After several years of changes and setbacks, the Glendale 180 project is moving forward with a new real estate developer and a new timeline. Lincoln Property Company, a Dallas-based international real estate firm, is slated to break ground on the 268,000 square-foot mixed-used development in December 2020. An experiential retail, entertainment, hotel, and office destination, Glendale 180 will be the largest cohesive entertainment district in Colorado. It will also be among the first in the state to offer an open container law that allows for the common consumption of alcoholic beverages throughout the development. Further setting the project apart, Glendale 180 is expected to be the only entertainment district in Colorado where tenants have the ability to remain open until 4 a.m.
“The combination of Glendale’s central location and its reputation as a commercial-driven municipality makes Glendale 180 a desirable destination for the region’s growing population and businesses alike,” says Lincoln Property Company Vice President Hunter Brous. “We’re grateful to the City of Glendale for their partnership throughout this process and are eager to activate this new district with retail, dining, and entertainment experiences that are next to none.”
Founded in 1965, Lincoln Property Company is considered one of the most respected and diversified service firms in the United States. A key reason behind the City of Glendale’s decision to select the company for the Glendale 180 project was the firm’s experience with developing The Star, near Dallas, Texas, that is home to an entertainment district and the Dallas Cowboys’ headquarters and training facility.
“After visiting The Star, it was clear that Lincoln Property Company understood the sports/entertainment connection and would capitalize on the relationship between Infinity Park and Glendale 180,” says Glendale City Manager Linda Cassaday.
Experience Glendale
Featuring over 21,000 square feet of office space, over 134,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, a 160-key hotel, and a 43,000-square-foot movie theater, Glendale 180 will also include free structured parking, an outdoor climbing wall, and a central outdoor plaza designed to support year-round programming.
“With Glendale 180 we are creating an experience and a gathering place,” Cassaday explains. “Major holidays will be celebrated there and people can look forward to food fairs, festivals, concerts, and fitness events. In short, we are creating a new downtown Glendale with this project.”
Bordered by Virginia Avenue to the north, Cherry Creek South Drive to the south, and Cherry Street to the east, Glendale 180’s dynamic, pedestrian-friendly design includes direct access to the Cherry Creek trail. Glendale Deputy City Manager Chuck Line says that a path will be developed to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists, and that the green space will become an integral part of the project as a whole.
New Tenants
For those wondering why Glendale 180 has taken so long to come to fruition, Cassaday says that the City of Glendale was waiting for the right developer who really understood what the project was all about. Line adds, “The City could have sold the property to a big box store but we chose not to do that because it wasn’t going to serve Glendale well. Instead, we held out for an entertainment district and we are glad we did.”
As for the retail tenants, two have signed on so far: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has leased 43,000 square feet and Food Hall by Hospitality Alliance has leased 25,000 square feet, including 10,000 square feet of patio space, for their first Colorado location.
Boasting the “best cinematic experience in the world,” Alamo Drafthouse celebrates cinema by pairing their movie-going experience with quality food and drinks. Each location is fitted with multiple types of projection equipment to accommodate both new and classic films. They show a variety of movies and the menu features burgers, pizzas, salads, snacks, and desserts prepared fresh from locally sourced ingredients. Additionally, every Alamo Drafthouse location highlights and promotes the best local craft breweries.
With offices in Las Vegas, New York, and Dallas, Hospitality Alliance is a consultancy and management group comprised of experts in different areas of the hotel and food and beverage industry. They are responsible for the Plaza Hotel Food Hall in New York City and the Discovery District redevelopment of AT&T’s new headquarters in downtown Dallas. The company also assists with concept development, leasing, construction project management, hiring, and training.
Vintage Glendale
While the experiential entertainment district is new in many ways, in other ways it’s bringing Glendale back to its roots. During the 1960s and 1970s, the city was home to a variety of now vintage establishments that attracted the masses. Colorado Mine Company (home of the “Fool’s Gold” which was Elvis’ favorite sandwich), Cork ‘N Cleaver, Celebrity Sports Center (owned by Disney), Cooper Theater, The Riviera (The Riv), Soda Straw, Sportspage, The Lift, and Tommy Wong’s Island are long gone but fondly remembered. Additionally, Andy’s Smorgasbord became Shotgun Willie’s Country Western Bar which is now Shotgun Willie’s Show Club and, almost five decades later, Bull and Bush Pub and Brewery is still a favorite.
“With this project, Glendale will regain its position as the premier entertainment hub of the metro area and we’re confident that we’ve found the right partner in Lincoln Property Company to turn that vision into a reality,” says Glendale Mayor Mike Dunafon. “From an exciting retail tenant mix and a central location to unprecedented trail access and more, Glendale 180 will usher in Colorado’s next generation of entertainment-based experiences.”
Every 10 years, United States citizens are
asked to respond to the Census which is a questionnaire designed to count the
number of people living in the country. According to the Constitution, the
results of the Census are used to determine the number of United States House
of Representatives each state is designated. Additionally, over $675 billion in
federal funds, grants, and support to states, counties, and communities is
allocated based on information gathered from the Census data. These funds are
then spent nationwide to support essential programs, roads, schools, hospitals,
and more.
State officials use Census results to
redraw the boundaries of their congressional and state legislative districts adapting
to population shifts. Exemplifying its historical significance, the first
Census was completed in 1790 — more than a year after the inauguration of
President Washington and soon before the second session of the first Congress
concluded. Because this data represents such an important part of Colorado’s
future, the United States Census Bureau is recruiting for a variety of
temporary jobs, including Census takers, to assist with the nationwide 2020
count.
“Applying to work as a Census taker is a
great way to make extra money and line up spring and summer employment ahead of
time,” says Laurie Cipriano, Media Specialist for the U.S. Department of
Commerce and U.S. Census Bureau. “Census taker positions offer flexible hours,
paid training, weekly compensation, and reimbursement for expenses such as
mileage for employees doing fieldwork.”
People of all backgrounds are encouraged to
apply, including college students and retirees who are looking for extra income
or a second job. While hourly pay rates vary by position and location, the
Arapahoe County rate is listed between $18.50 and $20.50 and Denver County is
listed as $20.50.
“Participating in the Census is extremely
important because these population changes determine the state’s representation
at the federal level and have a tremendous effect on how our state money is
allocated,” explains Greater Glendale Chamber of Commerce Chief Operating
Officer Jeff Allen. “Additionally, everyone’s responses are protected by law
and cannot be shared with a federal or state agency.”
Deemed the largest peacetime deployment of
civil servants across the country, the Census counts every person living in the
United States as of April 1, 2020, which is officially designated as Census
Day. By this date, most homes will receive an invitation to participate online,
by phone, or by mail. For households that do not self-respond, the national
door-to-door enumeration begins in May and ends in July. Additionally, for the
first time ever, citizens have the option to fill out the form online making
the process easy, safe, and secure.
For those interested in Census taker positions, the selection process is underway, with paid training occurring in March and April. Visit www.2020census.gov/jobs for more information.
Walmart Stores, Inc., the parent company of
retail behemoth Walmart, is suing half the counties in Colorado to lower its
property tax bills based on a shady legal idea known simply as the “Dark Store
Theory.”
Largest Retailer: Walmart has 96 locations throughout Colorado, making it the largest retailer in the state.
The theory says that the property value of
a closed down big-box retailer store should be tied to the traditional real
estate sales approach, where valuation is determined by the stores surrounding
it. Under this theory, a Walmart store that is listed for sale for $11 million
while a Hobby Lobby nearby is on the market for $5 million would be overvalued.
But assessors argue that this theory
completely misconstrues what gives a property its value: location. Walmart has
a long history of opening stores in areas that are strategically important to
the company, whether it provides logistical efficiency or a larger labor pool.
This strategy makes the company’s property more valuable because of the
web-like network that comes with it.
Walmart contends that its business
practices should not weigh into the valuation of its stores, and that argument
has gained little traction recently. In July, Colorado’s Board of Equalization
(BOE), the agency that sets property tax values across the state, denied
Walmart’s property tax complaint. This rejection prompted the retailer to issue
its lawsuits in county courts.
In August, a judge in Pulaski County,
Arkansas, rebuked Walmart’s argument that the company should pay fewer property
taxes because their stores are retrofitted to the company’s specific needs and,
therefore, cannot fetch a fair price on the open market.
The case in Pulaski County concerned a 2017
tax assessment of $145 million between Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Neighborhood
Market. Walmart tried to reduce the total assessed property value to $93.8
million, and then slashed the value to $74.3 million, a 48 percent drop.
Opponents argue that if Walmart prevails in
this argument, then the value of an empty store would be set by a vacant lot in
a different state.
Walmart’s Littleton-based attorney Brian
Huebsch tried to find a way around this impasse by arguing that Colorado county
assessors did not account for the store’s 24-hour operability into their
valuations. This causes the company to replace items such as cash registers and
furniture used in daily operations more frequently than other businesses.
Huebsch declined requests to comment on
this story, saying that he doesn’t comment on open cases.
The lawsuit also argues that Walmart is
experiencing difficulty reselling these items because other retailers are
closing, thereby reducing demand and value of the goods.
La Plata County’s assessor Carrie Woodson
told The Durango Herald that she and her staff have not seen evidence of
Walmart reselling its property, despite monitoring the company’s operations for
several years. In fact, Woodson asserts, she believes Walmart is actually just
throwing away their damaged products, making them fully exposed to being taxed.
Over $4.5 million in school district
funding was at stake in the Pulaski case while only $20,000 is at stake in La
Plata.
In Arapahoe County, Walmart sought to
recoup nearly $29 million in property taxes on eight stores located in Aurora,
Centennial, and Englewood. The company argued that “economic depression” of its
furniture and point of sale systems (POS) warranted a 25 percent reduction in
its tax value. Arapahoe County ended up settling the case with Walmart for a
12.8 percent reduction in its tax assessment, essentially handing the company
$14 million.
Other assessors, both in and out of
Colorado, are saying that this tactic is a symptom of a larger disease
spreading throughout corporate America. Namely, that megacorporations are
attempting to use their financial might to beat small counties into submission
in order to lower their property taxes.
One study by CityLab found that over 230
similar property tax claims have been filed across the U.S. since 2015, most of
which ask for a 50 percent reduction in tax assessments. However, a majority of
the claims were settled for 15 percent reductions because counties simply
cannot afford the cost of litigating the claims for as long as corporations
can.
Smaller counties typically feel the brunt
of this argument because of their fiscal constraints. However, all 32 Colorado
counties currently have plans to defend each other when the lawsuits are
brought before a judge.
Walmart brought in over $514 billion in total revenue, and employed over 2.2 million people across the country in 2019. The company earned a gross profit of $126 billion from its revenue. This represents a two-percent increase in profit from 2018. Walmart’s gross profits have increased every year since 1995.
True Food Kitchen: Outside True Food Kitchen in Cherry Creek. Image by Jessica Hughes
A national chain that has found a home in
Denver’s Cherry Creek shopping district, True Food Kitchen is a casual, yet
chic, healthy dining option. With earth-like elements including green chairs, a
butcher block bar, and speckles of greenery at each table, you can’t help but
feel good about eating here. Offering both seasonal dishes and staple items,
patrons will enjoy a full menu of soups, salads, pizza, bowls, burgers and
sandwiches, and an assorted mix of healthy entrees. Even their cocktail menu
leaves little guilt on the table with their Beets by Jon (organic vodka, red
beet, lemon, and pineapple) and their Juniper Rose (rose-in-fused gin, lime,
grapefruit, thyme). Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options available.
Try: Spicy Panang Curry ($14)
Vital Root — Location: 3915 Tennyson St.
Vital Root Outside: Vital Root, located in Denver’s Berkeley neighborhood.
Vital Root: Sunflower Risotto at Vital Root.
Found in the hip and trendy neighborhood of
Berkeley, Vital Root is a local food company committed to providing nutritious
and delicious food. The multi-level modern space, filled with botanical art and
good, clean food, offers both weekend brunch and an everyday menu, plus grab-and-go
food options and a happy hour you can feel good about with their $4 juice of
the day. Using ingredients such as coconut, dates, sunflower and avocado oil,
and ancient grains, their food is designed with the healthiest ingredients as
possible. Dedicated to those with food allergies and dietary restrictions, an
outdoor sign asks that no outside food or drink be brought indoors as they
operate a gluten-free kitchen.
Try: Sunflower Risotto ($13)
Vert Kitchen
Vert Kitchen: Salad du Marche at Vert Kitchen.
Location: 704 South Pearl St.
Nestled between the homes of North
Washington Park, Vert Kitchen offers a small café space with big flavor.
Serving up lunch and brunch options made with organic and locally sourced
ingredients, you will no doubt feel good about what you are eating. Everything
is made in-house using French cuisine techniques, 100% organic produce, plus
all-natural and sustainable meats and dairy. Take a sip at the café and bar for
freshly brewed coffee, natural wines, and premium beers. Enjoy your meal
indoors in their cozy café atmosphere or take yours outside to their backyard
patio-filled, with green and garden elements.
Try: Salad du Marche ($16)
Green Seed Market
Location: 2669 Larimer St.
Located inside the Denver Central Market,
Green Seed Market is a neighborhood market with a twist. Pick your poison of
fresh vegetables and fruits for purchase or order a custom soup, salad, veggie
bowl, acai bowl, smoothie, or fresh juice to take home with you. With a focus
on offering the produce of the season, Green Seed Market is dedicated to bringing
foods to the neighborhood most would not find at their local grocery stores.
Try: Gangsta’s Paradise ($9.50)
Whole Sol Blend Bar
Whole Sol Blend Bar: Fresh juices from Whole Sol Blend Bar.
Location: 1735 Chestnut Pl.
Home to Denver and Boulder’s only USDA
certified organic juice bar, Whole Sol offers a fresh twist on healthy foods.
100 percent dairy free, gluten-free, and organic, you can feel confident what
you order is good for your soul. Known for their smoothie bowls and
cold-pressed juices, you can’t go wrong with either. Don’t want to eat it as a
bowl? Just ask and they will turn your bowl into a smoothie. Take your bowl to
the next level with additional add-ons including their own Newtella, greens,
granola, and plant protein.
Try: I Like You Matcha ($10)
Just Be Kitchen
Location: 2364 15th St.
A haven for the food conscious, Just Be
Kitchen serves up 100 percent gluten-free, soy-free, and grain-free food
options that cater to Paleo, Whole30, Keto, and AIP friendly diets. A seasonal
menu offers breakfast, brunch, and dinner options. Plus, an entire menu
dedicated to the Whole30 diet, including its very own bone broth bar. For
sipping, try a gluten-free beer or a crafty cocktail using reduced grain-free
spirits.
Try: Radiant, sweet potato gnocchi ($12.50)
Mercury Café
Location: 2199 California St.
Get a mix of it all at the Mercury Café.
Known for its dance lessons and live music, the restaurant has also made a name
for itself for its fresh organic dishes. Everything on the menu is gluten-free,
except the bread. Get down this year with organic foods and a dance lesson or
two.
Try: Pagan Vegan Plate ($10)
Superfruit Republic
Locations: 7483 E. 29th Pl. &
1776 Broadway, Suite 115
A fast-casual café, Superfruit Republic
serves up tasty acai bowls packed with the nutrients a healthy body craves.
With two locations now in Denver, visitors can choose from organic acai bowls,
fruit smoothies, and fresh juices. Add a boost to your bowl or smoothie with
coconut flakes, goji berries, or any fruit/nut blend.
Try: The Blueberry Pumpkin (large bowl
$9.50)
Watercourse Foods
Location: 837 E. 17th Ave.
Catering to vegans everywhere, Watercourse
Foods serves up what they call “vegan comfort food.” With their fresh
ingredients prepared daily and friendly atmosphere, they make eating healthy
easy to do. With an extensive breakfast and brunch menu, plus salads and
sandwiches and dinner entrees, visitors can eat healthy all day long. Don’t
forget to wash your food down with locally brewed kombucha on tap!
Try: Za’atar Eggplant ($16)
Vitality Bowls
Location: 2702 E. 3rd Ave., Denver, CO
80206
A national chain restaurant, Vitality
Bowls, offers a location in Denver’s Cherry Creek shopping district. With
smoothies, bowls, salads, paninis, soups, and juices, there are options for any
meal of the day. Their signature bowls and smoothies are made with the best
ingredients available and do not include fillers like artificial preservatives.
Gluten-free options are available.
It’s been over 50 years since Ed and Connie
Thomas first met here in Denver, nearly 47 years since they bought their first
and only home together, and 25 years since Connie was diagnosed with
progressive multiple sclerosis.
Friends Of The Family: From left, Barbara Betcher, Ed Thomas and Ashlie Woods.
The first 15 years after the diagnosis
Connie seemed to be doing okay, but eventually the disease advanced to the
point where she couldn’t work and had to retire. While Ed took care of her in
the beginning of her diagnosis, he could no longer handle the responsibility of
caring for his wife. He had to make the difficult decision to move his beloved
Connie into an assisted living facility, and soon the house became too much for
one man. So, he resolved to sell their family home.
A former Denver City Councilman, a police
officer of 23 years with the Denver Police Department, and former editor of the
Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle, Ed Thomas has played an important role in the
Denver community. With his decision to move, he soon found himself seeking
support from the community that he helped serve and protect for so many years.
Friends of the family, Ashlie Woods and
Barbara Betcher, two brokers from the local Denver real estate firm Leonard
Leonard & Associates, stepped in to assist Ed with the sale of his home.
Woods and Betcher, who have known Ed for over 20 years, told him, “we’ll get
you through this and we’re ready to help in any way we can.”
Woods and Betcher were there from the
beginning, in 2016 when the decision was made to move Connie into assisted
living, for not only the physical process of moving but the emotional process
as well.
“They took control of the entire process
and did everything that needed to be done. I was a basket case, and they
handled everything,” Ed recounts. The decision to sell did not come easily.
Ed’s home meant, and still means, everything to him. It’s where he spent his
adulthood raising his family, a son and a daughter, and where he welcomed home
his three grandchildren. It is the only place he had known for years.
The Thomas Home: The family home at 7th and Cook — purchased in 1972.
Woods describes the entire process as “a
hands-on project, from beginning to end.” First, they needed to clear out the
house and downsize Ed’s belongings. Ashlie took the time to walk through with
Ed, often a couple times a week, to determine what needed to go and what he
could keep.
Next, Woods and Betcher needed to get the
house in shape and ready to show. They began with making small repairs
including updating the flooring, plaster fixes, and other jobs to ensure the
house was in saleable condition. They hired a staging company, while Betcher
helped with most of the staging.
Thomas proclaims, “It was absolutely
perfect and spotless.” So much so, that the first weekend the house went up for
sale, one of the first couples to walk through the door said, “We’ll take it.”
The house went under contract quickly,
selling for asking price the first weekend it was on the market.
With the quick sale of his home, Thomas
needed to move, and do it soon. When moving day came, Woods was there, stepping
in for his daughter, who could not be there to help. Without hesitation, Woods
assumed the role and offered her help.
Family Photo: Photo taken just after Connie was diagnosed with MS.
In helping find Thomas a more permanent
home, Betcher found the condo Ed resides in now, making sure he didn’t overpay
and negotiated the best deal for him.
Woods describes Thomas as a “real trooper
throughout this whole process.” With just his son here in Denver, Woods and
Betcher assumed the role of family and not just the professionals they are.
Taking the lead throughout the entire
process, Woods and Betcher went above and beyond what was required of them, all
without taking a commission for three years worth of work.
While life didn’t quite turn out as
expected, Thomas feels blessed to have his wife still with him despite this
disease. He is grateful for his life and what it has afforded him and is
appreciative of the community that gathered around him in a time of need.
Simply put, “You don’t get that lucky in
life very often,” Thomas expresses with gratitude.
Thomas says he would not have survived this
situation without his children, Betcher, or Woods. And for those who find
themselves in a similar situation, Thomas shares this sentiment: “Cherish the
love of your family and friends because one day you will need them.”
Strong Family: A family that has stayed
together with the help of their community.
The Long-Term Viability Of Fast-Delivery Denver Apartment Buildings
by Luke Schmaltz
The Crane: Denver’s unofficial national bird.
Although the official Colorado state bird
is the Lark Bunting, it has seemingly been replaced across the greater Denver
metro area by the crane. For the past several years, the Mile-High City skyline
has become increasingly dotted with these towering industrial effigies — as
long-standing, recently demolished structures are replaced with mid-rise odes
to blandness. These rapidly erected residential buildings have earned
disparaging nicknames from journalists and pedestrian critics alike such as
fugly, McUrbanist, fast-casual architecture, contemporary contempt, LoMo (low
modern), blandmarks and spongebuild squareparts.
A New Development
More Cranes: The skyline at a familiar downtown Denver intersection undergoes alteration.
In 2015, Denver adopted the International
Building Code (IBC) which allows for podium-style mid-rise residential
buildings to be primarily constructed of wood rather than concrete and steel.
The new code meant that a two-story concrete base known as a “podium” could be
vertically succeeded by up to five levels of wood-framed construction. This, in
turn, opened the door for a host of money-saving dynamics such as unspecialized
labor, cost-effective raw materials and quicker completion timelines.
A Nationwide Trend
This generic approach to residential development is not unique to Denver, rather, it is a trend rearranging the personalities of inner cities from Seattle to Austin and Minneapolis to Charlotte. The rising costs of land, labor and certain building materials has made wood framing the default method of construction — allowing for the creation of a business model with an attractive bottom line even though the product itself is anything but.
Supply And Demand
Competing For Space: A crane competes with the Millennium Bridge for skyline space near Denver’s Confluence Park.
According to The Denver Post, area
developers had 26,916 apartment units under construction at the end of 2018,
with a projected minimum of 12,000 units to be built every year for the
foreseeable future. This number is dwarfed by projections from Cary Bruteig,
owner of Denver’s Apartment Insights, a data reporting company that expects
2019 apartment construction to render upward of 25,700 units in 2019.
The phenomenon of cheaply resourced,
quickly erected residential structures gives rise to the issue of longevity.
Will these light-frame, wood fortified dwellings with flat window facades and
multi-colored exterior panels maintain their appeal at the same price point
into the next decade? A surging demand for affordable housing meets that
question with a resounding “yes.” Yet, in the event of a recession or if cheap
construction proves to fail the test of time, these aesthetic atrocities may
prove to be the 21st Century equivalent of 19th century balloon-frame buildings
— which were defined as being poorly maintained, substandard housing for the
lowest social rung of tenancy just above homeless. Lest history forget, these
structures were reduced to ash in tragic events such as the San Francisco Fire
of 1851 and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
The Price Of Cost-Effective Construction
While lack of aesthetic appeal and inflated
prices brought on by high demand are obvious drawbacks, economically built wood
frame construction buildings also carry several subsurface concerns. Structures
of this sort are susceptible to moisture being drawn into wall cavities, where
it can become trapped and foster wood rot due to humidity and the growth of
mold. The latter, in turn, can cause allergic and asthmatic reactions from
occupants. Wood framed buildings are also known for attracting termites, having
low thermal mass (ability to retain heat), offering poor sound insulation
between units, being vulnerable to fire damage and emitting volatile organic
and chemical compounds which diminish indoor air quality.
Distractions Abound
Prominent: Not a Lark in sight, yet the crane is obtrusive.
In a preemptive strategy to counter this
possibility, many developments are attracting top dollar clientele by offering
deluxe, high-end amenities. Luxuries such as on-site car washes, dry cleaners,
full-range fitness centers, work-from-home office areas, dog runs, complementary
weekend brunches and valet trash services aim to disguise the fact that most
tenants are living in identical boxes built by unskilled workers laboring at
breakneck speed. These overpriced cookie cutter domiciles include few, if any
features which discern one unit from another and zero signs of craftsmanship,
personalization or style. Many excited tenants, however, are far too distracted
by innovative diversions such as goat yoga, Zen gardens, tanning beds,
old-school video arcades, bowling alleys and free beer.
High-End On The Rise
An abundance of amenities, perks, on-site
attractions, as well as the inimitable allure of being the first tenant in a
new apartment, all add to the exorbitant rental prices brought on by a high
demand for housing. A new rental in a high-end downtown Denver facility can run
pretty high — such as $7,000+ for 1,324 square feet at Union Denver to $15,000
or more per month for a penthouse suite at The Confluence. Of course, not all
rates are mouth-droppingly Manhattan-esque, as many units appeal to a more
philistine price point such as a studio at The Verve on Delgany for just $1,563
or a studio at the Country Club Towers on Bayaud for a mere $1,855.
A Long-Term Diagnosis
The professional opinion of master
carpenter Richard Welker sheds some long-term light on the subject of
sustainability. Welker, a longtime Denver resident who recently relocated to
Portland, has personally worked on hundreds of wood-frame apartment units. He
attests “lumber isn’t what it used to be, but long-term, you can always repair
the guts of something that is made of wood. Theoretically, if stringent
maintenance protocols are followed, these buildings could last a really long
time.” This statement clearly places long-term viability on building owners and
managers, and whether they continue to be inhabited long after their new veneer
has worn away depends on what, if any, aesthetic taste tenants may have.
Plainly put, if people are willing to pay to rent dwellings that are ugly and
overpriced, they will continue to dominate the rental marketplace and the
skylines of inner city, U.S.A.
