DENVER | Main Development Thread #7

[rds70]

Originally Posted by SirLucasTheGreat

Nice! I also saw a couple days ago that RTD is trying to find a developer to build on their parking lot at 38th and Blake. The WTC and RTD lots are really prime spots. Hope to see those developed soon

Per this article, Portman Holdings made an unsolicited offer for the property. They would like to build a 16 story office building and two seven story residential buildings. Based on the request RTD sent out an RFP for other offers.

https://businessden.com/2022/04/11/rtd-s...o-parking-lot-after-atlanta-firms-pitch/

[rds70]

Per this article, Novel Uptown should break ground this month:

https://milehighcre.com/crescent-communities-to-break-ground-on-third-novel-project/

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by rds70

Per this article, Novel Uptown should break ground this month:

https://milehighcre.com/crescent-communities-to-break-ground-on-third-novel-project/

I remembered researching Crescent Communities a few years ago. Head Quartered in Charlotte N.C. and Tokyo-based Sumitomo became their principal shareholder in 2018.

So I wondered who Oxford Property Group was.

We partner with leading, like-minded global institutional investors. Our partnerships accelerate the scale and pace at which we can deploy capital across priority sectors and geographies. We are backed by dedicated, permanent capital from OMERS, one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension plans.

Oxford is owned by OMERS, a defined benefit pension plan with $121 billion in net assets across a diversified, global portfolio of public market, infrastructure, private equity, venture capital and real estate investments.

Interestingly, Oxford features the Scottsdale Grand apartments next to The Stack (office) in Vancouver B.C. on their site.

[twalm]

I haven't seen it mentioned much, but there is good progress down at Belleview station. I was around there and took some pictures of the new 17 story One Seven at Belleview Station. It has some interesting elements. It is nice to see the newer buildings in the area are all an improvement over the horrifically ugly Western Union building.

Render

[Paulopolis]

Nice! I was just down there last Thursday. It’s turning into a nice neighborhood.

It looks like Populus is going to start construction very soon.

[rds70]

Originally Posted by rds70

Per this article, Novel Uptown should break ground this month:

https://milehighcre.com/crescent-communities-to-break-ground-on-third-novel-project/

Here is the site today (4/17/22):

[rds70]

A few other construction photos from today:

Block 176:




1900 Lawrence:




X Denver 2:




Evans West:




990 Bannock:

[rds70]

Originally Posted by twalm

I haven't seen it mentioned much, but there is good progress down at Belleview station. I was around there and took some pictures of the new 17 story One Seven at Belleview Station. It has some interesting elements. It is nice to see the newer buildings in the area are all an improvement over the horrifically ugly Western Union building.

Render

Looks like the Kimpton Hotel has started as well (with the Harvey Cleary signs):

[RyanD]

Should be seeing Populus start my month's end.

https://denverinfill.com/2022/04/coming-soon-populus.html

[SirLucasTheGreat]

Really exciting times! It seems like most of the highly anticipated projects are breaking ground.

[mishko27]

Originally Posted by rds70

Looks like the Kimpton Hotel has started as well (with the Harvey Cleary signs):

I hope that Stonebridge restarts on their project next to Klimpton as soon as possible. There are 3 blocks (really, 2.5 blocks) remaining, and I am hoping we'll see some more architecture similar to the latest projects. It would be great if Belleview Station could emulate North Bethesda's Pike and Rose.

[twalm]

I am surprised that Belleview station doesn't have a grocery store yet. With it being mixed-use with a LOT of residential units already built with more on the way, the only thing keeping everyone living there truly "car-dependent" is the distance to the nearest grocery store. I know nobody living there is going to go car-free, but I can hope

[mishko27]

Originally Posted by twalm

I am surprised that Belleview station doesn't have a grocery store yet. With it being mixed-use with a LOT of residential units already built with more on the way, the only thing keeping everyone living there truly "car-dependent" is the distance to the nearest grocery store. I know nobody living there is going to go car-free, but I can hope

It's rather unfortunate that the new Whole Foods is going to be on Orchard, in the middle of bunch of 1980s offices, rather than on the ground floor of some apartment development within Belleview Station. Having said that, it would be a great spot for Trader Joe's, especially on the corner of Newport and Union.

[twalm]

Oh I had no idea that that they were thinking of putting a whole foods in that old church. Interesting choice...

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by twalm

I am surprised that Belleview station doesn't have a grocery store yet. With it being mixed-use with a LOT of residential units already built with more on the way, the only thing keeping everyone living there truly "car-dependent" is the distance to the nearest grocery store. I know nobody living there is going to go car-free, but I can hope

If we are going to pretend that living along our train lines is sufficient to live a car-free life, then we need to be willing to consider a quick five station jaunt for daily errands. There is a Whole Foods right at the Louisiana Pearl Station.

If car-free transit oriented living in Denver also means we only have a four stop radius (because our trains are so damn slow and infrequent), then we might as well give up.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

If we are going to pretend that living along our train lines is sufficient to live a car-free life, then we need to be willing to consider a quick five station jaunt for daily errands. There is a Whole Foods right at the Louisiana Pearl Station.

If car-free transit oriented living in Denver also means we only have a four stop radius (because our trains are so damn slow and infrequent), then we might as well give up.

There's a King Soopers one stop north at Bellview and there will be a Whole Foods one stop south at Orcahard. Normies just think the train is scary.

[TakeFive]

Well, it's interesting but not surprising that most people do what is logical and convenient

For people who live in apartments they have this big box called a refrigerator. When one goes to a grocery store you see all these people pushing what is called a grocery cart along which they will fill up with groceries.



If one happens to be carless (or maybe Dad needs the car for work) and live within a couple of blocks from a grocery store then they take their cart (after paying for their groceries) and push it along back to where they live. Then they unload the cart by carrying their groceries into their apartment.

OTOH, if they don't live close by to a store then what is logical changes. Can you imagine people loading up a cart full of groceries onto a choo choo train or bus? In this case they call for Uber/Lyft in order to get their groceries back to their apartment.

Or, for example, b/c Scottsdale is hub for economic activity, I have picked up a Pax at one of the grocery stores where a person may just pick up a couple of bags of stuff they want, which are easy peasy to jump in the back seat with as apposed to loading up a Schnitt-ton of bags into the back of my vehicle.

In any case for those that spend a lot of money for their groceries (and for some people $75 or more for groceries is a lot of money) then the added benefit of security with Uber/Lyft is worth a lot.

For those who have cars it may be hard to envision how those without live - but it's all very logical.

[mhays]

Wow, totally not how it works. I've never seen a grocery cart in my neighborhood except a homeless situation or two.

Some urban dwellers drive. Others buy a bag at a time (maybe two) and walk. We also go to corner stores a lot.

Personally I buy a few staples at a corner store (especially heavy things like milk and beer) and walk further once a week or so.

[SirLucasTheGreat]

You could also pay $10 for a Zipcar to get your groceries.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by mhays

Wow, totally not how it works. I've never seen a grocery cart in my neighborhood except a homeless situation or two.

Some urban dwellers drive. Others buy a bag at a time (maybe two) and walk. We also go to corner stores a lot.

Personally I buy a few staples at a corner store (especially heavy things like milk and beer) and walk further once a week or so.

Whenever I generalize I expect that exceptions exist.

Whether single or not, I've always lived in areas populated with families so I tend to think of the Average Joe or Juanita, married with ~two kids.

That there are some, like yourself who live within the urban center as you describe it doesn't surprise me.

The conversation involved suburban train stations and outside of the urban core I have described the typical life of those w/o a lot of money which generally speaking those w/o cars don't have.

Originally Posted by SirLucasTheGreat

You could also pay $10 for a Zipcar to get your groceries.

Generally, this is way more hassle than it's worth and I assume that $10 doesn't include all the extras which likely are way more than the $10.

I did pick one guy who flew into metro Phoenix, rented a Bnb and then rented a Beemer through an App so he could drive up to Sedona. He used an Uber to get to the arranged pickup location and when he was done I picked him up to take him back to his Bnb.