The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced that the South Lincoln Park homes development in Denver is to be the recipient of $10 million in public-housing grants.  As a part of its allocation of grants under the federal stimulus program, the funds will be directed through the Denver Housing Authority. The Denver Housing Authority previously announced that it will redevelop the 15-acre area of South Lincoln at West 10th Avenue and Osage Street. To include demolishing the current 270-unit complex and replacing it with 900 new units, the redevelopment also calls for the placement of a central plaza at Navajo Street and 10th. Residents of the area are concerned that the lack of units exceeding 3 bedrooms will force residents in need of the larger units to leave the area.

The Nichols Partnership, developer of the Spire condo development in downtown Denver announced that it does not anticipate that completion of the development will be stalled due to the recent takeover of the primary lender for the project by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The OCC, a federal regulator of banks shut down Corus Bank on September 11th after the bank failed to raise the capital necessary to stay afloat.  Construction of Spire was previously interrupted by refusal of another lender to continue to fund the project.

The Cherry Creek Place Apartments totaling 141 units at 818-848 Dexter Street sold recently for $5.9 million, or $41,844/unit.  The 100 unit Denver Gardens Apartments at 6801 East Mississippi Avenue also sold recently for $7,791,000 or $77,910/unit.

Plans to redevelop a portion of the Gates Rubber Co. factory site at Broadway/Mississippi have been stalled i since its developer Cherokee Denver has been unable to secure the financing necessary to complete the environmental remediation of the site. Cherokee obtained approvals from the City of Denver and planned to redevelop a total of some 55 acres of the former Gates property west of Broadway with 2,500 housing units and substantial commercial space. Trammell Crow completed 475 apartment units at the southwest corner of Broadway/Mississippi, but Gates Corp has reclaimed title to 16 acres at the northwest corner of the intersection with former factory buildings still present.

The Lowry Vista redevelopment of the former Lowry Air Force Base landfill site is moving forward.  The owner, International Risk Group has applied for approval from the City of Denver of a General Development Plan of the site on the north side of East Alameda Avenue between Dayton and Xenia Streets across from the Windsor Gardens senior apartments.  The proposed development would include some 500 housing units served by a small amount of retail space.  The site was acquired by IRG from the Lowry Redevelopment Authority at a nominal price because of former landfill after it was "capped" to contain asbestos buried there.  IRG specializes in such redevelopments of properties with hazardous materials/conditions and expects approval of the plan after review of the ability of the cap to contain the asbestos by the appropriate state and local authorities.

The Cherry Creek North Neighborhood Association has formally opposed the hotel proposed for development on the site of the Cherry Creek Square retail complex on the south side of East 3rd Avenue between Milwaukee and St. Paul Streets.  The owner has applied for a Planned Unit Development allowing a 110 room hotel, but the neighborhood association primarily objects to the 80' proposed building height in the context of a current 55' height limit.

 
The Beauvallon 15-story condominium building built in 2005 at the northwest corner of 9th/Lincoln is undergoing a $17 million exterior renovation.   The owners association settled a lawsuit with the developer, Craig Nassi and is replacing the entire exterior of the building over some 22 months.  Meanwhile, the retail tenants in the building are being evicted over lease disputes.

The University of Denver has launched a bike-sharing program as the new school year starts.  Students and faculty have free use of 20 bicycles stored at two kiosks near Nagel and Centennial Halls on the campus.  The program was started by students intrigued by the proposed Denver Bike Share program which is scheduled to start in the central business district several months from now.
 
Transportation Solutions is invites you join in a hands-on workshop to explore how to apply "Living Streets" principles in Denver. As part of the final phase of the Metro Denver Living Streets Initiative, this workshop will:
 
·  provide an overview of the EPA's Complete Streets Task Force report;
·  engage participants in discussing local transportation, health, environmental, and economic priorities;
·  ask break-out groups to design an actual thoroughfare using Living Streets options, in "The Right of Way Game"
 
Thursday, October 15
6:00 to 8:00 PM
Schlessman YMCA - East Yale Avenue at South Colorado Blvd.
Light refreshment and beverages will be served
 
As a part of its renovation of the streetscape, the Cherry Creek North Business Improvement District is replacing parking kiosks with a pilot program allowing parkers to pay by phone.  According to Denver Council Member Jeanne Robb, the six month test is designed to determine the impact Pay by Phone will have on customers, infrastructure management and Right-of-Way Enforcement.   Public Works has established a brief survey at www.denvermeter.com aimed at collecting public opinion on this new option.  The website will be open for comments when the service debuts in mid-October.

 

To use the service, motorists must first sign up for a free Pay by Phone account online at www.paybyphone.com or by calling Verrus at 1-888-480-PARK (7275).  Information requested will be the motorist's mobile phone number, license plate and credit card number.

 

Once signed up with a free pay by phone account, users simply call the toll free number from their mobile phone and key in the location number that is posted on the meter or nearby signs and the amount of parking time desired.

 

The appropriate total, plus a 35-cent service fee including the text message reminder cost, will be charged to their credit card.  A history of transactions is viewable any time the user logs into their account.

 
The Pay by Phone system also gives citizens a way to reduce the chance of receiving a parking citation.  A text message reminder can be sent to the user's phone minutes before their time expires, and parkers also have the ability to call back and add additional parking time remotely from any phone.

The City of Denver will start construction in October of the widening of Cherry Creek Drive South between University and Colorado Boulevard.  The $4.3 million project is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2010.  The street will be a consistent width with sidewalk on both sides, some 150 trees will be planted alongside and perhaps a pedestrian bridge will be built across Cherry Creek near Garfield or Harrison Streets.

The City is also studying improvements to East 1st Avenue between Steele Street and Colorado Boulevard.  Deaths resulting from pedestrian/vehicle accidents a couple of years ago near the west end of the street prompted examination of traffic calming devices such as added parking, medians, etc.  The city emphasizes that no funds have been allocated yet for improvements, only this study.