Stapleton - New Town Builders vs. David Weekley Homes

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by emm74

So which is it - so much parking that it's not walkable or not enough parking so it's going to overflow and take over the surrounding neighborhood?

Both actually. According to the latest site plan, the building will have parking lots one three sides around it but, because of the location and the programming, it's probably not going to be enough parking for the customers that will visit it and you're going to see overspill into the neighborhood. You can't do anything about where the building is located, but the parking lots could be replaced with a parking structure to truly reduce the parking footprint.

I expect that the developers will create plans consistent with their stated intent to integrate the Marketplace into the the neighboring community and I anticipate that provisions will be make to enhance the walkability with footpaths, bike paths, and other amenities that will make the site readily accessible from all sides.

We'll see. I'm not a big fan of footpaths and bike paths as a substitute for a street grid and would prefer to see more streets punched through into Aurora. Streets are what make for connectivity in a city and this is something that Stapleton, both halves, needs a lot more of. N/S connections are terrible and the E/W aren't too much better.

And I guess ultimately walkability depends on your starting point. Stapleton is a very large area so of course not every area is walkable to every location. For many areas, the Marketplace will be a pleasant walk, although admittedly I am more likely to drive if I am planning to stock up at the Coop.

That's very true. I'll be moving to the northern portion of Stapleton next year and will certainly drive down to Stanley Marketplace when it opens, but will probably never bike there and certainly won't walk. But I'll also push for Forest City to deliver the mixed-used retail sites that they have promised, and that are zoned for, in the northern portion. Even though the Eastbridge Town Center has it's issues, I'm optimistic that things will work out there and elsewhere as Forest City is leaving it to the local office to work on these developments as opposed to having these parcels developed out of Cleveland.

[Augie Daugie]

Originally Posted by denverian

The old downtown Aurora has some potential, but east or west of it looks like an episode of "COPS" most evenings I don't know how they could get rid of all those hotels though. Where would all the "troubled" people go?

No idea. Everyday I drive home along E. Colfax (near Yosemite) and I always see DPD making an arrest. I doubt Denver will get rid of the motels on its side. My hail mary idea: make downtown Aurora into a vibrant arts district and convert the motels into hipster apartments and condos.

[Augie Daugie]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

We'll see. I'm not a big fan of footpaths and bike paths as a substitute for a street grid and would prefer to see more streets punched through into Aurora. Streets are what make for connectivity in a city and this is something that Stapleton, both halves, needs a lot more of. N/S connections are terrible and the E/W aren't too much better.

There will be more street connections into Aurora when the Aurora portion of Stapleton is developed into housing. However, that won't happen until all of the land in Denver is finished, which is currently projected to be 2019.

I agree about the N/S connectivity. Access by bike is pretty terrible. As far as east/west, I am disappointed they ditched the 35th Ave bridge across Westerly Creek. Central Park North is completely isolated when it comes to vehicle routes into that neighborhood.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Augie Daugie

No idea. Everyday I drive home along E. Colfax (near Yosemite) and I always see DPD making an arrest. I doubt Denver will get rid of the motels on its side. My hail mary idea: make downtown Aurora into a vibrant arts district and convert the motels into hipster apartments and condos.

lol! There's an idea

Without cleaning up that area of Colfax, I just don't see the surrounding neighborhoods becoming very desirable. There are many prime "scrape off" properties available, but people want to walk to something more than crime scenes.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Augie Daugie

There will be more street connections into Aurora when the Aurora portion of Stapleton is developed into housing. However, that won't happen until all of the land in Denver is finished, which is currently projected to be 2019.

I agree about the N/S connectivity. Access by bike is pretty terrible. As far as east/west, I am disappointed they ditched the 35th Ave bridge across Westerly Creek. Central Park North is completely isolated when it comes to vehicle routes into that neighborhood.

Yeah, that bridge needs to happen. It would be annoying to live on the east end of the neighborhood and not be able to get out on that end.

[Augie Daugie]

Originally Posted by denverian

Yeah, that bridge needs to happen. It would be annoying to live on the east end of the neighborhood and not be able to get out on that end.

It's not happening. Forest City took it off of its development plans a couple years ago, citing that residents didn't feel it was important.

It seems like this bridge would provide critical traffic needed for the Eastbridge Town Center.