Denver Real Estate Blog

While our family was in London last month, we had the opportunity to visit with many of my husband’s overseas friends and family, and I found it really interesting that several of them mentioned the 16th Street Mall when relating their experiences visiting Colorado.  Obviously, the mall makes an impression on visitors, especially those who spend some time exploring downtown on foot.  As a long-time resident, I never really give the mall a second thought - sure, if I’m downtown I might hit one of the restuarants on the mall for lunch or happy hour, but I have to admit that I tend to gravitate toward the independently-owned restaurants Uptown or in Riverfront because parking near the mall is such a pain.   It would be different if I worked nearby and was parked there, anyway, or if there was a good public transportation option to get there, but living in the suburbs it would take 3 buses and a miracle to get there in less than 2 hours, and I can drive downtown in less than 20 minutes, so that’s the obvious option.

I will be interested to hear what happens with these plans - and if you spend any time on or near the 16th Street Mall, it might be a good idea to attend one of the public planning sessions to express your opinion!

Interesting update regarding the 16th Street Mall on yourhub:

Bicycle lanes, moving buses to 15th among alternatives for mall

Three different visions for a possible facelift of the 16th Street Mall are being examined by Denverites.  Provided by: Kathryn Scott Osler/DP

The first option, and least expensive, involves improving what already exists without major infrastructure changes.

The second alternative involves moving the mall buses closer together, killing the median and widening sidewalk space on the northeast side of the street. It would allow for more patio seating and vendor and kiosk space.

The third and most radical vision includes moving the westbound mall bus to 15th Street to allow for expansion of public space, an emergency lane or possibly a two-way bicycle lane.

Residents and business owners who attended one of two open houses last week to hear about plans had differing opinions of what they wanted to see.

Sherry Patten, who has lived on the mall for the past 14 years, preferred the second option because of the wide sidewalk space.

“I really like the whole idea of using 15th Street too, but it’s a big expense,” she said. “Option one is too near to what it is now, and I think we need a new start,” Patten added.

The hope with the third option is that 15th, which doesn’t have much pedestrian draw currently, becomes as viable as 16th. The worry of some is that moving the bus to 15th will make transportation confusing for tourists and others who might not go to 15th. Or, it could take people off 16th.

The possibility of adding bicycle lanes in the third option is appealing to several people who commented on the 16th Street Mall Facebook page.

Leon Stor and Saul Tamariz agreed that the second option is best, but for a different reason than Patten. The duo is considering the possibility of a healthy Mexican food cart on the mall.

“I think if they allowed more room for kiosks, it would be perfect, not just for business owners, but for pedestrians,” Stor said.

Bruce Briggs disagreed. Briggs is a sales associate at Overland Sheepskin Co. at 16th and Larimer Street.

“The big concern at the store was the kiosk effect, whether it would turn everything into a big swap market,” he said. “The merchandise at kiosks is more just trinkets. We’d rather them encourage a department store. How many hot dog stands can you have on one mall?”

Briggs said the mall just needs to be updated as in option one.

A complete reconstruction of granite pavers in the bus lanes would be included and trees preserved no matter what option is picked for needed improvements on the mall, said John Desmond, vice president of urban planning and environment at the Downtown Denver Partnership, which is spearheading the effort.

Response has been evenly divided among the options, Desmond said. An option is expected to be endorsed by a steering committee in July. To see all options, go to http://bit.ly/16thstreet.
_____

Up next
What: 16th Street Mall urban design plan public meeting No. 3
When: 4:30-5:30 p.m. open house, 5:30-7 p.m. presentation and public comment
April 6
Where: Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building, 201 E. Colfax Ave., Denver
Info: R.S.V.P. to info@downtowndenver.com. You can also send comments to 16thstreetplan@downtowndenver.com.

Development is a strange and complex process, especially in neighborhoods with over a century of history, character, and architecture.

Denver’s Highland neighborhood is one of those areas - and there is a little bit of good, a little bit of bad in the news today.

Which do you want first?  The bad?  It’s always sad when a property is neglected to the point that it becomes a safety hazard - especially when it’s a 107-year old house in a fantastic location.  What really strikes me about the article in the Denver Post is this: the developer that purchased the property a couple of years ago applied twice for permission to demolish the property and was denied due to the historic status of the neighborhood.  So, he neglected the property until the city decided to demolish it for him.  How does that make sense? 

Anyway, I guess it’s all just part of the natural process of development, but it is a sad photo, isn’t it?  Hopefully now the developer will actually do something with the property.

So what’s the good news?  On the East side of Highland, in the old Olinger mortuary space, development is in full, compliant, swing with the announcement that the same group that brought the neighborhood goodies like Lola and Vita is doing it again, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out!  Apparently they already have one new restaurant concept committed to the space, and will make room for several other retailers and restaurants, which will drive up property values in LoHi even further.

I guess it’s all part of the Circle of Life of a growing, thriving, changing neighborhood (insert Lion King theme song here).

The plan for the Sunnyside Light Rail Station area.

Many of the buyers that I work with in Northwest Denver start their search at Highlands Square - makes sense, after all, who wouldn’t want to live a couple of blocks from one of Denver’s most popular and hip neighborhood centers? 

But, for first-time homebuyers, the prices in West Highlands can be a bit out of reach.  Go a few blocks north or east, though, and there are opportunities to get a little more square footage, a bigger yard, or better finishes for the money - and the neighborhoods surrounding West Highlands are growing, thriving, and appreciating in value.

A perfect example is the Sunnyside/Chaffee Park area.  Many buyers, especially when searching the MLS or other online home listings, cut off their search at 38th Ave and won’t go further north, or at Federal and won’t go East, but the majority of the northern and eastern streets are totally quaint, tree-lined, quiet, and perfectly located between Lower Highland (LoHi), West Highlands, and Downtown Denver.  Home prices are typically at least 10-20 percent lower once you cross 38th or Federal, but these areas are perfectly situated for both future growth and appreciation.

And even further proof for where this neighborhood is headed?  Check it out:

The City and County of Denver has begun a process to plan for change in the areas surrounding future transit stations. In 2006, the city completed a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Strategic Plan that identified a need for land use planning for the 38th and Inca station area on RTD’s future Gold Line commuter rail corridor.  Over the past year, RTD examined the station location as part of the Gold Line Environmental Impact Statement.  As a result of this process, RTD is recommending the station be located at approximately 41st and Fox streets on the east side of the Union Pacific Railroad. Over the past two years, the City and County of Denver worked with community members to develop a station area plan for the half-mile area surrounding the future 41st and Fox station.  

Plan Goals: 

• Improve pedestrian connections to the station, between neighborhoods, and along major corridors
• Create opportunities to add more housing, jobs and services to the station area
• Incorporate plazas, parks and open space into redevelopment areas
• Capitalize on the station area’s proximity to Downtown and location on the Gold Line and Northwest Rail corridors
• Balance the needs of new development and existing uses

Plan Elements

• Development of a high intensity activity node close to the station on the east side
• Creation of a pedestrian shopping corridor along Fox Street
• Mixed-use redevelopment of the former Denver Post site
• Linked park and open space improvements to enhance neighborhood livability by providing positive orientation, buffering, aesthetics, recreational amenities, and storm water management
• Capture partnership benefits with Regency Student Housing by encouraging ties between academic institutions, student populations, and incubator employment uses
• Respect existing housing west of the station by redeveloping along the edges of the Sunnyside neighborhood leading to Inca Street and in a mixed-use node at 38th and Navajo
• Incorporate historically significant structures by drawing design inspiration from the area’s historic, industrial character
• Promote pedestrian and bicycle connectivity with improvements to Navajo, 38th, Elati, 41st, 44th, Fox, Inca and other streets
• Promote structured RTD parking that is shared with adjacent development
• Capture views of Downtown and buffer the station area by locating taller structures along I-25 and I-70
• Support for sustainable development, green building practices, housing affordability and healthy, walkable communities 

To check out the entire development plan, please click here.  If you would like to look at property on the market in Sunnyside, or anywhere in the Denver Metro area, contact me!

I’ve been thinking for a while now about writing a post about some neighborhoods near Downtown Denver that have SO much potential  - and what do you know, Westword has gone and done it for me, complete with corresponding Google street view links!

Everybody knows I love Northwest Denver, and I believe in its future development and potential with all my heart.  I just have a soft spot for the place where I had the MOST fun bartending (at Three Dogs Tavern when it first opened) and the office that I now call my second home (at LIVE Urban Real Estate) - I have seen this area grow and evolve in the coolest, most organic and honest way, and I just can’t wait to see what happens next.  Of course, the closer to Highland Square you get, the pricier the properties get, as well - but there are some areas that have yet to cross that jumbo-loan barrier, and I think that there are some great investments to be had - in Sunnyside, in South Highlands, and even in LoHi. 

There are also some areas that have yet to be tapped out as far as development on the other side of the city - in Park Hill, Montclair, and even Globeville.  I think this is a super interesting wrap-up by the Westwood, and a good little guide to use if you are looking for either residential or commercial properties that would be affordable to either first-time buyers or entrepreneurs, before they get too hot to handle.  Check out Westword’s Top Ten Under-Utilized Neighborhoods!

Denver used to be a commuter-only town - dead on the weekends and evenings, with traffic flowing in and out with business-hours.  Now that Denver has a thriving Urban Core, and is truly vibrant from neighborhood to neighborhood, it’s time to focus on the little things that would make it easier to live a bit greener, and transportation is one of them. 

I love to ride bikes with my kids, and we also love going for long walks - but the kiddos also like having a destination along the route - a break at the neighborhood book store, a stop at the local ice cream shop, a quick bounce in the castle at the farmer’s market…the thing is, it’s sometimes a bit too scary to ride with the littles along to places like these, so we end up driving. 

Which is why I was really happy to read this article in today’s Denver Post…

Increasing business to merchants along Denver’s busiest roadways is one of the goals of a city initiative focused on designing streets to accommodate pedestrians and bikes, as well as cars and public transit.

Eight city departments are collaborating on the Living Streets initiative, which will support the vision of Blueprint Denver, a framework for guiding development in the city.

“We’re changing the conversation from talking about roads for vehicles or cars to making streets for living,” said Peter Park, manager of the city’s community, planning and development department.

The city isn’t looking to spend a lot of money on the project. Rather, over time, it will implement changes as other necessary improvements to the roads are made.

Cities that have adopted similar policies have seen significant economic impact on both commercial and residential real estate.

For example, after San Francisco narrowed traffic lanes to slow cars and accommodate other users on Valencia Street, nearly 40 percent of Mission District merchants reported in increase in sales and 60 percent said more area residents were shopping locally, according to a study prepared by Denver-based Progressive Urban Management Associates.

Living Streets also can help occupancy rates in commercial buildings. In a walkable area, the vacancy rate for retail and office properties averages 7.5 percent, compared with 11.5 percent on streets that are not pedestrian friendly.

“It’s a different way of looking at the economics of these corridors,” said Brad Segal, president of Progressive Urban Management. “We’re really suggesting that there’s value through neighbors and walking and biking, and there are relatively inexpensive ways of marketing to adjacent neighborhoods that haven’t been used.”

In addition to benefiting the commercial district, the Living Streets concept also has a positive impact on residential property. Homes in pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods command a price premium of $4,000 to $34,000, according to a study by CEOs for Cities, a national network of urban leaders for sustainable cities.

The initiative is geared toward enhancing Denver’s most congested roadways without the expense of widening them.

“We hear the community saying it wants walkable and bikable, but there are tradeoffs,” said Crissy Fanganello, director of policy and planning for the city’s Department of Public Works. “If you want a bike lane, you might have to be willing to give up off-street parking or a lane of traffic.”

Of the 1,100 residents responding to a survey regarding the Leetsdale Drive corridor, 69 percent said they wanted pedestrian amenities and 52 percent want bike access. Seventy-five percent said they would be willing to invest in the improvements through property assessments.

“We have to look at the corridor in terms of how it relates to the neighborhood as opposed to how it relates to the traffic,” Segal said.

A couple of great articles in the past day or so that have me smiling…I heart Denver, and it continues to evolve in this cool, organic way that we have come to be spoiled by…

Arapahoe Square will be Redeveloped, Finally!  From yesterday’s Denver Post…

Image courtesy of www.arapahoesquare.com (great blog - check it out!)

A long-forgotten swath of parking lots and low-rise buildings between Coors Field and Uptown, Arapahoe Square hasn’t seen the redevelopment other downtown areas have seen over the past two decades.

That could soon change.

With new residential developments going up and business-interest groups rekindling intrigue in the area - which spans from Lawrence Street to Welton Street and 20th Street to Park Avenue West - Arapahoe Square stands to get a face-lift in the coming years, say urban planners, developers and downtown advocates.

“Arapahoe Square isn’t broken,” said Tami Door, president and chief executive of the Downtown Denver Partnership. “It’s a clean slate.”

In the next few weeks, city planners will select consultants who will advise them on best uses for land in the Arapahoe Square area, said Steve Gordon, development program manager, for the Denver Department of Community Planning and Development.

“That’s when we’ll get it done more rapidly,” said Gordon.

Planners have long targeted Arapahoe Square as a place for urban renewal.

According to a 2007 plan developed by the Downtown Denver Partnership, “the remaining buildings are both economically and architecturally diverse, combining urban lofts and low-rise neighborhood commercial with warehouses, transportation facilities and light industry.”

Among the goals for the area are restoring landscaped tree lawns; converting selected streets to two-way; improving pedestrian walkways; finding redevelopment opportunities along the Welton Street light-rail line; and redeveloping some of the many surface parking lots in the area.

“It’s a blank canvas,” said Brian Higgins, a Denver-based architect and developer. Higgins has started pre-construction selling of his residential complex in Arapahoe Square called Carbon Flats.

The development targets younger, lower-income buyers who cannot afford pricier residences in nearby LoDo or downtown. Read the rest here.

 Denver is Super Popular, It’s Official From the Denver Business Journal

Denver is tied for second place after New York among America’s most popular cities to live in, and Colorado is No. 5 among the nation’s favorite states, a Harris Poll released Monday says.

The survey asked where people would want to live if they didn’t live where they are now.

This is the first time in the 13 years of the Harris survey that Denver has ranked higher than No. 4 on the list of most-popular cities. The Mile High City was No. 9 in last year’s survey, but since then it has spent time in the national spotlight as the host city for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

New York City ranks No. 1, as it has every year since 1999, followed by Denver and San Francisco in a tie for second. Read the rest here.

I was recently talking to a potential buyer who happened into my Open House, and she commented on the seriously varied types of architecture that can be found in Highlands - and we agreed that was part of the beauty of the ‘hood - the mix of new and old, the beauty of a 100+ year old tudor 10 feet away from a spanking new modern “green” house and across the street from 3 beautiful old Victorians.

Now one of the major developers in Riverfront is bringing that some of that same cool juxtaposition to the Valley - I wonder what style of home he will build?!  Can’t wait to see it…

From today’s Denver Post…

A plan is in the works to build a single-family home amid the sea of condos and townhomes that have sprouted up in the Central Platte Valley near downtown.

Riverfront Park developer Mark Smith’s home will be the only detached residence in the neighborhood.

“It’s just something I kind of thought would be fun and different and interesting,” said Smith, head of East West Partners, which developed Riverfront Park.

Smith said he has been working with 4240 Architecture Inc. to design the home but isn’t likely to start construction until the market improves.

The 6,500-square-foot lot, which Smith bought in December, is in front of the Glass House condominium tower at Little Raven and 17th streets overlooking Commons Park.

Real-estate broker Deviree Vallejo lives in the nearby One Riverfront building and has a listing on the 12th floor of the Glass House. She said the question she was asked most during a recent open house was: “What’s going to happen on that lot?”

“If (Smith) builds a single-family home, unless it’s seven stories tall, that will make a lot of people in the Glass House happy,” she said. “The only question mark was that lot.”

Built around an internal courtyard, the 4,500-square-foot, two-story home will have views of Commons Park, the 17th Street corridor and the mountains. It will be contemporary in style and use stone, glass and brick similar to the materials used for the development’s other buildings.

“It’s a beautiful little addition to the architecture down there,” said Randy Johnson, principal of 4240.

The architecture firm also designed many of the buildings in Riverfront Park, including Park Place where Smith currently lives.

“It’s a real testament when a developer wants to put his private home in the midst of his development,” Johnson said. “It’s also nice in this economy that he’s still working on stuff.”

Eat Local

The National Resources Defense Council has created a new website, SmarterCities.nrdc.org that is a treasure trove of information about American cities and their level of sustainability.  Categories include Air Quality, Energy Production and Conservation, Environmental Standards and Participation, Green Building, Green Space, Recycling, Transportation, Standard of Living, and Water Quality and Conservation.  They also have a great feature that helps you figure out what is in season so that you can eat local.

It’s super interesting to check out the different rankings - and good to know that Denver is up there - #9 Overall.  Also #2 for Energy Production and Conservation, and #2 for Water Quality.

There is a TON of information on the site, check it out here.

I also thought that this was really interesting - I have driven by this site several times but wasn’t sure what they were up to - now I know:

Arvada is constructing solar energy capacity at its water treatment plant in partnership with SunEdison, and will be the first city in Colorado to have a system of this size run on solar power. Solar power from 3,300 panels is expected to provide 88 percent of the plant’s energy needs, which are currently supplied almost entirely by coal. The solar system, which will be owned and operated by SunEdison, will eliminate 39.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over 20 years and will save $10,000 to $15,000 the first year. The upfront costs will be paid back through a combination of rates paid by the city, federal tax credits and renewable energy credits from the utility, Xcel Energy.

When you work for a company called “LIVE Urban Real Estate” you have to expect the question - what does it mean to LIVE Urban?  Fortunately, that question is getting easier and easier to answer, as both the need to live a greener life combines with the trend toward city living.

Check out this article from today’s msnbc The Big Money.

“Location, location, location” has been the mantra of the real estate industry for as long as anyone can remember. Still, as the national economy transforms in the wake of the economic crisis, the power of place will prove to be ever more important for a broad range of small businesses.

Most demographic and market indicators suggest that growth and development across the country are moving away from the suburban and exurban fringe and toward center-cities and close-in suburbs. 

What’s behind this shift? Empty-nesters don’t need the big house and don’t want to mow the big lawn. High gas prices are making long commutes less practical. The urban renaissance in big cities ranging from New York to Portland, Ore. — and the revival of charming, vibrant downtowns in small cities like Missoula, Mont. — is making the bedroom suburb and the strip mall seem positively dull.

Retailers are the most obviously affected by these trends. For decades, locating a store in a mall on the fringe rather than downtown had a lot of obvious advantages: plenty of easy parking, tons of drive-by traffic from big-box neighbors, and newer buildings with better infrastructure.

These benefits won’t disappear overnight. Over the long run, though, they will diminish in importance, especially if more big retail chains and shopping-mall operators go out of business. Downtown shopping districts, meanwhile, will benefit from increased investment and more proximate residents. If we assume, as many economists do, that the country is “over-retailed,” some downtown development plans based on more shopping will stall, but the center will still prosper relative to the fringe — and more businesses might find the downtown storefront affordable.

Indeed, the advantages of a good downtown location extend to many businesses that are not dependent on walk-in traffic. At NewWest.Net, our alley storefront with a prominent sign is probably one of our best bits of marketing. Every month, we host an art show as part of the downtown “First Friday” art walk, which brings a lot of people into the office and gives us a chance to chat them up about NewWest.Net. Most meetings don’t require getting into a car. Our very effective Downtown Association offers kinship (which can lead to deals) with neighboring businesses.

Locating downtown is sometimes associated with the “buy local” movement — the idea that the community benefits if businesses and consumers spend their money with independent, locally owned businesses. But you don’t have to buy into this ideologically to position yourself as the friendly, local alternative to the big national chain, and part of the way to do that is to locate in a cool space — in a historic building, say — rather than a sterile strip mall or office park.

Denver’s been making it onto a lot of high-profile lists lately, and I think this is a fabulous one: CNN Money’s 100 Best Places to Live and Launch.

Denver ranked #7 in the nation!

Here’s the lowdown:

 Population: 555,932
Pros: Rocky Mountain lifestyle, strong economy
Con: Traffic

Denver entrepreneurs enjoy the best of both worlds, with urban amenities downtown and the extensive Rocky Mountain playground just beyond the city limits. The city has worked overtime to attract and retain businesses of all sizes: The Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation is a truly regional economic development entity, with more than 70 partner organizations working to keep the area’s economic outlook as bright as its weather (300 days of sunshine each year).

The completion last year of a major phase of a massive downtown light rail build-out (other phases are scheduled for completion over the next 15 years), plus extensive highway-widening projects, aim to help ease rush-hour woes in the Mile High metro area. A highly educated workforce supports a diversifying economy, with growth in aerospace, IT, biosciences, energy and financial services. Denver entrepreneurs ranked fourth in the nation for landing funding from the federal government’s Small Business Innovation Research program.
Now might be the perfect time to start that business that’s been brewing for years - and Denver is a great place to do it!

Search for homes in Denver: www.staciestaubhomes.com