Fox 31 had a great news piece about the redevelopment of Union Station and the great growth around the area. Union Station was the original gateway to Denver and with this new project and the planned light rail connecting Downtown Denver to the Denver International Airport will be generating a renaissance for Denver. New office space is being gobbled up by companies from across the country and 3,000 residential unit and planned hotels, restaurants, and hotels. The article mentions how this area is becoming one of the top relocation locations within the United States.

If you have been watching this area for the past decade you have already witnessed the amazing growth of Riverfront Park with the addition of many great residential towers such as the Glass House, Riverfront Tower, Promenade Lofts, Park Place Lofts, ONE Riverfront, The Park at ONE Riverfront, and of course the beautiful Brownstones. Nestled on Commons Park this neighborhood offers access into the downtown Denver area right over any of the many bridges and the great green space and biking and running trails of the park system.

On the other side of Union Station begins Lower Downtown Denver (LoDo) with the many great restaurants, shops and other amenities of the Downtown Denver city. Denver loft and condo residences both in Riverfront Park and LoDo will enjoy the great benefits of the transportation, employment, and restaurant additions coming with this Denver Union Station redevelopment project. For many of our clients this means an expansion of the enjoyable Denver lifestyle right outside their front door. For others it's an opportunity for investment in this fast growing city project.

Give New Era Realty a call and we will be happy to tour your through the many residential Denver loft and condo opportunities in Riverfront Park, Lodo and the many surrounding neighborhoods and explain what changes are planned in this exciting Union Station project.

Owning a Denver home is a huge decision and before jumping into home buying, you should be clear on a number of things that will allow you to make informed decisions. The loan that you choose should be one that you will feel comfortable with and the best way of doing this is to ask questions of the lender before deciding which one will benefit you when buying a Denver home.

Be aware of the fact that many of the costs associated with buying your Denver home will go to the lender or a third party. Fees include the appraisal, lender’s title policy, credit report, recording fees, pest inspection reports, taxes and escrow (if this is applicable). Find out if your lender does their own underwriting and what the time frame is going to be on closing. The more informed you are the better choice you will make for yourDenver home loan.

Please contact New Era Realty to learn more about your Denver home, or any of the many wonderful Denver loft and condominium offerings at (303)-522-7746 or (800)-392-1950.

The Denver Post offered an interesting article about How To Stay Fit this Winter that sparked our own thoughts about fitness as Denver transitions from warm temperatures to snow.  One amazing thing about the downtown Denver lifestyle is how easy health choices are to find.

Perhaps it's the density that offers the first advantage.  When we look at the high rise buildings such as SPIRE, the Four Seasons, Glass House, or ONE Lincoln we find luxurious fitness centers, workout classes, or even hot tub spas and massages services within the building amenities.  When the temperature drops and it looks like a terrible day to venture outside these Denver loft residences offer the wonderful ability to get your workout in without even leaving the front door of your building.  No bundling up to fight the elements involved.  Residents just put on their running shoes and take an elevator ride to stay fit and in shape.

Glass House throws in the benefit of performance classrooms offering spin, yoga, and other fitness classes included with all the building HOA fees.  It makes it a little difficult to refuse to go when classes are no additional cost.  SPIRE offers perhaps one of the best winter weather benefits... two outdoor hot tubs.  Whether you just returned from a day of skiing in freezing temperatures or you simply had a long day at work one very enjoyable element of fitness is the pleasure of a warm spa to sooth the muscles and mind.  And of course we have to mention the new Four Seasons world famous brand spa and massage treatments.

For those of you interested in a Denver single family residences in any of the amazing neighborhoods such as the Highlands there are just as many great downtown options.  With so many health conscious Denver downtown residents the various meetup groups offer run clubs and outdoor sport clubs to keep you motivated to brave the cold weather with the support and companionship of others.

And of course the density of Downtown Denver living creates the environment to foster incredible yoga studios, run groups such as the Irish Snug run club, or outdoor bootcamps and bootcamp groups such as Red Rocks Fitness or Rogue Fitness Colorado.

Winter weather is here and our Downtown Denver clients are looking forward to the energy and healthy living options the great city of Denver and it's many residences offer.  To learn more please contact New Era Realty today.

There is a book we almost always find people moving downtown enjoy reading.  It's called Simplify Your Life: 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things That Really Matter.

We won't give away all the great topics in this book except to say that Downtown Denver condo living is right inline with the topics in this great little gem.

For many of our clients the decision to live downtown is about removing all the extra time consuming things we absorb that pull us away from enjoying life.  That might mean the extra square footage you never use but pay for with a 10,000 square foot house in the suburbs or all the items that get accumulated in those garages, attics and extra closets.  Yes, we know that it's nice to have an extra bedroom, or two, or three for when guests come for that one week a year.  Instead enjoy all the benefits of a Denver condo by having only the square footage you enjoy every day.  Your budget will thank you and those occasional visitors can enjoy a stay at a wonderful downtown Denver hotel or some residential towers such as SPIRE offer guest suites.  Either way your guests can enjoy some city living while being close, but not too close.  And you can use that extra money to plan for your retirement, dream vacation, or even just a little more fun in your lifestyle every month.

Simplifying your life with Downtown Denver condo and loft living is also about maintenance.  We can tell you hundreds of stories about our clients who embraced downtown Denver loft living to be free of their cars, their commutes, and all the maintenance and headaches of their gigantic home with all of it's square footage.  Now they spend their time enjoying meals with friends, visiting the theater, or just relaxing with a good book or the Denver Post and a cup of coffee.

Learn more about how you can simplify your life and enjoy Denver condo and loft living by contacting New Era Realty today.

Downtown Denver is growing and there are more opportunities for housing in the downtown area than ever before. There are homes for every lifestyle. From the young families to those whose children are grown and gone, downtown Denver is rapidly becoming the place to live. The young families are choosing the area for the new homes and great schools. Empty nesters are choosing the easy access to enjoy the many things to do in the downtown Denver neighborhoods.

Here are some of the growing neighborhoods in downtown Denver:

• Stapleton - Originally an old runway and only 10 minutes form the downtown area this is one of the neighborhoods that is now a town block. With the redevelopment of Stapleton Airport, this is now a neighborhood where the families can live in new homes and are within easy access of the shops and terrific schools.

• Downtown Denver - This is an area that consists of 11 neighborhoods. The urban communities have many diverse cultures, restaurants and architecture.

• Lowry - The tree lined streets are now located where air force barracks used to be situated. From this area metro Denver is easily accessible. The convenience of an easy walk to industries such as Centex and Pinnacol Assurance is great for those who work here.

• Riverfront Park - Just a short walk from downtown Denver, Confluence Park and many sports activities.

• 9th & Colorado - The move is getting closer for the University of Colorado Health Sciences campus. They are moving to Fitzsimmons and this site because of the central location will rapidly fill downtown Denver neighborhoods.

• Gates - A redevelopment of the spot where a rubber factory was present is only a few minutes from downtown Denver. It will have shopping, a public park and a light rail stop here.

• St. Anthony’s Hospital - One of the oldest downtown Denver neighborhoods, it is located within close proximity to Sloan’s lake. The hospital will move to the west in about five years and redevelopment of this area includes light rail access.

There are a number of shops that are independently-owned, restaurants and galleries that make up the best downtown Denver opportunities for shopping. Re development of the many spots are allowing even more shopping opportunities for the downtown area.

Please contact New Era Realty to learn more about downtown Denver, or any of the many wonderful Denver loft and condominium offerings at (303)-522-7746 or (800)-392-1950.

Spire just completed hosting a fun little competition for the TV show "The Designer Within".

Three talented designers were selected - Lindsey Garner, Rae Jamison and Tony Torres - to decorate three different Tremont residences at SPIRE.  The Tremont residence, a 1,663-square-foot, two-bedroom and 2 ½-bathroom home with beautiful city views was the selected floorplan for this competition.  The 34th, 35th, and 36th floor Tremont residences were assigned out for these designers to let their creative juices flow.

The designers have wrapped up their SPIRE Denver loft projects and the results of their hard work is now done and is available for viewing at http://www.youtube.com/user/thedesignerwithin .

There is an even better way to visit these designer SPIRE Denver lofts.. you can see them in person.  The residences are available for sale with the design elements included.  Not only that these residences are supporting charity.  The developer has announced that a portion of the furnished home sales will go to The Kempe Foundation for the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect.

SPIRE is located in the Heart of the Denver Theater District at the intersection of 14th and Champa Street.  This 42 story tower offers residential residences and one of the most amazing amenity packages in Denver.  SPIRE's amenities include two pools, two spas, a fitness center, movie theater room, sports zone with flat screen tv's, SkyClub Lounge and a 24 hour front desk.

With walls of glass offering incredible views to both the mountains and the city the SPIRE Denver Loft and Condo project offers something for everyone.  Join New Era Realty to take a tour of the SPIRE building and check out the final design results these creative designers have completed.

Whatever your party, whatever your views, we just wanted to remind everyone to get out there and vote!

Denver is a fabulous city and the next few years are going to be exciting and important years for us.  Just look at a few of the projects that are going on in the Downtown Denver loft and condo market.

1. Possibly one of the most exciting projects going on downtown is the Union Station Neighborhood development.  While it may be some time before we see the residential Denver loft or condo impact on our city, the downtown Denver transportation center is going full steam.  The above photo is one of the most recent photos of the progress at Union Station and you can see the concrete for the walls of the underground transit center.  This is going to lead to the development of mixed use real estate (office, retail, and residential) for this exciting new neighborhood and the surrounding Riverfront Park and Lower Downtown Denver neighborhoods.
2. We can't speak about Union Station without talking about Denver FasTracks This past September 29th the FasTracks team celebrated the 50% completion of the western corridor connecting out to Golden.  But the most exciting aspect of this development as it pertains to Denver loft and Downtown Denver loft residents will be the light rail connection from Union Station to DIA.  Whether the trip is for business or for vacation the idea of avoiding traffic, parking, and the stress of worrying about missing a flight while trapped on I-70 can become a thing of the past.  Not only do our Denver loft residents love it, but the visitors to Denver flowing into the new Union Station Neighborhod will be driving the growth of that area.  We are hoping for some incredible hotels, restaurants, and other visitor friendly amenities.
3. The 14th Street Initiatveis something everyone at SPIRE has been talking about.  This exciting initiative is focused on the continued transformation of the heart of Downtown and the Denver Theater District into an even more pedestrian friendly amenity rich area.  Here is a quick excerpt from their website.

   On November 3, 2009, 14th Street property owners and electors voted to contribute $4 million to the overall $14 million cost of a large-scale streetscaping project through the formation of a general improvement district. Through this public-private initiative, sidewalks will be expanded, encouraging outdoor seating and ground floor shopping and dining uses that will bolster the experience one has when walking down the street. Key elements include the addition of about 200 trees, as well as new flower planters, better “wayfinding” signage, crosswalk bulb-outs, improved pedestrian lighting, decorative street corner monuments, bike racks and enhanced maintenance.  A dedicated bicycle lane will be added in the street and on-street parking will be retained.

   Here is a Youtube Video about this initiative

4. The 16th Street Mall improvement Plan is something we are excited to see progress on.  The 16th Street mall is a major Downtown Denver amenity and the focus has been on methods to improve our pedestrian friendly main street.  More details are available from the Downtown Denver Partnership.

And that is just a few of the exciting things happening in for Downtown Denver loft residents.  To learn more about the many exciting Downtown Denver loft or condo residential opportunities and these exciting projects please contact New Era Realty.

Cheers, and happy voting!

Denver living is expanding on E. Colfax Avenue and Poplar St. A new mixed-use development is being constructed and will consist of a 60,000 square feet building. Five stories with the bottom level offering commercial and office space, the upper levels of the building will feature housing. Groundbreaking on Phoenix on the FAX, which will contain affordable Denver living space for the nearby downtown area, is partially financed by a federal subsidy.

The Denver Office of Economic Development (OED) is financing part of this project with funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The OED helps to fund about 100 housing units that are sold and 250 rental units yearly. The housing is typically offered to those who meet income requirements and they are deed restricted so they will maintain the long-term affordability.

Phoenix on the FAX is the first major new Denver living space to be developed east of Monaco under the Main Street Zoning for Colfax. This zoning promotes commercial main street revitalization for the city of Denver. The director of the Denver Office of Economic Development says the OED is committed to assisting with neighborhood development in this area.

For those who enjoy Denver living, this will result in more jobs being created and the strengthening of the community. They are also looking at adding additional investments on East Colfax Avenue. In fact, they have a vision plan under development presently that is scheduled for completion in the early part of 2011.

The Community Development Block Grant funding, which is federal funding has helped support this business support office through the OED to provide the revitalization of the area of Colfax Avenue from Colorado Boulevard to Yosemite Street. Focusing on affordable downtown Denver living due to the proximity to the existing job centers at Fitzsimons Life Sciences District among others is one of the benefits.

Please contact New Era Realty to learn more about Denver living, or any of the many wonderful Denver loft and condominium offerings at (303)-522-7746 or (800)-392-1950.

When you are looking for a location in a downtown neighborhood that includes a mixture of urban and industrial, look no further. The Ballpark neighborhood is a unique and growing community with a flea market, a major league baseball field and a farmer’s market. Warehouses and light industry are also a part of this area’s unique make-up and this community includes excellent apartments and lofts. Conversion of the warehouses to lofts has been ongoing for some time now.

Many warehouses original to this Ballpark neighborhood have been renovated and updated to offer traditional living space. The exposed pipes and beams make them authentic loft living spaces. There are many more construction projects planned for lofts for the area. Developers have seen the demand for the homes in the downtown area and are complying by purchasing and leveling buildings that were of no value to make room for new construction.

The variance in the brownstones and lofts in the Ballpark neighborhood provide rental housing for a great number of people with different lifestyles and price ranges. The neighborhood is north of Lower Downtown and the Denver Central Business District. Coors Field is at the southern end of the neighborhood and goes for 20 blocks to where the warehouse and light industry is located.

There are many original buildings still here today from the days when the rail line was here and the warehouses and factories were train-related. From 20th Street to 38th, Larimer Street is a mixture of residential, small companies, brewpubs, galleries, art framers, antique shops, bars, jazz clubs and pawn shops. There are also genuine Mexican restaurants.

This area encompasses many of the old-style buildings that still have the truck loading docks at the front of the buildings. In 2002, the Ballpark Historic District was founded to help preserve the many fine buildings of an era gone by. In addition to the commercial corridor that exists on North Larimer Street, in this Ballpark neighborhood there is the traditional appeal of summer with baseball games and the aroma of hotdogs in the air.

Please contact us to learn more about the Ballpark neighborhood  at (303)-522-7746.

One of the things that makes Denver loft and condo living so wonderful is the number of amazing public parks.  We like to brag about how great of a city Denver is to live in and that comes in no small part to the combination of urban and green space.  That combined with over 300 days of sunshine makes for a wonderful downtown Denver lifestyle.

During the spring and summer the Denver Parks are filled with Denver loft residents running, playing, and relaxing.  In the fall we see the beauty of the trees as the leaves change color.  And let's not forget the winter and how our snow loving Denver loft residents take advantage of the fresh powder on sleds, cross country skis, or maybe just a good old fashioned snowball fight.

These public parks provide such a valuable balance in life.  Denver loft residents can enjoy all the benefits of the city of Denver including great restaurants, shopping, sporting events, and the arts.  With a great business center and mass transportation many Denver residents enjoy a car optional lifestyle.  The balance is in the great ways Denver has created a partnership with nature from the many bike and running trails nestled along flowing rivers and streams to the open green spaces and tree lined paths.   Maybe this is one of the reasons Denver loft residents are so happy.

It's easy to forget how many great Denver parks there are so we though we would take today's post and ask our Denver loft and condo clients and residents to vote for their favorites.  If you aren't familiar with all the many great Denver public parks you can read detailed descriptions here at Denver.org.

Looking for a new Denver loft, condo or residence near one of these parks?  Contact New Era Realty and we will happily take you on a tour of our favorite parkside residences.