DENVER | Main Development Thread #7

[coolmandan03]

Either way - can anyone explain why all of some of the largest apartment developments are happening in the worst spot? Why not the surface parking lots in Golden Triangle, Lincoln Park, Cap Hill, or further north in Five Points? For some reason, California/Welton north of Broadway is becoming the hub of 16+ apartment buildings!

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by coolmandan03

Either way - can anyone explain why all of some of the largest apartment developments are happening in the worst spot? Why not the surface parking lots in Golden Triangle, Lincoln Park, Cap Hill, or further north in Five Points? For some reason, California/Welton north of Broadway is becoming the hub of 16+ apartment buildings!

That's easy - less organized opposition. The people who don't want to go anywhere near there are the same people who come out in droves against... well, everything. (And good zoning, but those things are probably related.)

[SirLucasTheGreat]

Arapahoe Square, geographically, has the potential to be another LoDo type of district. I think the geography and the zoning changes are what really drove much of the momentum. Homelessness has been an issue there for a while but it has become significantly more widespread and visible during the pandemic. I also wonder how many of the people moving into the new apartment buildings in Arapahoe Square are relatively new to the city and unfamiliar with the prevalence of meth-induced psychotic disorders in the neighborhood.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

I don't know, it's pretty bad down there. I suppose the alternative is to just never go anywhere near there on foot, which is probably the choice 99% of Denverites are making. Good liberals that we all are, nobody wants to go hang out anywhere near the tree lawn heroin dens, and nobody wants them in their front yard.

I don't disagree with you at all. AS is in bad shape and since AS doesn't have a voice as their Council Member could give two shits about the state of downtown, crime against anyone, and only cares about Elyria Swansea/Globeville's "reparations" it's probably not going to get better until after 2023.

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

I don't disagree with you at all. AS is in bad shape and since AS doesn't have a voice as their Council Member could give two shits about the state of downtown, crime against anyone, and only cares about Elyria Swansea/Globeville's "reparations" it's probably not going to get better until after 2023.

I don't see Candi losing. Unless she doesn't run, I think downtown will remain effectively unrepresented for much longer than that.

[SirLucasTheGreat]

She seems like someone that would want to find something else to do (mayor, at-large position, etc...). If she runs for her current seat, I don't recall her winning by a huge margin last time.

[The Dirt]

I'm betting that when redistricting happens, Candi will try to offload downtown. Hinds sounds like he would be thrilled to take downtown so he can keep sitting on his hands doing nothing.

[TakeFive]

Source

Originally Posted by Arapahoe

Construction Valuation Total: $124,620,000

Building permits they've already paid: $228,299

Property taxes they paid this year for the vacant lot: $203,058

The last time they uploaded a document to the city permitting system was last Wednesday, July 21. (new drawings)

This Amacon project is very much alive.

Great information.

[TakeFive]

Since rds70 was nice enough to bring us a bullet point update for 1900 Lawrence - I'll bring the Backstory!

Who would be dumb enough to build a new 700,000 Sq Ft office tower in this crazy market? They must be a 'newbie'.
Amigo: you're quite right. In terms of RE development, Riverside Investment and Development has been around a short time. Their resume is pretty thin having only completed four projects.

https://riversideid.com/about

When John O’Donnell retired in 2010, he began investigating investment opportunities in distressed land sites in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. Upon acquiring his first two sites, John quickly built small but highly focused teams around these two transactions and Riverside was born.

Have they built any Big Boys?
Amigo: Only two or three.

https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/...x_testVariant=cx_26&cx_artPos=3#cxrecs_s

With the completion of 320 South Canal, scheduled for January 2022, Riverside will own the three largest WELL Platinum-certified buildings by square feet in the United States — 110 North Wacker, 150 North Riverside and 320 South Canal — all of which exceed 1 million square feet and are located in Chicago.

The smallest of their towers is 150 North Riverside

150 North Riverside is a 54-story “Class A” office development located in the West Loop in Chicago, Illinois. The iconic building construction was designed by award-winning Goettsch Partners...

• 1.2 million square feet of efficient office space situated along the Chicago River with exceptional views.
• Unprecedented 1.5-acre landscaped public park, including Riverwalk frontage

Exhibit 'A'

The other two towers are each 1.5 million Sq Ft. Their current project headed to the finish line is at 320 South Canal:

320 South Canal is a 50-story office tower located adjacent to Union Station in Chicago, Illinois.

• 1.5 million SF of Class A office space
• Largest 1.5-acre public park in the West Loop
• Underground pedway connecting Union Station and mass rapid transit systems within 1 block of the site

Exhibit 'B'

But Dude: We're now living in COVID times. Wouldn't it be 'not smart' to build a new office tower at this time?

"We tried to take a step back and ask maybe a slightly different question than we would on a going-in basis for a high-rise office building, and really try to evaluate, if we were starting from scratch, what would we do differently if we're trying to design the healthiest building in the world?" Scacco said.

Scacco said the updates to 1900 Lawrence emphasize air quality, low-touch or no-touch features, natural daylight and access to outdoor spaces. Eleven floors of the building feature private terraces for tenants.

But is anybody interested in leasing lots of new space - at this time?

Roupp said he anticipates the building will benefit from a flight to quality in the wake of the pandemic. Attracting and retaining employees was paramount prior to Covid, and Roupp said company decision-makers today require buildings with plenty of amenities to give employees a reason to return to the office.

"There are fewer blocks of quality space available and continued demand from new-to-market companies that want to have a large presence in Denver, and I think our 700,000 square feet at 1900 Lawrence is going to be positioned to capture a disproportionate share of that demand," Roupp said.

"Our location is in the path of development, in the West [Central Business District] with great density, overlooking Lower Downtown, Denver Ballpark and the Boulder Flatirons." Roupp said. "Amenity-rich, high-density space is well in demand, as we've seen over the course of the last few development cycles."

Postscript: I just want to remind everybody that I've always said that wong is smarter than he looks.

Originally Posted by wong21fr

I'm optimistic on projects like 1900 Lawrence as I think a large reshuffling of office space in the CBD is coming with an emptying out of older towers that will be repurposed for residential similar to 1600 Glenarm.

[gopokes21]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

I don't see Candi losing. Unless she doesn't run, I think downtown will remain effectively unrepresented for much longer than that.

I agree. I don't think YIMBY folks realize how unpopular their own (including some of my own) arguments really are across town. What's happening in Denver is political pluralism... many factions, but none with a larger than 20% share of the public.

I suspect this is Candi's world, and we're all just living in it... she's going to go at-large then mayor unless someone stops her.

Hancock has really been a phenomenal mayor up until the pandemic, and now he runs scared every time Candi rallies her troops. City has been completely hijacked by tent cities, gang violence, ruffneks from Wyoming, equity commissions, people demanding reparations, and the like. I say that as a liberal... this has all just gotten out of hand and real people with real ideas need not apply right now.

[TakeFive]

Source

Originally Posted by CPVLIVE

Amacon site has new fencing around the site as of today.

Honestly, I happen to think about you recently. I happen to think about the terrific 'photo project' you did with respect to Denver's historic schools. (I think that was you, no?)

In any case it's always fun when a past or infrequent participant here pops in.

Originally Posted by twister244

I hate to burst all of your bubbles, but I have a feeling this project is either dead, or it's going to be completely re-written as something else (apartments maybe?).

Unless there's some magical sales site for the condo component, this thing seems dead to me. Go look at Amacon's site - http://amacon.com/portfolio/ - You can't even find anything listed there regarding this project.

Also, we've been hearing about this "moving forward" since I bought my condo back in 2018. This seems very similar to the WTC project in RiNo that was about to break ground "at any moment".

If it was really going to get off the ground, it would have happened by now, or we would have more to go off of.

My guess is that they've been paying for everything so far out of pocket. At some point they will need to make the decision to go forward which will require a large construction loan.

Following the rapid rise in single family home prices it reflexively brought demand to the condo market. So that's now doing much better; in fact the supply of condos for sale is also tight.

Their timing will likely end up being very good. But I will agree with you that until we see shovels in the ground (and a sales office) .....



Illustration by Kris Kathmann

[TakeFive]

Source

How do you shake the liberal poop out of the Liberal?

This is one hilarious news video-story.

DENVER (KDVR) — A brazen bike thief in Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe was caught on camera trying to pin a Good Samaritan with an SUV.

The two said they actually tracked down the thief in a nearby homeless camp, but they say police refuse to go after her. Both men say they’re frustrated the woman hasn’t been caught and believe police should be doing more to catch dangerous bike thieves.

“There’s zero fear of recourse for these criminals and what they’re doing. They could care less because there’s no consequences for their actions and it’s just shocking and appalling what’s going on,” said Berman.

Very Nice

Originally Posted by gopokes21

I agree. I don't think YIMBY folks realize how unpopular their own (including some of my own) arguments really are across town. What's happening in Denver is political pluralism... many factions, but none with a larger than 20% share of the public.

I suspect this is Candi's world, and we're all just living in it... she's going to go at-large then mayor unless someone stops her.

Hancock has really been a phenomenal mayor up until the pandemic, and now he runs scared every time Candi rallies her troops. City has been completely hijacked by tent cities, gang violence, ruffneks from Wyoming, equity commissions, people demanding reparations, and the like. I say that as a liberal... this has all just gotten out of hand and real people with real ideas need not apply right now.

[Robert.hampton]

Originally Posted by The Dirt

I'm betting that when redistricting happens, Candi will try to offload downtown. Hinds sounds like he would be thrilled to take downtown so he can keep sitting on his hands doing nothing.

Hahaha great read on Hinds. Boy what a disappointment he is. ‘Oh yeah all the bum camps around cap hill are a travesty! But be compassionate plz while we do nothing whatsoever!’ Sadly I think Denver would be far better off today with a dozen Wayne New’s on city council.

I don’t think that current environment however is conducive to a re-election for Hinds or cedebaca. They were both elected on platforms based on fears of gentrification, and I think most of their constituents are now saying ‘zomg give me the gentrifaction again please this is 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 miserable’. Just seems like now is a very bad moment for progressive politics in urban areas.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

I don't see Candi losing. Unless she doesn't run, I think downtown will remain effectively unrepresented for much longer than that.

Ugh. Don’t depress me with that thought. I think that an Eric Adams-esque candidate would easily dispose of Candi, but I can’t remember the last time Denver had a candidate (non-lawyer law and order background) like that. If ever.

[TakeFive]

But one piece to addressing a complicated problem


Source

In September of 2019 the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless announced it wanted to buy the Quality Inn at 3737 Quebec St. and convert it to housing for the homeless.

I recall being wholly supportive as it followed the formula that Houston had used to great success. Denverite wrote about the grand opening in January of 2020.



Denver plans to purchase this motel on Peoria Street near I-70 and turn it into a homeless shelter.
Photo courtesy Conor McCormick-Cavanagh via Westword

Then in May of this year, Conor McCormick-Cavanagh/Westword carried the story of another homeless venture.

Although Denver has long housed homeless individuals in motels on an emergency basis, the city now plans to purchase a motel in northeast Denver and transform it into a homeless shelter.

The city plans to purchase the motel for $7.8 million and turn it into a homeless shelter, with 94 rooms that can be single or double occupancy, and also host small households.

This is an invaluable tool for serving those who need (and deserve) the help. But it does nothing to solve the larger problem of miscreants who have been led to believe they have squatting rights anywhere they wish to plant their tents.

[TakeFive]

For those who aren't aware of the process

Originally Posted by The Dirt

I'm betting that when redistricting happens, Candi will try to offload downtown. Hinds sounds like he would be thrilled to take downtown so he can keep sitting on his hands doing nothing.

Denver City Council begins redistricting process
Published on July 24, 2021

Every 10 years, when the U.S. Census releases its data, Denver City Council leads a process to re-draw council district boundaries. The goal of the process is to create council district that have roughly equal populations, are compact and keep residents of established neighborhoods in the same council district.

That process begins today with the launch of the Define Your Denver map drive. City Council is encouraging citizens of Denver to visit representable.org to map our what they consider their community of interest to be. There are also a few brief questions to answer.

Councilwoman Amanda P. Sandoval will Chair the redistricting workgroup.

When is this expected to be completed?

City Council is expected to vote on new boundaries in March 2022

---------------------------

Originally Posted by AlSmithee

History Colorado’s “Building Denver” tells the city’s story through its architecture, urban development

If you go
“Building Denver: Visions of the Capital City” continues through Aug. 31, 2022, at History Colorado Center, 1200 Broadway. Info at 303-447-8679 or historycolorado.org.

Has anyone gone to see this?

Bit too long of a drive for me but it's something I really could enjoy.

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Bit too long of a drive for me but it's something I really could enjoy.

Make a weekend of it when Meow Wolf opens. And we can get a beer. Been what, a decade, since we had a real forum meet?

[Sam Hill]

Originally Posted by Robert.hampton

Hahaha great read on Hinds. Boy what a disappointment he is. ‘Oh yeah all the bum camps around cap hill are a travesty! But be compassionate plz while we do nothing whatsoever!’ Sadly I think Denver would be far better off today with a dozen Wayne New’s on city council.

I don’t think that current environment however is conducive to a re-election for Hinds or cedebaca. They were both elected on platforms based on fears of gentrification, and I think most of their constituents are now saying ‘zomg give me the gentrifaction again please this is 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 miserable’. Just seems like now is a very bad moment for progressive politics in urban areas.

What the hell are you talking about? New ran on a campaign message of NIMBYism. “I’ll stop the evil developers!” It was his whole campaign message. I remember it clearly. My mailbox was bombarded with mailers about how New is going to stop the evil developers.

New misread Denver (or his district at least), and he lost.

In the meantime Hinds was unapologetically urbanist. And he won.

I sat in on the council meeting during which the rezoning of the Golden Triangle was approved. Hinds was the only council person to offer a retort to the NIMBY resistance to the rezoning. His retort was long and boring - and included many politically-expedient, sympathetic nods to the opposition - because he is, after-all, a politician. Nevertheless, he was the only council-person to speak out against any NIMBY opposition to the rezoning.

He ran as an urbanist. As I voted for him I feared he might not actually be an urbanist. But now that I’ve seen him in action I can rest easy knowing he’s an actual urbanist.

I’m sorry but you don’t know what you’re talking about.

[Sam Hill]

And before you try to obfuscate, you said the city would be better off with a bunch of New’s on its council. That’s what you said.

[Sam Hill]

Denverites, who do you want on your council - those who exacerbate our housing crisis by resisting development, or those who at least try to alleviate it by encouraging development?

The fact is, the root of our problem - homelessness and all - is an imbalance of supply and demand in the housing market. I have no doubt. I don’t think the problem is as nuanced as people make it out to be. We’ve had recessions before. We’ve had crises before. But we haven’t had this problem of a great proportion of our population living in tents on our streets. This is new and weird, and wasn’t a pervasive problem 15 years ago - back when a 1-bedroom cost 600 bucks.