Northwest Denver Undressed

Northwest Denver Downzoned! How do I feel about it?

As you may have heard, the Denver City Council had a marathon session on Monday night – rumor has it that it finally broke up at 3am! I say “rumor” because I gave up around 9pm – I’m a lightweight when it comes to political events.

The topic at hand? Whether to approve a request to “downzone” two sections of my beloved Northwest Denver neighborhood in Sloan’s Lake and West Highland. “Downzone” means, in this case, to change the zoning of an existing property from R2 to R1. Why downzone? To stop the destruction of existing single-family homes and the subsequent construction of multi-family homes, specifically duplexes and triplexes. In Denver, R1 zoning means that you can build ONLY a single-family home; R2 allows multi-family.

For those who live here, you know that in the last few years, there has been an explosion of such multi-family development in an area that has always been predominantly single-family. Is this development a good thing? A bad thing? Of course, it depends on your perspective. If you live next door to a new 5000 square foot duplex, you probably think it’s a bad thing. I know I would. But many support and appreciate the new development, and I’m not just talking about the so-called “greedy developers.”

I initially came out against the proposed downzoning for all the reasons discussed (for hours) on Monday night. But now that it’s over, I’m okay with the outcome. That surprised me. But, truth be told, after listening to both sides of the argument, I can truly sympathize with those who support the downzoning. There IS an ambience to our neighborhood that is threatened by the development. There ARE serious inconveniences to those living near the construction sites and subsequent multi-family buildings. As much as I love modern architecture, some of it does look kinda silly mixed in with our Bungalows, Tudors and Victorians.

However, had the decision gone the other way, I’d have been happy, too. Our neighborhood needs more family-friendly homes. People want to live here, but for many, a 1000 sqft Bungalow just doesn’t cut it, nor does everyone want to deal with the sloping floors of the larger Victorians. I would love to live in one of the new duplexes along Sloan’s Lake and I’m a little disappointed that there won’t be more built to accommodate ME when I’m ready to buy one.

So… I’m ambivalent. Unusual for me – I tend to rather opinionated on most matters. But I’m content. Life here will go on, real estate will continue to be built and exchange hands. I’ll continue to rollerblade around Sloan’s Lake and run to Sunflower Market for my lunchtime sushi. And, no, I won’t be able to sell my 1927 Bungalow to a developer and retire. Ah well. Again, life goes on.

Northwest Denver Too Pricey for you? Try Northeast!

I just listed the sweetest little Bungalow I’ve seen in a long time, and at $250,000, I’m pretty sure it’ll go fast. No, it’s not in NW Denver (if it were, it would tens of thousands higher); it’s on the east side of town, just two blocks from the City Park Golf Course and only minutes from all the fun in Uptown, Downtown & Cherry Creek.

The house is small, but, like most Bungalows, lives much bigger. The bedrooms are spacious, there’s plenty of storage throughout the house and the finished basement doubles the living area. There’s also an enclosed sunporch that’s not included in the finished square footage.

This home has a rare mountain and city view off the back deck. The yard is large and offers raised flower beds and low-water landscaping.

You won’t beat the price anywhere in town! Below are a few photos - or click here to see them all!

Want to see it in person? Call me - 303-947-1335.

Found a BARF (Bones and Raw Food)Resource near Northwest Denver!

When I moved back to Denver with my three dogs, I immediately noticed I had a problem. At my Sweet Home in Alabama, my dogs had 4 acres to, um, poop in, but here in Northwest Denver, they have something like 1000 sqft… maybe. Not a big pooper-scooper, I decided to give the BARF diet (Bones & Raw Food) a try because I’d read that it significantly reduces the poop factor. TMI? Oh well.  

You can read more about BARF here.

Well, we’ve been BARFing for a few months now and it’s going well! My dachshund’s skin problems are all but gone, the dogs all seem healthier and more energetic and  oh yeah, the poop-factor is unbelievable. I’ve only scooped once or twice - seriously! The stuff just dries up and blows away, I guess. And of course, the dogs LOVE their new diet.

I’ve been feeding them mostly chicken, but am worried because Ziggers has been wolfing down her chicken wings whole. Doesn’t seem to bother her, but I’m a nervous mom.  So I read that you can buy a meat grinder and grind up the meat, making it safer, but… I’m not in the meat grinding business and don’t really wanna be. What to do, what to do?

I found a little butcher shop in Wheat Ridge called “Rocky Mountain Meats.” Hmmmm… I wonder if they could grind some meat up for me?

Well, apparently, Rocky Mountain Meats is THE place for BARFers! As soon as I uttered the words Dog Food, the owner showed me an entire freezer full of ground up meat especially for dogs! Bones and all!

Cost? Like… $1.29/pound! You can get Wild Game or a Chicken/Turkey mix; I bought some of each. I’ll let you know how it goes over.

Charming Old Denver.com is LIVE (and I did it myself)

My new website is up and running and while it’s far from perfect (or complete), I’m pleased enough with it to GO LIVE. It doesn’t have a home search feature yet - I’m still investigating my options and a few pages are Under Construction… but… here it is! www.CharmingOldDenver.com.

Feedback? Please! Missing Links? Let me know!

Dumpster Diving in Northwest Denver

We central Denverites love our alleys. That’s where our garages are, where we can “donate” unwanted items to alley scavengers and where we keep our City dumpsters. Sometimes we get mad at our dumpsters when they block access to our garages (and just TRY to get a dumpster moved!), but for the most part, I’d say we’re pretty happy with our trash disposal system.

However, a few days ago, I saw a pick-up truck cruising down my alley, stopping at each dumpster and poking around in it. His pick-up bed was full of “stuff” - treasures I’m sure. But suddenly, the obvious smacks me in the head. What did I just throw in that public dumpster? Hmmmmmm.

So last night, I took out a small bag of trash - mostly old magazines and junk mail. Today when I opened the lid of the dumpster to toss in the remains of my sushi carry-out container, I saw, with dismay, that the trash from my bag deposited last night was scattered all over the inside of the dumpster - someone had obviously gone through it overnight. Were they looking for my O (Oprah) magazine? Doubt it. Someone who will go through a bag of papers is looking for INFORMATION. Yikes.

I guess this should be a Big Duh moment, but somehow in my idealistic little brain I’ve felt like “my” dumpster was sacred. And secure. Sheesh.

Guess I better fire up the shredder…

I’m Addicted…to the Dog Park in Northwest Denver

I have a new addiction. The Dog Park at Berkeley Park - around 46^th & Yates.

Why do I say “addiction?” Because… imagine the collective energy of 100+ happy dogs racing around the (fenced-in) park, with their 100+ owners proudly overlooking the scene. It’s a rush. Probably something like the rush you get when you shoot illegal nastiness into your veins (no personal experience there though).

On my first visit, I stood in the middle of the park, all by myself, laughing out loud as I watched Baba and Ziggers make new friends, hump old ones and then collapse for a moment or two out of sheer exhaustion, only to spring back to life and begin again.

Feeling a little blue? Head for the Dog Park. Call me - I can be there in five minutes.

I’m addicted.

Rollerblading at Sloan’s Lake - Yeah!

I love, love, love to rollerblade. I also love, love, love Sloan’s Lake in Denver. Put the two together and you have a happy Jennifer.

Temps today in the 70’s, amazingly blue, almost purple sky (at least thru my rose-colored glasses), light wind… ahhhhh… rollerblade bliss.

My poor blades have been packed away for nearly three years - Alabama is not rollerblade-friendly - so I was pleased that I could find them and that the wheels still turn relatively easily.

Sloan’s Lake is a perfect rollerblade park. It’s, I dunno, maybe three miles around on a wide, smooth path right next to the lake. As you’re blading, you can watch the fish jump and the ducks herd their young, or focus inland to see young boys playing soccer or dog-owners playing catch. The lake itself has that lovely lake smell and in certain seasons, the linden trees are almost overpoweringly fragrant.

I love Sloan’s Lake.

One minor gripe. Even though the park isn’t terribly crowded, there are always one or two groups of people who insist on taking up the whole path. You know what I mean. The guy in the middle of his two leashed dogs or the four young mothers with their four strollers. What’s the proper etiquette for a rollerblader? I find that shouting at people from behind simply startles them and more often than not, they jump right into my path. But when I just try to squeeze thru them, I hear their annoyance behind me. Sometimes I choose to express my annoyance by coming to a full stop and simply walking around them on the grass. This usually results in an apology, but that’s not my goal. I just wanna share the path with walkers, riders and fellow bladers without having to shout, squeeze or elicit apologies.

But that’s such a minor issue. I thoroughly enjoyed my first day back in the blades and am looking forward to dozens more as spring turns to summer in Charming Old Denver!

Northwest Denver - So Much to Love!

Enjoy this virtual tour I put together in celebration of my “new” old home. It’s a great place to live!

I Love Sushi in Charming Old Denver!

 As those who know me… well, know… I’m a very fussy eater. Not by choice (sigh), but rather because I’m allergic/sensitive to several common foods. However, I refuse to be locked at home in my own kitchen, so I have made it my goal to figure out where I can eat safely in Charming Old Denver.

Because I can’t eat anything processed, the safest choice seems to be sushi. Poor, poor Jennifer… destined to explore all the sushi joints throughout the metropolitan area! Would you like to join me? I’ve gotten a good head start already!

Sushi Hai - 32^nd & Lowell: We NW Denver-ites couldn’t believe it when Sushi came to our part of town. For years, we’d been forced to travel (gasp) downtown or to Sushi Den for our raw fish & seaweed fixes. But when Sushi Hai showed up, we knew our little part of the world had arrived.

Here are some reviews of Sushi Hai. Like many of the writers, Sushi Hai is not my favorite place for sushi, even though I love the ambience and convenience. Because I’m allergic to soy sauce, I “make my own”  with fresh lemon juice and salt, and for some reason, the servers here never seem to get the idea that when I ask for lemons, I want to SQUEEZE them. One time, my bowl of lemons arrived shaved - I have no idea what the waitress expected me to do with a bowl of shaved lemons. They don’t have salt shakers either, so they always bring me a little bowl of salt. I’ve learned to throw my own salt shaker into my purse when I visit Sushi Hai. Okay, so it may be overly fussy to complain about the lack of lemon wedges & salt shakers, but every other sushi place in town manages to accommodate me!

Sushi Sasa - 15th & Platte. Now, we’re talking! I was pleasantly surprised to find another choice for sushi right in my NW Denver ‘hood! I love the décor and the ambience and the sushi was absolutely wonderful. No problems with lemons and/or salt. I may never darken the door of Sushi Hai again. Read the reviews and you’ll see that many agree.

Sonoda’s - Always a good choice for sushi, but because I’m a little paranoid of driving and parking downtown, I rarely venture there. However, every time I’ve braved the one-ways and parking meters, I’ve been satisfied, if not overwhelmed with the experience. Here are some reviews.  

Japon - Old South Gaylord in Washington Park. Love the sushi here! Great service, contemporary décor; the only drawback can be parking on Old South Gaylord, and it’s a little pricier than the other sushi joints. Reviewers are mixed on Japon - read more here!

Sunflower Farmer’s Market - Seriously, Sunflower has become my go-to sushi source when I don’t have time for the restaurant experience (or don’t feel like tipping). Sunflower Farmer’s Market at Highlands Garden Village has fresh sushi that rivals the quality of the sushi at any of the above restaurants. $5.25 for six Nigiri; $8.95 for a serious rainbow roll… can’t beat that! Again, reviews are mixed, but I love the place.

I’m also on the hunt for good ceviche… stay tuned!

New Construction in NW Denver - Do We Like it?

WARNING: This blog touches on a hot political issue and unfortunately, I’m not a political kinda gal. So feel free to debate me, but know you’re dealing with an unarmed woman.

Earlier this week, I wrote a blog about all the in-fill development going on in my ‘hood of Northwest Denver. You can read all about it here.

But of course, any time there is development in a neighborhood, there’s going to be opposition, and Northwest Denver is no exception. Surprise, surprise, not everyone LIKES the idea of a two- or even three-story duplex going in next door!

Now, it’s easy to see why someone might protest. If your neighbor went from being a cute little 900 square foot one story Bungalow where Mom, Dad, Junior and Spot have lived for years (along with their 1.5 cars), to being a multi-family 2000+ sqft (per unit) modern structure that can house a small fraternity (and ALL those extra cars) AND blocks your sunlight, you might be a little miffed, too. Whether or not you approve of the architectural styling of the new stuff (I love it, but many don’t), there’s no question that the construction process and the end result will impact your life. Heck, the house next door to me just had its roof replaced and just that was incredibly disruptive to my weekend!

So what’s been going on here in Northwest Denver is a nasty fight among and between residents and developers. Now, don’t think that the lines are clearly drawn - Big Bad Developers on one side and the Poor, Oppressed Residents on the other - oh, no, plenty of locals are in support of the development, including most of the real estate community (myself included). No, not because we’re money-grubbing scoundrels, but because our wonderful neighborhood has a shortage of family-friendly homes… and we hate to see families leave the area due to a lack of adequate housing. This additional supply of livable, marketable homes makes our area that much more attractive and yes, marketable!

The approach the opponents have taken to slow down the development is to push for a “downzoning” of many Northwest Denver blocks. What this means is that if a home has a zoning of “R2″ (which allows a duplex), downzoning would change the zoning to R1 which does not. Therefore, nothing can be built on an R1 lot except a single family home.

On the surface, this sounds sort of reasonable. After all, nothing would stop a developer from building a single family McMansion on an R1 lot, so why not just do that? Why must he build a duplex or triplex?

Simple economics. Our real estate values in Northwest Denver are such that it’s rarely economically feasible to buy a lot and build a single family home on it. Builders must build a duplex or triplex in order to be profitable on their venture.

But who cares about the developers? Why should we locals who aren’t planning to move or build anytime soon care about the developers’ troubles?

Because taking away our R2 zoning is a violation of our property rights. That zoning, like it or not, is VALUABLE. The R2 land we sit on has value above and beyond selling out to a developer who wants to build a duplex, but hey - if a builder wants to come along and give me a bunch of money so he can tear down my 1927 Bungalow and build something else, I’ll listen!

Again, I feel for the residents who have been personally adversely affected by the development. I’d be mad too. I’ve seen some perfectly lovely older homes lose a big chunk of their appeal (and value) due to the construction of a monster duplex next door. But the answer isn’t to take away other people’s property rights to protect your own. I don’t know what the answer IS, but I’m pretty sure it’s something else…

 www.charmingolddenver.com

Please be advised that I did very little research before writing this blog, so most of the above is personal opinion formed from observation and a few conversations with friends over bottles of wine. If I’ve missed something critical, please feel free to chime in.