previously known as Saturdays.

“I’m very excited about this,” said Councilman Christopher Herndon, who represents District 8 where the project will be located. “This is something my district has been working on for years.”

[TakeFive]

Speaking of adding density along East Colfax

Link Apartments Fitz


Courtesy of KTGY via Mile High CRE

405-Unit Apartment Community Planned for Colfax Avenue Corridor
March 29, 2021 - Mile High CRE

Marking the company’s first investment in the Denver market, North Carolina-based Grubb Properties will add essential housing to the City of Aurora by developing a 405-unit apartment project, called Link Apartments® Fitz, at the southwest corner of East Colfax Avenue and Peoria Street. Construction on the project is expected to begin in June.

“Link Apartments Fitz will bring new value and momentum to a historic commercial corridor,” said Eric Swan, development associate at Grubb Properties. “We’re excited to enter the Denver community as a long-term partner and look forward to building relationships and finding other opportunities in the area.”

Will this be walkable-friendly?

KTGY is the architect for the project. The development will emphasize walkable design and connectivity, with easy access to the light rail and future bus rapid transit system. It is directly adjacent to Fitzsimons Innovation Community, a 125-acre innovation campus combining CU Anschutz Medical Campus, UC Health University of Colorado Hospital, Children’s Hospital Colorado, and VA Hospital with commercial and lab space.

WELCOME to Denver/Aurora. Thanks for thinking of us.

[The Dirt]

Originally Posted by Interzen

I actually know two of the youngest people in that picture and I wouldn't consider them NIMBYs from our conversations. They did buy near Dexter and 13th about 8 years ago but lived in various apartment buildings around cap hill, congress park and colorado blvd before that. I know for a fact they appreciate the need for increased density and mixed density zoning.

I suppose they could be the outliers though and I don't think either is over 50.

P.S. I wonder what was said just before they took this picture that has nearly everyone grimacing.

I also know the youngest people in this picture and they are not NIMBYs. Anyone under 40 was almost universally pro housing and density. Everyone over 70 was absolutely, vehemently, and angrily against.