by Mark Smiley | Feb 2, 2015 | Main Articles
Closure Signals Clayton Lane Redo
Rebuild To Include Eight-Story Buildings; Columbine Street Will Be Extended To 1st Ave.
by Glen Richardson
Announcement last month that the 60-year-old Sears store in Cherry Creek North is closing signals the beginning of a rebuild for the Clayton Lane retail district as first reported by the Chronicle last October. The Cherry Creek location opened in the summer of 1954 after Sears closed its store in downtown Denver.
Sears dates back much further in history. Sears, Roebuck and Co. was officially formed in 1893. The company dates its history back to 1886 when Richard W. Sears, a railroad agent in Minnesota, received a box of errant watches and then sold them to other agents.
The Cherry Creek Sears is one of 235 stores closing nationwide due to declining sales and posting a $548 million loss in the third quarter of 2014. In addition, on Tuesday, January 27, 100 employees were notified their positions had been eliminated effective immediately at the corporate headquarters in Hoffman Estates, IL. Fifteen more were eliminated at other corporate support locations. “These decisions are never taken lightly, but they are a necessary part of our efforts to transform the company and return it to profitability,” Sears said in a statement. Sears Holdings has lost money for 10 consecutive quarters.
The closure will speed up redevelopment options for the 9.5 acres first developed by the Nichols Partnership 15 years ago. The Cherry Creek North Sears store occupies 133,493 square feet, while the auto center takes up another 18,769 square feet. The 66 employees of both Sears and the Auto Center will be able to apply for positions at nearby Sears and Kmart stores which include Aurora, Lakewood, Centennial, Thornton and Littleton.
David Tryba — the original architect for Clayton Lane who has been retained to develop new options for the site — says the store and adjacent parking garage will be demolished and replaced with residential units plus commercial and retail space. Residential units would be built on top of one- or two-story retail spaces, while commercial office space would be in adjacent buildings. Working with AmCap Inc, the Stamford, Conn., developer of Clayton Lane, initial plans call for the construction of two to perhaps four new buildings on the site and moving the parking underground.
Sears says it expects to close the store by the end of next month (March). In a statement, Sears said, “Store closures are part of a series of actions we’re taking to reduce ongoing expenses, adjust our asset base, and accelerate the transformation of our business model. These actions will better enable us to focus our investments on serving our customers and members through integrated retail — at the store, online and in the home.”
The liquidation sale has started and there are discounts at this early stage. Currently, all inventory, including home appliances, is “priced to sell,” with 30% off all clothing and footwear and 60% off all fine gold, silver, diamond and gemstone jewelry. Plus, if you join Sears Shop Your Way loyalty club (it’s free), you will save an extra 5% off general merchandise and an extra 25% off fine jewelry.
Once closed, Tryba Architects and AmCap are expected to finalize development plans for the property. After knocking down the parking garage the architect says those plans will entail the extension of Columbine Street from East 2nd Ave. to East 1st. Ave.
Sears Site Plans
The initial spiff up of the four-block area at the intersection of 1st Ave. and University was designed to generate new tax revenue for the City and improve traffic flow. Observers now anticipate the redevelopment will be designed to make the site —the area’s largest single parcel in the district — into what is being envisioned as Denver’s Rodeo Drive.
Many also believe that construction of a new and bigger Whole Foods will be included in the future Clayton Lane improvement strategy. Additional eight-story or larger buildings may be a part of the redevelopment. Zoning currently allows for buildings in the district to be eight stories tall.
It will be later this year before the Sears building and parking garage are razed and construction of the street extension at Columbine started. The bottom line for Cherry Creek shoppers and residents is that they will have to endure additional construction projects and traffic tie-ups in Cherry Creek for at least two to three more years. When eventually completed, the new Clayton Lane will be a mixed-use development with retail, office and residential but not another hotel. The hotel (JW Marriott) portion of the original development was sold and is not part of Clayton Lane. Furthermore, three hotels are in line to be built in Cherry Creek with construction of the 150-room hotel at 250 Columbine now underway. AmCap has hired Newmark Grubb Knight Frank to provide marketing and leasing services for the retail and office components of the planned redevelopment.
by Mark Smiley | Feb 2, 2015 | Glendale City News
PRP Season Began January 31
by Charles C. Bonniwell
The Glendale Raptors Rugby Football team has high hopes for the upcoming Pacific Rugby Premiership (PRP) season that kicked off with an away match against the San Diego, California team Old Mission Beach Athletic Club on January 31 and potentially ends with the league championship game on May 16. The Raptors lost in last year’s championship game at Infinity Park in Glendale, before a packed crowd in heartbreak
ing fashion by the score of 39-38 to the San Francisco Golden Gate Rugby Football Club.
West And East Leagues
The PRP league was formed last year after the demise of the Super League in 2013 and all of the clubs (five from California and two from Colorado) are former Super League teams with the exception of Glendale. A five team American Rugby Premiership was formed this year with eastern teams and there is talk of the top teams in both leagues to square off on May 30.
The two Colorado teams (the Raptors and the Barbarians) have all of their early matches away to take advantage of the mild California weather with their schedules back loaded with home games as Colorado weather begins to warm up. The Raptors’ first three games will be in California with the home opener at Infinity Park on February 28 against Belmont Shore.
The Raptors hoped to bring home a championship trophy to match the national title won by the ladies team who took the Women’s Premier League national championship by the score of 16-15 over the Twin Cities Amazons.
During the fall the men’s team was able to take the Aspen Ruggerfest championship after four prior tries and the team has undergone a rigorous off-season training program. With 90 percent of the team returning, the men’s coach, South African Andre Synman, has high hopes but notes, “If we want to win the PRP this season we’ll have to improve on all aspects from last year. Our skill level has to be higher, our physical level needs to be higher, and our defense needs to improve.”
In addition the team will not be able to sneak up on teams like last year when “everyone picked us to finish last and that was a driving force throughout the season,” noted team captain Zach Fenoglio, who is a member of the USA men’s national team, the Eagles, as a hooker. The Denver native who is 6’2” and weighs 245 pounds also noted that the team needed to “prove to the competition that we’re a tough team and tough to play against.” Other members of the Raptors who have been on the national team include James Paterson, a 6’2” wing from Colorado Springs, and Chad London, a center from Johannesburg, South Africa, who was named Club Player of the Year by Rugby Today.
Joining the team for the 2015 season is Mose Timoteo, another former Eagle, who represented the United States in 2003 Rugby World Cup. The 38-year-old scrum half, born in American Samoa, headed up the San Francisco club that beat the Raptors in the season finale last year.
One player who will not be returning is 6’9” second row man Casey Rock. Rock was on the original Raptors team in 2006 while still in high school. He responded to an ad in The Denver Post looking for players for the new team. He retired this fall at age 27 due to repeated injuries. “I tore my LCL, MCL, ACL, patella tendon, all of my meniscus and shredded all of the cartilage in my tibia and femur,” noted Rock. “The doctor told me that because of all the bone damage, contact spots are done for me.”
Rugby did allow Rock to travel the world playing for teams in Australia and New Zealand, with his high point being the Division I national championship garnered by the Raptors in 2011.
American Rugby In State Of Flux
The world of American rugby remains in flux. The prior attempts to create a professional league have not come to fruition with another effort being mounted this summer by the National Football Rugby League that recruited various former NFL players in players combines. The effort is being undertaken by Mac Robertson and Mike Clements, but many in the rugby scene are deeply skeptical as plans have been delayed several times.
The national governing body of American rugby, USA Rugby, has not unified rugby in the country. By way of example, the PRP is not under the egis of USA Rugby but the ARP is. The top collegiate post season championship, the Varsity Cup, is also not part of USA Rugby. Various colleges have indicated that USA Rugby has been unable to obtain top dollar sponsorships and national television contracts for a collegiate championship which they were able to obtain on their own.
World Cup And Olympics
The quadrennial showcase for international rugby union, the World Cup, is scheduled to be played in London this fall and the United States qualified by defeating Uruguay in head to head matches in 2014. The United States will be an underdog to make the quarterfinals, an important feat it has yet to achieve in a World Cup.
USA Rugby was thrilled by the sellout crowd of 61,500 that showed up at Chicago’s Soldier Field in November where the Eagles played the world’s dominant team, the New Zealand All Blacks in an exhibition. The game, however, demonstrated how far American rugby still has to go as the All Blacks crushed the American team 74-6.
Seven-man rugby will be an Olympic event in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, which American enthusiasts hope will help jump start the sport in the United States, as well as increase the awareness of rugby across the globe. But for the Glendale Raptors first things first, which means taking the PRP title this spring.
by Mark Smiley | Feb 2, 2015 | Editorials
That Is Always The Question For A Newspaper
The international dispute on whether to publish one or more of the Charlie Hebdo cartoons that lampoon Islam is a question that faces publications from the “newspaper of record” The New York Times down to local papers such as the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle. We at the Chronicle are fiercely proud of being a local paper covering local news in the Cherry Creek Valley. We, as a matter of general editorial policy, do not cover state, national or international events except where the event directly affects the Cherry Creek Valley.
But the Charlie Hebdo cartoons and their censorship does directly affect us in the Cherry Creek Valley. Charlie Hebdo is a French publication out of Paris, that until the controversy and butchering of 12 people in the offices of that publication by two French jihadists, had a circulation that was significantly smaller than the Chronicle. As an editorial board we are saddened by the decision of The New York Times and certain other national publications not to publish the cartoons. The reason given by the Times executive editor Dean Baquet was, “Out of respect to our readers we have avoided those we felt were offensive.”
The rationale rings hollow. The Times relishes printing materials offensive to some of its Jewish and Christian readers including artwork from a Holocaust-denying Iranian cartoonist Maziar Bijani, and Andres Serrano whose most famous work of “art” is titled “Piss Christ.” When a University of Southern California journalism professor challenged Baquet calling his decision “absolute cowardice,” Baquet went on Facebook to call the professor an “A**hole.” It is said that if you’re taking flak, you’re over the target.
The New York Times is not just any paper. Most of the members of this editorial board grew up venerating that publication. The failure to publish the cartoons reveals far deeper problems at that institution. It was reported that one of the killers in Paris stated to a woman, “I’m not going to kill you because you’re a woman, we don’t kill women, but you must convert to Islam, read the Quran and cover yourself” before shouting “Allah Akbar.” The Times bizarrely changed the quote to “Don’t be afraid, calm down, I won’t kill you. You are a woman. But think about what you are doing. It’s not right.”
Why would the publication falsely change a quote except that the editor understands that the Times fears offending the sensibilities of some of its Muslim readers that it will falsify quotes. What a fall from grace by what was once America’s most respected and courageous newspaper.
We print here five Charlie Hebdo cartoon covers including the edition printed after the massacre, at right, which has sold over a million copies. What is surprising is how relatively bland the cartoons are. France does not have a particularly strong tradition of free speech, notwithstanding the parade of the notables in Paris and the holding up of pens and pencils. In 1990 under the Gayssot Act, it became illegal to question crimes against humanity under the London Charter of 1945 which would cover the Holocaust but potentially much more.
French laws also make any communication deemed hate or discriminatory speech criminal which are so broadly defined that it conceivably covers virtually any type of statement that a governmental official may deem offensive. Under this very broad law septuagenarian actress Bridget Bardot was convicted of hate speech in 2008 and fined $11,920 for alluding to Muslims as leading “us around by the nose, which destroys our country.”
Following the Charlie Hebdo massacre French comedian Dieudonné was arrested for simply saying on a Facebook entry, “Tonight, as far as I’m concerned, I feel like Charlie Coulibaly” mixing the last name of the killer who held hostages at a Jewish deli and the first name of the magazine. In France, as is the case of The New York Times, what is highly offensive is very much subjective.
We do not think it is of any great act of courage for us to print the Charlie Hebdo cartoons although, as noted above, the French magazine had a circulation significantly less than this publication at the time of the massacre. When we printed a story on “How Powerful Is Islam in the Valley — Could Rioting and Bombing in Europe Come Here Some Day (Local Islamic Center Asserts It Is The Victim of Discrimination)” on the front page of the December 2005 issue of the Chronicle, we certainly received our share of irate calls that suggested acts of violence against the paper. But that goes with the territory.
The Editorial Board has to consider whether to print or not to print what may be considered controversial stories virtually every edition. We view as part of our job to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. We have printed stories that have offended, among others, the mayor of Denver, the Denver D.A ., the executive director of the Denver Department of Planning and Development, well connected real estate developers in the Cherry Creek Valley, powerful union officials, and certain powers that be in Glendale.
As a result we have lost our fair share of advertising along with access to various public officials. But what is the point of publishing a newspaper if it is not to print the truth, at least as we see it? We understand we do not have a monopoly on the truth as readers are happy to point out in the letters and emails to the paper. Occasionally a reader will write that this paper is certainly “not” The New York Times. Sadly that statement is no longer the insult that it once was intended to be.
— Editorial Board
by Mark Smiley | Feb 2, 2015 | Feature Story Middle Left
A recent football game presented an interesting technology challenge. I could either attend a birthday party and watch the game there or stay home to watch the game. Prior to leaving for the party, I called ahead to double check they were going to have the game on during the party. Now, I’m not a complete football nut, but I really wanted to watch this game. It was on national television, NBC to be precise. The host surprised me by telling me they did not have cable. My heart stopped. Who doesn’t have cable in 2014 (doesn’t it seem so long ago already)? I stayed home and Mrs. App took Toddler and Baby App to the party. Yes, I did eventually arrive at the party, albeit after the end of the game. It turns out, they canceled their cable a number of months back. They have Apple TV and download shows, which has cut their cost (excluding the Apple TV investment) by 75 percent.
For the longest time, I’ve threatened to cancel DirecTV. The amount of money we spend for cable is insane. For pete’s sake, we rarely watch live television. I would estimate that 90 percent of our viewing is from the DVR. So, I’m making baby steps. Sorry if this is the first you’ve heard of this happening, Mrs. App! Santa delivered an Amazon Fire TV. The cost is $100, which is in the same ballpark as Roku and Apple TV. There are a few alternatives, such as the Amazon Fire Stick and Google Chromecast, both are in the $35 range. I am slowly using Amazon Prime ($99 per year) via the Amazon Fire TV to stream and download movies, shows and music. My goal is to reduce my DirecTV account and eventually turn it off. Another solution may be SlingBox, which streams to multiple devices.
Comcast had a decline in cable subscribers in Q3 of 2014, yet their Internet subscribers grew by 315,000. So what are the cable providers doing? Nothing in the short term, because the subscriber cancelations have not been significant enough. They’ll continue to fleece us until the subscriber base declines at a greater volume. Here’s the interesting news: Cable cutters are not saving as much money as they projected. Take my friend without cable. They are realizing a savings monthly, but their download fees from Apple are increasing and reducing the savings. The cable providers recognize that consumers are willing to pay for downloadable content. They are watching consumers turn toward online television sources, such as Hulu Plus and YouTube. We’re in the beginning stages of how the cable companies are adjusting their offerings. HBO is planning to release their streaming only option in a couple of months.
What does this mean for you? I believe we’ll have more options as consumers. Our providers will not corner us into a package, as they often do today. They’ll begin offering a la carte channels and streaming options. They’ll offer Internet packages. Your bill may not decrease, however I believe we’ll receive more value for our monthly expense. In fact, in a conversation with a cable provider, they are beginning to position: You pick the channels package. The issue they’ve expressed is the fees the cable companies charge isn’t aligned with offering online streaming. I like this option. I’m not shy to spend a few dollars on entertainment, just allow me to pay for what I use.
There are some challenges with the streaming options today. Most of the streaming tools offer the same applications, which means you may need more than one device if you are looking for certain applications. Check out http://goo.gl/mpFbaH for a comparison of streaming devices. Some devices are not Wi-Fi, so you’ll need an Internet cable. The controllers are fairly basic unlike the space command controller the cable providers offer. Some of the online channels require an actual cable subscription to view.
How can you reduce your bill today? Ask your provider to consider adjusting your monthly fee. Select the cancellation option when calling in. Seriously, are you that married to one provider? Leave! You’re not changing football allegiances from the Broncos to the Patriots! Consider an HD antenna and an over the air DVR. Don’t go cheap on the antenna! Keep the receipt and check the return policy. Make sure NBC comes in clear. An antenna is roughly $100, DVR $50 (TiVo) plus a $15 per month fee. This will provide you with the local stations. Any of the streaming options I mentioned earlier will work. Most have access to a number of streaming, often overlapping applications. I went with Amazon Fire because we are Amazon Prime members. With some patience and homework, I am confident your monthly cable expenses can be reduced. Buyer beware though! Be careful what we wish for. Don’t be surprised that you soon find yourself at a friend’s house wondering why the big game isn’t on.
Do you have a favorite app you’d like to share? Contact Brian at brian@brianzabro ski.com, on Twitter @BrianZab or LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/brianzab.
Brian, a Corporate Account Executive with NetSuite, has spent nearly 20 years in the telecommunications and software industry. Businesses use NetSuite software to run and manage all of their business applications. It’s web-based, so businesses can access their information from anywhere; It’s flexible, which allows the software to be customized for their business; and, it is built on a single platform, which businesses appreciate since they can often eliminate multiple software solutions. Trending companies, such as Box, GoPro, FitBit and Dropbox use this software to run their business. Reach out to Brian to learn how your business can benefit with this software.
by Mark Smiley | Feb 2, 2015 | Feature Story Bottom Left
As adults why do we constantly try and make things fit in to our lives when we know good and well it doesn’t make sense or belong? As little kids we took the “square peg, round hole” aptitude test where we learned quickly that if the shape didn’t fit in the hole to move on and find the proper piece that would fit. Sure there were those kids who continually tried to force the object into the wrong hole but after many unsuccessful attempts and much frustration they would eventually move on and look for the right combination.
What happened to those abilities when it comes to our intimate relationships as adults? I am not preaching here or excluding myself from this conversation, I’m guilty of trying to force things to work when I know deep down inside that it won’t. Have we been so beaten down by life and failure that we believe it’s easier to take what you have, although it’s not working, rather than put whatever, or in this case whomever, aside and search for the right match? More and more I am seeing people in relationships putting more work into forcing things to be right rather than spending that energy finding what’s right for them. Have we really become so fear and guilt driven that we have forgotten about the basic fundamentals of life?
I want everyone who is reading this right now to think of a time in their life where something worked out when you tried to force it to. How did that work out for you? I may come across as cold when I say this but I have zero desire at this point in my life to run uphill battles when I know better. There is no more room in my life for that madness. I hope you feel the same about your life.
The following is a quick reference you can use to determine if you’re fighting the good fight with someone you’re dating or in a relationship with, or if you are just trying to stuff whatever you can.
- You find yourself disappointed time and time again by someone’s actions and you hope somehow that will change. Disappointment manifests from failed expectations and expectations come from a personal standard you hold for yourself. Remember not everyone is going to have your same standards, and that’s ok. Rather than trying to change somebody’s standards why not find someone whose standards are similar to yours? Crazy concept I know.
- You find yourself lowering your standards in order to avoid letdown or conflict. This is bad, real bad. The minute you find yourself watering down the things that mean something to you because it’s “easier” you have just failed at life 101. Stay true to thyself.
- You find yourself or your companion bending the truth or making up false reality for the other person just to give the perception that everything is fine or working out. Open communication at all costs never fails. You may not be hearing what you want to but at least you’re living in reality.
- You find yourself seeking other options although you are still together with someone. Red alert, red alert! If you are doing this you are ready to move on. Don’t be one of those selfish people who tries to hold on to whatever they have with someone out of fear of not finding a better situation. You’re doing no one a favor by doing that.
- You find yourself caring for a person but you’re not in love with them. This is a tough one because both care and love are similar emotions in the sense that they both weigh on your heart. Regardless, when you are dealing with emotion you need to be smart and determine if the emotion you are feeling for someone is feeding your soul, or draining it. Only you know that answer.
- You find yourself numbing yourself with drugs, food or alcohol. Oh boy, this one is tough because this usually means you are making matters worse for yourself. Not only are you trying to force a situation to work by using substances for suppressing your feelings, you are also jacking up your life and inevitably you will have a mess on your hands. This method is hard to clean up and could have been avoided by just pulling the plug on your intimate association with that person.
The list goes on… But you get the idea. Next month, while I am on the subject of “pulling the plug” on a relationship that doesn’t work for you, I am going to write about what I think a proper breakup should look like. I want you to be happy and healthy and most importantly, you!
A big thanks to all of you who have contacted me expressing interest in The Modern Dater Date Club I am assembling for my readers. This is an exclusive dating club for serious daters who are tired of meeting flakes who are not serious about finding a true connection. As we speak, I am planning group excursions for like-minded singles to get together in a no pressure environment that is conducive to having fun, being safe, and enjoying the company of quality people. If you would like to find out more about the dating club you can contact me personally at themoderndater@gmail .com. And if you own a fun, date friendly business or restaurant and would like to be a part of the fun I encourage you to contact me as well.
Until next month, Sheik
