(PROJECT) One Place Tower

[Red Arrow]

I've been up there several times.  It's probably not for anyone afraid of heights.
Here are some shots I took the last time I was up there (last December):

I'm fine in an airplane or firmly attached to something.  I have a difficult time with leaning over the edge of anything more than about a broken leg high.

I'll have to wait to get home to see the pictures, they don't show here.

[Townsend]

I look at the picture of The Green, and all I can think of is the woman in 94 or 95 that did a swan dive out of the hotel. I was working on upgrading the data network for Vintage Petroleum and just heard this blood curdling scream come from one of the offices, the woman that worked in the office saw it happen.

That was my buddy's first pick up.  He was in school and is now a mortician.  He was descriptive.

[SXSW]

When you say construction will begin later this summer, are you referring strictly to the Cimarex building?  Are we still expecting construction on the Northwestern Mutual building to begin this month (which I guess means this week)?

I believe so...it's all design/build from what I've heard.  The Northwestern Mutual building should begin before Cimarex.  It will be nice to see all of the activity on that site.

[Jeff P]

I believe so...it's all design/build from what I've heard.  The Northwestern Mutual building should begin before Cimarex.  It will be nice to see all of the activity on that site.

Agreed.

I'm especially excited to see an ugly surface lot go away.

[carltonplace]

Just six years ago we were arguing about the Towerview...can't believe dirt is finally going to get pushed around on this lot.

[we vs us]

Agreed.

I'm especially excited to see an ugly surface lot go away.

You aren't the only one.  I'd say roughly 25% of the conversation around here is, in one form or another, a rant against surface parking.  

[SXSW]

You aren't the only one.  I'd say roughly 25% of the conversation around here is, in one form or another, a rant against surface parking.  

As it is in just about every mid-sized American city.  When I was in Denver it was talked about ad nauseum.  If you've ever been to downtown Denver they have a "parking lot district" that rivals ours by TCC, and numerous lots in between Lodo and the CBD (similar to our situation between Blue Dome and the CBD by the PAC).  They have made a lot of inroads but there is still a lot of surface parking, which is surprising considering the size of Denver and their excellent transit system that puts ours to shame. 

[Jeff P]

As it is in just about every mid-sized American city.  When I was in Denver it was talked about ad nauseum.  If you've ever been to downtown Denver they have a "parking lot district" that rivals ours by TCC, and numerous lots in between Lodo and the CBD (similar to our situation between Blue Dome and the CBD by the PAC).  They have made a lot of inroads but there is still a lot of surface parking, which is surprising considering the size of Denver and their excellent transit system that puts ours to shame. 

Yep.

I know exactly what you're talking about.  We have an office in downtown Denver near Lodo... been there many times and I even remember noticing the large number of surface lots in that area.

[Conan71]

Look at the boon surface parking is to parking operators.  All they have to do is put down some sub-par asphalt, paint lines, put in a collection box and they are in business.  

There's a lot of expense to constructing parking garages which takes forever to recoup expenses.  Seems like someone mentioned on here awhile back a garage costs about $30,000 per spot.  I hate all the surface parking as much as anyone, yet there doesn't seem to be any incentive for parking operators to build vertically.  The only way it becomes easier is if they can get the local government to subsidize it or if all landowners in a CBD refuse to sell a parcel unless it will specifically be re-developed into anything BUT surface parking.

[Red Arrow]

The only way it becomes easier is if they can get the local government to subsidize it or if all landowners in a CBD refuse to sell a parcel unless it will specifically be re-developed into anything BUT surface parking.

We use tax policy to promote all sorts of behavior and actions.  Tax surface parking as though it were a multi-story parking garage.  Make it financially unattractive to put in sub-par asphalt...

[Conan71]

We use tax policy to promote all sorts of behavior and actions.  Tax surface parking as though it were a multi-story parking garage.  Make it financially unattractive to put in sub-par asphalt...

That's one other incentive I forgot.

[carltonplace]

We use tax policy to promote all sorts of behavior and actions.  Tax surface parking as though it were a multi-story parking garage.  Make it financially unattractive to put in sub-par asphalt...

Or continue to coddle the proprieters like we do today, hell our current mayor even considered handing over control of the meter business to American Parking. That would have given them the ability to equalize the cost of parking on the street with the cost of parking in one of their lots and eliminate the (free after 5 and weekends) competition.

If the structured parking includes a retail aspect at ground level then your break even date is not so far in the future.

[Townsend]

Or continue to coddle the proprieters like we do today, hell our current mayor even considered handing over control of the meter business to American Parking. That would have given them the ability to equalize the cost of parking on the street with the cost of parking in one of their lots and eliminate the (free after 5 and weekends) competition.

If the structured parking includes a retail aspect at ground level then your break even date is not so far in the future.

"Harumph"

[DTowner]

It would be interesting to see what would happen to the surface lots if all new downtown buildings/developments incorporated multilevel parking into the project.  Of course, that would mean there would have to be a lot of new building to have much of an impact.

Increasing property values might help incentivize alternative uses for surface lots, but that is likely to be slow going at the current pace of development.  The reality is it will probably take the city building several large parking garages to really change the economics.

[Hoss]

"Harumph"

You're really on with the quotable movies thing this week...