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.”
It appears that some segments of American society are unaware that various flus sweep through this country, starting late fall each year, killing 30,000 to 70,000 people. Even though flu shots are provided free every year, approximately half the population does not even get vaccinated. True, the flu vaccines are only approximately 46% effective, but to cut your risk of getting the flu in half would appear to be an extremely good idea.
Now comes the coronavirus (for which there is no vaccine yet), as well as, an assortment of other flu viruses. The coronavirus appears to be highly contagious but not particularly deadly for anyone other than seniors with weakened immunological systems.
At least some of the persons who have died from complications of the coronavirus would also be at high risk if they contracted any of the other flu viruses going around this year. Many also had relatively short longevity expectations.
What has been unique about the coronavirus is the governmental response to it, both here in the United States and abroad. Here in Colorado, Governor Polis ordered all ski resorts closed for at least 30 days, all dine-in services at bars and restaurants, as well as closing gyms, casinos, theaters, coffeehouses, cigar bars, brewpubs and distillery pubs. All schools have been closed until at least April 17, 2020. None of the seven states contiguous to Colorado have adopted all of these draconian measures.
In 2009/2010 the swine flu, that originated from Mexico, infected 60.8 million Americans and killed 12,429. However, in Colorado, no such drastic measures were undertaken. Why? Some millennials point out that the swine flu overwhelmingly affected and killed the young while the coronavirus devastates those in the boomer generation and older. Millennials also note that the brunt of the economic hardships in Colorado that result in inevitable recession as a result of the economic stoppage will be borne by younger adults who are just starting new businesses or just entering the workforce. Conversely, they note among most of the politicians’ leadership positions in Washington, both parties are septuagenarians.
Governor Polis declared at his press conference announcing the mandated shutdowns that “Colorado is open for business.” Really? Is he talking about internet businesses where he made his tens of millions or perhaps the business of building high density apartment complexes throughout the Front Range? For the most part other portions of the economy are going to be very much challenged. The oil and gas industry, already reeling from ever-increasing restrictions imposed, is going to be further decimated by record low prices across the world. Tourism in Colorado is all but shut down for an indeterminate period of time, along with it the hotel and resort industry in Colorado, and, of course, the sports sector of the state economy.
Trump at the national level can just simply print another billion dollars in stimulus money while adding more billions of dollars to the national debt. But Polis on the other hand, cannot deficit spend at the state level. He will find that by a stroke of a pen, he can close businesses throughout the state, but he has little or no power to revive an economy spiraling into a recession.
While the number of coronavirus cases are increasing at a rapid rate in Colorado, they are far eclipsed by the all-time record-breaking rate of those attempting to claim unemployment in the state in response to the Governor’s proclamation. “We’re seeing one-day or likely one-week and two-week spikes like we never saw in the Great Recession,” Jeff Fitzgerald, the state’s unemployment insurance director notes. Rest assured the ripple effect from the governor’s proclamations are just beginning.
Is the economic devastation of the State of Colorado necessary? On the one hand it is difficult to blame politicians like Polis for fearing political retribution if they don’t get ahead of the curve on the spreading worldwide pandemic. Politicians started forbidding gatherings of more than 500, then 250 and now no more than 10. Countries like Italy have quarantined the entire population, while others like South Korea did not shut down the economy but mandated the wearing of face masks. Despite what some in the media are telling you, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) respirator masks, made to the specification of N95 or greater, can be effective in limiting the spread of the coronavirus. To date, South Korea has been more effective in controlling the spread of the virus than Italy, with all of its quarantines.
In addition to accepting the 34,100 flu deaths last year Americans also accept the fact that 38,800 die on our roads every year without an afterthought because we do not want to go back to the horse and buggy days. At some point rather than simply forcing the closing of business after business and forcing a recession on what was once a vibrant economy, those who make the decisions in Colorado, need to study what works and what does not. Politicians need to start making the hard decisions and not simply taking the easy out. The coronavirus deaths in Colorado as well as the much more numerous flu deaths will begin to recede as spring turns to summer while the self-induced economic recession will not.
We are now well into the first year of
Mayor Michael Hancock’s final and desultory third term. Ugly high-density and
poorly constructed apartment buildings are still going up everywhere, while
parks and open space are destroyed and predatory bike lanes arise that severely
impede the flow of traffic in the city, making some neighborhoods far less
enjoyable and livable than just five years ago. The mayor continues to spend
much of his time in Atlanta, where he can engage in his favorite pastime,
chasing skirts, far from the scrutiny of the citizens he rules.
What is different in his Honor’s third term
is the 13-member City Council that acts like an actual city council and not
simply a rubber stamp Politburo for a tin pot dictator. Incredibly in the
entire time in office as mayor he has not vetoed a single piece of legislation
aside from his recent veto of a form of a pit bull ban, approved by the City
Council by a 7 to 4 margin. It will take nine votes to overcome the veto. Even
Governor Polis is opposed to the legislation. He shared a picture of him and
his pit bull on social media.
We don’t particularly like City Council
feeling the need to legislate various aspects of many people’s lives either,
but that is not the point. In his first two terms, the city council members
would not dare to pass anything that he did not approve of for fear of
retribution. Perhaps the sudden signs of political courage are a result of Mr.
Hancock being a lame duck mayor who can’t run for another term, unless, of
course, he pulls a “Bloomberg” at the last minute.
But we think it is more of the makeup of
the members of the present council. In 2015 the citizens of Denver elected four
potential rebel new council members — Wayne New, Rafael Espinoza, Kevin Flynn
and Paul Kashmann — who defeated the choices of the mayor and the high-density
developers. The citizens hoped and expected the new members to fight the good
fight but, in fact, nothing changed. Rafael Espinoza behind-the-scenes urged
and virtually begged his fellow council members to once, just once, stand up to
the mayor, but they simply would not.
The election last spring also brought in
four new potential rebel council members — Chris Hines, Candi CDeBaca, Amanda
Sandoval, and Amanda Sawyer — who most council observers expected to be
co-opted just like the 2015 class. But they greatly underestimated Ms. CdeBaca.
She had upset Albus Brooks who was not only the close friend and political ally
of the mayor’s, but the favorite to be the next mayor of Denver. A radical, she
wasted no time in informing the mayor that there was a new sheriff in town and
she was not going to be one more poodle council member.
Amanda Sawyer crushed another close ally of
the mayor, Mary Beth Susman, in District 5 in the 2019 election. She was viewed
by some as not having the grit of Ms. CdeBaca and perhaps far too dependent on
her political sisters from Emerge, a program that trains Democrat women for
local political office, and which helped her get elected in 2019.
But by and large Sawyer has demonstrated
that she is made of the right stuff. One of the problems with the prior
councils is they let the mayor’s staff and appointees push them around. The
mayor’s men and women had little or no respect for what they viewed as weak and
cowardly elected officials on the City Council.
Employees from Denver’s Department of
Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) were regularly showing up late for
meetings, leaving early and failing to provide information about projects.
After nine months of this type of conduct Councilwoman Sawyer had enough of it.
She went to Human Resources and the Mayor’s Office to complain that this
conduct was putting her constituents in danger. When they laughed her off, she
further indicated that she would vote against any and all DOTI projects until
the situation was remedied.
The mayor was shocked. He was simply
treating City Council members in the same manner he always had. He quickly went
to sycophantic Denver media to trash her, which they did. The DOTI Executive
Director Eulois Cleckley told the press that the whole matter “really boils
down to a personality conflict.” That is to say that Ms. Sawyer is very
difficult to work with, which would surprise anyone who knows her. Cleckley
went on to declare, “I was a little disappointed. Having tactics like this that
potentially can delay our services or projects. It actually hurts our ability
to do what’s right for the city and county of Denver.”
Ms. Sawyer said she felt she was being
attacked essentially for being a whistleblower. She declared “that this has
turned into a campaign to smear me so that this changes the conversation, and
that’s not fair.” She is of course right. Sawyer backed down about the voting
part, but she had placed a marker about how she expected to be treated on
behalf of her constituents.
Next time she needs to bring along a few of
her fellow council members who need to let the mayor’s personnel know that
Council members are the elected officials and not them. We await that day which
we hope will occur in the very near future.
Breaking Down Denver’s Rising Levels Of Air Pollution
It’s rush hour on a Denver weekday
afternoon and bumper to bumper traffic is making the ride home a frustrating
punishment rather than a jettison to freedom. Then suddenly a jogger flies past
your window and a pang of guilt overcomes you that you are not getting your
cardiovascular exercise for the day.
But is that wannabe Forrest Gump really
engaging in a healthy activity? What the exercise-crazed spandex-clad hordes of
Denver may not be aware of is that hyperventilating amid throngs of automobiles
ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. The air circulating through your lungs is
saturated with elevated levels of ozone. On many a smoggy day, (there were over
100 in 2019) the air hanging over the city is what the Environmental Protection
Agency calls “in serious violation” of Air Quality Index (AQI) standards.
Essentially, by breathing rapidly and deeply next to a busy Denver street, you
may slowly be poisoning yourself.
A Man-made Hazard
A series of circumstances have coalesced to
form what could be considered a perfect storm of pollution across the city.
Increasing volumes of car exhaust due to population explosion, carbon emissions
from oil and gas mining operations, smoke from fireplaces and woodburning
stoves, emissions from power plants and industrial furnaces and sunlight
reacting with molecular oxygen particles has elevated the ozone levels past the
70 parts per billion (PPB) maximum recommended by the EPA. The aforementioned
100+ days in 2019 involved ozone levels past 80 PPB. The national ambient air
quality standards (NAAQS) were redefined in 2015 after extensive research into
the detrimental health effects of common air pollutants such as ground-level
ozone, particulate matter, lead, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon
monoxide.
In Collaboration With Nature
What’s more, a global warming-driven
weather phenomenon known as temperature inversions are acting like an invisible
lid — trapping pollution in the troposphere rather than allowing it to
dissipate up through the stratosphere. Yes, the infamous brown cloud of the
1980s that Denver was internationally mocked for is back once again. This time
around, however, like fugly apartment buildings, a whitewashed retail landscape
and gentrification itself — this phenomenon is taking place in metropolitan
areas across the nation.
In a nutshell, ground-level ozone is
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) reacting with
sunlight and atmospheric air molecules. The Denver Regional Council of
Governments estimates that every day, between 250,000 and 350,000 cars are
being driven across the metro region. This transportation sector is the second
largest contributor of greenhouse gases next to industrial emissions. Plus,
there are over 23,000 active oil and natural gas wells across the front range
as well as numerous power plants across the Denver metro region.
A New Agency To The Rescue?
As of January 1, 2020, the Denver
Department of Public Works was renamed the Department of Transportation and
Infrastructure (DOTI) in a symbolic display meant to mark a new chapter of
planned environmental objectives. Among DOTI’s concerns is the Climate Action
Plan launched by the City of Denver in 2007 and rebooted in 2015. This “plan”
presents an “80×50” objective — meaning that through new measures and policies
the city aims for an 80% reduction of emissions (from the 2005 baseline) by
2050. A recent heavy-handed screed issued by Mayor Michael Hancock’s office
outlines a protocol of “aggressive and decisive action” for reducing emissions
through new renewable energy programs, energy efficiency and low operational
cost of electric vehicles. This letter celebrates Denver as having “a long
history of trailblazing when it comes to climate change.” If that is so, why do
pollution levels continue to rise? All of the industrial facilities, oil wells
and natural gas mines on operation require permits, correct? It would seem that
progress, when left to bureaucracy, is inevitably hindered by the inherent
sluggishness of government. Either that, or the tax revenue generated by these
facilities is simply too hard to pass up. Regardless, it would seem that the
climate action plan (CAP) is really just a bunch of crap.
It’s Up To You
Like traffic jams — where many people are involved but are usually no singular person’s fault, pollution is the cumulative result of many people simply going about their daily business. As willing participants, the responsibility to reduce emissions should be taken up by the populace without being prompted by finger wagging and knuckle cracking from the hand of big brother. The EPA outlines a simple protocol of steps anyone can take at any time to reduce pollution. For example, you can walk, ride your bike, carpool or take the bus instead of driving a single occupant vehicle. Use slow-burning logs instead of wood in your fireplace, properly inflate your times for better fuel efficiency, use environmentally safe cleaning products and paint, reduce use of air conditioners and furnaces and mulch yard waste instead of simply throwing it away. But, and be realistic, you already knew all this, didn’t you? The issue is whether or not you care enough to endure a bit of inconvenience to do your small part, or if you’re going to carry on as usual — assuming that your neighbors and fellow citizens will pick up the slack while you lumber forth in a smog-laden haze. Theoretically, that’s fine enough, but the problem is — they are probably thinking the exact same thing about you.
Denver’s South Pearl Street saw three
businesses exit the market between November and December 2019, becoming the
latest victims to the city’s rising minimum wage and property taxes.
Hanson’s Grill & Tavern, a 21-year
neighborhood staple, shut its doors in December. The Platt Park Tavern closed
on New Year’s Eve after four years of business, and Palizo Italiano closed in
November after just two years.
While it’s reasonable for neighborhood
residents to be concerned about the health of their local shopping district,
Mark Gill, Vice President of the Pearl Street Merchants Association says the
closures remind him of a time in South Pearl’s recent past.
“Seven or eight years ago we had a similar
situation where three restaurants all closed at once,” Gill told the Glendale
Cherry Creek Chronicle in an interview. “People were worried then, but the
neighborhood bounced back just fine, in my opinion.”
As a 21-year veteran of the neighborhood,
including the last 14 years as a member of the Merchants Association and an
owner of two buildings in the neighborhood, Gill says the neighborhood has seen
a steady upward trend. However, that hasn’t kept him from seeing some of the
issues businesses in the area face.
“The nature of the neighborhood hasn’t
really changed much,” Gill said. “A majority of the businesses are mom-and-pop.
But, there’s no denying that rents and property values are going up.”
The Chronicle reached out to Hanson’s, the
Platt Park Tavern and Palizo Italiano for comment but didn’t receive a
response.
Outdated Gallagher Problems
The state’s population boom and continued
residential development that follows are causing problems for businesses all
over Denver because of the criteria set forth in the Gallagher Amendment, a
state constitutional amendment passed in 1982 that altered the way Colorado
assessed and collected property taxes.
Before the amendment was passed, Colorado
collected its property taxes through a complex set of formulas that most
property tax professionals couldn’t fully comprehend. Afterward, Gallagher
effectively decreased the assessment rates whenever statewide residential
property values increased faster than business property values.
The problem? By maintaining this constant
ratio between residential and business property tax assessments, Gallagher has
essentially prevented Colorado from capitalizing on its expansive residential
growth, leaving businesses to pick up the revenue shortfalls.
The Platt Park Tavern provides a perfect
example of this problem. In 2019, the land and real estate tied to the business
was assessed at value of over $4.5 million. The Tavern ended up paying a little
more than $123,000 in property taxes, according to Denver County property tax
records. In 2018, the business paid just under $97,000 in property taxes.
Meanwhile, a 32,000 sq. ft. mansion in
Cherry Hills Village valued at $22 million paid just under $74,000 in property
taxes for the same year. The mansion’s property tax assessment has dropped
nearly 24 percent since 2016 as well.
For perspective, a residential property
with a tax assessment comparable to the Tavern’s paid roughly $37,000 in
property taxes, according to Zillow.
“Right now, we’re seeing far more residential
development than we were two or three decades ago,” Gill said. “In the end
businesses end up paying for a larger part of a shrinking pie.”
New Minimum Wage Problems
Outside of the property tax issue, small
businesses in Denver have to contend with a minimum wage that is slated to
reach nearly $16 per hour by 2022.
For restaurants, a business with
notoriously tight profit margins, even the slightest increase in labor costs
can be detrimental.
The Colorado Restaurant Association reports
that over 200 new restaurants opened in Denver in 2019. On top of that, the
explosive growth of Colorado’s population and its increased reliance on tourism
to bring new faces to the Centennial State has sent restaurant sales
skyrocketing to $13.9 billion annually.
But, between the lines, Denver’s restaurant
scene is becoming more homogenized with chain and franchise restaurants taking
up most of the retail space in Denver County. Local staples like the original
Snarf’s Sandwiches has had to move through multiple locations as it battles
against its labor costs and property tax assessments.
Even The Denver Post is not sold on the
idea that increasing the minimum wage is right for Colorado. In an article from
October 2019, the Post lamented the wage increase as “an exacerbation of the
cost of living issues in Denver.”
Currently, a restaurant worker making the
city’s $12 per hour minimum will need to work 103 hours per week to afford an
average one-bedroom apartment costing $1,652 per month without paying more than
30 percent of their income on rent.
Meanwhile, restaurant owners are concerned
that the new wage hikes won’t be enough to account for the industry labor
shortage.
“Everything we’ve been hearing from our
members, (they) have been saying, ‘How do we find more workers? We need more
people to be working in our establishments,’” Carolyn Livingston, the
spokeswoman for the Colorado Restaurant Association, told CBS 7.
About one-tenth of Colorado’s workforce
works in the restaurant industry. However, the state’s record-low unemployment
rate has elongated the replacement rate once an employee decides to leave.
Sign Of What’s To Come?
Still, there are signs that South Pearl
Street will pull through. One aspect Gill always points to is that there are
hardly any “For Sale” signs hung in the windows of Pearl Street businesses. In
fact, most are sold by word of mouth these days, Gill says.
The neighborhood is also planning on adding
arches at the Jewel, Iowa, and Louisiana entrances as the Merchants Association
awaits the next rotation of businesses. Gill hopes the aesthetic additions will
help spur growth in the area for years to come.
“South Pearl will rebound. These businesses closing at the same time was just a coincidence,” Gill said. “There will always be people coming and going, and people wanting to come in once the others have left.”
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.