DENVER | Cherry Creek Development Thread

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by BG918

Any chance the city adds street parking to both sides of 1st? It would add parking to the area and also help slow down that street which is a major divide between the mall and CCN.

God I hope not. Some of us still need to drive between Downtown and the Colorado Boulevard corridor (and beyond) from time to time. That's the only good way to do it, and it's already a major bottleneck. Slowing down that street is the last thing I want to do.

Also, it's not that major of a divide. For crying out loud, the crossing at Fillmore has been completely re-done and is as pedestrial-friendly as anything in town. The major divide between the mall and CCN is that people are lazy. But that ain't changing. And also, nearly everybody shopping in either of those places still drives - so whether you're parked in the mall garage or somewhere in CCN, it's quite a bit of walking to hit up both in a single trip on foot.

[TakeFive]

For anyone who might be interested I found a good article, a summary view of the growing, relatively new micro-hotel market trend HERE.

Originally Posted by EngiNerd

Thanks Ryan, awesome post!

Agreed

[CherryCreek]

Originally Posted by BG918

That IMO is the missing piece in the redevelopment of Cherry Creek, the mall itself. What they've recently done at 1st & Fillmore is really nice with the new RH that opens onto the street. A major renovation of the mall interior is needed, and more retail fronting 1st Ave. Any chance the city adds street parking to both sides of 1st? It would add parking to the area and also help slow down that street which is a major divide between the mall and CCN.

In addition to the Safeway site there is also the Sears redevelopment which will likely be a major project with multiple 8 story office and condo buildings, and more retail/restaurant space along where Columbine will be extended from 2nd to 1st.

They could do tons with the mall to maximize it's highest and best use:

1. Redevelop Safeway/Rite Aid into housing retail combo, including potentially moving the parking underground and extending development to near the street.

2. Develop the underutilized parking surface lot on the far southeast corner of the property next to 1st.

3. Scrape the entire west side strip mall (Bed & Bath, Elways, Macy's Home) and rebuild and reconfigure it entirely. Put maximum height housing next to University. Redevelop the current retail spaces to residential/retail mix.

4. Move the access road from University slightly north to give room for some creek side condos along part of the south side of the mall.

If Cherry Creek owners are reading this, I'm happy to provide consulting services for a reasonable fee!

[TakeFive]

Very good article in the DBJ about the Halcyon Hotel in Cherry Creek at 245 N. Columbine Street by Sage Hospitality.
http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/ne...esemble-a.html

[comoneymaker]

Crane is down at 1st and Steele and up at Madison and Ellsworth. I wonder if the company doing the construction at these sites is the same? The crane base was up at Madison for like 2 months. As soon as it came down at 1st it went up at Madison. Guessing they just moved the crane over as they were waiting for it instead of getting another lol.

[CherryCreek]

Love the new Cherry Creek II. The massive scrape off to create the largest park in Denver is awesome!



Seriously though, Cherry Creek is REALLY going to feel a lot denser 3 years from now with these multiple projects completed and coming on line. With all the planned and under construction apartments that will add several thousand population to the Cherry Creek area. Add three new hotels and substantial new office space will really add foot traffic to this area. And the potential biggest deal of all -a potential mall redevelopment - would only add to the mix!

Only thing missing is public transport - the City of Denver will need to find a solution for transport between Union Station and Cherry Creek. I think for the short term we should look hard at a free shuttle.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by CherryCreek

Love the new Cherry Creek II. The massive scrape off to create the largest park in Denver is awesome!

Only thing missing is public transport - the City of Denver will need to find a solution for transport between Union Station and Cherry Creek. I think for the short term we should look hard at a free shuttle.

The nirghborhood needed some good park space.

Shuttle service should cost those friendly folks $20 one way.

[Cirrus]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Shuttle service should cost those friendly folks $20 one way.

Yeah, shop workers can just ride the slow bus.

I realize you're joking, but we actually do already have the service you describe. It's called Uber.

Seriously though, the lack of a better transit connection between downtown Denver and Denver's major urban uptown node is practically criminal. A free shuttle probably isn't the answer, but the existing buses suck, and wealthy people or no, the land uses are there to support a lot of ridership.

[RyanD]

Everything in this corridor, transportation related, sucks. It takes over DOUBLE the amount of time on a bus for me to get downtown versus driving. That's not a viable alternative for me at all. Actually, nowadays, any non-dedicated transit-way is this way because traffic sucks. Everywhere! But, I know I'll get used to the 50 minutes to go 5 miles into downtown.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Yeah, shop workers can just ride the slow bus.

Seriously though, the lack of a better transit connection between downtown Denver and Denver's major urban uptown node is practically criminal. A free shuttle probably isn't the answer, but the existing buses suck, and wealthy people or no, the land uses are there to support a lot of ridership.

Why waste years with studying some fanciful fixed-guideway transit connection along Cherry Creek? A lot could be done to upgrade those existing buses (increased frequency, route branding, enhanced transit stops, signal jumps, etc.) for a relatively inexpensive amount that would see highly visible transit connecting Cherry Creek and downtown in a couple years time. Give me something like the DC Circulator and I'd be happy.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Why waste years with studying some fanciful fixed-guideway transit connection along Cherry Creek? A lot could be done to upgrade those existing buses (increased frequency, route branding, enhanced transit stops, signal jumps, etc.) for a relatively inexpensive amount that would see highly visible transit connecting Cherry Creek and downtown in a couple years time. Give me something like the DC Circulator and I'd be happy.

Don't forget this; a nice low floor ride.

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Here you go

www.newflyer.com


Same manufacturer as the Free MetroRide downtown, these New Flyer circulator size buses could run from LRT Colorado Station and the Auraria LRT Station along Colorado and Speer Blvds. Whether one or two routes, whatever.

[Cirrus]

Better branding and headways are a great place to start, definitely. But that's not a good place to end. We should have that on every major arterial, and we should've had it yesterday. So by all means that should probably be the next thing we do, but if decades went by and that's all we ever did between Cherry Creek and downtown, that would still be criminal. Just less criminal than today.

Even Kansas City has something similar to that between downtown KC and Country Club Plaza.

[COtoOC]

Originally Posted by CherryCreek

Love the new Cherry Creek II. The massive scrape off to create the largest park in Denver is awesome!



Seriously though, Cherry Creek is REALLY going to feel a lot denser 3 years from now with these multiple projects completed and coming on line. With all the planned and under construction apartments that will add several thousand population to the Cherry Creek area. Add three new hotels and substantial new office space will really add foot traffic to this area. And the potential biggest deal of all -a potential mall redevelopment - would only add to the mix!

Only thing missing is public transport - the City of Denver will need to find a solution for transport between Union Station and Cherry Creek. I think for the short term we should look hard at a free shuttle.

What are the possibilities for public transport down Speer? With the creek in the middle, it seems like any type of rail is out of the question.

[Cirrus]

Originally Posted by COtoOC

What are the possibilities for public transport down Speer? With the creek in the middle, it seems like any type of rail is out of the question.

The creek doesn't affect the possibility of rail at all. Or at least not much. It means there won't be a median transitway down the middle of Speer, but there's no technical reason you couldn't re-purpose one of the five lanes in each direction to be for transit, and there's no technical reason you couldn't install rails and overhead wires in that lane.

There are surely political reasons why it would be hard, but they're not specific to rail in the creek either. If politics prevent you from taking a lane from Speer to use for transit, then that's equally true for both buses and trains. And if politics prevent you from using overhead wires anywhere on Speer, then that would be equally true with or without the creek.

Or you could always do this


Wuppertal monorail. Photo from Remco van den Bosch on Flickr.

[RyanD]

Here's a little catch up!

245 Columbine:

Cherry Creek: 245 Columbine Update #2







Coda aka First and Steele:

Cherry Creek: Coda Update #3









Alexan Cherry Creek:

Cherry Creek: Alexan Cherry Creek Update #1

[The Dirt]

Ryan, regarding your conversation in the Coda post, I could have sworn rds or someone posted a rezoning proposal for that 1 story Wells Fargo lot. They also said that they wanted to put up an 8 story apartment building or something like that.

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by The Dirt

Ryan, regarding your conversation in the Coda post, I could have sworn rds or someone posted a rezoning proposal for that 1 story Wells Fargo lot. They also said that they wanted to put up an 8 story apartment building or something like that.

I thought so too but I can't find anything about it. I do know that they wanted to take the old restaurant / parking lot out and build another 8-story building right behind 100 Saint Paul, but that would leave Wells Fargo.

Here's what the Site Development Review Map says:

[Denver Dweller]

http://www.businessden.com/2016/02/0...ek/#newsletter

[The Dirt]

So it begins.

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by The Dirt

So it begins.