I’m not sure what the reason was, but this weekend a helicopter did some very low and very slow circles over Riverfront Park and Commons Park. They would cruise right by Glass House, sit for a bit, drop over Commons Park, sit for a bit, and then loop around Riverfront Tower.

Again, and again, and again.

Okay… Top 10 reasons the copter was hanging around Riverfront Park

10: Hillary or Obama picking out a picnic site during the convention
9: The mayors increased dog leash enforcement poll
8: The city doing an analysis of rezoning Commons’ park for a Wal Mart
7: Someone getting some “lovin” in Glass House and the pilot kept looping to check it out.
6: Homeland Security practice drills
5: 9 News heard that naked protesters had taken over the park
4: Naked protesters planning their DNC takeover of the park
3: Obama rented out the penthouse in Glass House and his taxi heli was looping for a pickup
2: City is late on Common’s Park mortgage and bank is planning foreclosure
1: ? Let’s hear your ideas

Wow, this was one incredible Fourth of July and there was no more exciting place to be than the Glass House.

But lets just document the day in order

Starting the morning of the fourth a slow growth of individual party camps began popping up across the green grass of commons park. With mini grills set up and the smell of bar-b-q in the air Commons Park become center stage for running dogs, frisbee tosses, and volleyball.

One group, which was doing it right, got there among the very first and set up their own tent on the top of the mound commanding the highest views in the Park.

On my quick dog walk through the park I saw so many happy faces, and even more happy dogs, enjoying and getting prepared for the great evening ahead.

As the sun set we headed over to Glass House to join in what had to be the biggest party of the year. The lobby was pulsing with excitement as people flowed in and out of both towers. Caterers arrived with food in hand. Residents and guests arrived carrying, pulling, toting and dragging everything from fine wine to PBR, fried chicken and burgers to cheese trays. This place was hot. There were even folks in the lobby holding signs to assist people in finding their party. And no one I met was planning on attending just one.

Our first stop was the pool deck with our first party in one of the spectacular terrace units. These folks have it made with their own outdoor party space plus spill out to the pool level. I talked to a few of the folks I new who were staking out the pool and found out that many had been out here since the early am hours. They had come in groups and laid claim to their own individual kingdoms, taking turns patrolling their zones and chilling out with drinks while others in the group migrated throughout the building visiting other parties or taking on supply responsibilities to refill the coolers. But all was still cool and relaxed, with everyone respecting the building and each other. So far so good.

Before dusk we headed up to a bit more quiet spot overlooking the city and the pool deck. It was a cool night, just a few sprinkles of rain, and great views out to the city and Coors Field. As the night went on we got perhaps the most unexpected of all treats. From Glass House the other fireworks across the city and in the burbs were visible. From every directions we got a periodic treat of fire and color.

And then of course we got our grand show right in front of us with Denver’s awesome fireworks show. Here are a couple of some of my favorite shots from the night.

To improve our wonderful show mother nature joined in and gave us some wonderful heat lighting across the sky. With flashes of white brilliance in the sky the lightning created the most powerful show of all. The haze and smoke from our man made fireworks only allowed mother nature to create even more of a glow with every burst. I tried to capture a few shots of this as well and got a bit lucky, but as you know lightning is impossible to predict.

And of course, I had to geek out on the great glow that the fireworks and everything did against the panes of glass and with the night photos. Here are a few of those favorites.

And then, of course, a few folks start to take things even farther. These folks jumped in the pool still with their clothes on. Guess when you forget your suit you just have to make do.

.But of course the end of the fireworks gets crazier than the show itself. Lines of traffic stretched across town and the massive exodus of everyone leaving the show clogged not only elevators but streets and sidewalks. Off for more partying, the happy residents and visitors of downtown took off for their next event.

Myself, I just chilled out scanned back through the shots and thought what a wonderful visual the city and this night was. Hope you all enjoyed your fourth as well. Lets hope the rest of the events over the night shared the same respect and civility I saw at the beginning of the night. But I have heard that there were some folks, there always are, who may have gotten a bit out of hand.

The ability to have such a wonderful night, to celebrate with friends and neighbors so openly, and to be able to relax through it all with a smile and a laugh we need to be able to trust each other. I heard that a very few (and you know who you are) might have forgotten your manners. Don’t. This city rocks. The people are awesome. And we all want to have as much fun (or more) next year too in this wonderful community we live in.

With that I wish you all a happy belated independence day. Let’s celebrate everyones right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Later!

“You know what that is?” the man walking towards me on Little Raven stated.

“What what is?” I responded, unsure of what this gregarious dude with a huge grin on his face was talking about.

He turned and pointed up towards Glass House where a man suspended in the sky labored to clean the windows on a lower floor.

“What that is.. there” he said to me again with that same huge grin.

With a gleam in his eye he got to lay out his punch line… “That there is JOB SECURITY”

I had to laugh. Certainly a window washer for two 23 story Glass Towers does have quite the job security. Good one dude.

A sign in the Glass House says the pool opens March 30th.

Can’t you tell?

We got more snow. Uh… yeah??  At least it helps our water supply.

This is old news, but I was out of town and everyone is buzzing about this article in the Denver Business Journal. Trammell Crow has acquired some of the land around Prospect Park and are putting in some luxury apartments. How hot is that.

Loosely translated, there are going to be alot more bodies living downtown. This influx of people contributes to what I call the positive spiral. You have heard of the death spiral, where one bad thing leads to another. The positive spiral is just the opposite of that… all things positive.

More people move in to Denver.

More Restaurants want to be there, better restaurants compete to come in.

More shops, amenities, activities, etc. all move in as well.

And then of course more people want to move in to dowtown Denver.

Shake, stir and repeat…

Rental project coming near Ajax Lofts
The Denver Business Journal – 5:25 PM MST Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Developers plan to build an “upscale rental project” on about five acres of land near the Ajax Lofts, a largely undeveloped neighborhood directly west of Coors Field, according to details of a recent letter sent to nearby homeowners by Urban Neighborhoods Inc.

Homeowners are invited to a “design meeting” for the new project at 6 p.m. March 7.

Trammell Crow Residential has the property under contract, according to the letter. A Trammell Crow representative didn’t return calls for comment. The property previously was part of a plan to build a live/work residential neighborhood next to the existing Ajax Lofts near 20th and Inca streets.

“Costs … have escalated by more than 30 percent, making further timely development a challenge,” according to the letter, which asks recipients to contact Jack or Dana Crawford with any questions. Dana Crawford owns Urban Neighborhoods, a development and real estate company. Crawford didn’t return a call for comment.

“Based on stagnant sales prices and escalating costs, Prospect Place, as originally conceived, is no longer buildable. At the same time, the apartment market has improved dramatically,” the letter said.

The land is currently zoned for high-density development. It’s less than a one-half mile to Union Station, where several other condominium projects have been completed recently, including the 23-story Glass House project at the corner of 18th and Little Raven streets.

What is a view worth? I thought it would be worth quite a bit and it looks like that turned out to be correct. In the past 24 hours two more units came on the resales market with great views. One of them would have been a very high floor city and mountain corner two bedroom and the other a very high floor one bedroom with mountain views.

These resale properties hit the market and were snatched up instantly with list prices reaching $600 per foot (This most recent listing was a two bedroom around 1240 square feet for $745K).

So what is a view worth, apparently quite a bit. Or maybe it is the ability to walk through the building and see the amenities, the pool, the lounge, and more. Reality can be alot cooler than concept. As Denver grows, evolves, and continues to develop the idea of having incredible views will always have an audience. But similar to the mountain towns, if you have a piece of something good and you sell it you might just be leaving yourself out in the cold. Folks who had their own ski in ski out locations and sold them might not be able to buy those back today.

I popped by Land Title today and took this photo from the windows at the closing table. This cracks me up because Land Title is the company handling all the Glass House Closings.  So every person who is sitting down for their closing can check out their own contribution to the skyline while they sign the final docs.  Nice.
There has been so much discussion about how the view from Glass House is incredible, I thought it was interesting to see how this view looking at Glass House had gotten that much cooler as well.

Gotta Love it!

Last night was a wonderful party in the Glass House lounge. New residents who have moved in got a chance to meet, enjoy the newly created Glass House Martini or glass of wine, and eat sushi or other tasty treats.

A small group of us ended up outside by the Fire Pit, which I have never seen lit before. This is such a terrific spot for relaxing with the city views. There is just something about sharing stories and laughter around a fire that feels right. Maybe we have never evolved from the cavemen and sitting around the fire is in our most basic instincts.

Either way, it rocks.

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