It’s time for some grassroots community organizing.

Focus Property Group is planning on building a 7-11 in the Historic Ballpark District at 2425 Broadway, between Silver State Lofts and the PBA Architectural Firm across the street from the Granada Fish Company and the site of the new Plus Gallery. This 7-11 will also be two blocks down from The Samaritan House and Denver Rescue Mission. Focus Property Group is the same group that drove out the independent coffee shop Monkey Bean and claims an all-night convenience store next to an alley already infamous for drug deals will be good for the community. Quick reminder of the 7-11 at 14th and Pearl that eventually had to be shut down because no amount of security cameras or policing could keep it clean. This is a fragile time our for neighborhood and something like a crime-ridden 7-11 could potentially tip it in a direction none of us desire. Not to mention, there’s already an independent mom & pop day-time convenience store on 24th between Walnut and Blake, one block away, that will surely be put out of business.

So what can we do? There is a meeting on Tuesday, November 25th at 6pm in the Premier Lofts (2200 Market St) with Focus Property Group, the Ballpark Neighborhood Association and Steve Oliver, the 7-11 Real Estate Manager for North America. The Ballpark Neighborhood Association will be in the meeting and the people will be in the street. My goal is 200 people in front of Premier Lofts protesting this 7-11 at the time Steve Oliver arrives to decide if this is a good decision for his company or not. I also have a contact at Channel 2 News that I am going to try my hardest to interest in this cause. I am asking people to arrive at 5:30pm in front of Premier Lofts, 2200 Market Street, I will have some signs pre-made, but feel free to make your own. Together we can do this.

This is our neighborhood, this is our opportunity to come together as a community and make our voices heard. Please send this along to anyone you think might be interested stepping forward for the greater good of our community.

In Solidarity,

Brianna Martray

Studio/Gallery
900 Santa Fe Dr, G
Denver, CO 80204

I really enjoy a great TV show.  It’s amazing the cult like factor that a really great and creative show can have for us as a society.  I remember just after college I lived in a great old old apartment.  This was a turn of the century old 4 unit antique building with hardwood floors, french doors, a shoebox kitchen, and one killer walkout to the roof above the deck.  It was surrounded by a streets full of the same style, turn of the century, small brick apartment buildings along with my favorite dark and cozy Irish pub, a few eclectic restaurants, some old school pub restaurants, and of course a ton of people just starting out and loved our little neighborhood.  Entry level accountants, beginner phone reps, waiters, chefs, first year residents, and grad students alike seemed to all flock together on one night or another for a favorite show.  Many brought beer, some might have made or picked up food, and no one was late.

Back then, and I’ll be dating myself, the biggest night was the X-files.  Never knowing what would happen next we watched, we harrased each other, we all screamed “no way” or “gross” or “that looks like the person you kissed in the bar last night”.  But we loved it.  There was a great book about Urban Tribes and how the culture of the U.S. is changing such that our family network becomes our friends or certain “tribes” we create around activites, hobbies, and interests.  No doubt our behavior proved the books point.  We lived simply and laughed alot, somehow no matter what craziness we were getting into, what new job, new relationship, new crisis, or new funk we were in it could always be counted on that we would get together on that certain night and swap stories and be entertained together.  When I packed my bags to move to Colorado one of the girls in our crew even went and picked up an X-Files copy mug and Fox Mulder ID badge.  I have no idea where she found this stuff, but the mug would change it’s message on the side when you filled it with hot water to say “Trust No One”.  The funny thing was these folks werent’ geeks, well maybe just me.  But it was a bond.

Of course today that happens a little less often.  Or at least there are more opportunities for people not to have a ritual around a show.  First, you can tivo/DVR it and there is no need to be at a certain place at a certain time.  Why rush to meet up with the group at 8 PM when you can record it and watch it whenever you want… alone.  Or maybe you can buy it on Itunes and just follow it on your ipod on the train, at the gym while riding the bike, or flying out on that vacation.  Life sure is convenient, but I still fell some nostalgia for our 21st century version of theatre and sharing it with friends.  Give me old school any day.

So now the question for this poll is about what are the shows that have hooked Denver.  Is it Heroes with the superpowerer characters dealing with an upcoming fight with multiple villians?  Is it 30 Rock or the Office with a focus on making us laugh?  Is it any number of the CSI style style shows that have the whodunit style of detective suspense?  Or is it some drama geared around relationships, love and all that gooey stuff?

I don’t know.  But here is your chance to share what shows you will be, or are, watching this fall.  You can pick as many as you want or watch and comment away. I really did try to get as many of the shows coming out this fall as I could but may have missed some. What am I saying, of course I missed some… there are a boatload. These are shows that involve sketch, screen, and other creative writers who want to keep you entertained with stories, characters and/or satire. Sorry, folks, now straight up news reporting. I was even going to exclude reality shows but that would miss out on a HUGE cult following. I have been amazed at how many folks love their reality TV shows. If I missed your favorite, let me know.

To learn more about this fall’s lineup, the station it’s on, or the premier date check out the following Links:

For Dramas http://tvdramas.about.com/od/tvshowsaz/a/fallpremiere07.htm. 

For Animated: http://animatedtv.about.com/od/showsaz/a/fallpremiere.htm

For Comedies: http://tvcomedies.about.com/od/tvcomediesbytitle/a/premiere_dates.htm

I don’t know all these shows so it will be interesting to see the results.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

DNC Update

8-18-08

Dear Riverfront Park Residents:

Last Thursday evening, the City of Denver held an open forum for local residents to discuss the move of the Tent State University (“TSU”) group from City Park to Cuernavaca Park. The meeting was positive and informative and was well attended by local residents. Also, in attendance were several representatives from the Mayor’s Office, Councilwomen Judy Montero, representatives from the Parks Department, Public Works, the Police Department, and the Secret Service. In addition, two representatives from the TSU were present.

City officials explained that TSU obtained a permit for use of the park through a permit lottery process, when a group previously permitted for the park during the DNC, decided not to use the park. TSU will be using the park from August 24-28. TSU representatives said they expect 5,000 attendees per day, although there could be more. City representatives say they plan to enforce all regular park rules and the 11:00 pm park curfew.

A representative of TSU spoke at length about their schedule of events:

TSU will occupy the park during the day and early evening up to the 11:00 pm park curfew. They will set up tents for educational classes, lectures and activities.
They will be camping at the Coliseum or the Pepsi Center protest area.
There will be a small stage (16 feet wide) for music and other activities. The stage will face west towards the highway.
There will be exhibitions by creative artists as well as ongoing seminars on “non-violent” means of protest.
They will have green teams set up working on keeping the park in order and recycling efforts.
They encouraged all neighbors to visit the park during the activities and also visit their website at www.tentstate.org
With regard to parking and access for the TSU participants and local residents, City officials told us the following:

TSU is encouraging their participants to park at outlying “park and rides” and take the bus in.
TSU participants are being encouraged to use 20th Street and then Lodo streets to access the Pepsi Center protest site. TSU concurs because they feel there will be more publicity along this route as opposed to Little Raven Street.
The City will enforce all existing parking restrictions on Little Raven Street (mostly 2 hour parking).
All streets including Little Raven, Platte Street, 20th Street, 19th Street, 15th Street, and 23rd by the Aquarium will be open. It is likely that 15th and Little Raven will be the preferred exit from Riverfront Park as opposed to 20th and Little Raven.
The Denver Police representatives could not be specific as to their plans for security relating to TSU; however, they said that they will have adequate personnel on duty.

Both the City and TSU appear to be organized and ready to move forward in a peaceful manner. Having said that, there may be some individuals that do not want to follow the plan, and, there are several protest groups coming to Denver not related to TSU whose plans have not been made known. DNC events, schedules and activities seem to be in a constant state of flux, too much at times to stay up to date with the changes. The best way to stay informed is through official websites:

www.DenverGov.org

www.DowntownDenver.com

www.DenverConvention2008.com

and 3-1-1.

The Denver Police still plan to have a command post and officer rest station in the plaza at Riverfront Park, located in suite 170 of the Riverfront Tower building. Should you have the need for assistance, please call 911 for emergencies of life and limb, or 720-913-2000 to report suspicious activity or general police questions.

City Park residents are happy because their expressed displeasure may well have gotten the Tent University demonstrators moved. Of course residents in Riverfront Park are less than pleased. With the 16th street corridor in the heart of Riverfront it is expected that Little Raven Street will become the corridor for access between Cuernavaca and the city.

Councilwoman Judy Montero is getting an earful from CPV residents unhappy with the move. Tonight, at 7 PM at the Flourmill lofts (2000 Little Raven St.) Judy will be list

Family in Commons Park on the 4th

What makes a neighborhood a great neighborhood to raise a family? Which criteria matter the most? Would you say it was the school system, the public parks and playgrounds, or simple safety. What about the value of a dollar towards your real estate, because let’s face it people usually make the transition from “There are so many great restaurants around here and check out this view” to “Yeah, but it’s got a lot more square feet” when they start thinking about families.

It’s too bad that the American way of life has created a situation that pushes people away from the heart of their cities when it comes time to think of families. Sometime during the suburban rush of the 70′s and 80′s everyone decided that you want to live in cookie cutter lots outside of the city. The money flowed there, and so did the education driven by the taxes to follow. But what did we sacrifice? That’s a great question and one that is being answered every day as the number of urban parents continues to grow. They say they don’t want their children to grow up sheltered and away from the culture, the diversity, and the education offered by living in a downtown environment. Pushing this growth along at a grass roots level are a myriad of web site forums and communities such as Urban Baby and DC Urban Mom and Dad.

But now with gas prices going through the roof and commutes becoming more painful I believe a lifestyle choice of urban living is gaining in appeal. Not to mention the financial impact this real estate market is taking on the suburbs. Downtown areas and Resort areas have, at least in the Denver marketplace, held onto their value better than most of the suburban areas. And why not, if you have a family a choice to live in the suburbs may mean long and possibly expensive (hopefully you can take the light rail) commuting and less time with your children. Will this new market mean a new financial incentive to live downtown. I think so.

Now not every urban center is the same. I was reading the LA Times blog discussion about the possibility that gas prices will drive real estate buyers downtown. One commenter made a great point in discussing the differences between such cites as Los Angeles and New York and how far apart they are in providing a family friendly environment. The commenter posts…

Downtown LA is a long way from Urban Living. I just spent a week in Manhattan with my wife and realized the many many differences between the two cities. Parks everywhere (not just Central Park), total access to everywhere through public transportation, and a market, deli, chinese, italian, american, pizza, mexican resturaunt, pharmacy, chain store, hardware store, bookstore, bakery, bar within walking distance so you actually don’t even need public transit to do anything except go to work! LA has essentially none of this. There is no comparison.

Reading this I ask myself, how do we ensure Denver becomes more like the New York scenario. The other comments on this blog point out other worries as well. Sure, the gas price increase might encourage buyers to move downtown, but it might only motivate those buyers who are sensitive to the price increases. If we don’t continue to get diversity in our downtowns we might miss out on the tax base needed to provide funding for better schools and other services. Or should the city step in and put education as a priority first and use it to draw in the audience. Maybe a developer will take that leap speculating that they just increased the price per square foot they can sell that next townhouse for. Better build them bigger then. A number of different sites offer viewpoints from parents who say they may have enjoyed their own youth in a suburb, but they were bored and felt disadvantaged in that way. Others who grew up in cities like New York talk about the education and exposure to the arts, culture, people, and activities that they want their own children to have. Which is better, are we missing out. If we look at Europe we see huge societies raising their families in cities. Are their schools better downtown?

When I look at Denver a couple new areas seem to be creating a unique opportunity for a new family focus. First there is Riverfront Park and the proposed Union Station Neighborhood in the Central Platte Valley. They have created a system that addresses one core point of parental concern, safety. Every resident in Riverfront Park pays into a master HOA. That’s a little bit of money from everyone over a very large area. This pays for their own private security in the form of off duty police officers who patrol and respond to even the smallest “I locked myself out” to the highest safety concern. It’s like an Ungated Community. There are no gates but the security stops at the property line. It’s a great idea and helps to provide the residents with security above and beyond their tax dollars. Sure it costs money, but it’s spread across the who area. This area has more than it’s fair share of what most would consider yuppies. And guess what, those yuppies are having fun together at night and making babies. So now you have an area with folks in start up family mode who have figured out safety. Now its a matter of figuring out the schools which could work just like the security does. More on that in a later post.

Just like Riverfront Park, the Highlands are has also become the starter family route. This area offers the best of downtown living plus you might actually have a yard, or a half yard. Plus you have your Mayberry style main street right at 32nd and Lowell. You can have coffee in the morning, pick up flowers for the table, maybe some wine from Mondo Vino or some cheese from next door. There are plenty of little cafes and restaurants and of course some baby or children’s clothing stores. Yep, this area is growing its starter family base. I have heard a couple stories of stolen cars but it seems theft is the biggest crime issue right now. They have nailed down community pretty well because when you walk down these streets you see a number of strollers and couples. And what is one thing parents want for their children? Someone for them to play with. The socialization might just prevent them from growing up to be the next hillside strangler and just might give the parents a reprieve during their day. Most of the other neighborhoods offer some great family communities as well. Wash Park is often mentioned for families and Cherry Creek comes up for schools. You notice pretty quickly that access to a park or green space becomes a priority. Riverfront Park has tons of strollers and children around with the vast expanse of Commons Park and the Skate Park, but I am not sure most of them live there.

So here are three poll questions for you today. Here is the first… What is the most important element of a neighborhood in a downtown for it it be family friendly. In other words, if you could sit down with the Mayor and say “I’ll raise my family downtown if you prioritize fixing this”.Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

And the second, if the city or a developer invested in an urban neighborhood such that it had the reputation of being the best school district in Denver, would you move to or buy your home in that neighborhood? Would that influence your purchase decision?Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

And finally, with how things are today, what is the most family friendly Denver neighborhood? Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

For more of the polls on Denver visit the Best of Denver page.

Related Post: Babies Downtown

The above “Walk Score” is for the address of 1610 Little Raven Street, Denver Colorado 80202, the home of Zengo Restaurant and the heart of the plaza in Riverfront. The score (at least today when writing the post) is 83 or “Very Walkable”. How cool is this tool!!! 8-)

Walk Score calculates, on a scale to 100, how pedestrian friendly (walkable) your address is. If you are looking for a new home or just want to check out your existing home give it a shot. It calculates the score by looking at what surrounds it. Are there restaurants, parks, shopping, bars, etc. All the fun stuff. Here is what Walk Score says the scores mean:

• 90 – 100 = Walkers’ Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
• 70 – 90 = Very Walkable: It’s possible to get by without owning a car.
• 50 – 70 = Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.
• 25 – 50 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
• 0 – 25 = Driving Only: Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car

Now they do concede that their are still some things they are working to figure out. Here is what they say doesn’t work yet:

” There are a number of factors that contribute to walkability that are not part of our algorithm:

• Street width and block length: Narrow streets slow down traffic. Short blocks make it easier to navigate the grid.
• Safety: How much crime is in the neighborhood? How many traffic accidents are there? Are crosswalks well marked and streets well lit?
• Pedestrian-friendly design: Are there walking paths? Are buildings close to the sidewalk with parking in back? Are sidewalks shaded by trees?
• Topography: Hills can make walking difficult, especially if you’re carrying groceries.
• Public transit: Good public transit is important for walkable neighborhoods.
• Freeways and bodies of water: Freeways can divide neighborhoods. Swimming is harder than walking.
• Weather: In some places it’s just too hot or cold to walk regularly.

As MarlonBain said, “You should use the Web 3.0 app called going outside and investigating the world for yourself” before deciding whether a neighborhood is walkable!”

What a great tool for house hunting and evaluating the pedestrian friendly nature of any neighborhood.  I don’t know about you, but I am trying to move further up the Walk Score with every change of residence I make.  So hopefully this helps out those relocating to Denver or those of you contemplating a move.

Please comment back and let everyone know how your address rates.

How did you score?

For those of you who have ideas of what the list should be, and there are quite a few of you, please visit the forum and make your suggestions. Your opinions do matter. The way to be helpful is to share what you think the list SHOULD be, not what it shouldn’t be. Then folks can comment back and forth and maybe we will improve the list a bit. In the meantime, here is the poll revised. Happy voting!
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

By the way, due to a couple of comments about wanting to include more areas of Denver I went to Wikipedia and used their list as of the date of this poll. I won’t do this again. I never meant to cover all the burbs of Denver and wanted to stick to the urban city area. It’s what I like. But please visit the Urban Brain forum and help me define what those city areas are.

For those of you who want all of Denver, this post is for you.

Forum Topic Here