Lowry area of Denver?? Give me some PROS and CONS... (Aurora: military, apartment complex)

[jesslee919]

Pros and Cons of the Lowry area of Denver?

[denverian]

Lowry seems very nice. It's somewhat like Stapleton- mostly new urbanism homes with garages in back on alleys, but some suburban type housing with front loading garages. Nice town center, convenient to central Denver and downtown, seems to integrate a lot of work places into the mix. Probably the main cons would be cost of houses (probably at least $475 for a 3 bdr. house) and the neighborhood to the north isn't very nice.

[steveindenver]

No alleyways, no real town centers. Unlike Stapleton most residents are dual income no kids thus you see very few folks walking in the warmer weather.

Personally we looked in Lowry and quickly decided against it, having a 16 year old and two younger kids ... but to each their own.

[tfox]

Ahhh.. the allure of new construction I've never understood. What people will do to get it is amazing... live in dreadful locations, commute for 3 hours a day, or take out a second job to afford the place. Or all of the above.

Lowry, thankfully, only forces you to take the second (or third) job (read: it's expensive). The location is great, and commute is about as central as it gets. And the neighborhood is frankly pretty nice.

On the other hand, I find it hard to get too excited about Lowry. Other than the new-builds, is there really anything that Lowry offers that you couldn't find better in other Denver neighborhoods, often for much less money? I can't think of anything. Or, if you're willing to spend the cash, I think you can do far better in about a dozen other 'hoods in Denver. Anyway, to get to Lowry, you end up on the parkway on 6th ave as you're going through Hilltop. Now there is some Denver old money for you, so Lowry is kind of an aesthetic letdown after passing it by.

Actually, there are some intriguing little pockets of Lowry. A friend of mine lives in a townhouse in one of the converted officer barracks -- now that is interesting, and my friend has a pretty tight bond with all her neighbors -- they do quite a bit together. So, it's not all that bad -- some of the creative re-use of the military properties is the best part of it. And the neighborhood itself is pretty good too, just not good enough IMO to justify the lofty price-tag, which is clearly inflated by a collective fetish we all have with the "new."

[BlueWillowPlate]

I love the fact that Lowry exists (I remember when it was a sad, unused air force base) and I like the location.
There are certainly *some* families in Lowry, because When I was teaching preschool in Denver, I had several kids whose parents built homes there.

No alleyways, no real town centers.

Steve, where did you get this idea? It has both--I've been there and seen it and walked it. The Town Center was designed by David Owen Tryba. It's a heck of a lot better use of space than, say, the commercial strips on Colorado Boulevard.

Some of Lowry's townhomes start at $146K. Probably some people go for the new construction there simply because they can afford it, and like to oversee what's going on. When it comes to central Denver, not everyone wants Baker, Curtis, Alamo Placita or Park Hill, not everyone can afford Country Club or Hilltop, and they might want more space than they'll get at Congress Park or Wash Park.

[denverian]

Yes, there are alleys. Not on every street, but probably half? I'm just guessing. But it's kind of odd how they try to mix in streets here and there without alleys and garages in front - like they're trying to attract both urban and suburban type people. I don't think the prices there are much, if any higher than Stapleton.

[jesslee919]

Thanks that gives me some info to go from.

Part of Lowry is in Aurora correct? I found an apartment complex we are looking at that looks nice. The address is:

9801 E Colfax Ave
Aurora, CO 80010

Is that a good part of town? I have had people say "stay away from certain parts of Aurora." Is that one of those parts?

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by jesslee919

9801 E Colfax Ave
Aurora, CO 80010

Run, don't walk away!!! The Aurora section of East Colfax IS the bad part of Aurora that gives the city a bad reputation.

[jesslee919]

Ok thanks vegaspilgrim! It is always nice to get info from someone who knows!

[denverian]

Originally Posted by jesslee919

Thanks that gives me some info to go from.

Part of Lowry is in Aurora correct? I found an apartment complex we are looking at that looks nice. The address is:

9801 E Colfax Ave
Aurora, CO 80010

Is that a good part of town? I have had people say "stay away from certain parts of Aurora." Is that one of those parts?

I checked on the sat. view and this looks like that new development in old downtown Aurora. By itself, it looks nice. But the surrounding areas are sketchy. This isn't Lowry or Stapleton, but the area inbetween. I know Aurora is trying to make the old downtown nice, but 90% of the businesses cater to Mexican immigrants and everything is in Spanish. Also a lot of pawn shops and check cashing places in this area.