Park Hill homeowners Lynda and Jeff Parker will be among the first to move into the Pinnacle at City Park South when the high-rise condo and luxury townhome development opens next fall. They are drawn to it because they want a “lock and leave” lifestyle.
“I’m retired, and my husband is three years away from retirement,” Lynda Parker said. “We hope to do a lot of traveling. Our house just isn’t set up for us being gone weeks or months at a time.”
Finding the right neighborhood wasn’t easy for the couple. She wanted a downtown location like LoDo or Riverfront – within walking distance of almost everything. He didn’t want concrete, commerce and crowds on his front porch.
They settled on City Park South. Bordered by East High School, Colorado Boulevard, East 17th Avenue and East Colfax Avenue, the neighborhood is a narrow, 24-block area that was once an urban mecca. Recently, though, it has had its share of typical city problems.
“We’ve seen a lot of progress from the days when there was some degree of violence and a lot of graffiti,” said Dave Lichtenstein, a lawyer and 15-year City Park South resident.
He credits the local economy, improved law enforcement and an active neighborhood association with turning things around.
“By the end of the millennium, we were on the mend,” he said. “This is a neighborhood where neighbors have come together.”
The area is now attracting singles and families looking for a home near City Park, the Denver Zoo, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and City Park Golf Course.
An urban-renewal plan for 9.3 acres along 17th Avenue that were previously occupied by Mercy Hospital was approved in 2003. Developers jumped at the opportunity.
Today, bulldozers and construction workers swarm the area like ants. New construction is joining the area’s original bungalows, Denver Squares, Tudor apartments and the Montview Manor assisted-living high-rise.
Wonderland Homes is building 124 one- and two-story condominiums. Orion has launched a 240-unit apartment complex called Retreat at the Park. And in 2007, Opus will open the Pinnacle, consisting of two 20-plus- story condominium towers and 18 townhomes that will add 284 units.
New residents are drawn to the promise of new restaurants, coffeehouses and shops tied to the redevelopment of East Colfax. They also cite the renovated Lowenstein Theatre, which will house the Tattered Cover, Twist & Shout, Neighborhood Flix and the Denver Folk Center.
Plans for a $16 million renovation of City Park should add to the neighborhood’s appeal.
Although massive transformation would throw some neighborhoods into a tailspin, District 8 Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth believes City Park South residents handle change well. When the Mercy Hospital site construction plans were announced, the association and developers forged a level of cooperation she believes is a model for the city.
However, new plans for affordable-housing apartments on the east border may be straining that cooperative spirit. Trademark Communities has city support to build a 122-unit on the empty lot at East 16th Avenue and Colorado. Residents worry about noise and traffic during construction and on-site management, parking and crime once the complex is complete.
“This is a very different development from the Pinnacle,” Lichtenstein said. “We’re trying to find a way to make these neighbors feel welcome while making sure the development doesn’t have an effect on the neighborhood that everyone’s going to be unhappy about.”
Trademark Communities chief executive Matt Buder appreciates those concerns but doesn’t promise a perfect solution.
“We’re building according to zoning,” he said. “I think the area needs representation from those who can’t afford $300,000 homes.”
