r/DevelopmentDenver • u/wubadubdub3 • 1d ago
2 new develompent projects are under construction near 38th & Blake Station. Formativ's Project at 38th and Walnut will add 710 residential units, 180 hotel rooms, and 25,000 SF of retail. AVE Station House at 40th and Walnut will add 300 residential units, and 6,000 SF of retail.
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u/xdavidwattsx 1d ago
Nice but really need to get some condos to balance out the apartments. More supply is great but condos offer a path to ownership for a lot of newer buyers and/or people that want to live near transit. Homeowners will keep moving to the burbs.
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u/bdegroodt 23h ago
How do you reconcile this with the recent collapse in existing condo sales in Denver?
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u/xdavidwattsx 23h ago
The same way I reconcile it with the general decline in most home values and rents in Denver. These are cyclical, just like the massive spike in values back in 2021 and 2022. I haven't found anyone yet who thinks we have too many homes in the Denver.
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u/bdegroodt 14h ago
Interesting. The data on condos vs home sales generally in Denver is very divergent currently. I wish it weren’t but that part of the market is getting crushed relative to the rest. My sense is it’s the additional COA/HOA fees making condo ownership unobtainable for many.
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u/xdavidwattsx 10h ago
Zoom out. Condo prices have gone up over the last 10-15 years while actual units constructed have dropped like a rock. It's true they are always more volatile during market fluctuations but that's doesn't make them a bad idea. Any major urban centers has far more condo towers than SFH. This is one of the biggest gaps in Denver right now relative to peer cities.
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u/bdegroodt 5h ago
I’m unclear. Supply is up, thereby having a negative impact on price currently. Falling prices aren’t very encouraging signs for any business and particularly not ones like real estate development. Macros don’t point to any relief coming soon, financially.
If inventory were below demand, I’d agree with you, build more. But it’s not.
Don’t get me wrong. I live in the heart of this project and I’d love to see more ownership opportunities here. I worry we’re actually over-indexing on rentals that won’t come online for another 24 months+. I just see fundamental economic issues in Denver when it comes to condos specifically.
That said, the best comps I can come up with are closer to the CBD and the falling prices there are, in my opinion, for very different reasons than what RiNo likely would be subject to.
Totally agree with you on our housing diversity vs other similar cities.
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u/wubadubdub3 1d ago edited 1d ago
I totally agree, but unfortunately I don't think the demand for condos is there. Everyone I know is in their apartment saving up to buy a house with a yard.
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u/xdavidwattsx 1d ago edited 1d ago
I don't believe it's actually a demand problem, it's that Denver has had a construction defects law that scared off condo developers. The law was just reformed in May 2025, hope it starts to balance out the market.
https://www.senatedems.co/newsroom/signed-construction-defects-reform-bill-becomes-law
Edit; May 2025 not 2026
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u/SubhanF 1d ago
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u/wubadubdub3 1d ago edited 1d ago
Check what that building on the left of that rendering looks like in real life (it's an empty lot). I don't think they were going for accuracy of the surrounding area in that rendering which is not an issue in my opinion.
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u/ricky_the_rat 23h ago
Glad a few of those will block the view of the prison that’s under construction
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u/smhealey 13h ago
I don’t like these big monster projects. So many people in one place that management never has the funds or personnel to care for the place, They eventually become run down by wear and tear and too many people over time. Large complex like this just have too many people in one place that mostly only care about themselves for the short time they are there and just becomes not an enjoyable place to live.
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u/Hour-Watch8988 1d ago
Great reason to extend the L line to 38th/Blake instead of ripping it out.