Stapleton, Lowry, and the Geos Neighborhood Among Denver’s Eco-Friendly Communities!

Since we are at the midpoint of a two-day Eco-Broker seminar, I am truly inspired to recognize a few environmentally friendly neighborhoods in the Denver metro area. TeamCox Realtors commends these communities for their true dedication to our environment.

• Stapleton: It is hard to believe that Stapleton, the site of Denver’s old airport, is the largest urban-infill redevelopment project in the country. The trendy community, recently ranked third among Natural Home Magazine’s, “Best Green Housing Developments,” is truly committed to green building and energy preservation. One of the highlights on Stapleton’s lengthy “green” resume is that all homes are Energy Star certified, meaning that Stapleton builders must adhere to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s stringent guidelines. In addition, Stapleton implemented a prairie habitat restoration project, completed an extensive eco-restoration of Westerly Creek, showcases 1,100 acres of parks and open space, and boasts many homes with solar panels. 

• Lowry:  Lowry’s new EastPark neighborhood, by McStain Neighborhoods, will focus on water efficiency and preservation. A joint project between Denver Water, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and McStain Neighborhoods, the project will feature approximately 40 homes with high-efficiency packages, ultimately saving approximately 28,000 gallons of water per year that will significantly lower residents’ utility bills.   

• Geos Neighborhood: The nation’s largest zero-energy, master-planned community will be located in Arvada. Construction on the 250-unit project is slated to begin this fall, and the homes will be start in the $200’s. According to a statement issued by the developer, the Geos Neighborhoods’ “on-site solar and geothermal systems are designed to supply 100 percent of the community’s energy needs and work in conjunction with energy consumption patterns that are markedly lower than those found in the nation’s average homes.” This is a truly amazing project, and will hopefully be a model for future developments.

For more information on environmentally friendly Denver real estate, please contact TeamCox Realtors at 303-400-6060.

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Don’t miss today’s Denver Post real estate section that features, “A lesser-known Park Hill,” by Christian Toto. My expertise on the Park Hill neighborhood is showcased in the article, which examines the “unofficial” Park Hill neighborhood, lying to the east of Monaco Parkway. Many of TeamCox’s buyers are attracted to the vibrant Park Hill neighborhood, including a young couple who will be arriving this week for a house-hunting trip. The couple, a newly minted doctor and her husband, is searching for an affordable home in the dynamic northeast Denver neighborhoods of Park Hill or Stapleton. 

The attractiveness of the Park Hill neighborhood is endless – it is not only a short distance to the Anschutz Medical Campus, home to Children’s Hospital and the University of Colorado Health Science Center, but boasts lower home prices than neighboring areas. As mentioned in the Denver Post article, Park Hill’s eastern section’s close proximity to the highly popular Stapleton community could equate to substantial future equity for its homeowners.

This particular young couple has several other factors to consider, including safety and environmental issues. Buyers are willing to pay a premium if an older home has high-energy thermal windows, or an energy efficient heating and air conditioning system. Since sophisticated buyers are willing to pay a premium for products that will save energy dollars in the future, they easily recognize the inherent value of features like Energy Star rated appliances.

Park Hill real estate, which ranges in price from the $200s into the millions, features a diverse mix of architectural styles, including the famous Denver Square, Colonial, Mediterranean and Queen Anne. Similar to other Denver neighborhoods, many homes in Park Hill have been extensively renovated. 

For more information regarding the Park Hill, Mayfair, Congress Park, City Park, Hilltop, Hale or Montclair neighborhoods, please contact TeamCox Realtors at 303-400-6060 - our intricate knowledge of the Denver real estate market allows us to lead our buyers to the very best homes available!

It’s hard to believe what Stapleton looked like five years ago prior to its massive transformation into one of the hippest communities in the Denver real estate market. Miles of open space and dirt once made of the bleak site of Denver’s old airport.

Stapleton has much to celebrate on its 5th anniversary including recent happenings that exemplify the successes of one of Denver’s most unique and innovative communities: 

Central Park at Stapleton: Denver’s newest park, Central Park at Stapleton, recently opened to rave reviews. Mayor Hickenlooper proclaimed the park as “a symbol of planning and preparation, and a reflection of the City’s efforts to be proactive when it comes to Denver’s growth.” The 80-acre park, which is located directly east of east of the Stapleton Control Tower, features walking and biking paths, interactive fountains, a stage and a children’s playground.

Recognition for Environmental Friendly Practices: Stapleton, already a national front-runner among environmentally friendly master planned communities, has been selected as a pilot project in the new LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Neighborhood Development pilot program. This is an opportunity for projects to be recognized by a third-party for accomplishments in smart growth, new urbanism and green design principles. In addition, three Stapleton homes will be on the Colorado Renewable Energy Society’s (CRES) Tour of Solar and Green-Built Homes on October 6th.

New Anchor Center for Blind Children: The newly relocated Anchor Center for Blind Children opened on September 4^th at its new location at 26th and Roslyn. The new sate-of-the-art building provides top-notch services for blind and visually impaired children.

Denver School of Science & Technology: Students from Stapleton’s Denver School of Science and Technology posted some of the highest ACT scores in the state of Colorado. The high school’s first class of juniors boasted an average ACT Composite Score of 23.6, which tied for fifth with the prestigious Cherry Creek High School.

These accomplishments are only a few of the many attributes that make Stapleton a prime location for purchasing and investing in real estate. For more information on the Stapleton community or regarding Stapleton real estate, please contact TeamCox Realtors.

August is a great month for family time since the kids go back to school soon and the cooler tempratures will arrive before we know it. What better way to spend some quality family time than a relaxing outdoor summer concert? TeamCox Realtors has compiled a list of FREE summer concerts around the Denver metro area.

Denver:

The Shops at Northfield Stapleton
Fridays – 6:00-9:30pm

August 10 – Nina Storey and Jubal (jazz, reggae, funk, blues)
August 17 – Nacho Men Classic (variety) with Martini Shot (progressive rock)
August 24 – Conjunto Colores (Latin jazz) and Railbenders (alt. country rock)
August 31- 31 Chris Daniels (rock, blues, swing) and The Trampolines (acoustic pop rock)

City Park Jazz (17th Avenue and York Street)

August 6, 2007 – 6:00pm-8:00pm

The Sheryl Renee Band

Summer Free Concert Series

Fridays in the Park- 4:30-7:30pm

Sculpture Park (Located behind the Denver Performing Arts Complex)

August 3 – Angie Stevens

August 10 – Buckwild
August 17 – Rubber Planet 

It is hard to imagine a better way to celebrate summer in Colorado than a trip to a local farmer’s market. The smell of fresh fruit and vegetables combined with other goodies makes farmer’s markets one of the best treats of summer. TeamCox Realtors has compiled a list of just a few of the irresistible markets to be found in and around the Denver metropolitan area. For a complete list of local farmer’s markets, please visit the 2007 Colorado Farm Fresh Directory’s, "Colorado Farmers’ Markets," which is regularly updated. Bon Apetite!

TeamCox Realtors recently completed both the EcoBroker Energy Advantage and the Environmental Advantage Courses, which gives us a greater appreciation of environmentally friendly real estate projects. Two eco-friendly projects that deserve recognition are Greenwood Village’s new Palazzo Verdi, a new Class AA, 15-story, LEED Certified office building, and McStain Neighborhood’s new LEED-certified home at Stapleton.

Palazzo Verdi, which is located in the prestigious Greenwood Plaza Office Park, is our new neighbor since it is next to the Re/MAX Masters office, the Plaza Tower One Building at 6400 S. Fiddler’s Green Circle. Our newfound knowledge gives us a much better understanding of how the Palazzo Verdi will function beyond the capabilities of the beautiful Plaza Tower One Building, which was built in 1985. The high-performance Palazzo Verdi masterpiece will be proudly performing well into the next century. Light rail access immediately out the back door compliments the Palazzo Verdi’s beautiful exterior and built-green concept. This is what Denver’s office space will look like in future. Up to 285,000 GSF of office space is available for lease and occupancy in the first quarter of 2008.

On the residential side, McStain Neighborhoods recently completed the first LEED-certified home at Stapleton, which is one the most environmentally friendly homes in the Denver area. The LEED home, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, features many upgrades including plumbing that conserves water, low-maintenance landscaping, tightly sealed framing and drywall and a natural ventilation system. The 2,872 sq. ft. home is priced at $621,562.

According to some experts, LEED homes, which are slowly catching on with the homebuilding industry, have an energy savings of up to 45 percent. Having completed the real estate ECO-brokers Energy Advantage Course as well as the Environmental Advantage Course, I truly believe the most energy efficient homes are the homes that buyers are willing pay a premium price to own. What is now being written as a new trend will almost certainly be a "very normal home" in 2015!

For more information on environmentally friendly real estate projects, please contact TeamCox Realtors at bonnie@teamcox.com.