by Valley Gadfly | Oct 18, 2024 | Valley Gadfly
Cranberries, chunky sweaters, and change: November marks the start of the end of the calendar year, the season of pleasin’ turkey and pie, a time for transition, tradition, and family.
The branches of the trees are bare and the smell of burning leaves is in the air. November’s twilight steals across our hearts even though by five o’clock the streets are bare.
After colorful October, here are our choices for shopping, dining, and entertainment to prepare you for November’s prized days before the storms of winter, Christmas, and 2025:
Enjoy tasty Bloody Mary selections from Denver’s finest bars-restaurants at the 8th annual Bloody Mary Festival. Attendees crown “People’s Choice Award” at Real Works & Tracks, Nov. 3, noon-3:30 p.m. Information: 303-468-5443.
Singer Dwayne Carrington — with Martha Yordy on piano — celebrates Nat King Cole by playing renditions at Dazzle Nov. 8, 11 a.m. Information: 303-839-5100.
Honor veterans, see military mementos at the Veterans Day Parade & Festival in City Park Nov. 9, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Information: coloradoveteransproject.org.
Lowry Speaker Series (free) to hear Freedom Memorial’s Rick Crandall honor Veterans in Eisenhower Chapel Nov. 14, 7 p.m. Information: 303-344-0481.
Seeking senior living on your terms? Tour St. Andrew’s Village. Chic apartment homes with resort-style amenities and activities tailored for you. Independent & assisted living, plus rehab, skilled nursing on site. Information: 303-695-8100.
Want to spruce-up your home for the holidays? Dan’s Painting offers interior-exterior painting, plus remodeling. Insured & bonded, with 30 years’ experience. Also providing carpentry, tile and drywall repair. Information: 720-628-1199.
Hear banjo great Bela Fleck and the Symphony redefine Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue at Boettcher Hall, Nov. 16-17, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-623-7976.
You’ll love the hard-hitting beat, and soulful vocals of chart-topping singer Don Toliver playing in Ball Arena Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-405-1100.
Attend first Denver Dog Fair at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds on E. Quincy in Aurora, Nov. 23-24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information: denverdogfair.com.
Support the Morgan Adams Foundation’s fundraiser for children and young adults with cancer by attending the Chili, Booze & Brews on N. Wynkoop St. Nov. 9, 6 p.m. Hazel Miller & The Collective perform. Breweries, distillers, and restaurants provide limitless samples to attendees. Information: 303-758-2130.
This month features community suppers, the feast of Thanksgiving, plus Nov. 5 is election day. A month for making memories, giving thanks, and eating incredible food.
Daylight saving time ends Nov. 3 at 2 a.m. Set your clocks back an hour. November sways-creaks like a snow-draped tree. Gloomy, but uplifting. Ill-fated, but filled with hope.
The last full month of the fall season is filled with mixed feelings: shorter days, darker nights, and colder weather. How do turkeys travel on Thanksgiving? By gravy train.
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Valley Gadfly | Sep 26, 2024 | Main Articles
Units Built This Year Rank Mile High City 10th In Nation; New Units Expected To Jump Vacancy Rate To More Than 9%
by Glen Richardson
Suburban Style: New Edera Apartments on the old Kmart site at S. Monaco Parkway and Evans features open courtyards and gardens.
Denver is experiencing a construction boom for apartments, with the second quarter of the year seeing a record 7,349 new units completed. Metro Denver is expected to deliver 13,000 new units by the end of 2024, ranking the city 10th in the nation. Nationwide, the U.S. surpassed 500,000 units for the first time on record.
The latest city construction is part of a larger trend of 19,000 new units added to the market over the previous 12 months, and 31,235 units in the last two years. This is the strongest multifamily construction surge in the region since the 1970s.
However, the Census Bureau now predicts new housing units in the Mile High City will drop by 18% in 2024, to a
Canyon-Cut Crash Pad: The 16-story, 187-unit One River North features soaring walls enchased in a one-of-its-kind sculptural facade.
total of 17,000 units, down from 20,600 in 2023. The shift is due to a number of factors, including higher interest rates, labor shortages, plus a scarcity of lots.
Vacancies Soar
New units are expected to increase Denver’s vacancy rate to more than 9% by the end of the year, which would be the highest it’s been in over 20 years. The luxury four- and five-star segments make up almost 80% of the units scheduled for completion in 2024, and these properties are expected to be most affected by the
new supply.
Denver’s robust pipeline of around 28,000 units under construction will maintain pressure on occupancy rates, though potential relief may emerge in 2025. The significant decrease in new apartment construction starts, however, could lead to an increase in rent growth.
Denver’s economic outlook for 2024 suggests tempered growth, with a 0.4% job growth rate, supported by sectors like education and health services, but challenged by contractions in financial and professional services.
Rent Growth Slows
The median rent in Denver fell by 0.1% through July, and has now decreased by a total of 1.4% over the last 12 months. The city’s rent growth over the past year is similar to both the state (-0.9%) and the national average (-0.8%).
Denver’s rent growth in 2024 is pacing below last year. Eight months into the year, rents rose by 2.6%. This is a slower rate of growth compared to what the city was experiencing at this point last year: From January to August 2023 rents had increased 3.9%.
Denver rents went down 0.5% in August, compared to the national rate of 0.1%. Among the nation’s 100 largest cities, this ranks Denver 86th. That is similar to the monthly rent growth in Louisville, KY (-0.1%), and Jacksonville, FL (-0.5%).
Rents 26% Higher
The median rent across the nation as a whole is $1,241 for a 1-bedroom, $1,398 for a 2-bedroom, and $1,412 overall. The median rent in Denver is 26.1% higher than the national average, and is closer to the prices in Vir
AMI Apartments: Opening at the old CDOT headquarters on E. Arkansas Ave., limited income Krisana Apartments will have 151-units.
ginia Beach, VA ($1,785), and Long Beach, CA ($1,785).
The rent price in Denver proper is $1,781, or 1.2% lower than the price across the metro as a whole at $1,802.
Of the 18 cities within the Denver metro area, Highlands Ranch is currently the most expensive, with a median of $2,422. Englewood is metro’s most affordable, with a median of $1,547. Metro’s fastest annual rent growth is occurring in Northglenn at 3.1%, while Golden is the slowest at -3.9%.
Gems At Year’s End
With the pipeline of new apartments at a record high, there are a variety of locations, styles, and types of units coming onto the market as 2024 ends. Here’s a look at some of the top projects nearing or just completed in city neighborhoods.
One such gem nearing completion is the Akin Golden Triangle on Bannock St. The 12-story building with 98 multi-family units, honors the Golden Triangle Arts District design guidelines, while taking a fresh approach to the built forms within. The result is a project that enhances the environment and elevates Denver’s urban apartment living experience. Dissimilar, but also unique is One River North, a 16-story, 187-unit Highrise in the RiNo arts district. It features private, open-air terraces and soaring walls enchased in a first-of-its-kind sculptural facade.
For renters seeking a more suburban lifestyle, there is the newly opened Edera Apartments featuring open courtyards and gardens. Built on the site of the old Kmart at S. Monaco Parkway and Evans Ave., there are a total of 287 units, ranging from studios to three-bedroom units. Also less urban is Avanti Residential in the Sloan’s Lake Neighborhood at West 29th Ave. & Xavier St. It also has studios to three bedrooms, allowing renters to enjoy walks and scenic bike rides. For those with limited incomes (60% of the Area Median Income or AMI), Krisana Apartments — a 151-unit, four-story apartment complex — is about to open on the site of the old CDOT headquarters at 4242 E. Arkansas Ave. Project features 21 studios, 71 one-bedrooms, and 59 two-bedroom units. A King Soopers Market will open next to Krisana on the west in 2025.
Bannock Buildout: Following Golden Triangle Art District guidelines, the 12-story, 97-unit Akin Golden Triangle is expected to open by year’s end.
Construction Stalling
The apartment building frenzy of the past two years won’t continue through 2028. Metro Denver is projected to lose its 2019-2023 pace by 7.8%, Thus, about 46,629 new units are expected to open in the following five years.
Compared to the previous five-year period, the Mile High City will see a 17.3% decrease in new units, with 23,421 expected between 2024-2028.
In contrast, Aurora is expected to add 95.6% new units, doubling the number of apartments added in the last five years (from 4,611 to approximately 9,018 units).
by Valley Gadfly | Sep 26, 2024 | Main Articles
When Witches Go Riding, And Black Cats Are Seen, The Moon Laughs And Whispers, It’s Halloween In Denver
by Glen Richardson
Chilling Halloweentown: Kids, families decorate houses-yards in colorful characters, skeletons, and pumpkins, giving neighborhoods a unique holiday atmosphere.
Creaky attics, eerie stairwells, dark, and shadowed corners. Eek, it’s Halloween
Twilight Zone Party: Coloween is a 50,000-sq.-ft. jungle-themed Halloween party with massive stages in the National Western complex Oct. 26.
and Mommy’s Little Pumpkins are carving out a terror-ific ghostly month of treat streets and haunted houses for kids. Dad, mom, and the neighbors, meanwhile are venturing into spooky, suspenseful ghoulish grown-up parties and pub crawls.
You’re not going batty! Denver is known for its haunted days and nights of fright during Halloween month. It’s the boo-tiful time of year: There are many tales of ghosts and demons in Denver — especially in certain city parks — but it is the paranormal at local cemeteries that spook people most. On occasion locals claim to hear footsteps. And voices! “Is this hell?” the voice asks. Such reports are why the Mile High City merits a spot among America’s great Halloween towns.
From Fright Fest Weekend at Elitch Gardens to the Halloween Spooktacular at Boettcher Concert Hall, there are many amazing Halloween festivities for families to cherry-pick. Here’s the Chronicle’s monster month guide to bewitching places to go and things to
Monster Movies: See vintage monster movies from the 1890s-1920s at the Sie FilmCenter’s Monsters of Early Cinema Oct. 20, 7 p.m.
do for “fang-tastic” fun:
Fright Fest Weekend at Elitch Gardens, Sept. 30-Nov. 5; Kiddieland closes at 6 p.m. and fright by night begins. Guests can enjoy their favorite rides after dark, but be on alert as Fright Fest comes alive. Creatures lurk around every thrilling corner. Each area of the park has its specific haunted attractions. Information: 303-595-4386.
Ghosts In The Garden is an Open Air Scare Oct 4; Oct 12-13, & Oct. 17-20, Denver Botanic Gardens. The gardens dare you to join them after dark for spine-tingling stories of their haunted history, 5:30-10:30 p.m. Information: 720-865-3500.
Rocky Horror is showing in Denver’s original 1896 movie theater, Oct. 11. The historic Elitch Theatre is showing the cult classic “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Theater will have a spectacle of the live cast performing alongside the movie. Information: 720-593-9395.
Nightmare, Oct. 11-13. Denver Dance is back at the Clocktower Cabaret with a show full of tricks that’s sure to be a treat, 7 p.m.. Information: 303-293-0075.
Pumpkin Harvest Festival, Oct. 12-13 — Pick out your perfect pumpkin, enjoy live music, and stage performances at Four Mile Historic Park, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Information: 720-865-0800.
Haunted Hearts Ball at Grant-Humphreys Mansion, Oct. 13 — All vampires, witches, and dark fairies are invited to the allure of dark romance, 6 p.m. Enjoy savory bites and sweet delights, plus alcoholic beverages available. Information: 303-894-2505.
Gore & Lore, Oct. 18-20 — See the spookiest aerial versions of classic characters from history, folklore, and urban legend at the Clocktower Cabaret, 7 p.m. Information: 303-293-0075.
Broadway Halloween Parade, Oct. 19 — Back for the sixth time, the Broadway Merchants Association parade stretches from 5th to Alameda along
Spirits At Four Mile: Engage in spine-tingling rituals that echo the spiritual practices of the 19th century at Four Mile Park Oct. 26, 6-11 p.m.
Broadway. Parade features spooky floats, bands, marchers, and magicians at 6 p.m. Information: 303-859-0491.
Twisted Techno Dancy Party, Oct. 19 — Join Denver’s underworld at DJ Ajax Studios, 2150 Curtis St., 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Dance to the relentless beat of techno and other genres of music, where darkness and mystery converge. Information: 720-514-1400.
Haunted History Tour, Central City, Oct. 19 — Starts with cocktails in the haunted Teller House. Following tarot reading, take a haunted walking tour. Night ends with professional medium seance. Information: 303-292-6500.
Harvest Haunt Express, Oct. 19-20 — Colorado Railroad Museum’s Halloween-themed steam-up event. Haunted railcars, a
Broadway Howls: Creepy, spine-chilling Halloween floats, bands, and marchers parade down Broadway from 5th Ave. to Alameda Ave. Oct. 19, 6 p.m.
hay bale maze, plus a coal-burning steam locomotive pulls train of the harvest express. Information: 303-279-4591.
Glow Before Dark, Oct. 19-21 & Oct. 22-27 — Families can take the kids to Denver Botanic Gardens to see vignettes of Glow of the Garden during the day, 9 a.m.-1. p.m. Information: 720-865-3500.
Monsters of Early Cinema, Oct. 20 — Experience the thrills and chills of spooky vintage cinema from classic monsters (Dracula & Frankenstein) to dystopian versions of the future (Metropolis). Wild Beautiful Orchestra performs a live soundtrack to film clips from the 1890s-1920s at the Sie FilmCenter, 7 p.m. Information: 720-381-0813.
Glow at the Gardens, Oct. 22-27 — Enjoy the spooky, silly, and spirited like no other at the Denver Botanic Gardens, 6-9 p.m. Information: 720-865-3500.
Halloween Bar Crawl, Oct. 25, 26, & 31 — Receive a wristband for drinks at multiple locations at One Shot Back, 2134 Curtis St., Ste 101. One night or all-access. Information: 720-524-6353.
BOOlesque Halloween, Oct. 25-31 — The Clocktower Cabaret’s Halloween BOO-lesque is back and hotter than “hellfire.” Expect the unexpected as the Cabaret’s Halloween burlesque and variety show transforms your wildest nightmares and dreams, 7 p.m. Information: 303-293-0075.
Spirits & Spirits, Oct. 26 — Engage in spine-tingling rituals that echo the spiritual practices of the 19th century at Four Mile Historic Park, 6-11 p.m. Learn
about a Victorian Mourning Ceremony and have your own tin-type photo taken. Information: 720-865-0800.
Denver’s Black Cat Ball, Oct. 26 — New location in the old Gart Sports’ building — now known as the Sports Castle — at 1000 Broadway, 7-10 p.m. Live music, dancing, food trucks, and a vampire specialty bar. A benefit for the cats and kittens of The Feline Fix. Information: 303-202-3516.
Halloween Songs & Stories, Oct. 26 — Niki Tredinnick & Barry Osborne do original songs and stories about ghosts, goblins, and devils in Tufts Theatre at Swallow Hill, 8 p.m. They also do old ballads, traditional tunes, plus tell creepy stories from their own lives. Information: 303-777-1003.
Coloween, Halloween Dance Party, Oct. 26 — Dance party in the 50,000-sq.-ft. National Western complex, 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Party again features Fantasy Stage with Amazon Jungle theme, plus costume contest. Information:720-663-1414.
Halloween Spooktacular, Oct. 27 — A music concert for boys and ghouls, featuring songs and compositions from films and television at Boettcher Concert Hall, 2:30 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.
Harvest Hoot, Oct. 27-29 — A three-day festival and trick-or-treating adventure at the Children’s Museum of Denver at the Marsico Campus, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Inform
ation: 303-433-7444.
Is Mrs. Brown Still Here? Oct 29 — Meet a ghost in the Historic Molly Brown House Museum. A rare chance to learn about various ghost-hunting methods in the historic home of Margaret Tobin Brown, 6 p.m. Information: 303-832-4092.
Candlelight: A Haunting Halloween Classic, Oct. 30-31 — Hear spooky classics performed by a string quartet as candles flicker at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, 6:30 p.m. Information: 303-360-5360.
The Creepy Crawly Garden, Oct. 30-Nov. 1 — Explore plants named after the Denver Botanic Gardens’ friends and plants. Includes stories, nature walk, art projects, and a plant to take home. Information: 720-865-3500.
by Valley Gadfly | Sep 26, 2024 | Valley Gadfly
Ah, October: The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter! It’s the fall season: A time for cozy hugs and warm mugs!
This is a month for pumpkin spice lattes, cinnamon-scented candles, and Halloween décor. It’s the time of the year when autumn finally feels like it’s kicking into high gear.
As breezes serenade the trees, here are our choices for shopping, dining, and entertainment, for a confident, colorful, and cool month to celebrate those fall feelings:
One of today’s top guitar pickers and singers, Fort Collins-based blues, country, and folk artist Cary Morin brings his four-piece band Ghost Dog to entertain at Dazzle in the Denver Performing Arts Complex, Oct. 3, 7 p.m. Information: 303-839-5100.
All art aficionados: The Cheesman Fall Arts Invitational has paintings, sculpture, and jewelry in the park Oct. 5-6, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Information: 303-324-5956.
The Colorado Symphony Cello Ensemble performs in rich, deep chocolatey tones at Boettcher Concert Hall, Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.
Be a Charlie Brown, find a Great Pumpkin at Four Mile Park’s Pumpkin Harvest Festival with music, acts, Oct. 12-13, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Information: 720-865-0800.
Holiday shop in Woodward Studios at 1950 S. Holly, #8. View fine art, furniture, jewelry, boards-platters in artist’s studio and show room. Invitational Exhibition is Sept. 22-Oct. 31 with Reception Sept. 22, 3-5 p.m. Information: 617-460-1668.
Looking for some cash to spend during the holidays? Colorado Gold Mart loans cash for gold jewelry, diamonds, Rolexes, vintage watches, and coin collections. In business for 30 years at 1124 S. Colorado Blvd. Information:303-692-0555.
Plan to see Grammy nominated saxophonist, arranger, and composer Lakecia Benjamin at the Newman Center Oct. 13, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-871-7720.
The world’s most famous brass group today, the Canadian Brass entertain at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Oct. 20, 2:30 p.m. Information: 720-865-4220.
Take your boys and ghouls to the Halloween Spooktacular concert with films and TV music at Boettcher Hall, Oct. 27, 2:30 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.
Support mental health, plus substance use care, by attending the 41st Annual Tribute Fundraising Gala for Mental Health Colorado. The formal attire occasion is in the Grand Hyatt Denver, October 12, 6 p.m. Enjoy art, live music, and dancing, with drinks and dinner. Information: 720-208-2220.
October always seems more October-y than other months. Confident, cool, and commanding. Cherry Creek Valley communities craft an October for the ages each year.
Parks and lawns stretch like a carpet of jewels, emerald, topaz, and garnet. The trees along the highway glow yellow and bronze. Everywhere you walk the colors shout and sing.
Summer’s oppressive heat is just a memory, and the golden leaves promise a month full of picturesque memories. Everyone loves October, it’s the month we all fall for each year.
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com
by Valley Gadfly | Aug 23, 2024 | Main Articles
Construction On Cherry Creek North’s Delay-Plagued, But Plush Condo Project At 2nd & Steele Set For January Start
by Glen Richardson
Miami’s Stacked Boxes: Cherry Creek’s condo developer PMG built this 100-story Waldorf Astoria hotel-condo tower. It is a design inspired by stacked and cantilevered boxes.
Waldorf Astoria — the name that evokes history and elegance — first announced plans for a Cherry Creek North condo building in December 2021. Three years later, build-out of the much-anticipated project site at 185 N. Steele St. is at last imminent. The proposed start date is January 1, 2025, with completion expected in 2026.
Upper Crust In Creek: Architectural rendering shows what the much-anticipated Waldorf Astoria condos building at 2nd Ave. and Steele St. will look like. Start date is January, 2025.
Property Markets Group (PMG), the development firm behind a 100-story Waldorf Astoria hotel and condo tower in Miami, and its architecture firm, Shears Adkins Rockmore, presented architectural renderings to the Cherry Creek North Design Advisory Board earlier this year. PMG also owns the block where TV station Denver7 operated for decades and plans to develop a 12-story, 600-unit apartment complex on that site. The station has relocated to Delgany St. in RiNo.
The architectural firm’s Andy Rockmore told the design board that the five-story building is intended to serve as a transition between shorter buildings to the east and taller buildings — up to 12 stories — to the west. PMG initially requested that the city rezone the property to allow up to eight stories. However, the development firm ultimately decided to be content with five stories, and withdrew the application before the city could respond.
A $29.1 Million Deal
PMG spent $29.1 million in multiple transactions between late 2021 and early 2023 to acquire the 0.81-acre site where the condo building will be built. The spot is where the former Italian trattoria Piatti has sat empty since Christmas 2021. The project will also include the plot of land where the longtime closed Cherry Creek Bombay Clay Oven restaurant building stands.
The development firm’s plans now call for a five-story, 172,000-sq.-ft. luxury condo project to be built on the 0.81-acre site. It will feature roughly 40 residential units across floors two through five, including seven penthouses on the top floor, six of which will have private rooftop terraces.
The smallest units will be about 670-sq.-ft., whereas the largest penthouse will occupy a substantial 5,000-sq.-ft. The roof will also include a common terrace space for residents, plus a bar, and a nearly 900-sq.-ft. pool.
Restaurant & Retail
Pricey Piatti Plot: PMG paid $29.1 million for spot where the Italian restaurant Piatti has sat empty since Christmas 2021.
Preeminent Perspective: This rendering shows a slightly less formal perspective of the delay-plagued but plush condo project.
The building will have approximately 2,200-sq.-ft. dedicated to a residential lobby and concierge area. Site plans for the ground level of the building also show the structure will house a 4,360-sq.-ft. restaurant and bar on the corner of 2nd Ave. and St. Paul. There will be 3,532-sq.-ft. of retail space on the corner of Steele and 2nd Ave. The project design also calls of a 70-space underground parking garage.
Given the price PMG paid for the land and the proposed number of condos in the building, each unit is expected be listed for sale at multimillion dollar prices. For reference, a three-bedroom condo in PMG’s Miami tower start at $3.3 million.
“Cherry Creek has been a specifically targeted neighborhood for us,” explains Ryan Shear, PMG managing partner. “We love Denver, we’ve built in Denver before, and we’re excited to introduce a high-end condo project into Cherry Creek North. We aim to provide the best and most seamless addition to the neighborhood.”
Open Space, Alley Doubts
Bulldozing Bombay: The iconic condo brand is also replacing the longtime closed Cherry Creek Bombay Clay Oven restaurant building.
Plans initially called for an existing alley running north to south through the site to be replaced by one running east to west, to the south of the building. The developer argued that the change would facilitate loading and access to car elevators for the underground parking garage.
Cherry Creek North’s design board had questioned and expressed concerns about the alley relocation. They also had doubts about the amount of open space provided by the developer. Cherry Creek’s zoning mandates that at least 15% of a property must remain open. Several board members voiced concerns that the design deviated significantly from neighboring structures. Thus, the board was concerned the project would not mix well with neighboring buildings within Cherry Creek.
“We believe it fits with the district character,” Rockmore responded. “Our goal is to achieve a higher standard, to raise the bar.” Ultimately, the board did not approve the designs at the time, requesting that the developer and architect address concerns regarding mass reduction and amount of open space. It remains unclear how PMG and architects at Shears Adkins Rockmore have addressed the alley and open space concerns expressed by the design board.
