High Point (Denver, Aurora, Parker: salon, condos, broker)

[DenverLawGal]

We are having a tough time finding what we want. New single family home, commute no more than 30-35 min to downtown, SE Denver, around $300, $350K tops.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by DenverLawGal

I kind of like the sparseness to it, I don't want explosive like Stapleton has become. What you are talking about though, I'm afraid will last longer than we desire. We do want more in the area, things like shopping, a gym, etc. Do you live in the area?

I just checked this out on googlemaps and it could have advantages. You get in on the ground level as development happens around you. Plus it's going to be near light rail, you get more house for your money, close to DIA. I didn't realize they were building houses that close to the airport. And if you want to go out to eat, you can eat at the DIA terminal (I'm not being a smart @ss, I'd actually go eat there! Plus I'd like seeing the planes flying in/out, but I'm weird that way lol!)

[DenverLawGal]

Denverian, I knew I could count on you, LOL. Well, we have been driving around the area almost every weekend now. Last weekend we drove to Park Meadows Mall from there, it was about 20 min. I'll really miss LifeTime Fitness (Orchard Mall, Westminster), but I suppose that I will have to sacrifice some things. Right now, for quick food, you can get to Gateway/Green Valley Ranch in less than 10 minutes. Stapleton is 10 min. away as well. That's pretty much how I have it now in my current home.

Light rail is a big draw for me. I drove there Friday night from downtown. I cruised on I-70 until Quebec I believe, right after Stapleton Northfield and OMG it was a parking lot. So I took off on Havana, to 56th and cut up to Tower Rd., then to 64th. I'm hoping I can find other alternatives besides just that one route. If so, then I have about 30 min to downtown, same goes for my husband's commute.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by DenverLawGal

I kind of like the sparseness to it, I don't want explosive like Stapleton has become. What you are talking about though, I'm afraid will last longer than we desire. We do want more in the area, things like shopping, a gym, etc. Do you live in the area?

I don't live in the area, have just driven around it a bit. High Point seems like one of those developments that was hit hard by the recession and is taking forever to come back. Any local retail is years away as is anything resembling a decent build out. It definitely won't have the explosiveness of Stapleton, but I don't think you'll spend a decade staring at dirt lots either. Maybe five years. If you can deal with the desolation, the price point you're getting in on should offset the wait.

[DenverLawGal]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

I don't live in the area, have just driven around it a bit. High Point seems like one of those developments that was hit hard by the recession and is taking forever to come back. Any local retail is years away as is anything resembling a decent build out. It definitely won't have the explosiveness of Stapleton, but I don't think you'll spend a decade staring at dirt lots either. Maybe five years. If you can deal with the desolation, the price point you're getting in on should offset the wait.

I have mixed feelings on High Point, depending on the day - LOL.

Some days I feel like you, it's too isolated. Do you mean isolation or desolation? I don't feel like it's desolated. They started building in 2005, so yeah, I think you are right about the economy. But thank goodness the economy is coming back. The timing in coming back is slow. The key here though, is the light rail. I don't know if you've driven down Tower Rd I think it is, where the station is being built? It's a bridge over the road, and it's being built really fast! I think that will make the area grow more. So no, I don't think it'll explode like Stapleton, but I don't really want Stapleton.

As far as build outs, I don't know if I agree with you. DR Horton is building quite quickly. The area near the golf course is almost entirely filled in by Oakwood. Ryland has models and they are filling up pretty quickly too.

We've spent about 8 years in our current location (northern Thornton), and we are ready to get a single family home and live there for 10-15 years, possibly longer. Right now we are in a townhome.

One thing I'm beginning to really like about the area is that it's distanced from GVR and Montbello, but also close to highways and such. Right now, we drive about 15 minutes if we want to go out to eat. Same can be done at High Point.

Do I sound like I'm talking myself into it? Well, probably. Just because the area fits our needs in many ways. And we aren't finding that perfect combo anywhere else - you know, the one that fits your commute time, neighborhood, housing price.

I am nervous that the place will stay the way it is for 10 years. I think that's my real fear.

Also, where will I work out??? I'm actually considering driving to LifeTime Fitness. There's one in Parker.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by DenverLawGal

I have mixed feelings on High Point, depending on the day - LOL.

Some days I feel like you, it's too isolated. Do you mean isolation or desolation? I don't feel like it's desolated. They started building in 2005, so yeah, I think you are right about the economy. But thank goodness the economy is coming back. The timing in coming back is slow. The key here though, is the light rail. I don't know if you've driven down Tower Rd I think it is, where the station is being built? It's a bridge over the road, and it's being built really fast! I think that will make the area grow more. So no, I don't think it'll explode like Stapleton, but I don't really want Stapleton.

I'm going to throw a bit of cold water on the idea that the East Line, it's correctly called commuter rail BTW, is going to cause a spurt of development in the area. The hang-up will be that only one additional station will be built at roughly 61st and Pena which is not part of the High Point Development and the developer, L.C. Fulenwider Inc, will actively seek to keep most of the development out of High Point for as long as possible in order to maximize the investment they are making (the company has to pay for the new station and Denver is forking over $50 million for additional trackage). It's really a question of how quickly the development will spill over. Like you said, a lot of the other subdivision project are filling in quickly, but High Point hasn't had that luck yet.

I think that the next five years won't be too pretty for High Point, but that it will take off after that.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by DenverLawGal

Denverian, I knew I could count on you, LOL. Well, we have been driving around the area almost every weekend now. Last weekend we drove to Park Meadows Mall from there, it was about 20 min. I'll really miss LifeTime Fitness (Orchard Mall, Westminster), but I suppose that I will have to sacrifice some things. Right now, for quick food, you can get to Gateway/Green Valley Ranch in less than 10 minutes. Stapleton is 10 min. away as well. That's pretty much how I have it now in my current home.

Light rail is a big draw for me. I drove there Friday night from downtown. I cruised on I-70 until Quebec I believe, right after Stapleton Northfield and OMG it was a parking lot. So I took off on Havana, to 56th and cut up to Tower Rd., then to 64th. I'm hoping I can find other alternatives besides just that one route. If so, then I have about 30 min to downtown, same goes for my husband's commute.

To my knowledge, the closest gym to there would be a 24 Hr. Fitness by the Aurora Mall. There's also a Bally's just sout of the mall. One of my coworkers lives in GVR and works out at a rec center there. I use the 24 Hr. in Lowry, but that's kind of a PITA to get to, even from Stapleton.

I-70 seems to always be a parking lot through Stapleton. I don't know why... maybe because it's 8 lanes through there but narrows to 6 lanes to the east and west of Stapleton? But from Highpoint, you're not that far to go shop/eat at Northfield.

[cj31016]

My wife and I drove around the area, and the decision came to between High Point and Buckley Ranch in Commerce City. We're very close to signing on the dotted line for Buckley Ranch. The High Point area seems nice though and more built out than Commerce City currently is due to the proximity to the GVR/Gateway Park shops.

[DenverLawGal]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

I'm going to throw a bit of cold water on the idea that the East Line, it's correctly called commuter rail BTW, is going to cause a spurt of development in the area. The hang-up will be that only one additional station will be built at roughly 61st and Pena which is not part of the High Point Development and the developer, L.C. Fulenwider Inc, will actively seek to keep most of the development out of High Point for as long as possible in order to maximize the investment they are making (the company has to pay for the new station and Denver is forking over $50 million for additional trackage). It's really a question of how quickly the development will spill over. Like you said, a lot of the other subdivision project are filling in quickly, but High Point hasn't had that luck yet.

I think that the next five years won't be too pretty for High Point, but that it will take off after that.

Hey, thanks for that splash! LOL. Can you elaborate, mainly because I'm confused?

So you are saying that there will be only one addtl. station at 61st/Pena - addtl. to what? I don't know how many stops are between downtown and DIA. I know there is one in Stapleton, the one I mentioned (which I thought was Tower, but maybe I'm wrong and it's the Pena one you are talking about), and then I don't know where else it stops.

I think what you are saying is that because a station is not being developed IN the HP area, it won't explode. Is that right?

If that is what you are saying, then I'm not so sure I'd want a station directly in HP. I'd be glad it'd be NEAR the area. I have this loosely based theory on rail stations. It seems that the area immediately around the station gets icky - traffic wise, people wise, housing wise. But beyond that, a mile or two, and all of a sudden that area is worth a ton of money. You see super nice areas, expensive homes, etc.

I guess what I'm saying is that if there isn't a station directly in HP, across the street from my home -- well, then, that's just fine with me! I don't want one that close. I want one that takes me 10-15 min to drive to.

Another thought, if the station is 10 min away, I can still see HP growing. Maybe not explosive like Stapleton, but again, I'm not looking for that kind of growth.

If we are talking 5 years of quiet/peace, then that's just fine with me. In my current home, it was like that for a good 5 yrs, and then it started to get awesome!! (Did I mention LifeTime Fitness? LOL). Like I said, we are looking to spend the next 10-15 yrs., maybe more in this next home.

[DenverLawGal]

Originally Posted by denverian

To my knowledge, the closest gym to there would be a 24 Hr. Fitness by the Aurora Mall. There's also a Bally's just sout of the mall. One of my coworkers lives in GVR and works out at a rec center there. I use the 24 Hr. in Lowry, but that's kind of a PITA to get to, even from Stapleton.

I-70 seems to always be a parking lot through Stapleton. I don't know why... maybe because it's 8 lanes through there but narrows to 6 lanes to the east and west of Stapleton? But from Highpoint, you're not that far to go shop/eat at Northfield.

I saw that Lowry's 24 Hr Fitness. It would be a pain to get there from where I would be living. I did see the Bally's, I suppose that's an option. I also thought of finding a gym on the way home from downtown, maybe Cherry Creek or somewhere?? I hear the GVR rec center is pretty lame and super busy with the equipment. That's no fun.

When I-70 backed up, I looked at my GPS and found a few alternatives, which was kind of cool. It means I'll have a variety of ways to get to home/work.

I agree on food/shop/eating - there's Northfield, Aurora Mall, and Park Meadows. Which I just discovered last weekend, much to my husband's chagrin.