“Green”, sustainable community concept to be launched in Denver

Sustainable community concept to be launched in Denver.
May, 2009
By Janet Shapan

When asked what the word “sustainability” means, most people reply “energy conservation” or “solar, wind, and water technology.”

Beleza Green Smart Condos Denver

There are many definitions for sustainability and sustainable development, depending on the objectives of the groups trying to define it. A few of these are: living within the boundaries; understanding the interdependence of economy, society, and environment; and the equitable distribution of resources and opportunities.

In the face of today’s mounting economic and environmental stresses, business and government are scrambling to find ways to shift their products, services, and practices towards a model that will give equal consideration to people, the planet, and mutual profit. The desired outcome of this sustainability model is to create a perpetual state of economic, social, and ecological prosperity. One example of a city that has taken sustainability issues seriously, in advance of the current economic situation, is Denver, Colorado, a rapidly growing city that continues to gain in popularity.

According to the most recent statistics found on the Denver’s official web site, the City currently has a population of approximately 2.8 million people. Over the last ten years, the city has had a steady 1.9 percent annual population growth, and it is anticipated that by 2030, Metro Denver’s population will be close to 3.8 million.

Two factors that officials believe will ensure Denver’s continued future growth are: 1) its desirability as a place to live (January, 2009, Simon and Schiller ranked Denver as No. 2 as the most secure home market in the U.S.), and 2) historically, in times of economic downturn people move out of the suburbs into the city to be closer to work and have speedy access to services and goods. This move alone defines “village sustainability 101” – positively impacting two important elements in everyone’s life, money and time.

In 2005, the City of Denver established Greenprint Denver, an action-oriented organization with an agenda for sustainable development for the City and County of Denver. The goal of Greenprint is to demonstrate that local government can be an effective force for innovation and leadership to improve the environment and to create sustainable eco-communities that will adequately provide for the needs of the increasing population. The three major areas targeted by the city in this effort are: 1) energy and emission, 2) green building and industry, 3) urban design and transportation.

At a recent event, James Busby, Project Manager for Neighborhood Revitalization – City of Denver, distributed a proposal hot off the presses entitled, “Renewing Our Vision for the South Platte River Greenway”.

The plan contains a section on the River North District revitalization, “Future 31st St. to 38th St. – Integration of New Urban Development with an Enhanced Greenway”, which detailed the City’s multi-faceted approach and which Busby described as “the last, most exciting piece of the downtown Denver development puzzle”.

Positioned one mile north of Coors Field, along the South Platte River, the City will provide River North with parks and open spaces, expansive river landscaping, pedestrian walkways and trails on both sides of the river, major street improvements, and a new Fast Trak light rail station. According to city officials, commitment to these improvements lay a solid foundation for residential and commercial development to move ahead on their projects.

The Greenway Foundation, in partnership with the City and County of Denver’s Parks Dept., announced this week that they are applying for a Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Planning Grant. The overall purpose of the application is to obtain funding that will allow the two organizations, during the latter half of 2009, to take their plans for renewal of two major sections of the South Platte River (River North and River South) to the next level of implementation.

Curt LeRossignol, Senior Partner of River North Properties, LLC, active participants in the redevelopment of River North including both the Beleza condo DeNargo Market developments, states, “River North is a jewel in rough, ready to be molded into the most unique, sustainable community in the city, if not the country.”

“The Brighton corridor between 29th Ave. and I70 is currently comprised of industrial businesses, which makes the area perfect for this major transition,” said LeRossignol. “Because there only a few homes in the district, the majority of business landowners are looking forward to participating in the new development, or to selling their holdings.”

“The entire process has been several years in the making,” LeRossignol continued, “and there are many private landowners and city planners to thank for their diligent work on this effort. Ten percent of the Beleza residences were sold between November and today, which speaks to the confidence people have in the future of River North. For others with vision, the time is now to take a serious look at living or investing in this new area.”

Barb Gregg, a sales associate for Beleza, who participated in the River North’s general development plan meetings states, “Beleza is leading the way in intelligent, green, luxury building. Scheduled for completion in 2010, our 66 high rise condos feature advanced technologies found only the most exclusive residences in the country. These include biometric access for residents throughout the building, AMX residential control systems, climate controlled window shades and the most elegantly designed ‘green’ interiors.”

Ray Underell, who recently joined the Beleza team said, “I love the uniqueness of Beleza because it will be the first ‘futuristic community within a futuristic community’ in Colorado, but with the feel of the great outdoors. Walk out Beleza’s front door and you are just steps away from parks and beautiful riverfront trails that stretch for miles.”

With the infrastructure planning well underway, River North landowners are turning their attention to other important items such as theaters, grocery stores, specialty shops and services, which will advance the City’s goals to promote sustainable business practices in Denver CO. So, keeping an eye on this new destination point over the next couple of years is advisable for all who love a day of play in Downtown.