Does anyone miss Stapleton airport? (Denver, Aurora: how much, mobile home, neighborhood)

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by DenverBrian

After 20 years, I think many arguments against DIA are still valid.

1) Rocky Mountain Arsenal land could have been used to add north/south runways to Stapleton.

2) There are obvious advantages to a close-in airport. See DCA, SAN, even LAS.

3) Politics, including who owned the land at the time, played a huge part in DIA's eventual location.

4) Unlike DFW, where hotels, businesses and support infrastructure were built out in 20 years, it will likely take 100 years or more for the DIA area to ever have a destination feel.

5) CDOT, the cities, and other interests have dropped the ball time after time on transportation to/from the airport. 20 years to get a train station there? 20 years to get a hotel onsite? Building Pena Boulevard with only two lanes in each direction from the start - and the road under construction virtually every year since? No entrance from Tower Road to eastbound Pena Boulevard...after 20 years? The woefully under-planned parking (many people don't realize that the existing parking structures were supposed to incorporate rental car pickup and dropoff)? The comical parking ticket "grand entry" that lasted all of 4 years and was then summarily ripped out?

6) And, of course, the grand baggage system that wasted $1B.

Grand debacles all around. Pena's political friends certainly profited; others will too. But 20 years afterward, I still believe there were better options at the time.

Ho, Hum...you can say and nitpick all you want but many of your complaints were disposed and discarded decades ago--we have built the airport and it is a success.

No one who has any knowledge or intelligence of these big civil projects believe that everything is done all at once or without flaws. It takes man years and years to get everything to work and even then it is still an evolving project.

The transportation to the airport took many years to plan, to go the voters for approval, to get federal approval, to find the money and to construct. We have done very well!

And Consider that in 1997 the voters rejected The Guide the Ride initiative for public transit which included a commuter rail to the brand new DIA airport. We then had to wait until 2004 to take the naysayers by the hand and get the approval for Fastracks to begin the process--years latter.

The infrastructure around the airport including hotels are long term projects that will take decades and we again are doing just fine!

20 years is not a long time--it is well within the scope of any of these projects.

Your other nonsense about Pena is--well just nonsense. It means nothing unless you can speak openly with your true name,with substantial proof, instead of saying it anonymously on a forum. We then can discard your comments as being worthless.


Do not spend all your time looking into the rear view mirror of the past because you will then find yourself crashing into the future and not knowing you are there. Livecontent 2015

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by DenverBrian

No entrance from Tower Road to eastbound Pena Boulevard...after 20 years? .

Peña and not Pena.

The non-ramp at Tower Road is because of E470. There is a legal agreement preventing that T-P connection.

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by DenverBrian

After 20 years, I think many arguments against DIA are still valid.

1) Rocky Mountain Arsenal land could have been used to add north/south runways to Stapleton.

2) There are obvious advantages to a close-in airport. See DCA, SAN, even LAS.

3) Politics, including who owned the land at the time, played a huge part in DIA's eventual location.

4) Unlike DFW, where hotels, businesses and support infrastructure were built out in 20 years, it will likely take 100 years or more for the DIA area to ever have a destination feel.

5) CDOT, the cities, and other interests have dropped the ball time after time on transportation to/from the airport. 20 years to get a train station there? 20 years to get a hotel onsite? Building Pena Boulevard with only two lanes in each direction from the start - and the road under construction virtually every year since? No entrance from Tower Road to eastbound Pena Boulevard...after 20 years? The woefully under-planned parking (many people don't realize that the existing parking structures were supposed to incorporate rental car pickup and dropoff)? The comical parking ticket "grand entry" that lasted all of 4 years and was then summarily ripped out?

6) And, of course, the grand baggage system that wasted $1B.

Grand debacles all around. Pena's political friends certainly profited; others will too. But 20 years afterward, I still believe there were better options at the time.

Good post.

I never fly anymore, but flew into Stapleton many times in the 80s. I always liked it and can well understand how and why it would be missed.

I'm glad they kept the tower in place. I'm assuming it is still standing?

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

Good post.

I never fly anymore, but flew into Stapleton many times in the 80s. I always liked it and can well understand how and why it would be missed.

I'm glad they kept the tower in place. I'm assuming it is still standing?

Yep. Still there right in the middle of all the houses. And, after languishing for many years, there are plans for it (unless this has changed).

http://www.denverpost.com/business/c...ome-punch-bowl

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by Texas Ag 93

[/b]

Yep. Still there right in the middle of all the houses. And, after languishing for many years, there are plans for it (unless this has changed).

Former Stapleton Airport control tower to become Punch Bowl Social - The Denver Post

Thanks for your reply.

Not sure how I feel about this particular idea, but glad it seems to have a future, for now.

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

Thanks for your reply.

Not sure how I feel about this particular idea, but glad it seems to have a future, for now.

As someone who lived in Stapleton, I can tell you the tower is iconic. It's right near the town center and many of the marketing/graphic designs for the development will feature its image. Having said that, it didn't get the love it should have. It just sits there in a field with a chain link fence around it looking progressively more dilapidated. I almost felt it was the developers intention to allow it to waste away until the only option that remained was to tear it down.

It's nice to see a plan for it. There is also a lot of commercial development going on in the old Stanley aviation building that was much slower going that I had hoped, because now I have moved away, so I won't be able to visit any of these places. Isn't that always the way it goes, LOL?

[mic111]

I flew out of Stapleton and back into DIA when Stapleton was closing. Personally I like where DIA is located. 30 min. is not too far to drive to a major airport. In addition the area where Stapleton was has taken off. Having an airport in a dense housing environment doesn't make sense. Noise and jet fuel pollution alone should dictate that all airports are located away from living areas.

[DenverBrian]

Originally Posted by livecontent

Your other nonsense about Pena is--well just nonsense. It means nothing unless you can speak openly with your true name,with substantial proof, instead of saying it anonymously on a forum. We then can discard your comments as being worthless.

Well, at least you're transparent about your bias, especially for my rather mild comments. You want me to disclose my personal information, provide "substantial proof" (no doubt which you will judge based on your bias) and then you will discard my comments as worthless anyway.

How about you speak openly with your true name, disclose all your relationships with any person or entity who has profited from DIA over the years, and then I will discard your comments as worthless anyway?

Oh, and for those who are genuinely curious: Just Google "denver international airport pena politics."

There is absolutely no doubt that DIA was driven by politics, including substantial contributions made by those who would benefit the most from placing DIA in Kansas. And there is absolutely no doubt that other options were possible.

One thing that is correct, however: The airport is built and it works, warts and all. Can't easily get in the time machine and do things differently. Though, in many respects, we should have.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

Thanks for your reply.

Not sure how I feel about this particular idea, but glad it seems to have a future, for now.

Stapleton residents are so happy to have anything happening there. It has been sitting vacant and dilapidated for far too long.

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

Stapleton residents are so happy to have anything happening there. It has been sitting vacant and dilapidated for far too long.

True enough, but I would have preferred some sort of educational historic landmark/museum type development.

I can understand, though, that the appeal of that might be largely limited to my boomer age group. And thus funding would be tough.