by Valley Gadfly | Feb 22, 2023 | Valley Gadfly
Top ’o’ the Month to Ya’: March is named for the Roman god of war, Mars. But we think of it as the beginning of spring, as March brings the Full Worm Moon and Daylight Saving Time.
March 12 is the start of Daylight Savings, which begins at 2 a.m. that day. Hint: Don’t forget to “spring forward” and set the clocks one hour ahead, or you’ll find yourself late for everything.
Here are our Irish spring choices for shopping, dining, and entertainment so your heart will be light and happy, your smile big and wide, plus your pocket has a coin or two inside:
3 With his 21st studio album out, Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band bring music of 15 soul music greats to the Ball Arena, March 2, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-405-1100.
3 For a Celtic Awakening, listen to Denver Brass’ Irish tenor sing Emerald Isle melodies at the Newman Center, March 10-12, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-871-7720.
3 March downtown to see step dancers, floats, and marching bands at annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, March 11, stepping off at 9:30 a.m. Information: 720-577-6884.
3 View over 30 Israeli-Jewish films with “talk backs” during Denver Jewish Film Festival in the Wolf & Pluss Theatres, March 11-19. Information: 303-316-6360.
3 Swing by Inga’s Alpine Tavern on St. Patrick’s Day for good pub grub while listening to the music of GT & The Sidewinders rockin’ Americana band playing from 7-10 p.m. Open 11 a.m.-2 a.m. serving craft cocktails, beer, wine, and creative bites. Information: 720-389-6203.
3 For interior plaster and drywall repair that’s done right and looks super, rely on The Wall Rebuilders. Now in their 24th year, Dan & Laura Pino are known for quality, speed of service, and honesty. Repair, remodel or fix anything. Free estimates. Information: 303-698-1057.
3 Enjoy musical magic as the Denver Young Artists Orchestra & Colorado Symphony play together at Boettcher Hall, March 15, 7 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.
3 See singing, dancing, storytelling, food, and art by 100 Indian tribes during the March Powwow in the Denver Coliseum, March 17-19. Information: 303-934-8045.
3 Catch clarinetist Roger Campbell as he leads the hottest jazz band since the Swing Era playing at Dazzle@Baur’s, March 22, 7-8:30 p.m. Information: 303-839-5100.
3 Join the tribute, as the Colorado Symphony and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble honor Cleo Parker Robinson — the founder, artistic director & choreographer — for her storied accomplishments. Her 50-year-old institution includes Youth-Junior Youth Ensembles, a Dance Academy, plus an International Summer Institute. The Park Ave. West three-level historic facility seats 240 for concerts, recitals, dances, and theatre. A celebrated artist, cultural leader, and champion of the arts for nearly a half-century, she remains a pillar of the community to this day. The tribute is at Boettcher Concert Hall, March 30, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.
St. Patrick’s Day is the main event in March and Irish eyes are smiling: Flowers will soon bud, and this month’s major holiday is just one huge social, minus gifts, and little stress. Leprechauns, laughter, and green, Oh my! Refreshing-tranquil green is linked to money and luck. The Cherry Creek Valley soon will again become our “Green Green Grass of Home.” As the Irish say, “To all the days here and after, may they be filled with fond memories, happiness, and laughter.” But, don’t press your luck by ironing four-leaf clovers!
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Valley Gadfly | Feb 22, 2023 | Main Articles
With Lowest Vacancy Rates And Highest Office, Retail, And Multi-Housing Rents, Megaprojects Are Hijacking District’s Westside
by Glen Richardson
Whole Lot Of Wavering: Known as Clayton Lane, the site where Whole Foods and the former Sears store are located, continues to be Cherry Creek North’s most tentative development.
Billion Dollar Deal: East West Partner’s $1 Billion Cherry Creek West project is Cherry Creek North’s biggest project and will have the most impact on the district’s changing westside.
Developers are making bold moves to turn Cherry Creek North’s westside — where what remains of the district’s independent stores, spas, salons, and eateries — into sprawling mega developments. The push to “go big” represents both a growing demand and developer desire to land larger retail and housing tenants in mega mixed-use campuses.
Cherry Creek North has the lowest vacancy rates and highest office, retail, and multi-housing rents in metro Denver, making the district the Valley’s hottest market for investors and lenders alike. Moreover, Cherry Creek has become the leading leasing market in the Rocky Mountain region, attracting the highest demand for properties and spaces available for Lease and Sublease.
Consequently, the district is now one of the nation’s best performing submarkets. Here’s the latest on new megaprojects, plus an update on impending projects:
Coup At 210 University
A $67.7 million, 140,832-sq.-ft. office-retail joint development by Koch Real Estate Investment (KREI) and Corum Real Estate Group at 210 University Blvd. is Cherry Creek’s latest westside development takeover wave. The nine-story office building and attached garage — where US Bank and Baird are located — will remain intact.
But the companies plan to demolish the existing single-story retail buildings on 3rd Ave. — where Chinese restaurant Little Ollie’s has been located since 1997 along with the adjacent OBar — plus the next-door Paradise Cleaners. The development duo plans to build a four-story structure with 7,500-sq.ft. of ground floor retail space and three floors and 46,000-sq.-ft. of office space on the site. Construction won’t begin for at least a year, since leases for the restaurant-bar and cleaners require a year’s notice before termination.
The Sunflower Bank building — located next to the cleaners on the corner of Josephine and 3rd Ave. — was not involved in the purchase and won’t be demolished.
Clayton’s Second Phase: Broe Real Estate has commenced work on the second phase of street’s $200 million redevelopment. Work has started on this eight-story, 175,000-sq.-ft. building.
Josephine St. Changes
Directly across 3rd Ave., Elevation and Edgemark Development have already started construction on a six-story, 70,000-sq.-ft. mixed use building. The location’s first-floor will feature retail space wrapped around the corner of 3rd & Josephine. The upper-floors’ step-up design has 50,000-sq.-ft. of tenant space that will vary from 16,000-sq.-ft. on the second floor to 5,000-sq.-ft on the top-level. The project is on the half-acre site where floral-home furnishing store Bloom was located and includes a portion of parking lot space leased to Hillstone Restaurant.
The site at 2nd Ave. and Josephine — where Whole Foods and the former Sears store are located — remains the westside’s most tentative site. Known as the Clayton Lane project, the collection of buildings between East 2nd Ave. from Josephine to Detroit streets was purchased by OliverMcMillan (later acquired by Brookfield Residential) and Invesco Real Estate for $116.7 million in 2016. Initial plans called for demolition of Whole Foods, the adjacent parking structure, and the former Sears store. They were to be replaced by 173,105-sq.-ft. of retail space and 527 residential units between Clayton and Josephine.
News media reports at the beginning of 2023 hinted that “after years of false starts, things might finally get moving in the massive Clayton Lane development.” Those reports, nonetheless, acknowledged, “it’s unclear if the owners plan to sell completely or in part, or are simply looking to bring another firm into the partnerships.” Even if major changes take place, demolition and new construction is likely two to five years away.
$1 Billion Mall Project
That puts the $1 billion East West Partners’ mixed-use development dubbed “Cherry Creek West” as the biggest project with the most immediate impac
Going, Going, Gone: Newly revealed $67.7 million 210 University Development will demolish Little Ollie’s, OBar, and Paradise Cleaners along the west end of 3rd Ave. in coming year.
t and influence on Cherry Creek North’s changing westside. Construction is scheduled to start in the third quarter of 2024, with the first building ready for occupancy in 2027. Already in the starting stages, the massive site is likely to be completed in 10 years.
The 13-acre site — bordering University Blvd., the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, and Cherry Creek North Dr. — will be composed of seven 12-story tall buildings housing a combination of offices, condos, and apartments. The massive development will span from University Blvd. to Clayton St. and 1st. Ave. to the Cherry Creek waterway.
Plans include a “public plaza” with green space for concerts and events; a market square; a dedicated two-way bike trail; and above- and below-ground parking. Some neighbors are concerned the plans will lead to traffic congestion, with fewer places to drive and a lack of parking. Others say there won’t be sufficient affordable housing.
Clayton’s Second Phase
Sandwiched in the westside’s middle section is Broe Real Estate Group’s $200 million Clayton Street redevelopment. The completed and fully leased phase one projec
t on the corner of 2nd Ave. and Clayton is 76,000-sq.-ft. and rises eight-stories. The developer — who owns most of the east side of Clayton and has its headquarters on the street — has commenced work on the second phase located at 250 Clayton. It is another eight-story project, this one totaling 175,000-sq.-ft.
Along the westside’s eastern-most street, Schnitzer West is launching an eight-story office project at 201 Fillmore St. The development company paid $108 million for the Men’s Wearhouse site, a new Denver record price per square foot. Landlord for the property was Barry Hirschfeld. The 2nd Ave. and Fillmore project will feature 140,000-sq.-ft. of mixed-use space, with 132,000-sq.-ft. being office space. All of the office space has been pre-leased. There will be 8,500-sq.-ft. of retail space on the ground floor. Five levels of below-grade parking will accommodate more than 240 vehicles.
Down the street at 255 Fillmore — a site that has been a parking lot since it was purchased by BMC Investments in 2019 — construction is underway for a seven-story mixed-use project that is expected to be completed as soon as the third quarter of this year. The project will have six floors of office space and 9,500-sq-ft. of ground-floor retail including French-Vietnamese restaurant Le Colonial.
by Ashe in America | Feb 22, 2023 | Feature Story Bottom Left
Senate Bill 23-101, “Candidate Ballot Access For Primary Elections,” is currently making its way through the Colorado General Assembly. The bill is sponsored by Senate Minority Whip Barbara Kirkmeyer (R-SD23) and House Minority Caucus Chair Mary Bradfield (R-HD21).
During the midterms, Kirkmeyer made a run for the newly formed Congressional District 8. The first step in that process is the traditional caucus and assembly, but Kirkmeyer opted out and, instead, paid to gather signatures rather than face her party’s most active and engaged members. The 2022 Colorado Assembly was swept by America First candidates, and CD8 was no exception. Former Representative Lori Saine (R-HD63), the only Colorado legislator to hold a hearing on election integrity in 2020, won the top line on the primary ballot.
The CD8 primary was vicious and, while Kirkmeyer was victorious, she faced allegations of election interference and debate rigging. Like all the other unlikeable Colorado establishment candidates who inexplicably won their primaries, Kirkmeyer lost her midterm election. Democrat Yadira Caraveo is now in Washington, D.C.
Mary Bradfield, on the other hand, did go through assembly. She lost to Karl Dent. She was off the ballot until a judge said that the HD21 assembly result be thrown out — due to a single delegate being improperly credentialed during the vote. Given the procedural and credentialing issues at assembly, as well as clicker malfunctions that led to multiple legal actions, this was highly unusual and shocked the state. When the vote was repeated, Bradfield made the primary ballot and, of course, “won” the primary.
After their humiliating losses in the party process, Kirkmeyer and Bradfield have come together on SB23-101: “Candidate Ballot Access For Primary Elections.”
What is the substance of the bill? To abolish caucus and assembly.
“Section 1 of the bill eliminates the option for a major political party candidate to access a primary election ballot by being nominated through the political party assembly process.” Section 16 does the same for minor parties.
Please understand what is happening here: The primary sponsor of the bill to abolish caucus and assembly did not go through caucus and assembly — likely because she wouldn’t have advanced if required to face actual voters. The co-sponsor of the bill failed at assembly and had to use the courts to subvert the people’s process.
It’s much easier to pay people to circulate petitions for you when you’re unlikeable and your policies are detached from the will of the voters. And that’s the point.
As I have been saying for years, the Colorado Republican party is content being the Minority Party in the state. They have no desire to change. In fact, they are so resistant to change they are attempting to harden the rules to prevent change.
But the people of Colorado want change, and SB23-101 being brought by Republicans should surprise the many voters who’ve only recently engaged with this party (which is now looking to shut them out).
During the 2022 election cycle, the Colorado Republican Party saw the highest levels of enthusiasm and engagement they’ve enjoyed since 2010. You’ll recall that 2010 was the year the GOP nearly became a minor party in Colorado due to voters rejecting them outright. Rather than realize that their party establishment was detached from their voting base, the party doubled down over the next decade to alienate even more Colorado voters and hemorrhage party members. The Democrat Party has also seen a steady decline year-over-year.
Colorado voters have lost faith in the parties. As of February 2, 2023, Colorado has 3,800,543 active and 416,340 inactive voters, for a total registered voting population of 4,216,883. 27% are Democrats, 24% are Republican, and 47% are unaffiliated. Unaffiliated registrations have consistently increased for 11 years, up 1% since last year.
The response of the Colorado Republican Party is to remove the people from the process. Access to the ballot, if Kirkmeyer and Bradfield get their way, will be a matter determined by the candidates and the Secretary of State.
This isn’t a meaningful legislative proposal. It’s the scorn of two unpopular establishmentarians who should have lost their contests.
“Candidate Ballot Access For Primary Elections” was introduced in January and, surprisingly, has not yet been killed in committee.
Ashe Epp is a writer and election integrity activist. Read her work at asheinamerica.com and follow her on Telegram and other socials @asheinamerica.
by Laura Lieff | Feb 22, 2023 | Editorials
by Laura Lieff
All In The Family: Dave and David Wroblewski are the first father/son officers to be part of the Glendale police force.
For the first time in its 63-year history, the Glendale Police Department has a father and son on the force. With the recent hiring of David Wroblewski, the son of Glendale police officer Dave Wroblewski, Glendale welcomes a new family member. While Dave has been with the department since October 2011, his son David was hired in January after graduating from the Arapahoe Community College Police Academy.
According to Glendale PD Captain Jamie Dillon, “David interviewed with several departments and we’re happy he chose Glendale. Over the years, a few officers have married dispatchers, but back in the 1980s and 1990s one was required to leave because family members were not allowed to work together.”
Although family members are not permitted to supervise other family members directly or indirectly, Dillon says that kids raised in police families usually have a better understanding of what the career entails. He adds, “They understand up front that their parents will be working shifts in all sorts of weather and will regularly miss holidays because they are working.”
Dave, who has been in law enforcement for over 30 years and was a Marine before that, has seen a lot of changes over the last three decades. “I decided to be a police officer because I wanted the chance to make a difference,” he explains. “I chose Glendale because it is a smaller jurisdiction which has allowed me to get to know the people I am serving on a personal level. In fact, there have been many occasions where people have requested certain officers because of the relationships the smallness of the city allows us to build.”
Father And Son
When asked about his son David following in his footsteps, Dave says he is thrilled. “I am excited and proud about what my son has chosen to do and uphold,” he says. “The most rewarding part of this job is knowing that you truly make a difference every day and the toughest part is the current anti-police outlook by the media and in general.”
Adds Dillon, “Because David is joining the police force at a time when officers are under a great deal of pressure and scrutiny, it says something that Dave would encourage his son to follow in his footsteps and also to come to Glendale.”
After finishing his first week on the job for the Glendale PD, David believes he made the right decision to work for a smaller force with “a welcoming atmosphere.” He says that he’s both excited and anxious.
“Being officially sworn in is the start of a rewarding career and I am looking forward to what the FTO [Field Training Officers] program has to teach me, although I am nervous because of the unknown,” David says. “It’s not only a high honor to be given the opportunity to serve as a law enforcement officer, but to carry on the tradition of policing in the family makes it even better.”
