DENVER | Main Development Thread #6

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by Scottk

Did anyone else see that the judge sided with that asshole Jefferson park councilman?

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_286615...councilman-preservation-fight-over-house

I still think ultimately the commission determines these are not historic. Even if they botched issuing the certificate on the first go around.

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by DUPio

DUS development is fantastic, I hope they can have similar success filling in Arapahoe Square

Who is this mysterious "they?" The Ministry of Development, perhaps? The CPV behind Union Station was under unified ownership, which makes it easy. Arapahoe Square is much more complicated, exactly because there is no definable "they" out there filling it in.

[TakeFive]

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Caught my eye...

Courtesy: Stapleton Denver

It started with a piece from Forbes last May by Frank Holmes.

As one of the greatest nations on the planet, the United States excels in a number of areas, innovation and entrepreneurship foremost among them. But something you might be hard-pressed to find at the top of anyone’s best-of list is infrastructure—specifically roads, rail and mass transit.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2014-2015 ranks the U.S. 16th in “quality of overall infrastructure”—15th in quality of its rail system and 16th in quality of its roads.

Heavy news indeed for the country known for building the first-of-its-kind transcontinental railway and interstate highway system.

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis via Forbes

Republicans used to love infrastructure spending; in fact it was very much a bipartisan affair. Notice how after Bush was elected infrastructure spending climbs near 2% of GDP, falls off and then climbs again. With the passage of the ARRA in 2009 it climbs to a peak of about 2.2% of GDP. As ARRA spending has faded so has the investment in the nation's infrastructure. This compares to 9% of GDP that the world's second largest economy is spending - China.

The problem stems from the new tea party flavored part of Congress. We spend about $700 billion on defense (including supplementals) per year but Congress can't see their way to put together an inadequate $50 billion transportation package. Congress needs to spend closer to $100 billion annually on infrastructure if not even more.

I have a fiscally conservative bent but deferring needed infrastructure investment is not conservative it's stupid. At a time of very low interest rates and falling materials costs we should be doubling down. That would be the wise thing to do instead of being "penny wise, pound foolish."

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_286615...councilman-preservation-fight-over-house

I still think ultimately the commission determines these are not historic. Even if they botched issuing the certificate on the first go around.

John Rebchook on his blog had an excellent piece about this. It seems that the plantiffs' attorney (developer and property owner) thought this was a sound strategy:

The lawsuit, using colorful language, charged Espinoza had received special treatment when he turned in the application around 7 p.m. on May 28, while the Non Historic Status had been granted at 4:18 p.m. on that day.

“Plaintiffs’ incendiary rhetoric in its pleadings and briefs produces more heat than light,” Jones said in his four-page order.

Smack-down deserved and delivered. I only hope you are smarter than this.

BTW, it's not "these," rather just the Queen Ann.

The application for the home at 2329 Eliot St. once belonged to William W. Anderson, lawyer for Colorado’s best known cannibal, Alfred (Alferd) Packer.

Yet another lawyer involved but at least he's a notorious one.

[TakeFive]

Rendering for 601 Broadway courtesy of Denver Cityscape

[corey]

Actually, the "asshole" Jefferson Park councilman didn't do anything wrong since the non-historic designation was done one day early. The councilman could have waited until the next day even. Sorry, but I still don't think this house should be torn down. The developer can work around it or move it. They can still sell it to someone that will cherish it, especially if it has historic designation status. The good thing is that the development is for town homes and not just an apartment building that can be built anywhere. That also means the design of the town home complex can be more flexible than an apartment building would be. By being more creative in the design and respectful of the neighborhood the developer will actually benefit in the long run. They will be lauded for their projects and welcomed by the neighborhood residents, instead of loathed for destroying historic buildings just to make a shit ton of money in the short term. That is the difference between good development and bad development.

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by corey

The homeowner can still sell it to someone that will cherish it, especially if it has historic designation status. The good thing is that the development is for town homes and not just an apartment building that can be built anywhere. That also means the design of the town home complex can be more flexible than an apartment building would be.

Again, though, this is not your choice to make.

[corey]

That Denver Health building design is not even worth commenting on. I guess they're not trying to make any kind of statement, which is fine.

[corey]

Well, that never stopped me before from opening my big mouth.

[Dogpatch]

Originally Posted by corey

That Denver Health building design is not even worth commenting on. I guess there not trying to make any kind of statement, which is fine.

Here's a statement they might make...
"We're building a functional mid-rise office building with ground floor retail."

In my opinion, that's a pretty good thing. : )

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by corey

That Denver Health building design is not even worth commenting on. I guess they're not trying to make any kind of statement, which is fine.

Streetsblog Denver - 3 floors of parking coming to Broadway

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by RyanD

Streetsblog Denver - 3 floors of parking coming to Broadway

If the sick, injured and dying were worth saving, they'd ride their bikes to the hospital. And if Denver were half a city, we'd be moving toward cycle-rickshaw-ambulances. Denver Health is doing us a disservice by providing any parking, we should cut their funding until they come to their senses.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by Dogpatch

Here's a statement they might make...
"We're building a functional mid-rise office building with ground floor retail."

In my opinion, that's a pretty good thing. : )

Would you settle for a proposed two-story medical office building? Move a short distance to W. 32nd Ave. and Irving Street, just off Speer Blvd. and once again John Rebchook has the story.

.....

Courtesy of Denver Real Estate Watch and Anderson Mason Dale architects

The Denver Planning Board, after listening to hours of neighbors vehemently and emotionally opposing a rezoning request for a church site at the eastern gateway to West Highland, on Wednesday night voted 5-3 to support the rezoning.

One woman wiped away tears after the vote, which took place more than four hours after the meeting began.

So what is it that's so "vehemently and emotionally" upsetting?

The vacant school would be razed (and) the Emmaus Lutheran Church would build a medical office building on this parking lot... The church, which would start by owning 50 percent of the medical office building, and within 10 years would own 100 percent of it, said the need it to provide a steady stream of income for the church for the future.

The church has a letter of intent from the Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge to run the medical office building. He noted the church had been a fixture in the neighborhood for 100 years and with income from the medical building will be able to remain in the neighborhood for another 100 years.

After all...

One young professional who lives near the church said that the site needs a “cool” development and a medical office building is not a hip use and won’t attract people to West Highland.

Another sketch by AndersonMasonDale Architects on what the medical office building could look like.

[bunt_q]

That article disgusted me. The fact that somebody would cry over a two story building - a medical office building run by a church. Truly, the world would be better off without that person. Worst people in the world up there in West Highland.

Also, maybe that young professional didn't get the memo. Or perhaps she couldn't read it, as it was too soaked in first world tears. But they don't want people attracted to West Highland.

[corey]

Yeah, I truly can't understand why people would be so opposed to a two story medical office. It will most likely close at around 5 pm and won't even be open on weekends. It is probably a small vocal group of idiots making all the noise while most neighbors don't have a problem with it. I could see some NIMBYism if it was a drug rehab center or something like that. I'm glad they lost.

[mhays]

I'm trying to understand this "young professional" who thinks the City can favor "hip" uses over unhip ones. What if the doctors have lumberjack beards and/or promise at least five piercings, or a combination of three piercings and not fewer than 20 square inches of tattooed area? Should some of this get written up in the land use code?

[Brainpathology]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

Again, though, this is not your choice to make.

Actually, in Denver, it apparently is. (but only after land goes under contract)

[Brainpathology]

What a great Monday morning. One of the largest safety net hospitals in the country continues to expand and "it's not even worth commenting on." And besides it's going to be built with public money so by definition it goes to the top of Denver's architectural jewels. Meanwhile asshat NIMBY's are whining over a two story medical office building in West Highlands but at the same time valiant hero NIMBY's are still doing their best to steal 200k from a man with no retirement savings.

I'm beginning to see why so many of the 1% think they got there because they are smarter than everyone else.

[bunt_q]

Any chance the 1% could lend RTD some of that brainpower to make the trains run on time? Every other western country can manage it, not sure why we're mired in such incompetence. The Concessionaire is the biggest reason I hold out hope for the A Line not sucking. The less RTD is involved in anything the more successful I expect it to be.

In any case, I digress. Back to bitching about terrible humans.

[Brainpathology]

I didn't say they actually WERE any smarter.. I doubt they have any to spare.