DENVER | Main Development Thread #6

[TakeFive]

It's a photo-gasm and my brain is exploding

[The Dirt]

Reported.

[Matt]

1144 is simply stunning. I'm really hoping the illumination along the sides isn't some half-assed attempt. Something perhaps like rotating colors - which to my knowledge doesn't exist on any major Denver building - would be absolutely killer. Let's just copy what they did for the Devon Tower in Oklahoma City: https://youtu.be/DZEptOcLQss

[mr1138]

Originally Posted by PLANSIT

There's a reason that K-mart is closing.



And plans for Broadway + Alameda:

This is pretty cool, thanks for the follow-up. This is the first I've ever heard of this, that was honestly just an idea I've had for several years now. Do we know any more about site phasing? Renderings? New streets? Surprising this would be so under wraps.

[twister244]

Originally Posted by Matt

1144 is simply stunning. I'm really hoping the illumination along the sides isn't some half-assed attempt. Something perhaps like rotating colors - which to my knowledge doesn't exist on any major Denver building - would be absolutely killer. Let's just copy what they did for the Devon Tower in Oklahoma City: https://youtu.be/DZEptOcLQss

Couldn't agree more here. I was extremely disappointed to hear they nixed the crown lighting on this one. Denver could do so much better with nighttime lighting with our skyline. Newer buildings are at least trying (I.E. Four Seasons spire).

[comoneymaker]

Find it weird "about 5 floors left for the core". It seems way shorter than the 4 seasons but it is supposed to be about 45ft taller than the 4 seasons. I also don't believe that spire is 76 ft tall. Seems more like 40 at most. Maybe my eyes are just playing tricks on me or there is a 40 ft difference in height from the base of the towers.

[CONative]

Originally Posted by twister244

Couldn't agree more here. I was extremely disappointed to hear they nixed the crown lighting on this one. Denver could do so much better with nighttime lighting with our skyline. Newer buildings are at least trying (I.E. Four Seasons spire).

They nixed the crown lighting on 1144????

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by comoneymaker

Find it weird "about 5 floors left for the core". It seems way shorter than the 4 seasons but it is supposed to be about 45ft taller than the 4 seasons. I also don't believe that spire is 76 ft tall. Seems more like 40 at most. Maybe my eyes are just playing tricks on me or there is a 40 ft difference in height from the base of the towers.

Office floors are taller than residential floors and there are two floors of mechanical penthouse that make up the crown. It's not taller than the Four Seasons by total height but is taller by roof height.

[Robert.hampton]

So that lot on Champa and Park is going to be a self storage facility. Great. http://www.businessden.com/2017/02/07/former-dps-hq-slated-for-storage/


Arapahoe Square is turning out to be such a horribly wasted opportunity. A couple terrible Alexan Cruise ships, some other massive monstrosities with no retail, and a self storage.

[RyanD]

^ Well storage is needed, especially in Denver where your snowboard, skis, and hiking gear take up 75% of your unit!

As much as I'm not a fan of the grey paneling, The Confluence is looking pretty good!

The Confluence

[Robert.hampton]

Originally Posted by RyanD

^ Well storage is needed, especially in Denver where your snowboard, skis, and hiking gear take up 75% of your unit!

Sure, Just sad to see after all the hype of rezoning AS it looks like it will end up being one of the least activated, least pedestrian friendly parts of the urban core. And no one is taking advantage (so far) of the potential for added height and density. The area was nearly a blank slate to do something really interesting, but it looks like that ship has sailed.

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by Robert.hampton

Sure, Just sad to see after all the hype of rezoning AS it looks like it will end up being one of the least activated, least pedestrian friendly parts of the urban core. And no one is taking advantage (so far) of the potential for added height and density. The area was nearly a blank slate to do something really interesting, but it looks like that ship has sailed.

I feel you on this. I am okay with storage here and there as long as it's not on prominent lots. With this one being along Park Ave West, it is a little disappointing. Well, hopefully we will see some more inspired designs coming in the next year or so. I really wish they took out the half-block-long option in the zoning all together.

[Keesy9]

A fence was going up around the old River North Brewery at 24th and Blake today. It looks like Lennar is moving forward.

[enjo13]

Who wants to be on Park Ave tho? Until the city actually gets serious about the Homeless Problem (tm), Park Ave is going to be a wasteland.

I like self-storage as a use for now. It's a VERY easy one to replace when/if that land actually becomes more valuable and justifies a more valuable use.

[EngiNerd]

Originally Posted by enjo13

Who wants to be on Park Ave tho? Until the city actually gets serious about the Homeless Problem (tm), Park Ave is going to be a wasteland.

I like self-storage as a use for now. It's a VERY easy one to replace when/if that land actually becomes more valuable and justifies a more valuable use.

Plus it gets ground floor retail. A pretty creative retrofit if you ask me. Storage is important, and having it local might mean people don't have to drive.

[Fritzdude]

Originally Posted by enjo13

Who wants to be on Park Ave tho? Until the city actually gets serious about the Homeless Problem (tm), Park Ave is going to be a wasteland.

I like self-storage as a use for now. It's a VERY easy one to replace when/if that land actually becomes more valuable and justifies a more valuable use.

Agreed. I'd love to see nice bistros, side-walk cafe's, retail, and offices within Arapahoe Square. Heck - I'd like to see an open square which could hold civic functions, etc..

But in all reality - there would be more people sleeping on the benches than using them for other reasons. For now; I'd welcome a strong presence in the form of storage, ground floor retail, with good lighting and clean sidewalks.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by Robert.hampton

Sure, Just sad to see after all the hype of rezoning AS it looks like it will end up being one of the least activated, least pedestrian friendly parts of the urban core. And no one is taking advantage (so far) of the potential for added height and density. The area was nearly a blank slate to do something really interesting, but it looks like that ship has sailed.

Depends. If this self-storage one of the last projects that came in prior to the AS Design Review board? I'm going to venture that it is. That means that every single project that's going to follow this one will be subject to the new design guidelines which will alter what we will be seeing proposed in the area. It's not as if you see instant results with a regulatory change to a market, it takes some time for the new regulations to flow through the marketplace, especially one that has such a long lead time as real estate development, and we probably won't see multiple proposals that adhere to the new standards until mid 2017.

Also, is most of Arapahoe Square developed? It's not. With what's been built (and is economic enough to not be a scrape opportunity), what's being built, and what has been proposed there's still vast swathes of Arapahoe Square left for development. These criteria probably still leaves 75% of AS still open for new development with at least 15 parcels that I can count just from Google Maps that are vacant and large enough for a point tower.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by enjo13

Who wants to be on Park Ave tho? Until the city actually gets serious about the Homeless Problem (tm), Park Ave is going to be a wasteland.

I like self-storage as a use for now. It's a VERY easy one to replace when/if that land actually becomes more valuable and justifies a more valuable use.

This. There's also other retail options for AS that I think are more viable. You've got nearly 25K sq ft of retail either existing or under construction along 22nd within two block of Welton. That's shaping up to be a nice little retail cluster to serve those 1,000 plus apartments under construction there. I could see a similar retail cluster further north along Park Avenue. But I think that the main retail center of gravity for AS is going to be along Broadway given it's linkage of RiNo and downtown.

[COS]

It would be awesome to see AS developed into another Union Station type area with a solid mix of office/residential/retail. Perhaps we'll see a dozen cranes at once extending the downtown fabric within a couple years?

[BG918]

Originally Posted by COS

It would be awesome to see AS developed into another Union Station type area with a solid mix of office/residential/retail. Perhaps we'll see a dozen cranes at once extending the downtown fabric within a couple years?

With Union Station buildout complete within the next 3 years, Arapahoe Square is naturally the next frontier along with the continued redevelopment of RiNo/Five Points. The challenge in that area continues to be the cluster of homeless shelters along and near Park Ave.