David Weekley to Build East Side Town Homes

More good news... in addition to building on Block 10, it looks like David Weekley is going to put up around 12 town homes on the far east side of W. Alaska Dr.

Holland Partners to Develop Belmar Blocks 13 and 14

I posted earlier about the impending sale of Belmar Blocks 13 and 14, which are separated by S. Saulsbury Street and bounded by W. Virginia Ave. and W. Custer Ave. Now a report has surfaced at Denver Cityscape that the Vancouver, Washington-based Holland Partners Group has plans to develop two blocks within Belmar as multi-family housing. Could this be the plan for Blocks 13 and 14?

Here's the rendering for the larger of the two buildings, which looks to me to be situated on Block 13:

And here's the second, on Block 14. The road appears to be Saulsbury.

Holland Partners Group is investing big in Colorado, with a planned project in LoHi, another in LoDo near Union Station, and a third at the I-25 and Belleview lightrail station.

First Renderings of CityScape at Belmar

The blog Denver Cityscape has posted a rendering of the CityScape at Belmar development. This is the building slotted to go on Lot 37 of Block 12, between the Belmar detention pond open space and the Belmar Rowhomes.

Some great news is that the parking for CityScape Belmar will be in an underground garage, out of sight by neighbors, who might otherwise have ended up looking down from their balconies at a parking lot.

Also interesting is how the building will jut out slightly on the northwest corner in order to overlook the pocket park that sits to the north.

David Weekley Townhomes Planned for Belmar Block 10

It looks like the surveying equipment seen recently on Block 10 was a sign of good things to come.

According to Denver Cityscape, David Weekley Homes will be putting 22 town homes on the site. This is the perfect development for Block 10, which sits between Belmar Square Park and the KB Home development.

And it really is perfect. Why?

Well, although I was really impressed by the layout of KB Home's "paired homes" (a.k.a. duplexes), I feel the higher density of town homes is better for Belmar's urban aspirations. Without gaps between each individual unit, town homes create a more defined and aesthetically pleasing street space. It's solid, not jumbled. The higher roofline adds to this as well. When you walk down a street lined with 3 and 4 story buildings, you have a sense that you are in an urban room, with the sky above you as ceiling. It looks like the David Weekley development will add to this effect, which is especially important given it's location next to Belmar Square.

One of the great pleasures in life is walking the streets of a dense city center and then suddenly coming upon a plaza or town square. One moment you're on a narrow, urban street, and then-- bam!-- you turn the corner and the sky opens up, the sun shines down, and a bench or fountain beckons. It's the sudden contrast that makes these spaces so memorable. You can't see the openness until you're standing right in the middle of it. Hidden from view, surrounded on all sides by taller buildings, a plaza or park feels elegant and jewel box-like.

I've always felt that Belmar Square has the potential to be a little like, but only if the blocks around it were developed with sufficient density. The Lofts at Belmar Square, immediately to the south of the square, are 5 stories high, and already hint at how great a park space Belmar Square could be. It just needs the other three sides.

So the good news is that the David Weekley development on Block 10-- at 3 and 4 stories--  appears to fit nicely with this vision.

Panaderias Rodriguez

One of the biggest charges leveled against Belmar is that it represents a sort of fake urbanism. Sure, it looks nice, the cool kids say, but in the end it's just an open air mall with the same old chain stores and restaurants. And if you were to look at downtown Lakewood as simply the new Belmar development, there might be something to this. But downtown Lakewood is bigger than just the new Belmar, and all it takes is a short walk north of Alameda to find plenty of urban grit.

My favorite example is the Panaderias Rodriguez, located at 6201 W. Alameda Ave. The place is a bakery, obviously, and I love to swing by in the mornings for freshly baked pan dulce (in particular, I'd suggest getting a concha and some churros). Everyone speaks Spanish, and the place bustles. It reminds me so much of the local, little bakeries one finds all over small town Mexico.

However, the Panaderias Rodriguez also serves up some of the best and most authentic Mexican food in Lakewood. We're talking great tortas, tacos... even chilaquiles and eggs in the morning. For the purist, the place offers tacos de lengua and burritos de chicharron-- perfect for hangovers-- although my preference is for the fantastic tacos de chorizo. For those who prefer Colorado-style Mexican food, Los Rodriguez also make a mean smothered burrito.

The location and the decor offers the perfect antidote to hipsters concerned about the authenticity of Belmar. It's gritty, urban... and delicious.

Surveying on Block 10

Drill rigs were out on Block 10 the other day, and the crew left behind spray painted posts all over the property. I haven't heard anything about any fresh development plans, but maybe it means a developer is looking at the lot? 

Construction Begins at Firestone Complete Auto Care Site

Construction has started at 575 S. Vance St., the future site of a Firestone Complete Auto Care. This is across from the KB Home site and just north of Panera Bread.

I haven't come across any plans or architectural drawings online, so I don't know what it's going to look like when finished. It is clear from the positioning of the foundation, however, that the building will front Vance St., with parking hidden on the west side. This is a good thing, of course, as New Urbanist design principles call for parking to be kept away from the street, and instead for building facades to define the urban streetscape.