The Urban Land Institute is a wonderful organization that focuses in on the emerging trends in land use and urban planning. One concentration is, as you would expect, the growth that has been occurring across the nation within the downtown areas. From one city to the next folks are migrating from the suburbs and finding their homes and their happiness in the center of everything.
Along with this migration developers are looking at how to design better buildings for their residents. Part of that design has become a focus on amenities. There are natural amenities to a downtown due to its location. There are restaurants, shops, sporting events, theatres, and more all within steps of many downtown Denver buildings. But if you look at residential towers built 5 or more years ago and compare them to recent projects such as SPIRE, Glass House, One Vendue, The Four Seasons, The Ritz Carlton or others you see the evolution of residential downtown condominium living is underway.
The logic is simple. Developers want to offer their residents the same amenities they may have experienced growing up or while living in the suburbs. Most folks relocating to the city are simplifying their life. They are giving up their commute. They are giving up mowing the lawn. They are often also reducing the square footage they previously lived in that allowed them to throw large get together events or set aside a dedicated game room or multimedia movie room.
Developers, Architects and designers are focused on creating new buildings where residents still have all these benefits and more. Many of the new buildings have dedicated club space that residents can utilize for their own events. Buildings often have their own theater rooms, sports rooms, or game rooms. And to replace the local swimming hole or fitness center many new buildings will have pools, hot tubs, and/or gyms integrated into the building. And best of all you don't have to drive to enjoy any of these amenities.
The end result that these new downtown Denver condos and lofts are hoping to attain is that you can live with the same features and lifestyle amenities that you would have enjoyed in your 10,000 square foot house. All you need to do is find the square footage that you need for your downtown lifestyle and the rest is just steps away. And we have barely touched on the amenities that exist outside the front door depending on which neighborhood you choose to call home. Theatre distict and fans of the Arts might select downtown. Dog owners might enjoy being on Commons Park in Riverfront Park. Maybe you are the biggest Rockies fan in the world and want a loft in Ballpark to call home. Whatever your goal, Denver has many neighborhoods with many different features.
What is the most popular amenity for a building? That is difficult to say. Some clients prefer the health aspects of a fitness center. Others find a pool to be invaluable especially with Denver's 300+ days of sunshine. Places to entertain, 24 hour front desk and services, housekeeping and room service, dog parks, hot tubs, business centers, and more. The list is always evolving. Feel free to comment and share with us what your favorite amenities would be.
If you are interested in learning more about the new amenity rich downtown lofts and condos in Denver or the various neighborhoods please don't hesitate to contact us. We are here to offer expertise and support for our clients and downtown Denver is our specialty.