New Houses at Camp George West (Denver, Lakewood: real estate, credit, neighborhood)

[RSB]

Hi there,

I am looking at houses from a ways away, like so many readers. I hope to be privileged enough to move to Golden in the not so distant future.

I am curious about the new houses that are being built on 15th Avenue at Camp George West. I'm going to ask a bunch of specific question, hoping to make it easier for you to help me, but please feel free to chime in with any information. Or just answer one or two questions - I know I have a lot and I don't mean to be a burden.

1) What determines the pricing in this neighborhood? (school, location, house size, lot, what?)

2) Is there some problem with being next to the ex-base? I know there's a small prison. It sounds pretty innocuous - is it? Is there a toxic plume leftover from dumping bad chemicals? Is there a problem with lead in the ground due to the target shooting? Old bases are sometimes new superfund sites...

3) What is it like to get to local places from this location? example: costco, whole foods, petco, a regular grocery store, gas station...

4) How would you describe this neighborhood? (yuppy, blue collar, quiet, college kids, safe for a female to walk the dog at night...)

5) Can you go for walks here? Just around the neighborhood, on some trail, at the base?

6) Is there anything about the weather that I should know? Like, this is the coldest part of Golden and there's a special wicked breeze coming in from the prairie? Unduly windy? I know that in some places, there are local differences in weather that matter - does Golden have these?

7) Does anybody know anything about the builder? My impression is that when you buy a new house, you either need to relax, or else argue a lot with the builder about details.

8) What is the trend with housing prices in that neighborhood?

9) Any zoning issues that might preclude solar and/or geothermal heat? (the latter is just an idea - I haven't really checked it, yet.)

Thanks in advance very much!

Rach

[livecontent]

You want answers, then you should be more specific with information. How is anybody to figure out who the builder and where is the location?? There are many builders and many locations--This is a big metro area, not a small town. So, it is somewhere near Camp George West--that does not really say much. Most people are not aware of every new housing development, in every location. Provide a link to the builder and the exact location and then you may get answers.

Livecontent

[RSB]

15th Avenue (which I specified in my original post) is only about six blocks long. At least according to the map. It's right near Golden Hills Road and Quaker street. Is there a huge amount of new construction there? From what I see advertised, it's 2 or 3 houses.

In any case, please consider this as a general question that applies to the entire six blocks.

I can't tell the builder from the ads. It's not that critical. I was just wondering if anybody drove by there regularly, who might have seen the builder's signs, would know.

Thanks!

[livecontent]

Colfax Avenue which runs from Golden all the way east past Denver is consider the longest continuous street in the country--belief it or not, from West Colfax to East Colfax; designated, officially, as 15th Avenue through most of the area. Since you mention 15th Avenue, as the location, and near the Camp George West, the only understanding that one can derive is that it is North of the Prison, perhaps bordering the National Renewal Energy Laboratory (NREL). But now with the cross streets, you have given, the location is specific and not near but further northwest.

I have been by this area many times. It is composed of older homes with many infilled newer homes. I would say the area is composed of many long term and native residents of varies economic status. Lower income bought in many years ago when the area was less known and more isolated, which they desired. Now, as this area of Golden and Lakewood becomes more prosperous, so to say, higher income people are moving in with infilled development. I assume the development, you are mentioning is one of these.

Camp George West is not a place that would have created a toxic environment. I have never heard of that issue. Most people are not aware of this place, unless one is a long term resident and lives near the area. It is a minimal security prison enclosure. You drive by it and you can see the "prisoners" milling around old army barracks behind very open fencing, along the road. It reminds me of my old Army days, as I was in similar old barracks. I believe it also has a State Patrol office and stills serves as a National Guard location.

Are the prisoners dangerous? I have met some because they are let out to do work at government sites--it is sort of like a day prison center--that is my impression. Well, they are prisoners and there is a sign in the area that says something about being cautious and DO NOT PICK UP HITCHHIKERS! I do not think it impacts the area and to most, it is just part of the scenery. The area you are looking at is a few miles away.

There are trails everywhere in the metro area--some designated, some not. This area is at the base of one of the Table Mountains which border Golden. Many people hike up and around this area.

Livecontent

[RSB]

Thanks for the clarification and other information. That was really interesting. It also sounds very nice. Of course, most places in Golden sound very nice. I hope we get to move there.

Rach

[cowboyxjon]

It's an interesting area. I think it's specifically Unincorporated Jefferson County even though those homes most likely have a Golden, CO 80401 mailing address. I looked at a duplex over in that area and I think you should go check out the area first. My observation is that not all of the houses are well-kept, so it's possible that you could buy a pricey home and have a view of someone's yard that has junk cars or scrap metal in it. I'm not trying to say it's "ghetto" or anything like that, but zoning seems kind of lax in that specific area, perhaps because it's unincorporated county and not in a city or town. Again, just my observation. Also, like livecontent said, there's a minimum security prison in the area. That may bother some people.

[RSB]

I was looking at zillow.com, and these new houses are definitely among the most expensive in the neighborhood. That's generally not a good thing for resale, from what I've heard. From a thousand miles away - that seems to be the biggest problem. From a personal point of view - it doesn't bother me if the neighborhood house upkeep varies, so long as the residents aren't annoying neighbors and/or criminals. But I want to be careful in a "real estate investment" way.

I'm not worried about the prison. It doesn't sound like a problem. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.

Can somebody please tell me if the weather varies locally around Golden (within a mile or two from where I'm asking about)? For example, my friends bought a house in Bend, OR before they knew the area well. They found out later that, due to a mountain or something, that the other side of town was appreciably sunnier. Or in San Francisco, part of the city is much more foggy and damp than the other side. We owned a house on a hill, once. It was georgeous. And much windier and colder than our neighbors houses. I don't want to do that again.

One more thing I've been wondering about... I sometimes see houses advertised that have high ceilings and/or great rooms. Isn't that a problem to heat? Even if you have a ceiling fan, it still seems to be a lot of extra space to heat.

Thanks,

Rach

[Kar54]

I believe this posting is ok, if not I'm sure the moderator will pull. Here's a link to the history of CGW, you might find it interesting. I went to school at Bell Junior High (1970's) and passed it everyday. Seemed like a nice enough area.

Camp George West

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Kar54

I believe this posting is ok, if not I'm sure the moderator will pull. Here's a link to the history of CGW, you might find it interesting. I went to school at Bell Junior High (1970's) and passed it everyday. Seemed like a nice enough area.

Camp George West

Definitely okay. Links are fine. Cutting large amounts of copyrighted text from any source and pasting it into City-Data is not okay. NOTE: the TOS allow a few lines to be pasted here, along with a link to the entire article to show/credit the source.