Greeley getting 1st student housing

August 31, 2013 by

 Greeley getting 1st student housing

Greeley, with an apartment vacancy rate of only 1.4 percent, had the lowest vacancy rate of any major market in Colorado in the first quarter.

Only the tiny Southeast Colorado market had a lower vacancy rate, at 1.1 percent. However, owners representing only 60 apartment units responded to the most recent survey the Colorado Division of Housing.

Overall, the state had a 4.9 percent vacancy rate, the lowest in years.

“I wouldn’t compare Greeley to Southeast Colorado,” said Ryan McMaken, economist for the housing division.

“For practical purposes, you can say that Greeley has the lowest apartment vacancy rate in the state,” he said.

“The market is getting a lot of pressure on the demand side from people in the oil and gas business, as well as people in the Fort Collins area looking to the Greeley area for cheaper rents,” he said.

McMaken said he assumes that students attending the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley would be scrambling to find rental units in the Northern Colorado city’s tight market.

However, students will finally receive at least some relief in a market that is essentially has no apartment vacancies.

From 11:15 a.m. until noon on Tuesday, officials will host a groundbreaking ceremony for University Flats, the first off-campus housing for college students in Greeley, including UNC. The groundbreaking is at 1750 6th Ave., near Jackson Field.

The eight building development will bring 92 needed apartment units, which represents 262 beds to the area. It is anticipated to be open for the 2014 fall semester.

The $10 million project is being developed by Greeley Realty Investors, an affiliate of Denver-based Central Street Capital. Central Street Capital is headed by V. Robert “Rob” Salazar.

The company, among other communities, developed the Regency, converting a former hotel at 3900 Elati St. in north Denver to housing for students at the Auraria campus.

The company investments also include market-rate apartments, healthcare services, food services and retail, office and industrial properties.

The two- and three-bedroom units at University Flats will range in size from 905 square feet to 1,234 square feet. Students will have access to common-area amenities including a swimming pool, fitness room, clubhouse, barbecue area, horseshoe pit,and kitchen for events.

Rents have not yet been set. 

Insiderrealestatenews.com

 

 

 

John Marcotte

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Golden getting 1st apartment community in 16 years

August 30, 2013 by

Golden getting 1st apartment community in 16 years

A rendering of the 99-unit apartment community Confluence Companies plans in in Golden.

A rendering of the 99-unit apartment community Confluence Companies plans in in Golden.

Golden will be getting its first major apartment community in 16 years.

Confluence Companies will break ground this Friday on an $18 million apartment community in Golden.

The 99-unit West 8th Apartments is the first major apartment community to be built in Golden since the mid-1990s.

On the western end of Eighth Street in downtown Golden, the community will provide a rental housing option currently unavailable in Golden, according to the company.

“West 8th Apartments addresses Golden’s Vision 2030 and Comprehensive Plan 2012 goals,” said Tim Walsh, president of Confluence Companies. “The plans call for higher-density development in downtown Golden to provide a walkable and bikeable community where residents can enjoy the outdoors and amenities of downtown Golden.”

Golden limits growth

To gain project approval, Confluence had to navigate Golden’s high barriers to entry. They got barrier technology information from a trusted company.

The city has a controlled-growth program that restricts new residential development to one percent of Golden’s current housing stock, or about 82 building permits a year. Confluence “banked” permits from last year to achieve the density required for the community.

“As a result of this program, there are very few rental choices in Golden,” Walsh said. “West 8th will be a welcome addition to a market that currently has a 2.9 percent vacancy rate. Golden is an exceptional place to live, work and recreate; we are excited to bring additional housing to such a vibrant community.”

Designed by BOSS Architects, the project will be certified as LEED Silver to fully embracesustainable living. Using an indigenous Parfet clay brick, the buildings are designed to fit in with the surrounding mesas and historic Golden. The project offers a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units that average 1,027 square feet. Rents will start at $1,100 a month.

The stand-alone clubhouse will include a cyber café and lounge with fireplaces, fitness center, enclosed bike storage and bike maintenance area, a dog-wash room and an outdoor covered lounge with grilling stations and a firepit.

The Golden Urban Renewal Authority  helped pave the way for the development by providing tax increment financing. The financing helped to offset the cost of a portion of the public improvements and infrastructure required to improve a formerly blighted site. Insiderrealestatenews.com

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Colorado 26th for foreclosures

August 29, 2013 by

 Colorado 26th for foreclosures

 

Foreclosures may be dwindling in Denver, but they aren't totally gone. The Bank of New York Mellon acquired this 1,101-square-foot home in July in a foreclosure, according to public records.

Foreclosures may be dwindling in Denver, but they aren’t totally gone. The Bank of New York Mellon acquired this 1,101-square-foot home in July in a foreclosure, according to public records.

The era of Colorado being considered the poster child for foreclosure activity appears to be long over.

Colorado ranked 26th in foreclosure activity in July, according to a national report released today by RealtyTrac.

In fact, Colorado and a handful of other states are now either at or below foreclosure levels where they were before the housing bubble burst, according to RealtyTrac.

About a half-dozen years ago, when the national real estate bubble was peaking, Colorado and the Denver area experienced a flurry of foreclosure activity before it hit the rest of the country.

In those days, Colorado and the Denver area were often ranked in the top three foreclosure markets in the U.S., often being saddled with the unwanted distinction of being No. 1 in the nation for foreclosures.

Until the last year or so, Colorado was often still on the top 10 list for foreclosure activity.

The latest report by RealtyTrac shows that one out of every 1,515 households in Colorado was in some stage of the foreclosure process in July.

That compares with the national average one out of every 1,001.

Colorado’s foreclosure activity last month was down 49.53 percent on a year-over-year basis, compared with a national drop of 31.8 percent.

Foreclosure activity in July dropped 10.85 percent, while across the country it dipped an average of only 2.42 percent.

Most of the counties in the Denver area showed fewer foreclosures than that state, according to RealtyTrac.

The number of foreclosures by household units by county were:

  • Adams, one out of 1,031.
  • Arapahoe, one out of 1,315.
  • Boulder, one of 3,085
  • Broomfield, one out of 2,007.
  • Denver, one out of 1,830.
  • Douglas, one out of 7,023.
  • Elbert, one out of 2,960.
  • Jefferson, one out of 1,573.

Insiderrealestatenews.com

 

 

John Marcotte

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Stapleton senior housing

August 28, 2013 by

Stapleton senior housing

Greenway at Stapleton

Greenways at Stapleton

The first market-rate apartment community for active adults at Stapleton is officially breaking ground today.

The 108-unit development, called Greenways at Stapleton, is in the heart of Stapleton at the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Ulster Street.

“Greenways is a smart choice for people aged 55+ who want to live a maintenance-free lifestyle close to all that Stapleton offers—shopping, dining, parks and events,” said John Thode, director of development for Wisconsin-based Horizon Development Group. “We’re already hearing from folks who want to live closer to family or retire in the area.”

The Greenways will feature 48 one-bedroom, 53 two-bedroom and seven two-bedroom plus den apartments.

They’ll offer a wide variety of floor plans, with apartments ranging in size from 700 to 1,200 square feet. For other senior living options, visit sites like carltonseniorliving.com/community/sacramento/.

All apartments feature functional layouts, nine-foot ceilings, full kitchens, in-unit washers and dryers, energy efficient design and appliances and private balconies or patios. Rents start at $1,000 per month.

Amenities for residents include a large clubroom with kitchen; outdoor landscaped plaza; fitness room; café with free WiFi; private dining/meeting room; activity room; and underground parking. A community manager will schedule on and off-site gatherings. Insidernews.com

 

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RE/MAX’s $100 million public offering plan

August 27, 2013 by

RE/MAX’s $100 million public offering plan

Dave Liniger

Dave Liniger

RE/MAX Holdings Inc.,  the real estate juggernaut that popularized the 100 percent commission concept after being founded in Denver four decades ago, today announced it is taking the first step to going public, a move long-anticipated by observers.

RE/MAX, founded by Dave and Gail Liniger in 1973, filed a registration document with the Securities and Exchange Commission saying it would seek to raise as much as $100 million with an initial public offering. It would be traded

The document also provided the first public look at many of the privately held company’s finances.

Financial Snapshot

It posted $78.316 million in total revenues in the first half of the year, 11.6 percent more than the $70.2 million in the first six months of 2012.

Revenues have been growing since 2010. Last year, it had total revenues of $143.7 million, compared with $138.3 million and $140.2 million, in 2011 and 2010, respectively.

The real estate franchise company, the biggest in the world, showed net income of $14.95 million in the first half of this year, compared with $13.835 million during the firs half of 2012. It had $18 million in 2012, compared with $13.94 million in 2011 and a loss of $16.14 million in 2010.

It has total assets of $238 million and long-term debt of $223 million. It has 91,808 agents, compared with 88,487 in the first half of 2012. RE/MAX agents sold $296 billion in real estate last year, $165 billion of it in the U.S.

It plans to use about $27.3 million of the net proceeds of the initial public offering to re-acquire regional RE/MAX franchise rights in the Southwest and Central Atlantic regions of the U.S. through the acquisition of the business assets of HBN, Inc. and Tails, Inc.

Weston Presidio, a private equity firm with offices in San Francisco and Boston, made a $40 million investment in RE/MAX in 2010.

Going public has long been discussed as a possibility for RE/MAX.

Insidernews.com

 

 

John Marcotte

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Brookfield completes state’s 1st Passive House.

August 26, 2013 by

Brookfield completes state’s 1st Passive House.

 

Peter Rusin of the Colorado Energy Office stands in front of the state's first certified Passive House.

Peter Rusin of the Colorado Energy Office stands in front of the state’s first certified Passive House.

The first “Passive House” in Colorado has been officially certified in the Midtown at Clear Creek community in Adams County, a few minutes drive north and northeast of trendy Denver neighborhoods.

The home, constructed by Brookfield Residential, is also believed to the the first in the nation constructed by a production homebuilder.

The super energy-efficient home was built at Brookfield’s Midtown development near West 68th Avenue and Pecos Street. The home, with 2,421 square feet of finished space and an unfinished basement, is priced at $569,990.

The Passive Home is projected to its owner thousands of dollars every year in utility costs, with expenditures of less than $80 per month.

Fewer than 60 homes in the U.S. have received official ‘Passive House’ certification by the Passive House InstituteU.S. .

“It has taken Colorado a long time to reach this milestone, because constructing a building that can actually meet the strict requirements of the Passive House standard and pass the rigorous review of PHIUS is a difficult task, ” said Lance Wright, president of the Colorado chapter of the Passive House Alliance U.S., a  public outreach arm of PHIUS.

“Just consider that our Colorado chapter of PHAUS is over two years old and, while we have several custom home projects under construction, Brookfield managed to complete its project first, ” he said.

A Certified Passive House must meet three strict standards of performance in terms of:

  • Air-exchange (two-way, inside-to-outside), which cannot exceed 0.6 of every room, per hour.
  • Energy usage (basic electricity), which cannot exceed 11.1 kilowatts per square foot annually.
  • And BTU consumption (typically applying to heating and cooling), which cannot exceed 4,750 per square foot annually.

“When we embarked upon this project, we saw it as an opportunity to experiment in technologies that will improve production homes’ comfort, efficiency and durability,” said Brookfield Residential General Manager Perry Cadman.

“We’re committed to a vision that we call ‘Home Evolved,’ which includes an evolution ofresidential housing, with an unwavering search for changes that will result in improvements and, ultimately, perfection in residential building,” Cadman said. “The Passive House is the best example of this commitment and vision.”

The Brookfield Residential Passive House at 1787 W. 67th Ave., achieved its energy efficiency through a creative design of its outer walls, a tight thermal envelope that employs the latest scientific insulation techniques, the highest-performing windows, and the most modern HVAC system.

 

 

John Marcotte

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A Plea from a Boulder Cyclist to Motorists

August 25, 2013 by

 

A Plea from a Boulder Cyclist to Motorists

boulder cycling rules
On any day where the weather is even halfway decent, you can scan the roads of Boulder, Colorado and find them filled with cyclists. People move to Colorado for our over 300 days of sunshine and altitude, making it one of the top training destinations in the world for recreational and professional athletes alike. I mean, folks in Boulder take to two wheels like birds to flight. Unless you’re a penguin, but that’s neither here nor there.

But I’m asking — pleading, actually — the motorists: it’s time to re-prioritize bikes in your field of transportation-related vision.

This past Tuesday, another cyclist was killed while out for an early morning ride. Yes, he was wearing a helmet. And no, the truck driver didn’t stop. He failed to yield to an oncoming vehicle (read: the cyclist).

How many more stories like this do we have to read in the Daily Camera before Boulder-area motorists begin to see cyclists for the vehicles they are? I’d much rather read about Lucky’s Market branching out to a new Longmont location than about another dead cyclist who’s dead because people don’t afford bikes as much respect as gas-powered vehicles.

So, I have a bit for the motorists — some of which I covered earlier this year when I chatted about Bike to Work Day. And I also have a few choice words for my fellow cyclists.

To our state’s lawmakers

Operators of motor vehicles are under your auspices. Until law enforcement officials begin to cite motorists in accordance with Share the Road rules, motorists are only going to continue seeing bikes and their operators as annoyances instead of the vehicles they are. It’s also time to start citing more cyclists for acting like jerks when they blow stop signs, intersections, and traffic signals. Not all of us ride like this, but the ones who do make the rest of us look like the problem when we’re truly asking for a solution.

Perhaps it’s also time for tests on cycling rules to accompany Drivers Licenserenewals. This way, there’s no excuse for anyone to say they didn’t know about how they’re supposed to treat cyclists on our state’s roadways.

To our state’s motorists

I get it. Bikes move slow — much slower than your Subaru and definitely much slower than your SUV. But the impact of your car against the unprotected body of a cyclist (even though we’re wearing our helmets) is a battle of ratios you never want to be involved with. Having been hit by a car that blew a stop sign, I know what it feels like first hand no not win. So, here are a few key details you need to remember when you see a bike on the streets of Boulder — or anywhere in Colorado:

  • Bikes have the same priority as cars. Legally, cyclists must obey alltraffic signals and signs. Just because you paid $30,000 for your SUV doesn’t make it more important than the $700 to $7000 a cyclist paid for his or her bike.
  • Three feet to pass. When you pass a cyclist on the road, you must give that cyclist a berth of 3 feet to legally pass. And yes, sometimes that means slowing down because you can’t swerve around. But it’s the law.
  • Stop seeing us as annoying. I know that there are cyclojerks, cyclists who act like jerks and make the rest of us cyclists look bad. By and large, though, we’re good people who just have an inexplicable love for self-powered transportation. We might be slower than your car, but we’re not riding our bikes to ruin your day.

To my fellow cyclists

Only a few words here:

  • Stop riding like jerks. Three-wide ain’t cool and blowing traffic signs and signals makes you no better than the drivers who see us as a problem. Stop being a part of the problem. Obey traffic laws and stop letting your power meter run your life.
  • Wave. When drivers are nice, wave. Say thank you. Reinforce courteous driving. Quit it with the flip-offs. Instead, start taking photos of license plates and situations. Call the cops or State Troopers.  Yelling only continues to make us look like the problem.
  • Learn the law. Head over to Colorado Bike Law and read up on your responsibilities as a cyclist. We’re not better than cars — we are cars and have to start acting like cars. We also have to start acting like law-abiding operators of vehicles.
By  YourBoulder.com 

 

John Marcotte

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A Must-See Concert for CU Students: Krewella on August 24

August 24, 2013 by

 

A Must-See Concert for CU Students: Krewella on August 24

boulder CU welcomefest 2013

Are you a CU Boulder Student? If so, you’ve got quite the slate of events lined up for you by the University of Colorado Program Council this year. First and foremost? The 2013 Welcomefest concert on August 24 at Farrand Field.

This year, CU students can attend the Welcomefest concert for free. Krewella will be headlining the entertainment for the evening this year. The other detail that you need to know? The concert is ONLY for currently enrolled CU students. You’ll have to present a valid BuffOne card at the gate.

Now, what can you expect to find at this year’s Welcomefest to kick of the fall term? Here’s the scoop from the event’s Facebook page:

Krewella is an American EDM group comprised of two singers and a DJ, based out of Chicago, Illinois. Krewella are known for their high energy songs that will get any naysayers dancing. Fresh to the scene Krewella came out with their first EP in 2011, Play Hard. A few of Krewella’s most notable hits include “Alive”, “Killin it” and “Live for the Night”. Krewella’s single “Alive” topped the Billboard Dance Radio Airplay at #1 and The Billboard’s Hot 100 at #32. Headlining a variety of festivals including Ultra, Electric Daisy Carnival and Stereosonic.

Now, just a reminder that RSVPing to the Facebook page isn’t a guaranteed event entry. Be sure to visit the Facebook event page for tickets and exactly how to use your BuffOne card to get through the concert gates. But between now and then, gear yourself up for Welcomefest and kicking off another year as a student in Boulder — possibly one of the best towns ever to be a student in!

By  YourBoulder.com

 

 

John Marcotte

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Who’s up for a little game?

August 23, 2013 by

Who’s up for a little game? The first person who can find my billboard, take a photo of him/herself in front of it, and post/tag me in it on facebook will win a $50 GIFT CARD TO THEIR PLACE OF CHOICE! Stay posted for next week’s challenge!

 

Billboard photos

 

 

John Marcotte

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What’s Your Favorite Color? Monty Python – This Saturday!

August 22, 2013 by

 

What’s Your Favorite Color? Monty Python – This Saturday!

boulder outdoor cinema monty python
It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for.

If you thought Rocky Horror Picture Show was good, this is (inarguably) better.

Bring your quips and quotables, song lyrics and cardboard swords. Oh — and don’t forget the shrubbery.

That’s right. This Saturday at Boulder Outdoor Cinema, it’s time for Monty Python’s The Holy Grail.

How long has it been since funny has been this clean yet this memorable? The Monty Python legacy stretches from generation to generation, finding audiences who are ageless and ready for smart laughs. There’s nothing better than hearing an 11-year-old kid spout lines from the Black Knight (or k-niggit, as the movie would say) or catching a conversation where two folks are regaling the exploits of the African Swallow. It’s nearly impossible to believe that this movie was released in 1975 (!) and remains a favorite.

Here’s my advice for this weekend’s show: arrive early. Get comfortable. Bring the kids and show them a film worth remembering. Hannah Montana’s got nothing on this flick.

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John Marcotte

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