The $30 Land Deal

On KDVR Channel 31  
'$30 land deal for developer in Arvada questioned'

$30 land deal for developer in Arvada questioned | Rob Low; KDVR-TV Channel 31 - June 7, 2017

 

---

 Arvada Urban Renewal $30 Land Giveaway Deal ... For Real!

Why doesn't the Arvada city council have enough money to maintain basic services like keeping our streets in decent repair?

Sweetheart deals with developers that give away valuable property and future tax revenue is one of the big reasons why.

Instead of letting the good ol' American free market system work and create sustainable tax producing enterprises, the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority and the city council cut insider, crony capitalism deals with special developers.

The latest giveaway is to developer Trammell Crow to build even more high density housing at the site of the old RTD Park-and-Ride at 56th Avenue and Wadsworth Bypass.

With the metro region's growing economy and with housing at a premium, the land ought to be worth a fortune, but the politicians and bureaucrats at City Hall are essentially giving the land away and 18 years worth of sales and property tax revenue to a private concern.

How can it be that the politicians at City Hall brag about Arvada being so wonderful that folks are banging at the door to move here, yet at the same time they are giving away millions and millions of tax dollars in subsidies and incentives to private, for-profit developers to build here?

Remember this corporate welfare from Arvada officials accompanies $5.8 million of future sales tax revenue given awayto America's richest company, Walmart; $2.5 million given away to buy Conn's a new HVAC system; the $10 land sale to Park Place Olde Town (PPOT) and $3.3 million tax giveaway; $7.2 million in tax rebates to the Solana apartments; the 85% land discount to Hilton sweetheart deal, a $3.2 million property sold for $500,000 and the lodging tax rebate; the $2.8 million bribe given to King Soopers to entice them to build at Rocky Flats (Resolution No. R16-098); etc.

At the same time those same politicians are asking us to hike the sales tax we pay on groceries and other items by 15 percent allegedly to be used to fix our streets. (However, first the money will go to big capital improvement projects -- will there ever be enough money left to get those potholes filled?)

Here is the Trammell Crow 'Disposition and Development Agreement' as a .pdf.

Here are the two most important outrages:

* * *

* * *

In 2002 a parcel of land of about half an acre, directly to the south of the current Trammell Crow development, sold for $850,000. On that site presently is the Kokoro restaurant. Of course, the Great Recession that began in 2007-08 deflated property values -- but we all know that the value of land and structures has come roaring back in the Denver metro area.

Yet Arvada Urban Renewal and the city council are still cutting this sweetheart deal with Trammell Crow selling 9 acres at the same location for $30.

 

---

 Lot's More Traffic ... 
and an End to the 'Grand View' is What You Get for Your $30

The city government continues to disrespect Arvada's history, traditions, and character; it is an insult to the citizens and taxpayers of our great city.

Through the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority (AURA), the municipal government gave away valuable property it owned worth hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars to a chosen developer for $30.

Yes -- $30.

One has to wonder how this is even legal.

The Trammell Crow development planned for the old RTD Park-and-Ride area at Wadsworth Bypass and 56th Avenue is brazen in its contempt for the very concept of Arvada's Olde Town historical district and is a punch in the gut to every working commuter who has to travel on Wadsworth daily to make a living.

Here is the nub of the plan:

"The multifamily complex will be comprised of approximately 248 apartment units on six levels ..."

"Vertically, the height of the building, when standing on Grandview Ave., will be approximately 37 feet above Grandview Avenue. We acknowledge that this height exceeds 35 feet; however, the only part exposed above grade are the residences."

Remember, the Solana Olde Town Station apartment complex just a few yards east on 56th Avenue is another 352 units that will add thousands and thousands of local vehicle trips to that already traffic congested zone. (Solana is also the beneficiary of an Urban Renewal Authority taxpayer give-away.)

So, Arvada taxpayers, thanks to Arvada Urban Renewal, here is what your $30 'profit' is going to get you:

• More traffic all the time
• More traffic congestion ... there are now five traffic signals to sit through between Ralston Road and I-70 on Wadsworth Bypass
• Traffic congestion avoidance, that is finding alternative routes to get around traffic congestion and/or simply avoiding going to Olde Town because of traffic snarls ... meaning, of course, fewer successful 'Olde Town' businesses
• More air pollution
• More noise
• 'Fugly' architecture
• The end of the scenic mountain 'grand view' from Grandview Avenue
• Yet another nail-in-the-coffin of Arvada as a distinctive community

Here's the proposed design: 

 

 

Much damage has been done by the Urban Renewal Authority and  city government to the historic architectural style that accentuated the "olde' in Olde Town Arvada. This proposed high density development resembles a sightly jazzed-up Soviet era apartment block -- not the kind of 'old' that should be a landmark for historic Arvada.

Where is the sense of pride and commitment to Arvada's history and traditions? The city government is within its rights, as our representatives, to hold developers to high design standards -- we, the people, also ought to have a say whether this kind of high density, traffic-generating development is even appropriate for this part of our community.

 * * *

Arvada is your town ... you pay the taxes that fund the salaries of city council members, the city manager, the city planning department (Community Development), and you can demand accountability from the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority, its board of directors, and its Denver resident executive director.

Contact the City Council

Contact the City Manager

Contact the planning department (Community Development)

Contact the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority

 

All of the documentation for the information provided above can be found at the following links:

https://arvadapermits.org/etrakit3/Search/project.aspx
Project Number: PDP2016-0014

Download Trammell Crow Development Overview PDF

Download Preliminary Development Plan for Arvada Town Center and 'Olde Town' Residences PDF

Download Olde Town Design Guidelines PDF

$30 land deal for developer in Arvada questioned | Rob Low; KDVR-TV Channel 31 - June 7, 2017

 

---

 Arvada Urban Renewal $30 Land Giveaway Deal ... For Real!

Why doesn't the Arvada city council have enough money to maintain basic services like keeping our streets in decent repair?

Sweetheart deals with developers that give away valuable property and future tax revenue is one of the big reasons why.

Instead of letting the good ol' American free market system work and create sustainable tax producing enterprises, the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority and the city council cut insider, crony capitalism deals with special developers.

The latest giveaway is to developer Trammell Crow to build even more high density housing at the site of the old RTD Park-and-Ride at 56th Avenue and Wadsworth Bypass.

With the metro region's growing economy and with housing at a premium, the land ought to be worth a fortune, but the politicians and bureaucrats at City Hall are essentially giving the land away and 18 years worth of sales and property tax revenue to a private concern.

How can it be that the politicians at City Hall brag about Arvada being so wonderful that folks are banging at the door to move here, yet at the same time they are giving away millions and millions of tax dollars in subsidies and incentives to private, for-profit developers to build here?

Remember this corporate welfare from Arvada officials accompanies $5.8 million of future sales tax revenue given awayto America's richest company, Walmart; $2.5 million given away to buy Conn's a new HVAC system; the $10 land sale to Park Place Olde Town (PPOT) and $3.3 million tax giveaway; $7.2 million in tax rebates to the Solana apartments; the 85% land discount to Hilton sweetheart deal, a $3.2 million property sold for $500,000 and the lodging tax rebate; the $2.8 million bribe given to King Soopers to entice them to build at Rocky Flats (Resolution No. R16-098); etc.

At the same time those same politicians are asking us to hike the sales tax we pay on groceries and other items by 15 percent allegedly to be used to fix our streets. (However, first the money will go to big capital improvement projects -- will there ever be enough money left to get those potholes filled?)

Here is the Trammell Crow 'Disposition and Development Agreement' as a .pdf.

Here are the two most important outrages:

* * *

* * *

In 2002 a parcel of land of about half an acre, directly to the south of the current Trammell Crow development, sold for $850,000. On that site presently is the Kokoro restaurant. Of course, the Great Recession that began in 2007-08 deflated property values -- but we all know that the value of land and structures has come roaring back in the Denver metro area.

Yet Arvada Urban Renewal and the city council are still cutting this sweetheart deal with Trammell Crow selling 9 acres at the same location for $30.

 

---

 Lot's More Traffic ... 
and an End to the 'Grand View' is What You Get for Your $30

The city government continues to disrespect Arvada's history, traditions, and character; it is an insult to the citizens and taxpayers of our great city.

Through the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority (AURA), the municipal government gave away valuable property it owned worth hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars to a chosen developer for $30.

Yes -- $30.

One has to wonder how this is even legal.

The Trammell Crow development planned for the old RTD Park-and-Ride area at Wadsworth Bypass and 56th Avenue is brazen in its contempt for the very concept of Arvada's Olde Town historical district and is a punch in the gut to every working commuter who has to travel on Wadsworth daily to make a living.

Here is the nub of the plan:

"The multifamily complex will be comprised of approximately 248 apartment units on six levels ..."

"Vertically, the height of the building, when standing on Grandview Ave., will be approximately 37 feet above Grandview Avenue. We acknowledge that this height exceeds 35 feet; however, the only part exposed above grade are the residences."

Remember, the Solana Olde Town Station apartment complex just a few yards east on 56th Avenue is another 352 units that will add thousands and thousands of local vehicle trips to that already traffic congested zone. (Solana is also the beneficiary of an Urban Renewal Authority taxpayer give-away.)

So, Arvada taxpayers, thanks to Arvada Urban Renewal, here is what your $30 'profit' is going to get you:

• More traffic all the time
• More traffic congestion ... there are now five traffic signals to sit through between Ralston Road and I-70 on Wadsworth Bypass
• Traffic congestion avoidance, that is finding alternative routes to get around traffic congestion and/or simply avoiding going to Olde Town because of traffic snarls ... meaning, of course, fewer successful 'Olde Town' businesses
• More air pollution
• More noise
• 'Fugly' architecture
• The end of the scenic mountain 'grand view' from Grandview Avenue
• Yet another nail-in-the-coffin of Arvada as a distinctive community

Here's the proposed design: 

 

 

Much damage has been done by the Urban Renewal Authority and  city government to the historic architectural style that accentuated the "olde' in Olde Town Arvada. This proposed high density development resembles a sightly jazzed-up Soviet era apartment block -- not the kind of 'old' that should be a landmark for historic Arvada.

Where is the sense of pride and commitment to Arvada's history and traditions? The city government is within its rights, as our representatives, to hold developers to high design standards -- we, the people, also ought to have a say whether this kind of high density, traffic-generating development is even appropriate for this part of our community.

 * * *

Arvada is your town ... you pay the taxes that fund the salaries of city council members, the city manager, the city planning department (Community Development), and you can demand accountability from the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority, its board of directors, and its Denver resident executive director.

Contact the City Council

Contact the City Manager

Contact the planning department (Community Development)

Contact the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority

 

All of the documentation for the information provided above can be found at the following links:

https://arvadapermits.org/etrakit3/Search/project.aspx
Project Number: PDP2016-0014

Download Trammell Crow Development Overview PDF

Download Preliminary Development Plan for Arvada Town Center and 'Olde Town' Residences PDF

Download Olde Town Design Guidelines PDF

Why doesn't the Arvada city council have enough money to maintain basic services like keeping our streets in decent repair?

Sweetheart deals with developers that give away valuable property and future tax revenue is one of the big reasons why.

Instead of letting the good ol' American free market system work and create sustainable tax producing enterprises, the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority and the city council cut insider, crony capitalism deals with special developers.

The latest giveaway is to developer Trammell Crow to build even more high density housing at the site of the old RTD Park-and-Ride at 56th Avenue and Wadsworth Bypass.

With the metro region's growing economy and with housing at a premium, the land ought to be worth a fortune, but the politicians and bureaucrats at City Hall are essentially giving the land away and 18 years worth of sales and property tax revenue to a private concern.

How can it be that the politicians at City Hall brag about Arvada being so wonderful that folks are banging at the door to move here, yet at the same time they are giving away millions and millions of tax dollars in subsidies and incentives to private, for-profit developers to build here?

Remember this corporate welfare from Arvada officials accompanies $5.8 million of future sales tax revenue given awayto America's richest company, Walmart; $2.5 million given away to buy Conn's a new HVAC system; the $10 land sale to Park Place Olde Town (PPOT) and $3.3 million tax giveaway; $7.2 million in tax rebates to the Solana apartments; the 85% land discount to Hilton sweetheart deal, a $3.2 million property sold for $500,000 and the lodging tax rebate; the $2.8 million bribe given to King Soopers to entice them to build at Rocky Flats (Resolution No. R16-098); etc.

At the same time those same politicians are asking us to hike the sales tax we pay on groceries and other items by 15 percent allegedly to be used to fix our streets. (However, first the money will go to big capital improvement projects -- will there ever be enough money left to get those potholes filled?)

Here is the Trammell Crow 'Disposition and Development Agreement' as a .pdf.

Here are the two most important outrages:

* * *

* * *

In 2002 a parcel of land of about half an acre, directly to the south of the current Trammell Crow development, sold for $850,000. On that site presently is the Kokoro restaurant. Of course, the Great Recession that began in 2007-08 deflated property values -- but we all know that the value of land and structures has come roaring back in the Denver metro area.

Yet Arvada Urban Renewal and the city council are still cutting this sweetheart deal with Trammell Crow selling 9 acres at the same location for $30.

 

---

 Lot's More Traffic ... 
and an End to the 'Grand View' is What You Get for Your $30

The city government continues to disrespect Arvada's history, traditions, and character; it is an insult to the citizens and taxpayers of our great city.

Through the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority (AURA), the municipal government gave away valuable property it owned worth hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars to a chosen developer for $30.

Yes -- $30.

One has to wonder how this is even legal.

The Trammell Crow development planned for the old RTD Park-and-Ride area at Wadsworth Bypass and 56th Avenue is brazen in its contempt for the very concept of Arvada's Olde Town historical district and is a punch in the gut to every working commuter who has to travel on Wadsworth daily to make a living.

Here is the nub of the plan:

"The multifamily complex will be comprised of approximately 248 apartment units on six levels ..."

"Vertically, the height of the building, when standing on Grandview Ave., will be approximately 37 feet above Grandview Avenue. We acknowledge that this height exceeds 35 feet; however, the only part exposed above grade are the residences."

Remember, the Solana Olde Town Station apartment complex just a few yards east on 56th Avenue is another 352 units that will add thousands and thousands of local vehicle trips to that already traffic congested zone. (Solana is also the beneficiary of an Urban Renewal Authority taxpayer give-away.)

So, Arvada taxpayers, thanks to Arvada Urban Renewal, here is what your $30 'profit' is going to get you:

• More traffic all the time
• More traffic congestion ... there are now five traffic signals to sit through between Ralston Road and I-70 on Wadsworth Bypass
• Traffic congestion avoidance, that is finding alternative routes to get around traffic congestion and/or simply avoiding going to Olde Town because of traffic snarls ... meaning, of course, fewer successful 'Olde Town' businesses
• More air pollution
• More noise
• 'Fugly' architecture
• The end of the scenic mountain 'grand view' from Grandview Avenue
• Yet another nail-in-the-coffin of Arvada as a distinctive community

Here's the proposed design: 

 

 

Much damage has been done by the Urban Renewal Authority and  city government to the historic architectural style that accentuated the "olde' in Olde Town Arvada. This proposed high density development resembles a sightly jazzed-up Soviet era apartment block -- not the kind of 'old' that should be a landmark for historic Arvada.

Where is the sense of pride and commitment to Arvada's history and traditions? The city government is within its rights, as our representatives, to hold developers to high design standards -- we, the people, also ought to have a say whether this kind of high density, traffic-generating development is even appropriate for this part of our community.

 * * *

Arvada is your town ... you pay the taxes that fund the salaries of city council members, the city manager, the city planning department (Community Development), and you can demand accountability from the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority, its board of directors, and its Denver resident executive director.

Contact the City Council

Contact the City Manager

Contact the planning department (Community Development)

Contact the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority

 

All of the documentation for the information provided above can be found at the following links:

https://arvadapermits.org/etrakit3/Search/project.aspx
Project Number: PDP2016-0014

Download Trammell Crow Development Overview PDF

Download Preliminary Development Plan for Arvada Town Center and 'Olde Town' Residences PDF

Download Olde Town Design Guidelines PDF

Here's the proposed design: 

 

 

Much damage has been done by the Urban Renewal Authority and  city government to the historic architectural style that accentuated the "olde' in Olde Town Arvada. This proposed high density development resembles a sightly jazzed-up Soviet era apartment block -- not the kind of 'old' that should be a landmark for historic Arvada.

Where is the sense of pride and commitment to Arvada's history and traditions? The city government is within its rights, as our representatives, to hold developers to high design standards -- we, the people, also ought to have a say whether this kind of high density, traffic-generating development is even appropriate for this part of our community.

 * * *

Arvada is your town ... you pay the taxes that fund the salaries of city council members, the city manager, the city planning department (Community Development), and you can demand accountability from the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority, its board of directors, and its Denver resident executive director.

Contact the City Council

Contact the City Manager

Contact the planning department (Community Development)

Contact the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority

 

All of the documentation for the information provided above can be found at the following links:

https://arvadapermits.org/etrakit3/Search/project.aspx
Project Number: PDP2016-0014

Download Trammell Crow Development Overview PDF

Download Preliminary Development Plan for Arvada Town Center and 'Olde Town' Residences PDF

Download Olde Town Design Guidelines PDF