You know that boarded up ugly old building on the corner of 15th and Little Raven.  The one that is an ugly eyesore with the fenced off trash yard next to Confluence Park.  Yes, that one.

It’s coming down.  As I’m writing this I can see the cranes scraping everything away.  Does this mean that the Ray Supa project is moving forward?   They had that big vote/debate about the zoning changes last year (or has it been longer… I forget) to put in a tower structure.  Is this building coming down today because it was an eyesore that encouraged squatters or does this mean that a new project is about to be underway.  Demolition or Development… what is the next step?  Anyone have renderings of what the new corner will look like.

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

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.

Wewatta project planned

A mixed-use development is set to be built just north of Union Station. The $175 million project will include a hotel and shops.

By Margaret Jackson
Denver Post Staff Writer

Article Last Updated: 08/09/2007 11:36:15 PM MDT

A Colorado Springs developer is planning a $175 million project that will include offices, shops, restaurants and a boutique hotel in the Central Platte Valley.

Sunshine Development Co., headed by Jannie Richardson, paid Trillium Corp. $16 million for 1.83 acres at 1601 Wewatta St., just north of Union Station. Denver’s 125-year-old train depot is being redeveloped and will serve as a hub for transit connecting all parts of the metro region.

Sunshine’s plans include a 450,000-square-foot office building, up to 70,000 square feet of shops and restaurants and a 150-room boutique hotel. The project will be 14 stories.

“This is 100 percent location,” said Marilee Utter, president of Citiventure Inc., who is serving as an adviser on the project. “It’s a beautiful corner. It’s a gateway site, and it deserves top- drawer design.”

Richardson said she is working with a tenant that would occupy at least 400,000 square feet of the office space. She declined to name the firm.

She also said she has lined up two five-star restaurants that will take a total of 27,000 square feet of the retail space.

Construction should begin by the first quarter of 2009.

Tami Door, president and chief executive of Downtown Denver Partnership Inc., said she is excited about the prospect of more retail, in addition to the restaurants planned for the project.

“The more concentration of retail we have downtown the better,” she said.

But with Opus, Hines and Trammell Crow Co. each developing office buildings nearby, some question the need for more office space.

“There’s getting to be a lot of office space,” said Randy Nichols, president of the Nichols Partnership, which is developing a $130 million project that will be anchored by a 55,000-square-foot grocery store in the Central Platte Valley. “And retail is going to be a bit of a tough sell until the whole transportation center gets up and going.”

Sunshine is expected to form a joint venture with a national development firm on the complex, which will be designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold standards.

Sunshine has hired Portland, Ore.-based Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects to design the project in conjunction with the Denver firm Shear Adkins. The Portland firm designed the recently completed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency building in Lower Downtown.

Residents of Glass House are going to really love this access point as it creates the newest access point for the city. I am looking forward to a short cut for a sunny afternoon Rockies game. But don’t get your hopes up yet, with the time it takes to complete and the infrastructure that still has to be added for the street scape in that area it will probably be some time before you can walk across. Perhaps if City House wraps up in 2009 then the bridge will be ready at the same time. One can only hope.

Either way this is one more pedestrian bridge addition that is make Denver even better. Maybe not as exciting as the Pedestrian bridge over I-25 connecting the Highlands and Riverfront, but still cool.

Anyone have any idea what it will look like?

While Denver is not the same as these other cities, and thankfully our crime is more manageable, the point of the article rings true. Riverfront Park and the Central Platte Valley were much different only a decade ago. Today they are one of the safest and most wonderful neighborhoods to live and spend time in.

Granted, the master HOA funding of off duty police officers paved the way for an almost immediate change to make the area one of the safest in Denver, but more importantly the influx of residents who made the area their home and put “eyes on the street” really have done the biggest change. And just imagine what will happen with the next 389 units in Glass House followed by all the other exciting developments.

What are the next areas to change in Denver? It might be a more challenging question to ask which areas won’t change. With the constant improvements going on, the new Union Station development, and new restaurants opening weekly the whole downtown is evolving. And if you are one of the residents downtown who are part of creating that change, making that value, and adding character to the area, I hope you become an owner soon. Because as the area changes and rents go up over the next ten years the people who helped to create that character may have to move on if they don’t own their own piece. I watched this happen in the Vail Valley where I lived for 8 years. Those who didn’t own eventually had to move away or father down valley as property values increased.

So check out this interesting article. What are the areas of Denver that are changing the fastest. What are the fringe neighborhoods, what are the up and comers, and what are the next prized locations

By Emily Meehan
From The Wall Street Journal Online

When David Vallas, 28 years old, decided to take a year off from his lucrative job as a systems engineer and move from Anchorage, Alaska, to Pennsylvania, where he grew up, he needed to do it cheaply. He wanted to relax, hang out with his dog, and maybe write a book.

His girlfriend would be the breadwinner, but she didn’t have a job lined up in Philadelphia. He grew up in the suburbs, but she was set on the city. In December, they moved into an $875-a-month two-bedroom house in West Philadelphia, a part of town that is cheaper than many other neighborhoods. The two-story unit is within their budget and has a washer, dryer and yard.

But Mr. Vallas is not relaxed.

Video Clip Hrag Vartanian gives a tour of his Bushwick neighborhood in Brooklyn, N.Y.

In early January, he and his girlfriend heard gunshots outside their door. They huddled in the basement. Police arrived, and chased a suspect along the side of their house. An officer at Philadelphia’s 18th precinct casually characterizes the incident as an argument between two acquaintances, not a homicide. “In the end, a bullet went through our right neighbor’s window,” says Mr. Vallas. “Four bullets went through our upstairs neighbor’s car. Police tape was strewn across our porch.” When a neighbor later suggested that the chipped bricks on the side of his house were the result of bullet ricochet — not from the mayhem in January, but from a shooting incident three months before — Mr. Vallas and his girlfriend decided to move.

For young adults on a tight budget in the city, moving to a less expensive — and less fashionable — neighborhood is a way to make ends meet. The hood has perks. In addition to more space for less money, we may find historic housing stock, a bohemian atmosphere, and vibrant multicultural communities. Many of us were brought up in the suburbs. Now we either can’t afford to move back, or can’t stomach the prospect of being so isolated and bored ever again. But as Mr. Vallas learned, there may be irreconcilable downsides.

Besides gunshots, Mr. Vallas says there’s a litany of problems on his block. There are two condemned buildings. Their backyard is actually a mudflat where neighborhood dogs jump the fence and attack their Doberman pinscher, Phoenix. The front porch attracts uninvited neighbors who leave empty Pepsi bottles and chip bags in their wake. One neighbor relieved himself on the side of Mr. Vallas’ house.

Next month, he and his girlfriend will move to a pricier part of town, near Philly’s posh Rittenhouse Square, where they’ll rent a smaller apartment for $900 a month. “There’s less likely to be a shooting there,” says Capt. Benjamin Naish, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia police department.

Others who cope with inner-city conditions may be amused by the cat-calls of local lotharios and appreciate graffiti. These hearty individuals can be rewarded for their patience.

Hrag Vartanian, 33, is one of them. He first moved to New York City’s Bushwick neighborhood in Brooklyn six years ago, when the area was in bad shape. Much of Bushwick burned in riots, looting, and arson prompted by a 1977 blackout — and the housing stock still hadn’t recovered. In 2000, Mr. Vartanian’s rent for an 850 square foot loft was $1,000 a month — quite low for a comparable space in fancier city districts. The price was right. He was single, a free-lance writer and earning just over $30,000 a year working at a nonprofit in Manhattan. He says he wanted to live alone, with more space and light to do his writing than he had in a basement apartment he had shared in Manhattan.

In 2001, Bushwick’s 83rd police precinct had 606 violent crime complaints, including rape, felony assault, and murder. Five miles south, in Brooklyn’s tony Park Slope neighborhood, the 78th precinct had 120 violent crime complaints the same year. Mr. Vartanian says he was robbed of his cellphone once while walking down the street, attacked once by muggers and, he says, there was a crack house at the end of his street. The neighborhood had small grocery stores and only a few restaurants, where he says the staff often gave him the cold shoulder. But he puts a positive spin on it: “It encouraged us to cook,” he says. He laughed at the teenage wise guys who heckled him, and befriended his fellow tenants: a carpenter, a bartender, a writer, an artist. “It put me at the epicenter of creative life in New York,” he says.

Mr. Vartanian and other creative types may have helped spur Bushwick’s continuing gentrification. Though he says his rent has not increased significantly in the past six years, nearby loft spaces of the same size, listed on Craigslist.com, are on the rental market now for $1,600 to $2,000 a month. A couple of hip restaurants have arrived, and quirky residents of the area’s copious converted warehouses host dance performances, D.J. parties, rock concerts and open studio tours that make it into blogs, newspapers and magazines. Mr. Vartanian says that “The New York Times,” long absent from neighborhood shops, is finally available. The crack house went out of business. Its building has been refurbished and adorned with a graffiti mural of penguins, sanctioned by its owner. The number of violent crime complaints in the 83rd precinct was down to 436 in 2006.

Young adults have been homesteading in neglected urban neighborhoods since after World War II, according to geographer Neil Smith, an author and professor who studies gentrification at New York’s CUNY Graduate Center. Artists did it long before, in spurts, he says. Now gentrification by the poorer, younger crowd is almost systematic in cities around the world.

That doesn’t mean we will reap the benefits when the neighborhoods become trendy. Unless we buy, we may eventually have to leave when the urban trenches become rose gardens — and rents rise accordingly. “People who are moving in at the front end of the process often become victims, along with the long-time residents, of the very gentrification that they helped foment,” says Mr. Smith.

In Atlanta, Andy Sisk, 27, says he and his wife bought a three-bedroom house in the Edgewood neighborhood two years ago for $200,000. “In the suburbs of Atlanta we could have found a cheaper house, but traffic is notoriously bad… and they’re cookie cutter housing developments.”

Mr. Sisk, a financial analyst at a real-estate fund, figures that the value of his 1928 bungalow has appreciated about 5% each quarter on average since he bought it, based on Atlanta real-estate-price-appreciation rates from the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight. “Early on, we suffered two home break-ins and one stolen car stereo,” he says, “but we began to adapt… I enjoy being close to the cultural center of Atlanta where I can catch a play or go to the aquarium.” Mr. Sisk says the eclectic mix of people in his neighborhood has exposed him to sorts of people he didn’t meet growing up in the small Georgia city of Warner Robins. “It has been nice to not worry about ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ next door,” he says.

Part of the reason Mr. Sisk chose the neighborhood in 2004 is because he foresaw a demographic transition and subsequent increase in the value of homes, he says. In chorus, Barnes & Noble, Target and Best Buy arrived with other “big box” stores a year later. However, Atlanta police department crime statistics show that rates of violent crime, robbery and burglary have gone up in Mr. Sisk’s neighborhood in the past two years. While crime there is not the city’s worst, it’s not low either.

In Texas, Christian Stagg, 27, bought a three-bedroom house in East Austin’s Govalle neighborhood last August for $167,000 (about $7,000 less than the median home price in the metropolitan area). Austin’s city demographer, Ryan Robinson, describes Govalle as a “historically undervalued barrio that’s gentrifying. It’s the last part of the urban core that’s affordable,” he says.

Ms. Stagg grew up in rural Idaho. She works in development at a university and produces theater with her husband. The house was in their budget. “People always ask me, ‘Do you walk around at night by yourself?’ but I feel pretty safe,” she says. Their lawn mower was stolen, but otherwise the neighborhood has been hospitable. She can walk to the theaters she works in and to an organic farm a few blocks away where she gets the bulk of her groceries. “After growing up in a rural community where you are so dependent on cars … it’s huge.”

Email your comments to rjeditor@dowjones.com.

– January 25, 2007

Urbanites are social. We throw our dinner parties, our martini balls, our football get togethers, and our impromptu late nights with friends. So what do we consider a bare essential…. our wine store and having a great selection available for us.

So join me in getting to know Little Raven Vineyards and Peter Klann, Proprietor.

Peter, can you tell me what first attracted you to wine, what you love about it and a little bit about your background?

Shortly after moving to Colorado in 1976 my wine adventure began in the cellar of a neighbor who had an extensive collection of French and German wine. I have traveled to several of the major wine regions in the world to further my education. My formal wine education includes advanced Sommelier and Advanced Wine and Food paring certificates from the IWG.

What was your inspiration for Little Raven Vineyards and the wines you select?
The exploration of wine is a journey and we would like to be the tour guides. At Little Raven Vineyards we focus on smaller production wines from all over the world in all price points. Some old favorites, some new and undiscovered

Lets start with Reds. What’s hot right now?

Since the movie Sideways Pinot Noir has been red of choice. Girardet, Umpaqua Valley Oregon, and Cooper Mountain Willamette valley Oregon are both outstanding wines.

Now whites, any unique finds you would recommend people stop by and pick up.

Mormoraia’s Vernaccia from Tuscany is a great wine to match with Seafood. I really enjoy Chateau Felice Chalk Hill Chardonnay, it is fermented in stainless steel and has a clean crisp style not often seen in California chardonnay.

There are so many great wines around the world, how do you know which ones are the best?

Taste, taste, taste, and taste some more each of the wines we select for placement is personally checked for quality. It is one of the really enjoyable parts of the job. I also read several wine journals on a regular basis.

(My note, that doesn’t sound like a bad job now does it!)

Talk about locating in Riverfront Park and the Central Platte Valley and what attracted you to this location. Are there unique elements to this location?

Riverfront Park is an excellent blend of quality people, open space, diverse architecture. I have been here two years and I enjoy all the elements that make this great community. The people who live and work here make it unique.

You have more than just wine. Can you tell us what other items you provide?

We carry spirits, beer,mixers, gift bags as well as a small amount of glassware.

You were open during the blizzard. How was business?

We were open and did a landoffice business. It was really fun all the neighbors stopped by to stock up.

Does Little Raven hold any special events? Are there any dates we should mark in our calendar?

We have wine tastings in store on Wednesdays from 4PM to 7PM and on Saturdays from 2PM to 7PM

We would love to have other recommendations, would you like to give us periodic wine recommendations and keep our taste buds happy.

I would be happy to.

Anything else we should have asked?

We offer a frequent buyers program, and discounts on 1/2 case, full case, and multi case purchases. I can also help out with food and wine paring if you are planning a special meal.

Know of a business or individual we should interview, just email me!

Attending this weekend’s Bridge opening I got the opportunity to speak with one of the Projects Managers with the Denver Department of Parks and Recreation who was onsite to take advantage of the crowds. He and his team had set up two displays of some landscaping and green space improvements that are planned on the Northern side of the platte river (the opposite side from Commons Park). The goal is an expansion of the green space between 15th and 19th (If I remember correctly) with an expansion of the trail system for bikers, walkers, and our general enjoyment.

The purpose of the Park’s folks attending was to highlight the two different ideas, one being more structured and the other being more fun and free. I took a couple pictures of their plans, which won’t offer much insight, but at least might lay out the larger plan.

I am going to shoot an email to the Projects Manager and see if he won’t contribute to this blog entry and share some more details about the two different plans. The point is… this looks very cool. Expanding our green areas and giving our trails a face lift is wonderful, and with all the new residents that are moving into the CPV the usage of these trails will be going through the roof.

Yeah!

Events, ribbon cutting, and more. I cruised by during the ribbon cutting ceremony and you could just feel the excitement in the air. Which is good because you really couldn’t hear the speakers at all. Someone was commenting about how years ago none of what surrounds us was there. That is certainly true, and if you think about how much the area will be growing and evolving with the Union Station expansion, the growh in the Highland area, and RTD… it won’t look anything like it does today very soon.

Denver is growing up, and the Central Platte Valley is growing along with it in terms of the elements I love (Architecture, new restaurants, new culture, and walkable infrastructure). Very cool.

So go check out the bridge and enjoy letting your feet carry you to your next cup of coffee, glass of wine, tasty appetizer, or just a casual stroll You will be among the company of the crowd of happy locals I saw there, just looking at another milestone in our urban growth.

Its not just the new pedestrian bridge that opens on Saturday the 16th, but also a new restaurant called Vita. I would give you a review, but it’s not open yet. If you get a chance to visit make sure to come back here and comment. With all the great restauants in the Central Platte Valley and the Highlands, this one should hopefully follow suit and be a treat.

Check out more information here.