DENVER | Main Development Thread #7

[TakeFive]

Apartment Project Including Live-Work and Affordable Units Breaks Ground in Downtown Denver
March 9, 2022 - Mile High CRE

KALACO Apartments


Rendering courtesy of The Opus Group.

Serving as the developer, design-builder, interior designer, architect and structural engineer of record, The Opus Group has officially started the construction of KALACO Apartments, a 280-unit multifamily development across the street from the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver at the southwest intersection of Colfax and Kalamath.

The seven-story apartment building will offer studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom apartments, as well as live-work units, which will allow residents to operate a business on the first floor with favorable business lease rates. Opus worked with the City of Denver Department of Housing Stability (HOST) and Neighborhood Equity and Stabilization (NEST) on the project. Ten percent of the apartments will be affordable to households earning 60 to 80 percent of the area median income.

[TakeFive]

MGL Partners to Develop Attainable Housing Near Anshutz Medical Campus
March 10, 2022 - Mile High CRE


Rendering courtesy of MGL

MGL Partners (MGL), a Denver-based multifamily, senior, workforce and affordable housing developer, is set to develop a new multifamily community with its equity partner Hartford Investment Management Company (HIMCO) on the southwest corner of E. 13th Ave. and Peoria St. in Aurora.

Who are the various players?

Designed by Santulan Architecture, the new community will offer studio, 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartment homes... The project is set to break ground in mid-March with estimated completion in 2024. B.C. Builders is the general contractor and Denver design firm TRIO has been engaged in the interior design and activation of the common areas. Pacific Western Bank provided construction financing.

Is this project needed? Who's it for?

The 355-unit, seven-building apartment community will provide much-needed workforce housing options for the 19,000 employees and 4,000 students connected to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Fitzsimons Innovation Community just a few blocks away.

[TakeFive]

As scaffolding rises at the Smiley’s Laundromat site, here’s what we know
Mar. 11, 2022 By Kyle Harris/Denverite


Credit: Kyle Harris/Denverite

The current owner is listed as Route 40 RE LLC, a company formed by CIG, according to public filings. Online, the developer said the new project, also called Route 40, will have 210 apartments and over 5,000 square feet of retail space. A rendering shows a modern building with no hints of the old art deco structure, and the latest plans submitted to the city show the façade will be torn down. The company has not responded to Denverite’s requests for comment.

Some things never end it seems.

After scaffolding went up in recent days, neighbors started clamoring about preservation again.

CHUN itself has advocated for preservation and is now looking to the future and working with the building’s owners. “We look forward to hearing from the architects, the property owner, and other stakeholders to shape the future of the site,” said CHUN president and executive director Travis Leiker.

[SirLucasTheGreat]

Those KALACO apartments will be replacing the Burger King IIRC. I really would like to see housing all along that south end of Colfax between Speer and the train tracks on the west.

[laniroj]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
and we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
for the children, they mark, and the children, they know,
the place where the sidewalk ends.
Credit Shel Silverstein

Sidewalks have only been a cause célèbre for about half a decade. Prior to that most people couldn't give two chits about sidewalks, especially those who live in suburban neighborhoods. BTW, the neighborhoods and areas that most could benefit from sidewalks already have them. That's not to say it shouldn't be an issue or that improvements couldn't be made.

I do get a kick out the the guy who walks along Colorado Blvd to demonstrate the lack of any sidewalk. Yet as much as this guy loves to walk he couldn't go one block over where he could peacefully walk along a neighborhood street?...

I'm totally with ya here. Sidewalks are the urbanist talking point du jour in Murica. Having lived in Europe for a time, where they are generally in much worse shape sidewalk/accessibility wise than us, people have empathy for their common human and make it work over there. They also have much more desirable livable places despite having abysmal sidewalk/accessibility infrastructure generally. There are a couple exceptions to that, but the vast majority of Europe has bad access (think a step into a building, steep sidewalk/road slopes, cobblestones, and skinny hallways in buildings).

Call me crazy, but cars can share roads with bikes and humans so long as those roads aren't designed like highways for only cars/trucks to go as fast as possible...oh wait, that's exactly what we do here we design high capacity highways for residential streets. Fire the entire traffic engineering department and stop letting the fire department have a say in city-building and in three decades we will have much more desirable places to live, albeit with some risk for more fire and accessibility that isn't perfect (which it isn't now so it really wouldn't be a disastrous result).

[gopokes21]

Originally Posted by bulldurhamer

https://denverite.com/2021/11/08/denvers...t-you-will-have-to-pay-more-for-parking/



the city has allocated $1.8 million for sidewalk repair next year. they allocated 1/6 of that to hire a sidewalk inspector and project manager.


this is your city at work.



It's also noted that Candi cdebaca tried to get $100,000 for homeless bathrooms. that was denied. so next time you see a homeless guy shitting in your alley, remember that denver refused to put $100,000 worth of homeless toilets and cleaning stations in place while happily spending $300 K sidewalks inspectors. btw, it looks like that's two salaries pushing $150,000 for sidewalk inspectors. probably yet another thing we need to look at deeper.

$100K might work for the individual experiencing homelessness taking a dump in your alley, but that does nothing for me and my alley. I must be running a popular alley over here.

I agree that the solution to these problems is probably more focus on assets and less focus on bureaucracy and "services" which is basically a catch-all term for just paying people. Our extremely well-funded city govt is great at hiring and "beefing up capacity" and all that, but not so great at having ASSETS to show for the billion-plus they spend each year. At least the Airport is a nice asset, so that kind of makes up for the black hole everywhere else.

Of course when you pay thousands of people six figures to go fishing (at best) or bully minority coworkers (at worst) what else do you expect?
https://denver.cbslocal.com/2022/03/09/denver-city-attorneys-working-home-pandemic/

[Ich]

Good news with Amacon. Sounds like they are already doing prep work and should officially break ground by the end of this month per Amacon.

https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/...truction-begins-18th-glenarm-denver.html

[SirLucasTheGreat]

I was going to ask about that because I think they were required to start this week because their updated permit was issued almost exactly two months ago. Really excited to see that 19th street corridor explode with five towers

[wong21fr]

https://businessden.com/2022/03/10/city-seeks-proposals-to-redevelop-rino-homeless-shelter-site/


Denver is looking for a partner to redevelop the Crossroads Shelter site in RiNo into a residential project with a significant amount of affordable housing at 30% AMI and to build a new 500-bed shelter (300 in an open bay and 200 private rooms) somewhere in the city center that would be a 24-hour facility.


That's a big ask and I'm wondering what kind of interest they received ahead of time given that the interest window was only 45 days.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

That's a big ask and I'm wondering what kind of interest they received ahead of time given that the interest window was only 45 days.

IIRC, bunt offered to do the legal work.

[TakeFive]

Hi! I am Mica
Pre-leasing Begins August 2022; Move-Ins Anticipated November 2022

4290 Brighton Blvd




Renderings courtesy of Zeigler Cooper Architects

Mica RiNo

Cool, fun marketing for this Hines - Cresset Real Estate Partners project:

DENVER IS FULL OF OPPOSITES:

skyscrapers & MOUNTAINTOPS, steel + earth, ENERGY + tranquility.

It’s a city that finds comfort in contrast and Mica RiNo is no different. In Denver’s hottest neighborhood, teeming with texture, culture, and non-stop entertainment, Mica is a sophisticated place of self-expression. Inside and out sharp industrial styling blends with earthy materials and artistic details for a truly distinctive edge. Altogether, Mica RiNo is an inspired living experience where artistry and industry unite for an exceptionally good time.

Note: Given this project celebrated its "Topping Out" in February the opening seems rather aggressive but laniroj says he doesn't mind.

[laniroj]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

...Note: Given this project celebrated its "Topping Out" in February the opening seems rather aggressive but laniroj says he doesn't mind.

If having to tolerate cold brew hipster coffee and $22 artisan sandwiches is what we have to do to get housing, then so be it. Anything for rooftops is my mantra. Sure seems Hines/Crescent (or is it Cressent?) are sure setting themselves up for a 16th Street drama if they install those slippery pavers next to the Mission Ballroom!!!

[rds70]

The first true rendering of the Evans East project that I have found (17 stories, 300 units plus 15,000 square feet of ground floor retail):

[TakeFive]

Hi! I'm The Stella

You won't find me among the fancy-pants projects in the Golden Triangle. No, no, no, I'm the second new apartment at the Laradon campus in the Globeville Neighborhood for people with disabilities (or not). You might recall The Elisabetta which opened in 2019.

5190 N Broadway

....

........
Images courtesy developer, Gorman & Company

https://denver.cbslocal.com/2022/03/16/a...ex-opens-denver-globeville-neighborhood/

DENVER (CBS4) – The waitlist for affordable housing in one Denver neighborhood just got a little shorter. The city celebrated its latest effort in increasing housing stability Wednesday in Globeville. The Stella offers 132 affordable apartments, along with life-changing support in North Denver.

The Stella is located on the campus of Laradon, a nonprofit that empowers children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through programs and services. Some units at The Stella are dedicated to people transitioning out of homelessness.

Doug McNeill, CEO of Laradon, knows it can be difficult for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to find housing. He says some are at risk of becoming homeless themselves.

Credit for coverage of The Stella and other projects on the previous page is a tribute to laniroj (and others) for their deep concern of providing enough affordable housing in Denver.

Top Notch

Originally Posted by rds70

The first true rendering of the Evans East project that I have found (17 stories, 300 units plus 15,000 square feet of ground floor retail):

That's a very nice, good looking project.

[SirLucasTheGreat]

Evans East looks nice. It seems like design review has improved the materials while luckily not slowing down GT's momentum. That area between 11th and 12th on Acoma and Bannock is going to be insane if everything gets built.

[bulldurhamer]

the sidewalks are a disaster. 100 years old.

https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/de...am/documents/NSRP-Sidewalk-DIY-Guide.pdf

the city tells you to fix them yourself, no matter that you are probably looking at 100 year old sandstone slabs. good luck with that.

yes, people walk, and yes, the sidewalks are getting worse each year. there's also the whole inclusivity thing, you know? we should all get to use the sidewalks. this should really be a top priority and clearly it's not. that wheelchair bound councilman should have hunger strike or something to draw attention to this until it's taken seriously

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
and we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
for the children, they mark, and the children, they know,
the place where the sidewalk ends.
Credit Shel Silverstein

Sidewalks have only been a cause célèbre for about half a decade. Prior to that most people couldn't give two chits about sidewalks, especially those who live in suburban neighborhoods. BTW, the neighborhoods and areas that most could benefit from sidewalks already have them. That's not to say it shouldn't be an issue or that improvements couldn't be made.

I do get a kick out the the guy who walks along Colorado Blvd to demonstrate the lack of any sidewalk. Yet as much as this guy loves to walk he couldn't go one block over where he could peacefully walk along a neighborhood street?

Of the 500 projects in the Elevate Denver Bond program, sidewalks would be near the bottom of the list for me.

More importantly IMO is the ongoing program to repair existing sidewalks but that ran into Pandemic problems and various other issues. As often the case what sounds 'so simple' turns out to be anything but.

One easy example was the lack of sidewalks along Brighton Blvd - but they had to wait for the street redesign to be finalized before determining sidewalks. This was easily a dozen-year project from conception to completion.

Side note:
Given March is high season in the desert I'm having a ball chauffeuring visitors wherever they wish while making over $35/hour. It's a good, fun Gig for me for now.

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by bulldurhamer

the sidewalks are a disaster. 100 years old.

https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/de...am/documents/NSRP-Sidewalk-DIY-Guide.pdf

the city tells you to fix them yourself, no matter that you are probably looking at 100 year old sandstone slabs. good luck with that.

yes, people walk, and yes, the sidewalks are getting worse each year. there's also the whole inclusivity thing, you know? we should all get to use the sidewalks. this should really be a top priority and clearly it's not. that wheelchair bound councilman should have hunger strike or something to draw attention to this until it's taken seriously

So nothing from Council... but there are plans afoot to put a citizens ordinance initiative on the November ballot to create a permanent sidewalk fund for construction, maintenance, and reconstruction that would cover the whole city. I do not think it's gone public quite yet - but talk to the Denver Streets Partnership - and sign the ballot petition when you see it around later this spring/summer!

[SirLucasTheGreat]

Anybody see whether 1900 Lawrence or Amacon have broken ground this week? I think there was a strong chance for either of them

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by SirLucasTheGreat

Anybody see whether 1900 Lawrence or Amacon have broken ground this week? I think there was a strong chance for either of them

Nope.

[TakeFive]

So Long, San Fran, LA, NYC, Seattle and D.C. — Hello Miami, Phoenix, Tampa, Sacramento and Vegas!

It's entirely possible some of these migrants will visit Colorado/Denver along the way and end up staying.



Maroon Bells

Note: Anyone who has not yet hiked up to the Maroon Bells needs to shove this to the top of their bucket list.