Glass House Denver

Denver’s most popular Residential High Rise Tower, the Glass House, added one more reason to love living there. They expanded the fitness center.

To begin with I should share that the Glass House already had what may be the best fitness center of any building in Denver. With two floors, full weight room, full cardio and high tech workout equipment, two classrooms offering spin, yoga, and other classes it was already awesome. Somehow it got even better.

This past year the HOA and the Glass House residents acquired all the remaining commercial space within the building. That included the Fitness Center. One of the goals expressed by the HOA was an objective to improve the operation with more classes and reduce costs or fees.

It also meant that a huge square footage area accessible from the fitness center became HOA property as well. It had previously been used for storage.

Now it has been combined in with the gym to give it one more training and workout room. It is pretty rough right now and has only been used for boot camp style classes BUT plans are over the next several weeks to start improvements including carpeting, lighting so it blends in with the rest of Riverfront Athletic Club’s high end design.

Square footage is at a premium in our city. The Glass House just figured out a way to find more, and to use it to enrich the living experience of its residents.

Other changes with the fitness center since the change of ownership to the homeowners has been a restructuring of classes including a new weekend football boot camp. Which means if you live in the Glass House you probably don’t need any outside fitness memberships. For most that can be a $100-$200 a month value.

Just one more reason why living in the Glass House is so exceptional. Learn more about this amazing building here.

One other side note. The new Confluence Denver tower everyone was expecting to be a for sale new development at 15th and Little Raven… it’s being advertised as for lease. One more reason to look at the Glass House or any of the towers we cover.

The post Glass House Expands Resident Fitness Center appeared first on Denver Urban Living.

It’s pretty amazing how fast time flies. It doesn’t feel like yesterday, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it’s been more than a decade since the only building at Riverfront Park was a slim little trailer used as an office amidst huge construction vehicles working to build what would later become the Plaza space and roads in Riverfront Park. That same plaza is shown above during one of the Riverfront Park Fashion Shows.

Just over 10 years, and look how much has been built.

Riverfront Park started with just three main buildings around the Plaza space. Those buildings were the Promenade Lofts, Park Place Lofts, and Riverfront Tower.

Those buildings sold out quickly, tenants began occupying the ground floor retail, and things kept growing.

What followed was the height of Real Estate conditions. Creekside Lofts and Flats, The Delgany Lofts, The Brownstones, ONE Riverfront and the Park at ONE Riverfront, and of course we all remember the huge excitement surrounding the Glass House.

At the same time several parcels were sold to apartment developers. Monarch Mills put in an affordable housing project. The Station (as it is currently known) and the Manhattan opened their doors.

By 2008 the neighborhood was thriving and the secret was out. With plans laid out for the New Union Station everyone had their eyes on Riverfront Park. Many expressed intentions of buying in the next new development to appear in this hot neighborhood.

But that may not happy, at least not anytime soon.

In the past few years the Manhattan expanded their apartment offerings by taking the parcel across the street (behind the Brownstones). Balfour Senior Living finally took the leap on their large project occupying the land adjacent to 15th street behind the Promenade and Riverfront Tower (they had looked at starting years earlier but held off, we are guessing, for reasons tied to the market drop in late 2000’s). Then AMLI built their own new apartment building across from the Skate Park and adjacent to the dog park (on 20th and Little Raven).

Very quickly a lot of land was spoken for.

And now it appears that the parcel in front of Glass House (Between Glass House and Little Raven Street) will be almost entirely apartment development. We reported earlier that sampling and testing vehicles were on the site with. While many hoped for a chance to buy into a new Riverfront Park project our sources are now sharing that the parcel is being planned as a rental, with the exception of the tip of that triangle which is privately held and could one day be the location of a single family home (what a great spot).

So… if this turns out to be the case that leaves one Last Parcel at Riverfront Park. There is a vacant parcel located next to the Brownstones, across the street from the AMLI apartment, and directly on Little Raven. Since it is on Little Raven the zoning will probably limit what could be built there. If we look at what has been planned on Little Raven it might be fair to expect another townhome project (perhaps Brownstones Phase II) or a more affordable offering. Or, it could be another rental project.

Either way it is interesting to stop and consider the implications off all this development. Riverfront Park just became a neighborhood of a very fixed supply. There is no new high rise coming out of the ground, there may not be any new developments coming that will be for sale.

But that limited supply situation may be the spark that allows a developer to put something on Riverfront Park’s last unclaimed parcel. If they wait just long enough for the certainty on all the other parcels be solidified (i.e. the apartments in front of Glass House are underway) the demand for something (anything) new in Riverfront Park could support doing that last parcel as a high end residential project.

If not, then the inventory that exists may be all there will ever be.

That kind of perspective gives a new value to living and owning a Denver Urban residence in Riverfront Park. Because if you follow a love of great locations Riverfront Park is hard to beat. It has it’s own park at the front door, the great downtown and Union Station transportation hub in the back yard, and a central location surrounded by hundreds of restaurants, shops, sporting events, theater, and the list goes on from there.

View all Riverfront Park Listings

Contact us today about this amazing neighborhood.

The post The Last Parcel at Riverfront Park appeared first on Denver Urban Living.

The Glass House Purchase

One of our clients was happy to share the details behind their recent investment purchase in the Glass House and we thought it might be a fun case study for the site.

The target acquisition was the Glass House in Riverfront Park.  This particular client was very focused on this specific building.  Factors included the great amenities, swimming pool, fitness center, views, but ultimately it was all about location.  The new Union Station Neighborhood project and all the benefits of being adjacent to the hub of our Denver transportation network was one location benefit.  The location became exponentially more valuable when front door access to three public parks (Commons Park, Cuernavaca Park, and Confluence Park), the Downtown (both LoDo and Union Station Neighborhood) restaurants, shops and amenities, the cool hip dining and fun spots of LoHi, and walking distance to all of Denver’s sporting arenas.

The location scored for this buyer on all these marks, and they like to look to the future for investments.  It didn’t hurt that so many available parcels in Union Station and Riverfront Park have, over the past 3 years, gone the way of apartment development leaving fewer condos for ownership in this awesome location.

The target was a one bedroom which which they were able to close on for approximately $330,000.

Now let’s look at the Rental Market side.

Renting Market at Glass House

The rental market at Glass House is strong.  It is a desirable location (for all the reasons above) and for many the idea of living in a condo building is much more appealing than living in an apartment.  The property was put under lease for $1,850, but it did take a couple months to go under contract.  There are a LOT of options for rentals in this area.  The new Union Station, Riverfront Park, and LoHi are rolling out brand new apartment buildings fast and furious.  So far this has not affected rental prices, in fact over the past few years they seem to still be rising.

These new buildings have great amenities too so we will see how the market bears the weight of all these new available properties on rental rates.  The magic word in rental buildings seems to be amenities.  If you have a pool, a fitness center you are in a pretty good spot to attract tenants.

After property management fees and some water/sewer and the HOA fees (which are higher in buildings such as the Glass House with all those amenities) it looks like the net income per month is about $1,100.

So a $330,000 investment is going to start off generating about $13,200 or about 4% per year.  This particular owner is super happy with that.

The consider this a great start when looking at a long term investment horizon.  This 4% is only the cash flow from the investment property itself, this does not factor in any appreciation toward the future sale.

The investor’s objective is to have and hold this property with a goal of seeing that monthly amount increase over the years (decades) as our Denver market continues to evolve.

It’s simply a matter of personal choice.  Some are more comfortable weathering the stock market (rough time last week though) and others prefer real estate.  For this particular buyer the target location made this their ideal long term choice.

If you could invest in any property, in any neighborhood, of any type (condo, home, land) what would you choose?

Contact anyone on the Denver Urban Team to talk about your Real Estate Goals today.

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The post A Glass House Investment Case Study appeared first on Denver Urban Living.

Riverfront Park’s Undeveloped Park Front Real Estate

Most everyone knows the triangle piece of land in Riverfront Park just in front of the Glass House.  This piece of real estate has been closed off for years awaiting news of development plans to offer new condos and homes.  There are many reasons for all the buzz.  After all, Riverfront Park is one of the hottest, if not THE hottest, neighborhoods in all of Denver.  This triangle piece of prime real estate has been watched so closely by home shoppers because it occupies a huge section along Little Raven Street looking out to the Commons Park.

If you are familiar with how rare it is to find a home directly on Wash Park, or Sloan’s Lake, you get the idea.

Well in case you didn’t notice, behind those wooden fences there has been quite a bit of activity this week.  Trucks and drilling machines have been going around this little spot of land digging into the ground.

Are they taking soil samples?  Is it just a routine service call?  Could this be the first step in planning out a new Development in Riverfront Park.

If so, it is the first brand new residential project in Riverfront Park since ONE Riverfront and The Park at ONE Riverfront were offered going back all the way to 2007.

And that could get a lot of people excited. Unfortunately it is our guess that what was once thought to for sale residential will likely be for rent residential. With the current market conditions and the boom of apartment construction it seems more likely to see another apartment development on this site, and most likely in the back corner where the height zoning is the highest.

The zoning and height restrictions for this parcel don’t lend themselves to something that might be a tower such as Glass House, but instead some lower or Mid Range Buildings.   Usually the zoning along Little Raven by the park is much lower.  This is why you see the ONE Riverfront Townhomes and The Brownstones facing Commons Park.

So it is reasonable to expect that we might see a lineup of new Townhomes or Rowhomes lining Commons Park.

As you move away from the park the zoning usually allows  for some more mid range buildings.  This could allow for a small tower like structure.

Which, if you wanted an example, is exactly what happened in the design of the ONE Riverfront Tower.  Townhomes line the street and a higher structure goes behind it.

Either way it is too early to know for sure what is being planned until the developer makes an announcement, but make sure to contact someone on our Denver Urban team to stay updated.  Plans to develop this parcel years ago were going fast following the success of Glass House.  Then everything came to an abrupt halt when market conditions changed and prices weren’t as attractive to creating new condos.

Prices sure have bounced back.  Maybe that is the carrot needed to spark something new on the triangle.

Contact us to stay updated on the triangle

The post Activity in the Riverfront Park Triangle appeared first on Denver Urban Living.

Glass House Owners Now Own All Common Space

Things are really moving up at the Glass House in Riverfront Park with an announcement this month that the Homeowners Association (aka all the owners) have purchased the remaining common space within their own building.

What common space would that be you might ask…

Homeowners already owned the great amenities on the 8th floor including the awesome Glass House pool, the club lounge, theater room and business center.

However, the space that held the Riverfront Athletic Club, the front desk, and some of the offices on the ground level were owned by an outside company.   With real estate values rising on such a rapid trend and these amenities providing cornerstone services to the existing homeowners control over these spaces is certainly a nice aspect for those who live in the building.

This helps the Glass House residents and their Homeowners Association to ensure that amenities like the fitness center can be managed, maintained, and updated as they see fit.  Signs on the fitness center itself announced this change along with requests for homeowners to share their feedback as the new owners (the HOA) look to improve classes, technology for scheduling classes, the variety and skills of instructors, and more.  It is conceivable that the fitness center, which already has great early and late hours, could be expanded to offering 24 hour access.

I guess the point is that with control for these core spaces resting within the building future buyers and existing homeowners don’t have to worry about an external third part doing a major change that isn’t in the best interest of those that live in the building.   For example, what if the owners of the fitness center discontinued the gym altogether, or there was an issue with service years down the road and they wanted to change property management companies.

Folks who live in the Glass House love the teams that have kept the building as the top caliber and most desired address in Denver.  If you walk through the halls or tour the amenities you will find everything always looking immaculate.  So a big kudos to all those that have been, and continue to support the Glass House.

However, the Homeowner’s Association probably realizes that all things change and the folks who are doing an incredible job today may be focused on a new city or project down the road.  Acquiring these assets might just be a stroke of genius in the road map to ensuring the Glass House stays the most popular building in all of Denver.

After all, Denver is young.  I am guessing acquiring these assets today makes a lot more sense than trying to buy them in 20 or 50 years.

To learn more about the Glass House and all the incredible real estate in Denver contact us today.

What do you think?

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The post Glass House Association Purchases Common Space Amenities appeared first on Denver Urban Living.

Condo Legislation Killed in Procedural Move

For those who were watching the progress on the new construction defect and Home Ownership Bills that were put before the State Judiciary Committee the outcome is easy to report.  Nothing will be happening.  According to the Denver Post article “Procedural move kills last of three Colorado construction-defects bills” the bill got squashed.   We aren’t here to debate whether this was the right bill or not to help encourage condo development.  Perhaps a better bill is yet to be written, one that can make both sides of this debate.  But what is disappointing is the news that whatever seems to be stalling the construction of new high rise projects from breaking ground may continue for months or years.

Benefit of New Projects

New Condo Projects are great!  They are great opportunities for buyers in a strong market, which is what we see in Denver right now.  For example when SPIRE and Glass House first came on the market buyers could put a one bedroom condo under contract for as low as $150K.

There are several factors that work to create such attractive pricing.  Often the Developer is motivated to get a certain number of units under contract (usually 30% of the building) so they price some of the lower floors and smaller residences more aggressively.

Plus, buyers are being asked to buy off of floor plans and renderings with a construction completion date that may be years down the road.  For that risk factor Buyers also often see a discount in pricing.  This is part of the reason the first to make that leap of faith in a project can often have a lower price offering.  Developers often raise prices as they move through the sales at certain benchmarks, such as the 30%, 50% or 70% milestones.

Why are developers motivated to reach these milestones?  It is because they often have certain requirements with their lenders and investors.  Hitting such requirements can often be buying opportunities our team helps to identify.

But all of this is academic if new condo developers don’t build a new high rise project.  Recent legislation was put on the books in an attempt to try and create a marketplace that encourages development.   Now we aren’t lawyers or legislators so while I am sure there are many pro and con points about the proposed Homeownership Opportunity Act SB 14-220 we discussed here, the end result was that it did not get passed.

And the topic for today is how will this affect the market over the next few years.

How will this affect the market

No one has a crystal ball to predict the future.  Supply and demand would probably predict that getting into a high rise building with amenities such as SPIRE, Glass House, or ONE Lincoln might get more competitive.  These units are already so popular, with swimming pools, fitness centers, movie theaters and more part of your home ownership benefit.  Prices have already been going up, days on market going down, and the Denver Urban team’s job never stops in staying current and up to date on inventory to help our clients get the best opportunities with new listings.

Denver is still growing, and that is the Demand side of the equation.  Without at supply side increase these units will likely stay among the most desirable and sought after.  This might also continue the fast paced development of mid rise, townhome, and single family home projects.

According to the Denver Post article quoted above

“Condos represent only 2 percent of the new housing mix in metro Denver, versus 20 percent in other areas. When California shifted from a litigation to an arbitration model of dispute resolution, it saw condo construction rebounded from similarly low levels, backers argued.”

Read more: Procedural move kills last of three Colorado construction-defects bills – The Denver Post https://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_25707252/procedural-move-kills-last-three-colorado-construction-defects#ixzz31iQVIZML
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2 percent is a drop in the bucket compared to the number of folks who are seeking the amenity rich lifestyle these Denver Urban buildings offer.  At some point market demand may create a large enough incentive to draw Developers back into the new construction process for a new high rise project.  Keep in mind that even once that decision is made it could be years before a project goes through design, approval, construction and sales.

Might be a good time to do a walk through of the existing inventory at the existing amazing high rises our great city has today.

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Get more information about existing Denver High Rise Inventory

The post New Condo Legislation Was Squashed and How it Might Affect the Market appeared first on Denver Urban Living.

Riverfront Park’s History:  An Empty Rail Yard to a Master Planned Community

Many people don’t realize that Riverfront Park, which has consistently been number one in our most popular neighborhoods, has a great deal of design and vision based upon the fundamentals of a Colorado Ski Resort.

The Developer, East West Partners, who originally purchased the approximately 20 acres of land that would eventually become Riverfront Park began with roots and experience developing resort real estate communities such as Beaver Creek, Bachelor Gulch, Arrowhead, Vail, Park City, and Northstar at Tahoe.   If you have ever skied Beaver Creek you know just how special this ski village is.  The village offers great open spaces to enjoy (ice skating rink, fire pits, creekside paths) and the surrounding buildings are designed to make you feel like you have entered a European village.  Don’t forget about the fresh baked cookies that Vail Resorts friendly employees pass out to ski visitors.  It’s pretty amazing.  Two things are very evident when you are at Beaver Creek.  The village is beautiful, clean, and safe.

So how did a Resort Real Estate Developer become the visionary for Riverfront Park.  The vision started before any developers got involved.  If you look waaaaaaay back at the urban planning documents for the area you see they included a lot of the elements of a park, public space, and mixed use.  Under Denver’s mayor Webb a deal was created with then landholder Trillium to provide the area called “The Commons” and would eventually become Common’s Park” to the city in exchange for the city implementing needed infrastructure for development.  For those who remember this area at the time there was little except vacant rail lines and dirt.   Mayor Wellington Webb was quoted as saying “I wanted parks to be my legacy, and I saw parks as a value-driven investment—an investment that would enhance surrounding areas.”

It was an investment to be sure.  Decades of the land being used as a rail yard meant investing remediating the brownfield railroad land that had accumulated coal dust.  Looking at Riverfront Park now it is hard to imagine what this land once looked like.

In 1997, the city government and the County of Denver Planning and Development Office, and Trillium Corporation and Design Workshop, released a comprehensive urban design plan that included the various design elements of the neighborhood (architecture, signage, parking, pedestrian flow, set backs, lighting, etc.) and the major public amenities including the  set aside for the more than 20 acres for the centerpiece park and integration of the Cherry Creek Bike Path.  It was a brilliant plan and design for everything we see today.

And that may be why East West Partners leapt at the chance to buy the land with partner Crescent Real Estate for  a reported $25 per square foot. and develop here.   Which is exactly what happened next.

Building a Heart of Riverfront Park

The first area of development focus was the Plaza in Riverfront Park in what I like to think was a great example of building the heart of a community.   A beautiful Architectural design became a reality as the Millennium Bridge and open Plaza Public Space took shape.  Around this plaza, three initial buildings were built (2002) as Riverfront Park welcomed The Promenade Lofts, the Park Place Lofts, and Riverfront Tower.  These three buildings remain some of the most popular addresses to call home in Denver, and a balcony facing the plaza or Commons Park is a coveted amenity.

At roughly the same time these initial buildings were coming to market land was being sold to Apartment Developers to build what is currently the Station and the Manhattan and commercial tenants were sought to fill those first floor spaces in the Plaza.  When you visit a ski village it’s nice to have great places to eat, drink, and shop outside your front door.  This lesson was not lost on the Riverfront Park project as we slowly saw INK Coffee, Zengo Restaurant, McLoughlins Pub and other enjoyable tenants were recruited to continue making Riverfront Park an amazing place to live.

The Master HOA Provides Beauty and Security

One of the great amenities within Riverfront Park has nothing to do with architecture.  It is all about place making, perhaps taken from the principles of Beauty, Cleanliness, and Security that are fundamentals of a Ski Village.  Riverfront Park implemented a Master HOA, meaning that every resident of the entire neighborhood is a member.  This Master HOA is funded by payments from residents, meaning in addition to your building HOA fees you have a smaller fee that gets added on.

This fee does something pretty amazing.  It is used to employ a team that works throughout the neighborhood keeping everything beautiful.  They plant, maintain and seasonally change out the various landscaping features and planters in the neighborhood.  They put up holiday lights and other aesthetic elements.

And perhaps of the most value, these funds employ off duty police officers to provide security and assistance in the neighborhood.  When people talk about reasons they love living in Denver’s Riverfront Park the story almost always includes the peace of mind they have on their morning run, walking their dog in the park, venturing out with tickets for a Rockies, Broncos, Nuggets or Avalanche game (all walking distance) or returning from a night of dining in LoHi or LoDo.  It is pretty amazing.

Off duty police officers offer a very unique advantage.  They can enforce the laws.  If someone is misbehaving, or causing a disturbance, Denver’s finest can quickly resolve the situation and their presence in the neighborhood has a value unique anywhere in our city.

Let’s face it, you can’t get a whole bunch of buildings, let alone the residents within, to agree on the same thing very easily.  Duplicating this benefit anywhere other than in a master planned community such as Riverfront Park would be tough.

There are so many reasons why Riverfront Park is an amazing place to call home.  It has, without question, the benefit of one of the most amazing locations in Denver adjacent to the new Union Station with awesome transportation access.  Riverfront Park enjoys being our Central Park neighborhood with acres of green space and trails to enjoy.  And of course residents constantly share their love of the accessibility to great restaurants in LoHi, LoDo, West Highlands and more.

To learn more about living in this amazing neighborhood contact us today.

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  • The Art House
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  • The Brownstones
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The post How Riverfront Park’s Master Planned Approach Creates an Urban Advantage appeared first on Denver Urban Living.

The Glass House Pool Opens for Residents

Denver’s most popular building celebrates the first day of May every year with the annual pool opening. Residents in the building look forward to this day every year, although with today’s chilly weather it is most likely the main pool activities won’t kick in until things get gorgeous this weekend when temperatures are expected to hit 81 on Saturday and 86 on Sunday.

Sounds like perfect weather for a swim.

When we do our showings of the Glass House the 8th floor pool deck is one of the most captivating elements of this building, and just one of the reasons discussed in our article Union Station Driving Glass House to new Heights in Popularity. In fact the pool at Glass House is one of the elements clients are so excited to see, so we wanted to include in this post just a couple photos to show you how great the pool amenity is in this building. When this photo was taken they were still bringing up the pool lounge chairs and doing the finishing touches for swimmers.

Glass House may have the best pool of all the Denver High Rise buildings, but it certainly doesn’t have the only one. In a city with over 300 day sunshine and perfect summer weather for poolside relaxing a number of other buildings know how important this amenity is for residents to enjoy. Here is our “Get Ready for Summer” breakdown of Denver Condo buildings with a pool amenity.

But the definition of a pool can vary greatly for building to building.  Some buildings, like the Glass House, have what I commonly refer to as a “Real” Pool.  It’s big, it has swim lanes to do laps, and you aren’t crowded.  Other buildings, such as SPIRE, have smaller pools and aesthetic pools to allow residents to cool off or to add beauty to the space.  SPIRE focused instead on the hot tub spa feature and they offer residents two on their amenity level.  For those how prefer a true swimming pool a building like the Glass House might be more appealing.  For those who prefer a year round hot tub SPIRE might be a better choice.  Remember, if we are writing about the Glass House pool opening today that means it was closed.  It is not a year round amenity, but I think the residents there still believe it’s the best pool amenity in Denver.

Popular Denver Condo Buildings with a Pool

• Barclay Tower
• Beauvallon Condos
• Brooks Tower
• Four Seasons Residences
• Glass House
• Larimer Place
• ONE Lincoln
• Pinnacle
• Ritz Carlton Residences XXV
• SPIRE
• Taxi Lofts
• Windsor Condominiums

Or you can visit our lifestyle page with all listings that offer a pool.

Enjoy Denver and Happy Swimming!

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The post Glass House Pool is OPEN for residents for the 2014 Season appeared first on Denver Urban Living.

New Development Driving Glass House

With all the new Development occurring int Downtown Denver one building seems to be the favorite.  Riverfront Park’s Glass House building has been seeing a record number of new listings going under contract in a day or less.  Let’s talk about just why this building is the destination everyone seems to be talking about.

• The New Union Station Neighborhood Project is moving fast right across the pedestrian bridge from Glass House.  This new area has already announced a new hotel, several new restaurants, bars, shops and more. New restaurants include Zoe Ma Ma and two national restaurants expanding into Denver, the PROTEIN BARR and The Thirsty Lion Pub. These two new restaurants plan to open April 29.
• The New Union Station Hotel Project developers have announced they will have several new eateries including Milkbox Ice Creamery brought to us by the folks at Little Man Ice Cream, Pigtrain Coffee brought to us by the folks at Novo Coffee, Eatmore Burgers and Brats, Fresh Exchange Restaurant, and two new bars called the Terminal Bar and the Cooper Lounge.  The Terminal Bar is expected to be a beer lover’s destination with more than 30 brews on tap.   With many, many more blocks and businesses available for growth just imagine what else will arrive.
• The new King Soopers Grocery Store is opening a new high end store offering at the 20th and Chestnut block.  This new location is rumored to be opening later this year.  How awesome will it be to have a great large scale grocery store within walking distance.
• There is talk of a new Whole Foods location coming to the Union Station Neighborhood.  This new grocery addition could complement the King Sooper amenity and make the neighborhood even more desirable for living and as an investment.  Read more about this here.
• The new Union Station Light Rail Hub provides access to not only all the light rail lines throughout Denver but also a direct line out to Denver International Airport.
• Imagine if you could go back in time and buy a condo or loft on New York’s Central Park.  That is the comparison investors and homeowners are sharing about their Glass House purchase.  Directly on the Park Glass House residents enjoy runs, walks, and the sheer pleasure of living on open space in our urban playground.  That is a very special thing.
• Union Station Neighborhood, LoHi, Jefferson Park, LoDo, and Ball Park wrap around Riverfront Park allowing Glass House residents easy access to all the great dining, shopping, events and more that these neighborhoods offer.
• Riverfront Park is a culinary center of the Denver landscape with Zengo, La Biblioteca, McLoughlins, Sushi Sasa, Colt and Grey, Denver Beer Company, Brother Bar, St. Ellie, and footsteps away.  Zengo even offers delivery to the Glass House, it’s next door neighbor.
• Riverfront Park offers the Glass House, and all of the buildings in the neighborhood a dedicated Master HOA with full security staffed by off duty police officers and a team to keep the neighborhood clean and filled with plants, flowers, even holiday decorations.  Most people don’t know that one of the founding principles for Riverfront Park was to establish a community where residents had cleanliness and safety as primary values.
• Developers are not building new high rise buildings.  With current laws governing developer required reserves for high rise buildings the pace of new residential towers has ground to a halt.  Get in while you can, because if the laws were changed (which is currently in discussion) it could take years just to get the first shovel to break ground, plus the time to complete the building.
• The Glass House has what most consider to be the BEST amenities of any building in Denver.  Glass House residents enjoy a large pool (which is rare), 8th floor club lounge, outdoor pool deck, fire pit, outdoor grills, media theater room, continental breakfast, 24 hour front desk, and two story modern fitness center with classes.  It is a WONDERFUL lifestyle for the urban resident.

With the wave of new development adding to the many reasons why this location is the heart of Denver it is now wonder that Glass House condos and residences are moving quickly.

Glass House Expertise

Our team of Denver Urban experts knows the Glass House building inside and out.   There are many things to consider in comparing the various residences.   Some units offer incredible views, either of the city or the mountains, or both.  Some floor plans take the best advantage of square footage.   For current Glass House owners we help them understand what their residence is worth on the current market.  For Glass House buyers our team help you get the first opportunity to make an offer and provide the knowledge to build the most appropriate offer.  There are so many factors to consider in Denver’s star building.  We keep all our Glass House clients updated on exactly what is happening today and what future plans are occurring in this area that they should factor in.
View Available Glass House Listings HERE

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We love the Denver Bike Community

How much do we love it!  We love it so much that a HUGE part of our philosophy is supporting and sharing information about how to live the Denver Car Optional Lifestyle.  For many of us living the Denver Urban life means commuting by bike, light rail, public transportation, or just using our feet.

One of the favorite social aspects of Denver’s love affair with two wheels is the Denver Cruiser Ride Community.  Beginning with the first ride on May 14th Denver bike lovers gather every Wednesday for a costumed theme based cruise throughout our great city.   Each and every Wednesday the streets are filled with costumed bicyclists as they travel from one Denver establishment to another.  Some go for the rides, some for the social, and some for the opportunity to do their most creative adaptation of the weekly costume theme.

The Denver Cruiser ride has grown so much since the very first rides.  I can recall, many years ago, when the rides were so small that you pretty much new everyone on the ride.  As the secret got out and the biking size grew the group worked to establish some courtesy rules and work with Denver government groups to ensure safety and that the group knew and understood  the Denver Municipal Bicycle Code.  Kudos to responsible biking.

The new themes for the 2014 Denver Cruiser Season are (at least at the time of this posting)…

Denver Cruiser Theme Ride Schedule 2014

• May 14th – Reds and Robes
• May 21st – Denver 1894
• May 28th – Seven Daily Sins
• June 4th – Summer Camp
• June 11th – Soul Train
• June 18th – Bubble Wrap, Duct Tape and Card Board
• June 25th – Overcoats and Underwear
• July 2nd – People of Walmart
• July 9th – You Light Up My Life
• July 16th – Suits and Swim Suits
• July 23rd – Dress Night
• July 30th – All Holidays
• August 6th – The Letter S
• August 13th – Dungeons and Drag Queens
• August 20th – Big Top
• August 27th – Road Warrior
• September 3rd – TBD
• September 10th – TBD
• September 17th – Pirates, ,Sea Men and Mermaids
• September 23rd – Ullr Fest:  Winter Wonderland

These rides can be a lot of fun and a great chance to meet some wonderful people.  For those who are interested in joining the Denver Cruiser rides visit their website here to learn more about the Denver Cruiser rides and familiarize yourself with their rules and guidelines.

Denver PeopleforBikes Green Lane Initiative

Our city is really making great strides to be one of the most Car Optional and Bike Friendly cities in the nation. In fact Denver has been selected out of hundreds of cities to be one of 6 cities to be chosen for an intensive two year bike lane project.  In this article we learn more about how PeopleforBikes Green Lane project is going to focus on establishing safer bike lane systems for our city to encourage people to bike and walk more.  They mention in the video that by 2020 they hope that 15% of Denver residents are commuting by bike/foot and this project can mean HUGE support for those who want to live car optional.  Read the 9 News article here.

Of course it helps that Denver’s B-Cycle system has established a bike sharing network throughout the Denver Urban area.  In 2013 B-Cycle announced that it would become a year round program and added some 20 new stations with plans for more on the way every year.

And for those who want to live 95% car free the huge expansion (and competition) within the Car Sharing community means that you can still have access to a car for those rare occasions when you need one.  Car2Go Denver did one of the largest rollouts of any car share organization here in Denver putting hundreds of cars throughout the city.  Having tried the system repeatedly I have nothing but positive reviews to share.

When you look at how building such as SPIRE or the Riverfront Park Glass House have Parking Spaces going from $40,000 to $55,000 from the Developer (who knows what resales might top out at) the option of buying a condo or loft in the Downtown market without car could mean getting a much greater value.  These are real dollars that a Denver home buyer could use for more square footage, their favorite location, or just a reduced mortgage payment every month.

To help you evaluate all your Car Optional Denver Condo searching we have set up several web tools for our fans to use.  Check out these wonderful green living Denver Urban resources:

• Denver B-Cycle Friendly Property Search
• Denver Light Rail Friendly Properties
• Denver Community Garden Friendly Properties
• Denver Dog Park Friendly Properties
• Union Station Properties (the hub of light rail)
• All Neighborhoods
• Denver Light Rail Friendly Homes Facebook Page
• Denver Bike on Twitter 

Vote for your Favorite Denver Cruiser Ride Theme

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