10 16 NO COMPROMISES REACHED: SMILEY’S LAUNDROMAT STILL AT IMPASSE by Caroline Schomp The future of the old Smiley’s Laundromat building at Colfax Avenue and Downing Street remains up in the air. Conflicting concerns about parking and historic preservation are keeping a planned development from progressing. Property owner CIG Investments’ plans include two stories of below-grade parking; ground floor, marketplace-style retail; one floor of co-working space; and five stories with 184 residential units. The current zoning code requires approximately 200 parking spaces, which would be difficult to achieve while preserving the 1930s-era building. It would necessitate excavating under the existing building, which would present structural problems. According to CIG’s Vice President of Real Estate Tim Bertoch, “What’s becoming an issue is how to preserve the building and still provide sufficient parking to make a long-term viable project. For us to achieve the scale that would allow us to make this project successful and bring that type of activation to that area requires us to redevelop the entire site.” It’s estimated retaining the existing building would reduce parking availability by more than 50 spaces. Swallow Hill Neighborhood Association’s Teresa Caballero and husband Alex Torres said the project as planned is exciting. “Finally someone is coming to invest in this area of Colfax and we need to encourage them,” Caballero said. “We hope Historic Denver and the developer can come up with a compromise. But,” she added, “parking is a huge concern and it’s not clear if the parking would be enough for the project they have planned.”
@DenverLifeNews #CapHillStill
Brandon and Michael of Mountain Drones, Inc., prepare to launch a one of their drones in Cheesman Park this past September. Mountain Drones specializes in avalanche mitigation and has received considerable press. Visit mountaindrones.net to learn more. Photo by Jeff Hersch CIG filed in May for a Certificate of Non-Historic Status, which would allow it to demolish the building. Historic Denver, Inc. countered with an application to designate the building as a landmark, contending it is a significant example of Art Deco and Streamline Moderne architectural styles. Moreover, Historic Denver said the building is of historic significance on Colfax Avenue. It originally was a commercial hub for the neighborhood and later became Smiley’s Laundromat, which opened in 1979 and acquired a unique identity as a community landmark, billing itself as the world’s largest laundromat with 182 washers and 170 dryers. CIG withdrew its application and negotiations have continued. Recently, CIG met with representatives from
BUSINESS RENT INCREASES SPARK GAME OF MUSICAL CHAIRS by Lucy Graca Denver’s leading economic indicators are up—way up. The metrodenver.org website September economic indicators reports employment is up 3.6 percent over the last year, foreclosures are down 38.2 percent and 8.4 percent more people are flying out of DIA this year. The downside is the number of all types of retail spaces available for lease or sublease is down almost 5 percent, and this has pushed Denver retail rents
up by about 35 percent since July 2013, according to loopnet. com, a commercial real estate site. Even so, some businesses have seen rent increases of as much as 300 percent, depending on where they’ve opened their doors. So many businesses in Cherry Creek, on Capitol Hill and in other high-rent districts are moving to lower-rent areas, like Englewood, South Broadway and RiNo. Sometimes catastrophic rent increases occur when a business has been in the same location, or has had the same landlord, for decades and ownership changes. Such was the case for Rene DiBenedetti of Rene’s Maison des Fleurs and his friend, Sally Starr of Starr Antiques. Both were renting stores on 6th Avenue at Milwaukee Street, Starr for 23
DPD to increase foot and bike patrols on Colfax
Got the ballot head spins? Our easy rundown is here
PAGE 3
facebook.com/ lifeoncapitolhill
08 16
PAGE 4
Historic Denver, the Colfax Ave Business Improvement District, Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods and the Swallow Hill Neighborhood Association. “It’s frustrating that neither side [Historic Denver or CIG] brought new ideas or solutions to the last meeting. It seems like they’re just reinforcing their positions,” Torres said. “We hope the building will be retained, or at least a substantial part of the building left intact,” Historic Denver’s Annie Levinsky said. Nevertheless, none of the parties involved have come up with an agreeable compromise. continued on page 12
years from a long-time owner based in California. When the property owner became incapacitated, his daughter hired a property management firm which decided the building was technically in Cherry Creek and tripled the rents when leases ended. After a year of looking around, Starr found a new home at 1560 S. Broadway. DiBenedetti followed a year later to 1462 S. Broadway. Both say their businesses are thriving at their new locations, and they credit this to heavier foot traffic and their proximity to Antiques Row. Another refugee to South Broadway is well-known “rock‘n’-roll-lifestyle” emporium FashioNation and conjoined Babysitters’ Nightmare (motto: “From the cradle to the grave”). Formerly on East 13th Avenue on Capitol Hill, the double business is now ensconced in the old Packrat Antiques space on the corner of South Broadway and Iowa Avenue. continued on 10
DeGette and Stockham finally face off here PAGE 10
@DenverLifeNews #CapHillStill
facebook.com/ lifeoncapitolhill