DENVER | Main Development Thread #7

[TakeFive]

Keep on keeping on with building affordable housing

Viña Apartments opens in Elyria-Swansea providing 150 affordable units to residents
May 4, 2022 By Desiree Mathurin/Denverite

48th Avenue and Vine Street


Noir Market's pop-up event in front of Tepeyac Community Health Center's new building at 48th Avenue and Vine Street in Elyria Swansea.
April 30, 2022. Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

What was once an industrial lot at 48th Avenue and Vine Street is now an 150-unit complex offering studios through three bedrooms near RTD’s N line station.

Besides providing housing, Viña will also have retail space and will encompass the new Tepeyac Community Health Center. Tepeyac has worked in the Globeville-Elyria Swansea neighborhood for almost 30 years, providing medical services to primarily Latino and low-income residents.

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

Affordable Apartments with On-Site Early Learning Center Break Ground on Colfax
May 9, 2022 - Mile High CRE

The Rose on Colfax
1510 N. Valentia St


Conceptual rendering created by Van Meter Williams Pollack.

On April 7, Mercy Housing Mountain Plains, Alliance Construction Solutions, Mile High United Way, the City and County of Denver, and others celebrated the groundbreaking of The Rose on Colfax. This development will be a mixed-use with 82 affordable homes, along will a Mile High United Way Early Childhood Education Center on the first level. The project aims to solve two major affordability issues facing Colorado families: housing and childcare affordability. Construction completion is set for Spring 2023.

If SirLucasTheGreat keeps missing out on these good deals, then maybe you're being too fussy about location?

[gopokes21]

Originally Posted by BG918

Yet it isn't even something Denver has discussed as an option. RTD can't even manage the current transit system.

I hate to launch another 3-page vigorous debate over RTD/subway/expansion/etc but I agree there's a list of things that would be nice, then there's what RTD is capable of managing. I've always advocated for the DC model of splitting off "Connector-like" routes for the City to operate, then scaling back bus service to a regional base level to augment the regional rail. Then let suburban cities and counties start their own local services.

The problem with RTD is its legally required focus on $200 per person paratransit rides in Douglas and Weld counties over highly efficient mass transit in the core of Denver. The most efficient service it operates, which costs like 25 cents per person, is the one service on which it collects no fare at all. It's pretty clear that mass transit can work in Denver, RTD just focuses on anything else.

[bunt_q]

Well don't you guys worry, Austin won't be able to deliver the tunnel either.

[TakeFive]

Circle May 1st on your calendar

Originally Posted by DenverInfill

Concept plans for the next phase of Denargo Market were submitted yesterday consisting of 10-, 16-, and 17-story buildings (mix of office and res).

https://www.9news.com/article/money/busi.../73-f5a3b07c-d114-468f-a237-6816fc870957

According to concept plans, construction is expected to start on May 1, 2023, and be completed on May 1, 2025.

So the project will start on May 1; the project will complete on May1; it's good to see those Golub Guys have a good sense of time and space (and humor).

“We’ve submitted our vertical concept plan to Denver Community Planning and Development, for the first three parcels we will be focused on. This represents an exciting next step toward realizing our vision for a vibrant, mixed-use community in Denargo Market,” Golub & Company and Formativ wrote in a statement to the DBJ.

[Ich]

Just heard on the news that if Rob Walton ends up buying the Broncos, he is interested in building a new stadium. Any thoughts on where it would go or how that would work? Not a ton of available land around downtown.

[TakeFive]

Morrison Road Improvements - Phase 2

Denver's Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (DOTI) is reconstructing Morrison Road to make it safer and more people-oriented. Morrison Road is a vital business and community corridor serving Westwood, and the City will be reconstructing the street between Perry Street and Nevada Place, as well as making intersection improvements at Ohio, Wolff, and Yates, to make the street safer and more inviting for people walking, doing business, and driving in the neighborhood.

See cross-section HERE

Note: I had to come up with something for a duplicate post and this was the winner.

[TakeFive]

That's quite the rumor (scurries to Google)

Originally Posted by Ich

Just heard on the news that if Rob Walton ends up buying the Broncos, he is interested in building a new stadium. Any thoughts on where it would go or how that would work? Not a ton of available land around downtown.

BroncosWire looks like the 1st to float this idea on April 17

And if he wanted to build a new stadium, Walton could hypothetically follow the lead of Stan Kroenke, who used private funding to build SoFi Stadium for the Los Angeles Rams. Kroenke is married to Walton’s cousin, Ann.

Then Denver7 carried a story on April 24

With the Broncos changing hands for the first time in decades, it raises the question: Is it time for a new stadium?

“It’ll be the No. 1 decision the new owner will have to make,” said Broncos President Joe Ellis. “How are we going to proceed long-term when it comes to the stadium? There are all kinds of things that go into evaluating a new stadium. From a big picture perspective — that will be issue No. 1.”

In all likelihood whoever the new owner is we won't hear any consideration of a new stadium for at least 2 to 3 years following the purchase.

With respect to where a new stadium could be built I'd guess either on the current site (?) or out by DIA where the freeway access would be great.

[mhays]

Oh jesus christ. It opened in 2001.

We did that in Seattle too. The Kingdome opened in 1976 and closed in 2000. But it was built on the cheap, was falling apart, and wasn't great for fans.

I've heard no major complaints about Denver's stadium. Unless that's wrong, it sounds like it's purely a money-making play. I'm curious how they'd make money without big public subsidies.

[bulldurhamer]

Originally Posted by SirLucasTheGreat

One River North renderings:

This is now above ground. I logged on to note just how impressively curved the front facing facade is. This building is gonna be so cool

[SirLucasTheGreat]

Nice! I'm really excited to see One River North progress. It will make a big statement for people coming into town on the A line, might even see it decently from I-70

[TakeFive]

Denver has always been a Bronco Town

Originally Posted by mhays

Oh jesus christ. It opened in 2001.

We did that in Seattle too. The Kingdome opened in 1976 and closed in 2000. But it was built on the cheap, was falling apart, and wasn't great for fans.

I've heard no major complaints about Denver's stadium. Unless that's wrong, it sounds like it's purely a money-making play. I'm curious how they'd make money without big public subsidies.

When they built the current stadium the 'passion' was to keep the ethos of having an outdoor facility. Denver does hold the record which continues for consecutive sellouts starting from 1970.

The only advantage, really, for a new stadium would be to have a retractable roof - or like State Farm Stadium in Phoenix a retractable natural grass playing surface (plus a roof). This would allow Denver to host a Super Bowl (or college bowl games).

The Stadium District already has plans to monetize their land by leasing it to developers (for the purpose of maintaining the stadium). Not sure they've finalized the concept; not sure how much interest there is as yet; it's likely a case of developers still preferring to be in the downtown side of the freeway which impacts how much they could lease the land for.

[bunt_q]

I would dare the Metropolitan Football Stadium District to take a bond financing to the voters... even assuming they could get authorization to do so through the legislature, which I think is itself questionable.

[Ndj]

Replacing the stadium would be nothing more than a vanity project by the new owner. Complete waste of money and resources.

Having said that, the redevelopment potential of that site combined with the river mile sure would be juicy.

[TakeFive]

Flashback to RTD bus on Colfax Avenue in 1978


Photo courtesy Western History Department, Denver Public Library/Rocky Mountain News Collection

GOOD READ:

To improve air quality, Colorado Democrats are poised to fund a free public transit program. RTD’s past suggests it won’t help much

"A lot of people are talking about air pollution these days. It's nice to be able to announce that the Regional Transportation District and those of us in the State Capitol are actually able to do something about it."

That quote was from then-Gov. 🞵🞵🞵🞵 Lamm. Anybody remember that guy?

[Sam Hill]

As long as the new ownership paid for it, they could build whatever kind of fancy new stadium they want and I wouldn’t mind. It would be interesting to see a super bowl in Denver. And I’m guessing the most likely location would be next to the current stadium on current parking - just like they did when the old Mile High was replaced by “Investco.”

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by Sam Hill

As long as the new ownership paid for it, they could build whatever kind of fancy new stadium they want and I wouldn’t mind. It would be interesting to see a super bowl in Denver. And I’m guessing the most likely location would be next to the current stadium on current parking - just like they did when the old Mile High was replaced by “Investco.”

It's no longer unusual for owners to pay for their own arena/stadium.

• Kroenke paid $5 billion to build SoFi Stadium
• Clippers owner Steve Balmer is building "Intuit Dome" for ~$2 billion
• Seattle Kraken owners paid $1.15 billion to 'rebuild' the existing arena
• Alex Meruelo and Andrew Barroway have proposed to pay for building a new Coyotes hockey arena & entertainment district for $1.7 billion in Tempe.

Speaking of Kroenke and going way back to the late 1990's Kroenke also paid to build Ball Arena.

Some cities like Milwaukee, Las Vegas and Buffalo have or will help to build new facilities.

[SirLucasTheGreat]

My preferred location for a new stadium would be on the Ball Arena parking lots right outside the Empower Field RTD station. Maybe Kroenke could cut Walton a family discount. Then we can have a transit oriented entertainment district to end all entertainment districts. However, it'll probably end up near Dove Valley or somewhere else that doesn't satisfy my urbanist fantasies.

[Curtis Park]

Originally Posted by Ich

Just heard on the news that if Rob Walton ends up buying the Broncos, he is interested in building a new stadium. Any thoughts on where it would go or how that would work? Not a ton of available land around downtown.

I think the Park Hill Golf Course would be perfect. A new, wider I-70 is just begging for more traffic. And I would be thrilled to see how crazy the neighbors get.

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

It's no longer unusual for owners to pay for their own arena/stadium.

• Kroenke paid $5 billion to build SoFi Stadium
• Clippers owner Steve Balmer is building "Intuit Dome" for ~$2 billion
• Seattle Kraken owners paid $1.15 billion to 'rebuild' the existing arena
• Alex Meruelo and Andrew Barroway have proposed to pay for building a new Coyotes hockey arena & entertainment district for $1.7 billion in Tempe.

Speaking of Kroenke and going way back to the late 1990's Kroenke also paid to build Ball Arena.

Some cities like Milwaukee, Las Vegas and Buffalo have or will help to build new facilities.

Basketball and hockey arenas are much, much, much easier to finance than a football stadium. Those arenas can conceivably be used 300 days per year. A football stadium is lucky to be used on 15. It's apples and oranges.

And LA doesn't count. Nothing that works in LA (SoFi) is transferable to Denver. There's a chance they can actually use that stadium more. And the ancillary revenues there are so much more lucrative. You'd never get something similar done in Denver without public money.

[Sam Hill]

Well then I’ll be voting no.