What's Wrong With / Right About Stapleton (home, bike, building)

[WiW]

A great thread. Thanks for all the input. Stapleton is beginning to look very inviting.

A couple of people have said that they bike downtown in 20 minutes. Is there a trail or is that on the roads? I've checked out the Denver Bike Map & can't see a trail, unless you take the sand creek to the platt, so I guess it is along roads. I also checked Google maps which says that it takes 39 minutes.

[WiW]

Any input on the build quality and other aspects of the town homes (row houses) in Stapleton? Thank you.

[AustinAndDenver]

[LEFT]
A couple of people have said that they bike downtown in 20 minutes. Is there a trail or is that on the roads? I've checked out the Denver Bike Map & can't see a trail, unless you take the sand creek to the platt, so I guess it is along roads. I also checked Google maps which says that it takes 39 minutes.

I think this will depend on where you live in the area and where you work downtown. We live off of 25th Ave in Stapleton and when I am in Denver I commute downtown to 18th and California streets. The commute takes me down Montview which has a bike lane through city park to 21st Avenue and into the city proper. I would say the average ride is about 20 minutes. Sometimes I beat that while other times I might take a little longer.

The google map suggested route is a bit off, I just checked, but local bike maps are available in any bike store in the area.

The people who live on the eastern edge of the development are probably another 10 minutes out on bikes. The housing prices were cheaper over there and our realtor said they should have a grocery store and other shops one day, but my new neighbors who have lived here for a while now say this is not very likely for quite a while.

For what it is worth, we love Stapleton and the people in Stapleton. We never considered moving more than a dozen miles from the core of the city and really wanted the benefits that new energy efficient construction has to offer.

[/LEFT]

[newurbanhop]

Montview has bike lanes. I love it because it's scenic. You can cut through City Park and take 16th, 21st, or 22nd downtown. 23rd has a bike lane through City Park and despite not having a bike lane through Park Hill is still what I would consider a safe street for biking.

Martin Luther King has bike lanes up until about York and then there are sharrows. After that there are bike lanes on Stout. That's probably the most direct way downtown because you don't have to deal with the park.

20 minutes to downtown might be pushing it unless you run stop signs and lights. I wouldn't condone this, especially when there are kids around (you're setting an example), but Denver's traffic planners went a little nuts with their lights and signs in the older neighborhoods. Cars don't even stop for them.

Denver has a bike map here that is much better than Google:
Bike Maps of Denver

Personally, I love the ride and would rather be on the street than mixed use paths that are crowded with Canadian geese and joggers.

[WiW]

What do you, who live in Stapleton, do for groceries?

I've seen in other threads & online, that there is only one supermarket in the area - a King Soopers on Quebec st.

Am I missing others?
Is this one supermarket good & sufficient for your needs?
How far to the next one?
What about ethnic grocery stores - like asian markets?

I also read that another supermarket is to be built in the east side, but that may take some time.

Thanks again for all your input.

[zenkonami]

Originally Posted by WiW

What do you, who live in Stapleton, do for groceries?

I've seen in other threads & online, that there is only one supermarket in the area - a King Soopers on Quebec st.

Am I missing others?
Is this one supermarket good & sufficient for your needs?
How far to the next one?
What about ethnic grocery stores - like asian markets?

I also read that another supermarket is to be built in the east side, but that may take some time.

Thanks again for all your input.

I've only noticed the King Soopers in the immediate area, but there is a Wal-Mart (*gag*) and a Sam's Club (or CostCo...can't remember) in Quebec Square. Don't know if it's a Super Wal-Mart or not. I think the Eastbridge supermarket is not scheduled to go in until some people are feeling a little better about the economy...rumored to be anything from a Safeway to a Trader Joe's, but I think Safeway is more likely. I haven't noticed any ethnic supermarkets in the area in my research.

The King Soopers is quite large, by the way, and seems to have a bit of everything.

[lajawaba]

The Mayfair King Soopers and Safeway are close at 14th and Krameria. There are two Mexican style supermakets on Colfax around Havana. The closest Asian grocers are concentrated on south Havana near Leetsdale.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by zenkonami

I've only noticed the King Soopers in the immediate area, but there is a Wal-Mart (*gag*) and a Sam's Club (or CostCo...can't remember) in Quebec Square. Don't know if it's a Super Wal-Mart or not. I think the Eastbridge supermarket is not scheduled to go in until some people are feeling a little better about the economy...rumored to be anything from a Safeway to a Trader Joe's, but I think Safeway is more likely. I haven't noticed any ethnic supermarkets in the area in my research.

The King Soopers is quite large, by the way, and seems to have a bit of everything.

The Stapleton newspaper (a little monthly paper) repeated the same thing they've been saying for years. That they're still trying to land a grocery store for the Eastbridge town center, and still have been unsuccessful. I think they're looking at any grocery store, from major chain to a health food store.

We get our groceries from the Super Target in Northfield and King Soopers. Also the Albertsons in Lowry. KS tends to be very crowded, but I have no issues with it. Once a month we make a run to Whole Foods too, but none of them are convenient to Stapleton.

There are Hispanic markets nearby on Colfax (at least one big one I know of in Aurora) and I'm sure there are Asian markets in Aurora that aren't too far off - within 15 min. of Stapleton.

[WiW]

Thank you all for the information. I have a few more questions and hope you can help me with them.

a) Internet access. Are you happy with the choice of providers, price and performance?

b) Road bicycling. My wife & I both like to go for long rides. Are 30+ mile rides feasible from Stapleton on roads with light traffic & few traffic lights? It looks like we can from the map if we ride east. If we want to ride paths, I see the sand creek path is easily accessible.

c) We are interested in a town home. Anyone live in one in Stapleton & wish to share experiences? We will probably rent for 6 months to a year before buying.

We are still trying to decide whether to try Stapleton or Cherry Creek (the town homes between 1st & Alameida). We'll probably make another trip to Denver early in 2011.

Thank you.

[oxsnard]

I live on the south side of stapleton, and couldn't be happier! We built a home with wonderland about a year ago, and they were great to work with, being a smaller locally-owned builder.

Our neighbors include retired couples, young couples (with and without kids), and gay couples. My wife and I think that everyone here is so nice. Stapleton has a great neighborhood feel to it. Houses are cheaper than Lowry, but still aren't cheap. We paid 350k for a 1800 sqft house with an unfinished basement. It's already gained 20k in value.

The schools are still a work in progress, as there are elementary and middle schools either built or in the works for the neighborhood. We don't have kids yet, so the lack of high school options does not affect us. This hopefully will be fixed in the next 5 or so years.

HOA fees for a standalone house run about 36 bucks a month. Shared courtyard and condo/townhome fees can run anywhere from 150-250 a month. Property taxes are higher than elsewhere in denver, but they are not too bad at all.

edit: to clarify your questions

a) Internet access is generally limited to either comcast or qwest. Both are fairly pricey, but speeds and connection availability are not a problem.
b) This is a great neighborhood for biking! There are miles and miles of trails and paths within the community. Biking along 23rd and/or 17th city park should get you downtown in a jiffy with minimal traffic issues
c) Rentals of townhomes can run from 1300-2000 bucks a month. The area around the towncenter (along 29th) has lots or different loft/condo/townhome options. We lived in mayfair in a rental and then bought in here so I cannot relate specific info. Stapleton does tend to be dominated by owners, however, so rentals can be hard to come by.