The Future of Elitch Gardens

Everyone in Denver knows about that random theme park located in the heart of downtown and everyone who visits the city either has questions about it or finds themselves at the amusement park/water park for the day in the spring and summer time. Elitch Gardens has been a staple in the Denver community for quite a while now with no intention of going anywhere, and most people are glad about that. But back in 2015, the 62-acre property was actually purchased by Rhys Duggan and his partners with backing from Nuggets and Avalanche owner Stan Kroenke.

 

Duggan saw the property for something bigger then what it was. A whole 17 acres of the property is used as parking lots that are going to be replaced by a single parking structure and new buildings as phase 1 of Duggan’s vision for the space. These plans call for adding office, residential and some retail space on the lots located to the north and east of the park.

 

“I think in the long haul, over 25 years this becomes a new, vibrant downtown neighborhood,” Duggan, CEO of Revesco Properties, said Monday. “In the interim, the park stays in place. Come see us. We’re spending money. We’re adding attractions.” (via Denver Post).

 

Around Elitch’s, the plan calls for multiple walkable areas with high-rise structures interspersed with green space. But Duggan sees this space as more then condos and offices. The space will include three parks along a roughly 1-mile strip of South Platte Rive, Colfax and Speer. With more then 137,000 square feet of space, there is to be a school, community center, day care and a grocery store.

 

Revesco is also doing intense research to see how they can build more affordable housing options in the space. “I think we have done a great job of building a city for a certain demographic and a certain age strata but I think we can do more to build a complete downtown community, where people can really live and work and even raise a family and send their kids to school,” Duggan said. “How do we do that with an affordability component so it doesn’t become an elitist neighborhood? Because I think that serves no one well.” (via Denver Post).

 

Duggan and his group are just waiting on the city to amend the 2007 Downtown Area Plan in which Duggan addresses he wants to make sure the community has a say in the building of this area and how it will help shape the future of the city.

 

It’s an exciting expansion for the city and I am so glad to hear they plan on keeping Elitch’s for everyone to continue to enjoy. Keep an eye out for more updates throughout the summer.

The best spots in Denver for Easter Services and Easter activities

Well we just had our first day of spring and I must say, we didn’t have much of a winter but I am ready for spring! The weather has started to change, the plants are starting to pop out of the ground and the sun stays out a bit longer. I especially like this time of year because Easter is upon us and this is a special time to me. For those of you around Denver, there are many great churches you can go to for Easter service and lots of great activities around town to celebrate the holiday. The best way to look for Easter services is to look them up online, some churches offer services at different times that day or may offer multiple services.  My favorite church to attend Easter service is the church I've been attending since 2007, Flatirons Community Church.  If you haven't found a church yet or are looking for a church that is unique and different, maybe give Flatirons a try.  There are several campuses around the Denver metro area so there's got to be one out there for you.

And don't forget about all the fun activities that come along with Easter.   Below I have listed some great activities that you and the whole family can enjoy.

Brunch: Easter and brunch seem to go hand in hand so here are some restaurants having some great brunch deals for the day:

 

·      Avelina – 3-course meal

·      Sarto’s – special Easter menu

·      Charcoal Bistro – 3-course meal with bottomless cocktails

·      Max’s Wine Bar

·      Ocean Prime – brunch specials

·      Denver Aquarium – breakfast with the Easter Bunny

 

Easter Egg Hunts & Activities –

 

·      Brighton Spring Celebration – Sat. March 31st - The city of Brighton will be celebrating spring with downtown local businesses handing out candy and treats to the kids. The Easter bunny will also be in attendance so make sure to bring your camera!

·      Bunny Bolt – Sat. Mach 31st – Head to City Park for a 5k, 10k and kids 1k run around the park. Kids will also have the opportunity to meet the Easter Bunny, get their face painted and look for eggs. Adults can enjoy yoga and the Golden Egg Hunt.

·      World’s largest Easter egg hunt – Sun. April 1st – If you are ready for an Easter egg hunt like none other, head to Copper Mountain for the hunt of a lifetime. Over 2,500 acres are used with 65,000 eggs for kids of all ages to find. There are prizes and goodies for everyone to win and each age group has their chance to find eggs.

·      Easter candy hunt at the Mile-High flea market – Sat. March 31st

·      Broomfield Eggstravaganza – Sat. March 31st

·      Glendale Easter Eggstravaganza – Sat. March 31st

·      Golden Family Easter – Sat. March 31st

·      Highlands Ranch Community Easter Egg Hunt – Sat. March 31st

·      Parker Easter Egg Hunt – Sat. March 31st

Hope you all have a blessed Easter and if you are thinking this spring might be the time to get into the housing market, contact me today! I would love to sit down with you and figure out how we can make your real estate dreams a reality.

Time to turn your clocks forward!

Hard to believe we are already heading into spring and with that comes the changing of the clocks. This Sunday, March 11th, at 1:00am the clocks will cruise forward giving us earlier morning sun and much more sunlight with sunsets taking place around 8:00pm. It’s a great way to get excited for spring and summer but also can throw people a bit for a week or so, especially anyone with small children who need to get used to going to bed with the sun still shining!

 

There have been many arguments over the years about taking away daylights saving time in the United States. Many countries did away with daylights saving or have never even used it but the US continues to use it. Arizona, for example, can be a bit tricky because some of the parts of the start recognize daylights saving and other parts of it do not so if you happen to be traveling there, make sure to ask around to figure out what time it is.

 

The history of when daylights savings started goes all the way back to 1895 to a entomologist from New Zealand named George Hudson. He proposed a two-hour time shift so that he would have more after work hours of sunshine. He wanted to have more time to go bug hunting was his main purpose. Then about seven years later, a British builder named William Willett thought up the same idea while he was out horseback riding. He brought the idea to England’s Parliament as a way to prevent the nation from wasting daylight. The idea was shot down by the British government and didn’t come back to light until 1916, two years into World War 1 when the German government was brainstorming ways to save energy. They knew of Willett’s idea and decided to implement it into their daily lives. Back then, coal power was king and so by changing their clocks, people really did save energy by not having to use so much coal.

 

Today, there is still a lot of back and forth because as many people have pointed out, changing the clocks no longer saves any energy. There also have been studies around the changing of clocks and how it has been linked to higher car accident fatalities, heart attacks and other negative outcomes. But these effects are just temporary, thought to be due to sleep deprivation and circadian rhythm changes.

 

So before you go to bed Saturday evening, make sure to turn your clocks back and don’t be alarmed if you feel a little groggy on Monday morning! With this weather changing you might be thinking it is a good time to get into the real estate market and if that’s the case, give me a call today I’d love to grab a cup of coffee with you and chat about how we can make your real estate dreams come true!

The Oscar Goes To...The Premier Condo Market

The Premier residential market was feeling the love in February with its sales volume increasing 6.18 percent month over month, and 12.12 percent year over year. Sellers loved that their homes were not taking as long to sell in February with the days on market down 32.74 percent from the prior month to 76 days. No President’s Day sales were happening in the Premier single-family segment of the market, as the price per square feet increased 4.32 percent from the prior month. The average price of a single-family home in the Premier market was  $589,683 - up 0.07 percent from the prior month. With 999 active residences (single-family) at the end of February, and 1.99 months of inventory, buyers had more to choose from compared to homes under $500,000, but needed to act quickly when a listing came on the market. In the category of highest year-to-date percentage increase in sales and sales volume, 2017 over 2018, the Oscar goes to…the Premier condo market at 24.83 percent sold and 23.93 percent sales volume at over $100 million. Days on market for Premier condos was striking at 237 days, down 27.30 percent from the prior month. There were 261 active listings and 3.18 months of inventory in this segment of the market, so buyers had more to choose from in the Premier condo market over other segments of the market.  Download the full March market trends report here.  

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