Thoughts on Jefferson Park (transplants, apartment, condo)

[mirage1287]

Thinking of buying a townhome in Jefferson Park, what are your thoughts on the neighborhood?

Looking for access to parks for a dog, urban and walkable. I was originally looking at LoDo/uptown/RiNo but Jefferson Park seems like a solid alternative with a few restaurants/bars and within 1-2 mile reach of LoHi/downtown/stadium.

[davebarnes]

1. In spite of all the talk, there are no real differences among the greater highland neighborhoods of: Highland, West Highland, Sunnyside, Berkeley, Jefferson Park, Sloan's Lake. You cannot tell when you cross the boundaries.

2. All neighborhoods have good and bad residential spots.
a. Bad = on a major busy street (think Federal Blvd).
b. Bad = shares an ally with businesses (eg. the west side of Eliot St or the east side of Grove)
c. Good = quiet street
d. Better = the north and eat sides of streets are better than the south and west from a sunshine perspective

3. Understand the crime stats.
https://www.denvergov.org/content/da...8/18jeffpk.pdf
a. Know why there is a red dot at 26th and Eliot and why you don't care.
b. The vast majority of crime can be easily avoided by parking your car in a garage (not on the street) and having packages delivered to a porch-thief-resistant place.

4. Look at the WalkScore.

5. Understand the zoning.
a. Make sure that the empty lot next door is not zoned for a rendering plant.
b. Use this tool and pay attention - https://denvergov.org/maps/map/zoning

6. Get out your car and walk the entire neighborhood. It is small. I have walked about 1/2 of it.

7. Give us a specific address and we will have specific opinions.

[mirage1287]

Thanks! OP here - the general area I'm thinking of is 1-2 blocks away from Sarto's (not on Federal) and very close to the actual park. Let me know if you have more specific opinions!

[SkyDog77]

I have a friend who recently bought over there and loves it.

[MN_Ski]

I live there now, and I have my own list of cons.

Vibe: Kind of weird. It's an awkward mix of long time residents, and wealthy new transplants. Not the best place to really get to know your neighbors. Lots of developers/investors always walking around. I've tried to socialize in a few of the bars but a lot of the people are just...idk, not my "thing". I have a better time going out in Sloan's Lake or Highlands (which is very accessible)

Aesthetics: It's kind of an ugly neighborhood. You have these beautiful older brick homes wedged between hideous, plain, rectangles that all look the same. Weird tiny lots, ever shrinking amount of trees, awful sidewalks, and lots of trash blowing around. There used to be a really good view of downtown, but that is about to get blocked by a huge construction project closer to 25.

Amenities: They just got a new liquor store which is nice (well overdue). The restaurants are OK, but they are not amazing places to return to frequently. You basically have cheap pizza, expensive Italian, and a few places with OK bar food. There are a few bars, and the Briar Common brewery who is owned by a pretty cool guy.

Crime: This is something that I have just noticed this year. Someone was shot a block from my place in the middle of a Sunday afternoon. Apparently it was from a gang initiation, and the victim was unrelated...just happened to be walking back from Safeway. There was also something like a 5-6 hour standoff in the Safeway parking lot last week. I've had things off my patio stolen, my car hit on the street, and I get harassed by homeless in the middle of the night. I've been here since early 2016, and never had any issues until recently. I also ride my bike a lot, and almost weekly, and nearly get run over by young guys running stop signs in their new sports cars at 50+mph. My neighbors kid was almost hit by a Lambo who flew out of his driveway.


Pros: The location is great for access to 25 and downtown. The police do a surprisingly good job of directing traffic during Broncos game (if you park on the street, make sure you lock in a spot the night before a game!). Other than the crime I just mentioned, it is pretty quiet. The park off 23rd is nice a big and great to run around. I do like living near Federal, as it offers good access to 70 and Hwy 6. The Safeway off of 26th is convenient. It also seems like there will be new places opening up in the coming year.

I'm not trying to scare you away, just sharing my own frustration. Overall, I'm pretty happy here. In this kind of market, if the property is good go for it. I'm sure this place will be totally different in 5 years from now anyway.

[mirage1287]

Originally Posted by MN_Ski

I live there now, and I have my own list of cons.

Vibe: Kind of weird. It's an awkward mix of long time residents, and wealthy new transplants. Not the best place to really get to know your neighbors. Lots of developers/investors always walking around. I've tried to socialize in a few of the bars but a lot of the people are just...idk, not my "thing". I have a better time going out in Sloan's Lake or Highlands (which is very accessible)

Aesthetics: It's kind of an ugly neighborhood. You have these beautiful older brick homes wedged between hideous, plain, rectangles that all look the same. Weird tiny lots, ever shrinking amount of trees, awful sidewalks, and lots of trash blowing around. There used to be a really good view of downtown, but that is about to get blocked by a huge construction project closer to 25.

Amenities: They just got a new liquor store which is nice (well overdue). The restaurants are OK, but they are not amazing places to return to frequently. You basically have cheap pizza, expensive Italian, and a few places with OK bar food. There are a few bars, and the Briar Common brewery who is owned by a pretty cool guy.

Crime: This is something that I have just noticed this year. Someone was shot a block from my place in the middle of a Sunday afternoon. Apparently it was from a gang initiation, and the victim was unrelated...just happened to be walking back from Safeway. There was also something like a 5-6 hour standoff in the Safeway parking lot last week. I've had things off my patio stolen, my car hit on the street, and I get harassed by homeless in the middle of the night. I've been here since early 2016, and never had any issues until recently. I also ride my bike a lot, and almost weekly, and nearly get run over by young guys running stop signs in their new sports cars at 50+mph. My neighbors kid was almost hit by a Lambo who flew out of his driveway.


Pros: The location is great for access to 25 and downtown. The police do a surprisingly good job of directing traffic during Broncos game (if you park on the street, make sure you lock in a spot the night before a game!). Other than the crime I just mentioned, it is pretty quiet. The park off 23rd is nice a big and great to run around. I do like living near Federal, as it offers good access to 70 and Hwy 6. The Safeway off of 26th is convenient. It also seems like there will be new places opening up in the coming year.

I'm not trying to scare you away, just sharing my own frustration. Overall, I'm pretty happy here. In this kind of market, if the property is good go for it. I'm sure this place will be totally different in 5 years from now anyway.

Thanks - really helpful feedback and it's great to know the cons you've experienced. Overall I'm drawn to the area because of the really close proximity to LoHi, stadium, downtown. The local bars/restaurants are a bonus, especially if they're very walkable. Jeff Park seems like a good compromise neighborhood because I can get more than just a condo/apartment, but also still be really close to LoDo/LoHi.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by MN_Ski

Someone was shot a block from my place in the middle of a Sunday afternoon.

Grove Street is in Sloan's Lake, not Jefferson Park.
https://www.denverpost.com/2018/03/2...-help-in-case/

[MN_Ski]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

Grove Street is in Sloan's Lake, not Jefferson Park.
https://www.denverpost.com/2018/03/2...-help-in-case/

Yes, but it was right across Federal. There isn't enough of a barrier there to say that it was technically not in Jefferson Park.

[woob]

The epicenter of denver fugly.
https://www.citylab.com/design/2017/...ousing/519333/