Stapleton opinions (HOA, traffic, "feel") (Denver: house, neighborhood)

[denverian]

Originally Posted by NicoleinDenver

@Denverian: I have a contact at Stapleton whom I forwarded your comment to. Here was his response:

"While the downturn in the economy has affected Stapleton as it has other communities across the nation, we plan to begin development this summer of 118 units of market rate apartments at E. 29th Drive and Geneva Court across from the future Eastbridge Town Center. In addition, there will be the initial phases of the next single family residential development south and east of the Eastbridge Town Center site beginning in the near future. As all of that development occurs, we believe there is a greater likelihood that a grocery tenant will locate in the area."

Thanks for the update! This has been my thought all along... once the town center "hole" is surrounded, it looks like a better risk for someone to build. It already has good traffic going through daily.

[tyler.rrrr]

Originally Posted by denverian

The last I've heard is that nothing is getting built. The entire town center is based on them getting a grocery store built, and apparently no one is building grocery stores any more. Within a year, it looks like the entire area around the Eastbridge town center will be complete, and there seems to always be lots of traffic going through. I don't really understand why they can't get anything started there. We only have one grocery store in Stapleton and it's usually very crowded. I wish they'd build a 7-11 with gas station somewhere in the middle of Stapleton. Even that would be a help.

The King Sooper's on the West side is definitely not where my wife and I will start shopping regularly. The Target, while farther, is much more enjoyable to shop and has less of a check-out wait. When CPB is finished across I70, it will be just as fast to go there as King Sooper's.

Don't even try to fill up your gas tank there, either. Nightmare.

With regard to a 7-11: while I do think we need a good gas station nearby, a convenience store like 7-11 is not what I had in mind. In a nice neighborhood like Stapleton, I would actively lobby to keep a 7-11 OUT! What we need is a local convenience store that sells, say, fresh meat or produce, in addition to some quick staples (eggs, milk, etc). 7-11's sell trash food and attract people that we don't want wandering through our neighborhood. Have you seen the convenience market in Uptown at 17th and ~Washington? Now that place would be great in Stapleton.

[XAFLOC]

Originally Posted by tyler.rrrr

Have you seen the convenience market in Uptown at 17th and ~Washington? Now that place would be great in Stapleton.

Do you mean Marzyk Fine Foods? They are opening a location quite a bit closer to Stapleton on East Colfax in the Fairfax neighborhood.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by tyler.rrrr

The King Sooper's on the West side is definitely not where my wife and I will start shopping regularly. The Target, while farther, is much more enjoyable to shop and has less of a check-out wait. When CPB is finished across I70, it will be just as fast to go there as King Sooper's.

Don't even try to fill up your gas tank there, either. Nightmare.

With regard to a 7-11: while I do think we need a good gas station nearby, a convenience store like 7-11 is not what I had in mind. In a nice neighborhood like Stapleton, I would actively lobby to keep a 7-11 OUT! What we need is a local convenience store that sells, say, fresh meat or produce, in addition to some quick staples (eggs, milk, etc). 7-11's sell trash food and attract people that we don't want wandering through our neighborhood. Have you seen the convenience market in Uptown at 17th and ~Washington? Now that place would be great in Stapleton.

Welll, aren't we just the snob! I have no issue with 7-11, and now there is one being built on Havana just south of the freeway. I don't go to 7-11 to do my grocery shopping, but when you need gas and a pack of gum, it's convenient. The market you're describing is not the same as a 7-11. I don't go to 7-11 looking for fresh produce and meat. A nicer market would be great too, but I wish they'd put the 7-11 actually in Stapleton. It's supposed to be more urban than suburban you know!

[tyler.rrrr]

Originally Posted by denverian

Welll, aren't we just the snob! I have no issue with 7-11, and now there is one being built on Havana just south of the freeway. I don't go to 7-11 to do my grocery shopping, but when you need gas and a pack of gum, it's convenient. The market you're describing is not the same as a 7-11. I don't go to 7-11 looking for fresh produce and meat. A nicer market would be great too, but I wish they'd put the 7-11 actually in Stapleton. It's supposed to be more urban than suburban you know!

Honestly I'd probably go for a 7-11-like gas station, or even a 7-11, if they were forced to comply with strict visual guidelines to match the neighborhood style and were pressured to keep it clean, inside and out. But I'm inherently biased against 7-11s in /my/ neighborhood (no problem with using them elsewhere) due to living downtown and seeing how they can shape a street corner.

I've no issue with the 7-11 going in near Havana and I-70, but I also don't live on that end of Stapleton.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by tyler.rrrr

Honestly I'd probably go for a 7-11-like gas station, or even a 7-11, if they were forced to comply with strict visual guidelines to match the neighborhood style and were pressured to keep it clean, inside and out. But I'm inherently biased against 7-11s in /my/ neighborhood (no problem with using them elsewhere) due to living downtown and seeing how they can shape a street corner.

I've no issue with the 7-11 going in near Havana and I-70, but I also don't live on that end of Stapleton.

You don't like the corner 7-11s that have popped up downtown? I think they look fine, and fit in to the urban environment, sort of like a "bodega" in NYC. Although obviously not as interesting in what they offer.

It looks like the one on Havana will have a gas station... finally, sweet relief from the King Soopers mess of a gas station!

[Mike from back east]

It's kind of like a back to the future thing. When I was a kid in west Baltimore, half a century ago while streetcars were still running, there was a mom & pop store on most corners. Many had a few grocery items to include a few cuts of meat, lunchmeats/deli items, basic grocery items, soda pops, candy, cigs, etc. All of those mom and pops got rolled up by the big supermarket chains and then at a later time the convenience stores came on the scene along a few larger streets and suburbs. Zoning laws changed to keep such "commercial" activity out of residential areas. Cynic that I am, my opinion is that the zoning laws got changed due to lobbying efforts of big chains, i.e., use the legal process to eliminate competition. It was nice, the ability to walk down to the corner for a snowball, a crabcake and a beer, a pound of hamburger, get an Rx filled by "doc," drop off a suit at the dry cleaners, etc. We've lost a lot to our friend, the car. Now 7-11's are showing up in downtown areas, we just had one open here in downtown COLO SGPS. it's nice to be able to walk up the street for a fountain drink again, but mom and pop are long gone, wage slaves to big business.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

It's kind of like a back to the future thing. When I was a kid in west Baltimore, half a century ago while streetcars were still running, there was a mom & pop store on most corners. Many had a few grocery items to include a few cuts of meat, lunchmeats/deli items, basic grocery items, soda pops, candy, cigs, etc. All of those mom and pops got rolled up by the big supermarket chains and then at a later time the convenience stores came on the scene along a few larger streets and suburbs. Zoning laws changed to keep such "commercial" activity out of residential areas. Cynic that I am, my opinion is that the zoning laws got changed due to lobbying efforts of big chains, i.e., use the legal process to eliminate competition. It was nice, the ability to walk down to the corner for a snowball, a crabcake and a beer, a pound of hamburger, get an Rx filled by "doc," drop off a suit at the dry cleaners, etc. We've lost a lot to our friend, the car. Now 7-11's are showing up in downtown areas, we just had one open here in downtown COLO SGPS. it's nice to be able to walk up the street for a fountain drink again, but mom and pop are long gone, wage slaves to big business.

I'd love to see the comeback of little stores like that! We sort of had something like that in California that I could walk to. It was a liquor store, but in CA, liquor stores are allowed to sell food items because with the grocery stores selling liquor, it's hard for them to compete. So my local "liquor store" also had a deli counter and a sort of a mini grocery store. So if you suddenly needed a jar of mayo or some salt or milk, you could just walk down the street and get it.

[WiW]

DW found this extensive article on Stapleton
Denver's Stapleton: Green Urban Infill for the Masses? by Michael Leccese : Articles : Terrain.org written in Fall/Winter 2005

[WiW]

This month's Front Porch - a newsletter for Stapleton & surrounding communicites - has an article on the flood handling in Stapleton. Stapleton did not flood during the recent torrential storms.

The best I could do is link to the pdf of the newsletter.

http://www.frontporchstapleton.com/F..._08AugRev1.pdf