Prospect New Town (Longmont: airport, bikes, best)

[Shuffler]

I live in Longmont, I've seen Prospect. Considered it about 10yrs ago when I was looking. I decided the price of admission was too high. Bring lots of cash...it's one of those 'trendy, overvalued' developments. Some of it is pretty quirky...some of it is pretty cool. If I'm paying on average $500k - $1M for a little house, I'd prefer to have some privacy and some land around me, not living literally feet apart from the next place on the street. Some folks like this type of thing and it has it's merits, especially for families with little kids.

[bxo]

Yeah, travelling through town can be a royal pain. I leave the house at 5 every morning b/c unfortunately my job is in DTC, but it's worth avoiding the traffic.

But yes, so many neighborhoods are ghost towns, and there are lots of people that don't live here that like to hang out!

[mark747]

Prospect is ???? what???-not good right now is the best you could say. The developer and "town architect" have more or less run it into the ground. They never really got the commercial district going and if they do-so what? There isn't any parking if you are a business wants to set up there. And the real estate agents out there are liars. If you look-get your own agent and go for the resales-not anything the agents who work there have. It might be a cool place someday if some of the unprofessionalism disappears and they get a real developer and architect. You get the feeling from the many articles on the web that the only reason the developer made a "new urbanist" neighborhood was so that he could cram as many lots in there as possible. From the look of his junk dump on the south end of Prospect, he doesn't cram himself or his many gas guzzling junkers into the 'eco-friendly-know your neighbor' space he preaches everyone else should live in. And that junk ugly building in the middle of their "town"-so ugly. It's horrible. They should be ashamed, but I've heard the developer Kiki Wallace is a kook-too stupid to feel ashamed. I don't know how you can tout a "planned community" and have it look totally unplanned with too big of a commercial district for the amount of housing that's going to be there and no parking for the commercial area anyway and too narrow of streets and a barely discernable entrance on 287-again because it's obvious the developer just wanted this narrow street to cram as much in there as he could get. It's a real mixed bag out there. Some good some bad. I've hung out there and been in Tusk and seen some really bad stuff going on. The neighbors seem gossipy and unfriendly. And the place is supposed to be a walking community-but every time I've been there all the neighbors seem to drive to get places! I think it started out pretty cool but doesn't seem like a kind, clean, safe, quiet neighborhood at all. They've kind of gone off the tracks. Some offices and a few small businesses and one or two restaurants would have been good, but now they want to put all this junk out there because they are desperate that is going to ruin the quality of life in the community. I mean how many restaurants can you have when there is no parking? But the developer always talks to Longmont and says restaurants restaurants. They should just finish it out with housing and try to make it look nice at this point instead of leaving it like it is and hoping for what isn't going to happen. I've heard there are a lot of people losing there homes out there b/c the developer hasn't finished it but he's too greedy to admit the commercial thing isn't flying and wants to keep selling commercial lots b/c he gets a lot for them. But would you want to live next to that many restaurants that have no parking? They keep cramming all their ideas for unrealistic junk businesses down there and eventually people are going to be parking up by the residential homes. I think the best they could hope for in the neighborhood is that the downtown gets finished as a quiet sort of office park with a few amenities for employees working down there like the diner and yoga place. But Kiki is such a kook he really thinks it's going to be some sort of Pearl street or something. As I said, I get the feeling the place has just gone off the tracks with no one thinking about what's right or good for the place anymore. They've still got an unrealistic picture about it.

[mark747]

Originally Posted by bxo

I should also add that our neighbors are all raving about Sushi Jainken, although we haven't tried it yet because they can't figure out how to set regular hours. That's been a big frustration for us and others. Sometimes they're open for lunch, sometimes just for dinner, sometimes both, sometimes not at all. The owners are new to this though, so it's somewhat understandable, but no less annoying. Anyway, if you get a chance, try it out. I think the interior is a bit conflicted, but hey, if the food is good, who cares?

We tried Sushi Jianken. It was expensive, not good service. And it's never really busy so it's a real mystery to me that they want to open more restaurants in Prospect much less the fact that the Sushi place remains open. There is a big disconnect between that restaurant existing and the trickle of business that comes in the door. Someone with money to waste and burn has got to be behind it because there is no way they make it with the place empty all the time. Like the stuff you see in Tusk, you wonder if weirdness isn't going on with Sushi too. Shady.

[bxo]

Originally Posted by mark747

We tried Sushi Jianken. It was expensive, not good service. And it's never really busy so it's a real mystery to me that they want to open more restaurants in Prospect much less the fact that the Sushi place remains open. There is a big disconnect between that restaurant existing and the trickle of business that comes in the door. Someone with money to waste and burn has got to be behind it because there is no way they make it with the place empty all the time. Like the stuff you see in Tusk, you wonder if weirdness isn't going on with Sushi too. Shady.

Mark747,
TOTALLY agree. We ended up trying it and were incredibly unimpressed with the quality and the prices demanded for said quality. We've only gone twice and we live on the next block over. I'll stick with Amu and Sushi Zanmai (and thanks to a shake-up in the management and employees last year- Hapa too).

Want to talk about junk businesses-please see House and the totally bizarre Whoville spa that just opened. They look junky and never do much business and so it's pretty much a guarantee that it's a hobby business.

Also Tusk was shut down a month or so ago b/c the original owner never paid taxes and had leins for unpaid bills out the wazoo. We went to it in the beginning, but then when it became populated by meatheads and the neighborhood drug dealer, we stopped going. Yes, we have a neighborhood drug dealer who obviously taps their stash b/c each time we see this person they look thinner and more haggard. It's pretty revolting. We stay out of the social scene because it's full of Southern Californian weirdos/trash with questionable morals (was at one party and witnessed resident drug dealer snorting coke with their 9 year old daughter right there).

I love our place and the architecture as a whole, but the neighborhood has lost direction for multiple reasons-the economy being one, the freaks that live here another. It's sad, but the best we can hope for is that it will eventually turn around.

[whoisjongalt]

I lived in Prospect for 1 1/2 years a I loved it but it is BORING. If you have kids and want that suburban feel, it would be perfect. Otherwise, not so much. The architecture and design is incredible. Dwell magazine did a cover story calling it "The Coolest Neighborhood in America" and it is like nothing I've ever seen but it is sort of in the middle of nowhere. The nearest nightlife is in Boulder about 10 miles away or Denver about 35 miles away. I can't really speak to the issue mentioned about sketchy people. Everyone I met was really nice but that was 5 years ago.

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

Are all these New Urbanism developments so heavily weighted towards households with children? (One poster mentioned 85%). Is there any place for a childfree curmudgeon like myself (I'd accept 55+, etc.)

Thanks.

As others have said, there is no new urban development just for 55+. However, there are many senior resident complexes that you could buy, or rent, and have a similar arrangement.

I live near a new Urban Development called Highland Garden Village which is the development which was done on the old Elitch's Amusement Park Site Highlands' Garden Village (http://www.highlandsgardenvillage.net/hgv.htm - broken link)

I go there often because there is a Sunflower Market which offers good prices, especially for produce http://www.sfmarkets.com/ In addition my dentist has her office in this development.

I like this development because it is one a smaller scale and fits very well into the surrounding neighborhood of West Highland and Berkeley in Denver. These neighborhoods are also becoming the new "in" places to live. It is composed of many craftsman type housing with many parks and lakes.
It is the traditional Italian neighborhood of Denver that became more Hispanic but now is changing as a new group of young professional moving into the area and new immigrants. You will find many churches, a Jesuit University and Christian Housing for Seniors and Children. It is very fine neighborhood.

The development is great because it is right next to the shops on Tennyson in Berkeley as well as shopping on West 38th and Sheridan Blvd. It has good bus transportation and is very close to Downtown Denver.

There is a Co-housing community Hearthstone Cohousing -- Home as well as Senior Apartments Highlands' Garden Village (http://www.highlandsgardenvillage.net/senior.htm - broken link) So, it does provide some mixture of all different ages.

I like the area because west 38th goes into the older suburbs of Wheat Ridge which has good shopping and a large hospital on 38th. In addition, there are some good quality senior residences that are along here because of the hospital. This is the area that I am thinking about moving into senior housing.

I have met many seniors who are moving back into this neighborhood because they grew up here. If you want to live near seniors and not just young people then it makes sense to pick a good quality older neighborhood or one that is being infused and renewed by young professionals. This gentrification provides new stores and hopefully some older good basic value stores remain. Northwest Denver never went into a decay--it just got old. There are still many residents who have lived there for generations. With the new interest of people wanting to live in Denver and close to Downtown this area has been fortunate.

Livecontent

[kittymom27]

What is Prospect like now in 2011? We are moving to the area and considering Old Town Longmont, Prospect resales, north Boulder, or perhaps other rather rural areas. Thanks! We're coming from Austin Tx and have three big dogs! Hard to find a good yard space for them!

[WhereTheSidewalkEnds]

Originally Posted by kittymom27

What is Prospect like now in 2011? We are moving to the area and considering Old Town Longmont, Prospect resales, north Boulder, or perhaps other rather rural areas. Thanks! We're coming from Austin Tx and have three big dogs! Hard to find a good yard space for them!

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but pretty sure there are no places in Prospect with big enough yard space for three big dogs......

[Shuffler]

It's all relative...you might find a suitable yard depending on what you think is sufficient for 3 dogs.

Haven't been by Prospect much lately...not sure what prices are doing there and what is available. I find the central part of Longmont (Old Town area) to be the best for all-around access to things by foot or bike. A lot of houses for sale as well...FWIW.