DENVER | Main Development Thread #7

[Robert.hampton]

Originally Posted by SirLucasTheGreat

For whatever it is worth, I think the winters in Denver are much tolerable than virtually any major city in the Midwest or Northeast.

I'd go as far as to say Denver winters are better than anywhere outside of California/Florida/Texas/NM/Arizona. And in exchange for all that sunshine you have world class skiing within 5 hours on a Saturday on I70.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by Brainpathology

Excuse me for hitting your nerve. I forgot that a lot of people in places like Denver need their safe spaces and musing about my own moments of shame that I'm working with that extra comma/vacation and wonder if "I" am the whore triggers people with molecularly thin skin.

I'm happy for you that literally being sued/the impetus for a teacher being sued if my upcoming children make others uncomfortable and they speak about their "two daddies" in 3rd grade is local politics that you're annoyed at talking about. Lovely that that is so far out of your experience through either being in your blue bubble, or being straight, or childless that you don't have to worry about it and gay parents' worries like mine make me a - what did you say? - a "nerd who lacks social skills, decency, and common sense?" How very typically (Denver's brand of mostly fake) compassionate of you.

One good side effect of this board is that I can see the silver lining of NOT returning if I don't so thanks for that at least.

That's a tough balancing act- being a parent and facing the bigotry that is being used for political hit points. Being a parent is hard enough just in raising a child. I'm sorry that Florida's leadership is using you as such.

I've had some fun experiences with people trying to use my family as the token diversity quota for events so that the white folks feel like they are being inclusive. The performative theatrics are tiresome to say the least.

[wong21fr]

In developments news, one of the ugliest parking lots front Coors Field might finally be going away:

https://denverite.com/2022/03/22/a-parking-lot-across-coors-field-could-be-cleared-to-build-housing

A parking lot near downtown Denver may soon see new life as a mixed-use building with housing and commercial space.

Denver City Council approved rezoning a lot at 2000 Blake St. to allow for an up to eight-story building. Located on the corner of 20th Street and Blake Street, across Coors Field, the new zoning will allow buildings of up to 110 feet, though a project planned for the site calls for something a bit shorter. The lot sits at the edge of the Five Points neighborhood.

[Brainpathology]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

I've had some fun experiences with people trying to use my family as the token diversity quota for events so that the white folks feel like they are being inclusive. The performative theatrics are tiresome to say the least.

It’s not “Tolkien”?

I am not looking forward to that kind of thing. Hopefully it doesn’t happen much. That has its own gross feelings that are almost as bad as aggressive in your face bigotry - which is obviously pretty easy to call out. Performative progressivism is harder because sometimes it’s from well meaning ignorance and sometimes it’s just to check a box to hide what your real feelings are. One good thing about this part of the US though is that performative diversity or progressivism isn’t as prevalent as it is in Denver and further west.

Love to see more parking going away around Coors though. It’s always nice to anticipate more housing options when we either move back or retire. I can’t believe I can remember walking around (well, speeding in a locked car) through the area the field is in now. Boggling how much a neighborhood can turn around with effort in only a couple decades. You don’t even need a good team to go with it, you can have the worst owners in the state’s history even.

[SirLucasTheGreat]

The CEO of RTD annouced a bunch of security measures at Union Station. Chief among them would be making the Union Station bus concourse a paid fare area with turnstiles. I'm not sure why it was so hard for RTD to implement turnstiles at their light rail stations. Seems like that would have made the trains feel a lot more safe.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by SirLucasTheGreat

The CEO of RTD annouced a bunch of security measures at Union Station. Chief among them would be making the Union Station bus concourse a paid fare area with turnstiles. I'm not sure why it was so hard for RTD to implement turnstiles at their light rail stations. Seems like that would have made the trains feel a lot more safe.

Where did you see this?

[EngiNerd]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Where did you see this?

Here:
https://denverite.com/2022/03/22/rtds-ne...tiles-barriers-no-more-electric-outlets/

[BG918]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Glad you and PlansIT were able to benefit from your moves- Oklahoma isn't my favorite place (too damn flat and humid), though I have enjoyed my time there while attending grad school at OU.

Come to the eastern part, lots of hills, forests and lakes around Tulsa . Oklahoma is like Colorado in that the two different sides of the state are very different from each other.

[wong21fr]

BusinessDen has a preliminary rendering of the 2000 Blake Street Project. Looks pretty nice.

[bunt_q]

Should I feel bad for View House? Ha.

[jhwk]

Originally Posted by SirLucasTheGreat

The CEO of RTD annouced a bunch of security measures at Union Station. Chief among them would be making the Union Station bus concourse a paid fare area with turnstiles. I'm not sure why it was so hard for RTD to implement turnstiles at their light rail stations. Seems like that would have made the trains feel a lot more safe.

Proof of payment for transit fare collection is used over physical controls for two reasons:

First, proof of payment is generally considered more modern and cheaper than fare control structures because building the physical fare control structures and then enforcing them is typically more expensive than the money recovered by more people actually paying.

Second, in RTDs case, the light rail was designed with street segments that have extremely minimal stations, so physical controls were not possible. There was no space in the downtown loop for stations with controlled access unless a lot more money was spent.

The concept, however, was imported from Germany which has much better social cohesion than we do. There is still vagrancy in their transit systems but not to the level we are seeing in Denver.

[SirLucasTheGreat]

That's fascinating. Thanks for the insight, jhwk. I wonder how effective physical structures at main terminals (Union Station, DIA, etc) would be. If you had to physically present a fare to exit Union Station, that would probably cause ripple effects throughout the system.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by SirLucasTheGreat

That's fascinating. Thanks for the insight, jhwk. I wonder how effective physical structures at main terminals (Union Station, DIA, etc) would be. If you had to physically present a fare to exit Union Station, that would probably cause ripple effects throughout the system.

It's only for da' buses at the moment. But it would be interesting to see what would happen if a few of the train stations added physical controls as well. Turnstile Union Station at the commuter rail and LRT stations, DIA, Broadway, Alameda, Nine Mile etc. and see what happens. I'd couple that with reduced fares and would think that you'd get a more traveled and safer system.

[EngiNerd]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

Should I feel bad for View House? Ha.

They can rename it to the "Not-much-of-a-View" House

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by EngiNerd

They can rename it to the "Not-much-of-a-View" House

The only view that patrons of the Viewhouse care about is the ass of the co-ed in the group next to theirs.

[laniroj]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

In developments news, one of the ugliest parking lots front Coors Field might finally be going away:

https://denverite.com/2022/03/22/a-parking-lot-across-coors-field-could-be-cleared-to-build-housing

^^Nice. Ever since I was a kid, I've wondered why these lots by Coors Field sat empty. Always figured it was because of Xcel. It's a bit of nostalgia for me so this is my favorite development proposal. Good looking project too - bit of modern with a bit of coors.

[TakeFive]

Hi Haley; and where did you fly in from?

Yesterday (Wednesday) I picked up Haley from Sky Harbor around 8:00 pm heading to a newer 'lifestyle' hotel in OTS (Old Town Scottsdale). We got to talking and I mentioned a few people that had moved from Denver moved back to OKC and Tulsa as well as other 'Pandemic' casualties where people moved back to their hometowns.

It turned out that Haley and her husband and kids (4 & 8 years old) had also moved back to OKC to be closer to family. So I asked her how she liked the decision to move back? "It was nice to be near family but it was an adjustment" as so much had changed, many people had grown up and now had families etc. They did miss living in North Dallas (a lot) but she was looking forward to her 'girls weekend getaway.'

Originally Posted by BG918

I recently moved out of Denver to Tulsa. Loved living in the city for 9 years including the Golden Triangle, University and Stapleton/Central Park neighborhoods. Made a boatload of money selling my house and still frequent Denver for work so I get to see experience the growth and new restaurants/breweries but can live in a much nicer house with less traffic and near family.

You were the last one I could think of that hadn't posted in awhile that I had wondered about.

[gopokes21]

Everywhere I go, it seems there's a huge Okie diaspora I think I'm still Team Denver, but as everything gets harder and more prohibitively expensive here, I do sometimes dabble with the idea of going back to the 'Homa once it's ready for urban development. OKC is doing impressive stuff but I don't know if the grass is greener or projects are truly easier. If it's not costs, then it's the market, or supply issues, or permitting backlogs, or something else. I doubt there's anywhere that creative, equitable, quality urban development is "easy." Maybe Texas (a thought that kills my inner Okie)?

Originally Posted by Brainpathology

Excuse me for hitting your nerve. I forgot that a lot of people in places like Denver need their safe spaces and musing about my own moments of shame that I'm working with that extra comma/vacation and wonder if "I" am the whore triggers people with molecularly thin skin.

I'm happy for you that literally being sued/the impetus for a teacher being sued if my upcoming children make others uncomfortable and they speak about their "two daddies" in 3rd grade is local politics that you're annoyed at talking about. Lovely that that is so far out of your experience through either being in your blue bubble, or being straight, or childless that you don't have to worry about it and gay parents' worries like mine make me a - what did you say? - a "nerd who lacks social skills, decency, and common sense?" How very typically (Denver's brand of mostly fake) compassionate of you.

One good side effect of this board is that I can see the silver lining of NOT returning if I don't so thanks for that at least.

You have sympathies for the way your family has been targeted politically in Florida, as I know what it's like to be human collateral damage. I know I look like an anonymous figment of the internet, but I'm actually a human who left Southern Oklahoma for similar reasons. That doesn't mean you will find me denigrating the place, bullying others, calling them cruel and/or wh*res, or saying they need a safe space when they push back against aimless barking.

I'm not really sure what your point is other than being a barking dog. I guess we hear you, and I'm sorry I guess you don't like Denver, but you don't like Florida either, and we also don't like Cleveland, or safe spaces whatever that was supposed to mean, so I guess it all sucks? I apologize for wrapping you up with everyone else sht+alking less sophisticated places on this board, but it just gets old. It's probably half the posts anyone's made on here.

One thing I learned once I got my first abusive work environment under my belt is you can't just say everyone else is the problem. Everyone else can and will be a problem, but you still have to meet the people where they're at, and learn to work with people. So I moved to Colorado where I have found people to be amazing. It turns out I was swimming against the current the whole time, and Denver has been very good for my professional, personal, and creative life.

My last point, after which I'll let this go, is it sounds like you've had many of the same intellectual epiphanies that I have had toward blue bubble virtue signaling baloney. Just today the most profound defense of the trans community came from the Republican governor of Utah, who won by being further-right than Huntsman. I looked up Spencer Cox's record, and to my surprise he's been saying profoundly kind and thoughtful things for years. We all need to stop assuming someone is with us or against us based on blue team / red team.

I like the intellectual and thoughtful language used in your posts, and I sympathize and empathize with your experience. Let's just stop denigrating whole states full of good people, places, and experiences. I think we've gotten to this horrific state of affairs by writing off large swaths of America as heathens, then we act surprised when people we've called heathens begin to act like heathens. You can denigrate me all you want, but you hinder your cause when you go after places that don't deserve it.

The funny thing about globalism and connectivity is that Miami and Ft Lauderdale are probably more connected to Denver, Chicago, NY etc than they are to Lakeland, FL or Ft Pierce, FL. That's why and how cruelty has become overrepresented in most state legislatures today.

[TakeFive]

Source

D.A. Davidson Special District Group Closes $70M Bonds for Glendale Entertainment District
March 22, 2022 - Mile High CRE


Image courtesy of Central Street Capital

D.A. Davidson’s Special District Group has successfully priced and closed approximately $70 million of senior and subordinate bonds for Riverwalk Metropolitan District (MD) No. 2 in Glendale, for the development of Glendale Entertainment District, a master planned mixed-use retail, entertainment and commercial center located in the heart of downtown Glendale. The multi-million project will break ground in 2022 and Phase 1 is slated for a grand opening in late 2024.

I like the concept but it sounds like this wasn't easy to get going.

“This highly anticipated project required complex financing elements, deep team expertise and a visionary developer to help effectively build it out in a cost-effective and sustainable manner,” said Brooke Hutchens, managing director at D.A. Davidson. “It’s a pure example of how the right financing tools and team can ensure the successful delivery of a project of this scale that will support a thriving Denver and its community members long into the future.”

This could be a big hit for todays tendency toward mixed-use entertainment clusters... or it could be just an OK place to hang.

The development will occur in two phases. The first phase will be anchored by the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Phase two contemplates a 120-room hotel, pool deck bar and retail and restaurant space.

[SirLucasTheGreat]

We need BRT on Colorado and Speer. Colorado BLVD is already a mosh pit. Between this, 9th and Colorado, and the Colorado Center, more attractive transit options would be very helpful. Although I'm sure that it would take 10 times longer than it should to construct such a system.