Make May Mom’s Month

by Valley Gadfly | Apr 19, 2024 | Main Articles

by Glen Richardson

Mom Romp: Annual City Park Mother’s Day 5K run-walk starts at 9 a.m. Flippin’ Flapjacks serves a pancake-sausage breakfast with OJ.

This is the month when we celebrate your first best friend and the person you turn to when you need advice. In 1914 Congress and a Presidential Proclamation established the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

A day to honor mothers has existed for as long as, well, there have been mothers. They are like glue. Even when you can’t see them, they’re still holding the family together.

Here’s the Chronicle’s guide for showing your mother, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, and friends how special they are:

Beach Break

Beach Beckons: For pier to plate dining, take mom to Denver’s only lakeside venue for a ­special Mother’s Day brunch at The Lake House at Pelican Bay, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Take Mom to Denver’s only lakeside venue for a special brunch at The Lake House at Pelican Bay. In Cherry Creek State Park, this one-of-a-kind location offers breathtaking views, an expansive sandy carpet, and classic brunch choices with champagne, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Information: 303-220-5253.

Home Tour

Home ­Outing: This modern farm house built in 2015 is among homes being shown at the Wash Park Home Tour & Market Street Fair May 11, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Get mom in a merry mood for Mother’s Day by taking her to the Wash Park Home Tour & Market Street Fair May 11, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Mom and the family can tour homes at their leisure while also enjoying local art­i­sans, vendors, and entertainment at the Market Street Fair located on the 100 block of S. Humboldt St. (between Cedar & Bayaud).

The home tour is in the 100 and 200 blocks of East Wash Park, north of Alameda and east of Downing. Tour home locations are: 138 S. Downing; 140 S. Lafayette; 216 S. Humboldt; 190 S. Humboldt; and 193 S. Franklin.

Hosted by Steele Elementary’s PTA, funds raised directly support programs and services that make Wash Park’s neighborhood DPS elementary school special. Additionally, a percentage of funds raised this year will also benefit families in need through the LOVVE Project, by providing fresh food, hygiene products, and cleaning supplies to Virginia Village neighbors in partnership with Ellis Elementary.

Jazz Jam

Jazz Brunch: Pianist Adam Bodine tickles the ivories at swinging, groovy Mother’s Day Jazz Brunch at Dazzle Denver, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Enjoy a kid-friendly Mother’s Day brunch at Dazzle Denver, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event features a special daytime performance by Freddy Rodriguez Jr. and The Jazz Connection, which blends Latin, funk, and jazz. Freddy continues the legacy

of Denver’s legendary jazz club El Chapultepec. Information: 303-839-5100.

Railroad Mom

Treat mom to the Royal Gorge Route Railroad Mother’s Day Brunch train trip May 11 or 12, departing at 12:30 p.m. Two-hour excursion is in elegant dining car as you enjoy special brunch, spectacular views. Trip runs from the Santa Fe Depot in Canon City, chugs through the Royal Gorge. Information: 719-276-4000.

Runaway With Mom

Race to City Park for a run-walk with mom during the Mother’s Day 5k May 12, 9 a.m. You’ll be cheered by enthusiastic volunteers and spectators, creating a festive and supportive atmosphere that is sure to make the day unforgettable. A pan

Tea Time: Cherry Creek’s Halcyon Hotel hosts this Mother’s Day Tea in the Arbor Room from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

cake-sausage breakfast with OJ is provided by Flippin’ Flapjacks. Information: denvermothers day5k.com.

Take Tea Time

Delight mom at Mother’s Day Tea in the Arbor Room at Cherry Creek’s Halcyon Hotel, May 12. Menu includes baked ham and cheddar sandwiches, deviled eggs, and smoked salmon toast points. The more than half-dozen tea choices come with chocolate Hazelnut macarons, lemon blueberry cake, plus selection of scones. Information: 720-772-5000.

Or, give her a tour of the Molly Brown House plus a high tea with fruit, scones, tea sandwiches, desserts on Mother’s Day, 10:20 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Information: 303-832-4092, ext. 13.

Mom’s Day Dining Ideas

Here are restaurants serving on May 12 to pamper and delight mom and family with fine cuisine on Mother’s Day:

Bon Ami: Quaint little Wash Park French gem on the corner of Alameda & S. Pennsylvania St. serves classic French dishes plus savory and sweet crepes. Information: 303-862-4959.

Edge Restaurant & Bar: Located in downtown’s Four Seasons Hotel, eatery will host a brunch buffet from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Information: 303-389-3050.

Fire Restaurant & Lounge: Serving seafood selections, including a whole salmon carving station, plus omelet station. Danish, scones, more choices served. Information: 720-709-4431.

Guard and Grace: California St. steakhouse has appetizers, raw bar, & brunch items. Menu includes Filet Flight, Black Cod, and a burger, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Information: 303-293-8500.

Le Bilboquet: Cherry Creek French eat­ery is serving a three-course prix fixe brunch. Brunch is from 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner is from 5 to 7 p.m. Information: 303-835-9999.

Local Jones: Signature eatery in Cherry Creek’s Halcyon Hotel is hosting a brunch from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dinner service is from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Information: 720-772-5000.

Monaco Inn Restaurant: Lamb Shank, Lamb Chops & Grilled Shrimp, New York Steak & Fried Shrimp, or Grilled Salmon are specials, noon to 8 p.m. Moms get their choice of a glass of Prosecco or dessert of the day. Information: 303-320-1104.

Panzano: Eatery’s Buffet in the Hotel Monaco has cold-hot bar, plus prime rib-ham carving station, and a “Kid-O” menu. Serving 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Information: 303-296-3525.

Toro Latin Kitchen & Lounge: In addition to standard brunch menu, restaurant in Cherry Creek’s Clio Hotel plans specials, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Information: 303-253-3000.

Newberry Site Set To Bud On Leetsdale

by Valley Gadfly | Apr 19, 2024 | Main Articles

Location Is Latest Newberry Brothers Growth Spot, As The Florist’s Cherry Creek Greenhouse Plot Flourishes

by Glen Richardson

Greenhouse Growth: These phase-two North Pointe Ten stylish townhomes in Cherry Creek North are where Newberry’s six large greenhouses did business for decades.

Latest On Leetsdale: Rendering of the three-story apartment home with a basement being built on the five-acre Newberry Brothers Florist site at 5231 Leetsdale Drive.

It may have not occurred to you, but gardens and florists are strikingly similar to townhomes and multifamily developments. They attract pollinators or patrons because they are eye-catching, have room to grow, are not too tall, too crowded, or located in the wrong place.

That’s the development strategy being im­plemented for a luxury three-story apartment complex with a basement, about to bud in the Washington Virginia Vale neighborhood adjacent to both Glendale and Cherry Creek North. The five-acre site is located along Leetsdale Drive east of Forest St. Weldon Newberry started what became Newberry Brothers Florist at the site. His daughter Paula Newberry Arnold, and her son Kien Arnold, sold the parcel to Texas-based multifamily developer Embrey Partners LLC for $9 million. The Newberry business has moved across Leetsdale Dr. to 560 S. Holly St.

Newberry relocated the florist to the Leets­dale site subsequent to selling the Cherry Creek North location where Newberry’s six large greenhouses did business for decades. That corner spot at 2nd Ave. and Garfield Street is where North Pointe Ten is now located. Garfield Development LLC, paid $7.65 million for the North Pointe property. The development’s Phase-One has since sold out. The project’s recently finished Phase-Two — defined as stylish, sophisticated urban residences — is now complete and available for purchase. The 10 four-bedroom, six-bath, attached ­townhomes are being offered for $3.4 million each.

Development Dig: Construction workers dig, blast, and grade former Newberry Brothers Florist site on Leetsdale Drive, where the three-story apartment complex will be built.      Photo: Kevin J. Beaty

Supreme Site

At the time the Leetsdale property was sold, Newberry Brothers Florist described the five-acre site as, “the kind of compact, walkable, mixed-use neighborhood that city officials often propose as the Denver ideal.”

Initially the neighborhood organization — the Preservation of Residential South Hilltop Neighborhood Assn. — was concerned about possible traffic impact and noise. Following negotiations with Newberry Arnold, height restrictions, traffic entry and departure, plus hotels being prohibited, were mutually agreed upon. As a result, neighbors sent messages of support, announcing they, “looked forward to more retail and residential diversity.”

Traffic rumbles and roars along the stretch of Leetsdale Drive where construction workers and excavation equipment are digging, blasting, and grading the property in preparation to build the apartment complex. Behind the property — up the hill to the north — are neighborhood streets with rows of single-family homes. George Washington High School is to the east, and a King Soopers on the west. Another apart-

ment complex sits on the southwest corner of Leetsdale and Forest, plus a multifamily development is just up the street on Forest, behind Inga’s Alpine Tavern.

Striking Setting

New Newberry Digs: The Newberry Brothers business has moved across Leetsdale to 560 S. Holly St. Floral arrangements, event design, and custom work remain the shop’s focus.

The 283 apartment homes will be nestled into the hillside to the north and east, reducing the scale of the building as it relates to the adjacent residential neighborhoods. It is also expected to conceal parking from the public view along Leetsdale Drive.

The property’s unique topographic advantage due to being located on the side of a hill, will create striking views of the Front Range and the south metro skyline for future residents of the apartment complex.

Two internal courtyards are planned as additional amenities. The east edge will be utilized as part of the development’s water quality requirement. The parking structure will be wrapped by apartment units on the west and south sides, providing approximately 395 spaces for residents and guests.

Special Street

Special Spot: Newberry Brothers moved from Cherry Creek North and acquired this center on Leetsdale Drive. The five-acre site is now the florist’s latest development spot.

An enhanced pedestrian corridor or woonerf — a Dutch “living street” urban planning concept — will create a break along Leetsdale Drive. The idea is to promote community with the adjacent neighborhoods, parks, and amenities. The Cherry Creek Trail, Four Mile Historic Park, Creekside Park, Glendale Park (formerly Mir Park), Burns Park, and Crestmoor Park are all accessible within an estimated 10-minute walk. Planned pedestrian-scale improvements adjacent to the complex site along Leetsdale are expected to set the standard for future street improvements to promote walkability on Leetsdale and across the city.

Moreover, the woonerf will create a north-south corridor within the site. In addition, it will offer publicly accessible and highly visible outdoor space. Plaza areas, site furnishings, and pockets of vegetated landscape will soften and screen the outdoor area. The pedestrian area will be further enhanced with a sizable tree lawn. Rows of trees and a landscape buffer between sidewalks and buildings will enhance safety, while adding to streetscape attractiveness. Outdoor spaces will also allow for outdoor gatherings, rec­reation, and seasonal activity.

Additionally, the community’s future res­idents will enjoy private amenities. An indoor fitness center and exterior amenity courtyards are among those being planned.

Site Access

Primary access to the apartment complex from Leetsdale Drive will be at the eastern edge of the property, leading visitors and residents to the leasing center. A drop off area with an associated small surface parking lot will be adjacent. The primary entry to a structured parking garage will be accessible nearby.

A second access point is planned on the west edge of the site, extending along the north. The second point will allow for addi­tional parking access while also providing fire access. The rear of the lot will have setbacks, including a 25-ft. building setback between the Protected District and any new building that might be built on the property. A retaining wall is permitted within the 25-ft. setback. The proposed site plan, however, does not include any retaining walls.

Changes to site design, height, massing, and infrastructure are likely before the apartment complex opens. Completion and opening of the apartment complex is projected for mid-2025.

City’s Public Golf Courses Are At A Perilous Crossroads

by Valley Gadfly | Mar 18, 2024 | Main Articles

Audit Finds City’s Public Courses Still Aren’t Up To Par; Parks & Recreation ­Cutbacks Increase Chances For Closures

by Glen Richardson

Wellshire Golf Clinic: Jack Nicklaus held a golf clinic on Wellshire’s driving range in 1977 in connection with Golf Digest Magazine.

Challenging Course: Kennedy Golf Course offers terrific views and challenging play at every skill level. Fairways and greens are difficult yet friendly.

Donald Ross Design: Wellshire Golf Course is the only public course West of the Mississippi that is a Donald Ross design.

Denver’s public golf courses’ distinctive locations — particularly the Wellshire Golf Course on S. Colorado Blvd. and the Kennedy Golf Course on E. Hampden Ave. — have made the Mile High City an all-seasons, out­door-lover’s playground, and golf one of the city’s best ways to enjoy the outdoors.

In recent years, however, Denver Parks & Recreation — that runs the local courses — has become the number one enemy of the Valley’s local players, always a putt short of doing their job. Denver Auditor Timothy M. O’Brien, CPA, who has tried to caddie the staff managing local courses, again reports Denver’s public courses aren’t up to par.

Declining to improve customer experience for golfers, instead simply manipulating amenities and services to an ever-declining revenue stream, is threating to spiral local courses out of solvency.

Ignoring Action Plan

This year O’Brien’s approach shot has never been stronger: “I remain concerned about the future of city golf courses,” Auditor O’Brien declares.

To provide a better customer experience for golfers, Denver Golf — what O’Brien terms the Park & Rec group managing public courses — “should improve customer service, maximize revenue, update strategy documentation, improve its capital planning and financial monitoring.”

O’Brien says he is disappointed Denver Golf has chosen to disagree with ­strategy and action plan recommendations that would increase transparency, hold the Denver Golf enterprise more accountable to the city and public, and improve ­organizational efficiency and effectiveness, O’Brien explains.

Problems Persist

The auditor does say some Denver golf courses are looking better since the last time auditors assessed them, but the city still lacks a long-term plan to fix problems proactively and effectively. That’s according to a follow-up report released by Auditor O’Brien, showing partial improvement to golf course aesthetics and safety, but limited big-picture improvement due to managers’ disagreements with audit ­recommendations.

“Some of the rusty nails are gone, but the bigger problem remains,” Auditor O’Brien says. “I hope new leadership in the parks department will reconsider the value of making a plan for maintaining the city’s public golf courses for the benefit of all players.”

Our 2021 audit found safety and aesthetic issues at several city golf courses, such as exposed rusty nails and graffiti. We also found issues with the credit card system. We recommended managers take a big-picture look at addressing issues over time, rather than an ad-hoc response to maintenance and planning. “Unfortunately, they disagreed with all of our recommendations for a strategic plan. They called goals and timelines an unnecessary hinderance,” he relates.

Cool Complex: Kennedy Golf Course in Southeast Denver offers something for everyone, from a round of golf, to a range practice, or a game of putt-putt.

Only Applied Three

“Making a strategic plan and setting goals is management 101,” Auditor O’Brien notes. “It is both helpful and necessary if you want to use resources effectively and avoid leaving graffiti and safety hazards to sit for years at a time.”

Denver Golf managers fully implemented just three of our recommendations, partially implemented one, and did not implement five more. They disagreed with four others and took no action — those were related to strategic planning and documentation related to priorities and goals.

Notable improvements included several repairs at the Kennedy Golf Course: the club­house has been repainted and its molding fixed; dangerous storm shelters have been removed; the restaurant’s walls have been patched; old tables and rusting railings have been replaced; the damaged branch of a cottonwood tree on Hole 6 has been removed; cart paths have been repaved; and starter desks have been replaced. However, other issues Golf could have worked on include repairs at the Wellshire golf courses, which are still incomplete after three years. At Wellshire, we noted the bar and restroom near Hole 5 was not painted and now shows signs of possible structural damage.

Long Term Planning

 Wellshire Attraction: In recent years many say Wellshire’s Event Center has become a bigger attraction than golf.

“Strategic long-term planning could help address lengthy turnaround for important maintenance projects,” Auditor O’Brien believes. Denver Golf’s lack of a strategic plan and documented organizational priorities and goals may prevent it from proactively shaping the future of its operations and addressing challenges before they arise. “With a big-picture plan, managers could create time­lines and schedules for course mainten­ance and avoid three-year waits for repairs.”

Golf managers did make some notable up­dates to their technology, improving golfer experience for bookings and check-in. By implementing some of our recommendations, Denver Golf made its member check-in and cashiering process quicker and easier for its customers. Denver Golf successfully eliminated duplicate accounts in the golfer loyalty database. It also integrated credit cards into its point-of-sale system and is now working with a new vendor.

Due to factors outside of its control, Golf still is not charging nonrefundable prebooking fees, possibly missing out on revenue when golfers do not show up for their tee times. But once issues with data protection for credit card transactions over the phone are resolved, we expect Golf to implement this recommended improvement.