The Kearns Team Stapleton Real Estate News - Information on Buying and Selling Real Estate in Stapleton and Denver Colorado

If you had the chance to check out Caution Brewing at last year's Stapleton Beer Festival, then you know that Danny Wang and Betty Fey are brewing some great beers right in Stapleton's back yard. Unfortunately, their beers have been in limited release (festivals, the Lao Wang Noodle House, and a few bars)... until now!

This Friday, May 18, Caution Brewing will be opening their new Tap Room at 12445 E. 39th. Avenue, Unit 313 (building C), Denver, CO 80239 - basically that is a block east 39th and Peoria - just a few minutes from Stapleton. Doors open at 4pm on the 18th and will probably stay open as long as there are people with a hankering for really good beer! Regular hours (Fridays 5-9pm, Saturdays and Sundays noon to 6pm) start on Saturday the 19th.

For more information, check out Caution Brewing's website, on Twitter, or on Facebook.

See you on Friday!

OPEN HOUSE in Stapleton

Today, Saturday May 12 from 1:00 to 3:00pm. 2601 Hanover Court, Denver CO 80238. View proprty photos and more info.

Wednesday June 27, 2012 is Bike to Work Day in Denver, and participant registration is now open on the Bike to Work Day 2012 website.

The website includes bike routes and brakfast stations, and allows riders to create grou rides or find buddies to ride with. You can also buy a t-shirt or check out the prizes available to win!

According to DRCOG (the Denver Regional Council of Governments), nearly 24,000 people rode their bikes to work for the 2011 event, and they are hoping to have even more participants in 2012.

We just listed a gorgeous New Town Builders Tamarac model home in Stapleton at 2601 Hanover Court, Denver CO 80238!

This home features three bedrooms (including a spacious master suite) upstairs; a main floor study, formal dining room, and open kitchen / family room;and a finished basement with rec room, guest suite and a workout room (or 5th bedroom). Outside there's an inviting covered porch in front, a private patio retreat in back, and a three car garage.

Priced at just $509,900, this home is sure to sell quickly. Check out the photos online or contact us to schedule a private showing. We're also planning an open house for Saturday May 12th from 1:00 to 3:00... if the house isn't sold by then!

Colorado State Representative Beth McCann, whose district includes part of Stapleton, is holding a Town Hall Meeting to discuss Health Care Reform.

When: Tuesday, April 24, 2012 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm

Where: Park Hill Library, Community Room, 4705 Montview Blvd

Topics: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) as it affects Colorado, The ACA's individual mandate, and Health Exchage Programs

Speakers: Patty Fonteneau (Executive Director, Colorado Health Benefit Exchange) and Bob Semro (Health Policy Analyst, Bell Policy Center)

This town hall meeting is sponsored by Rep Beth McCann (CO HD8). For more information, please email beth@bethmccann.org or call 303-866-2959.

Location: Sam's Club Parking Lot,  10am - 2pm 

Electronics - Metech   
Item fees:

• Batteries: $2 / lb
• Computer Monitors: $10.00
• TVs up to 32”: $18.00
• TVs over 32”: $1.00 per diagonal inch
• All other Electronics: $1.00
• Keyboards, Mice, IPods, PDAs, Cell Phones, Handheld Games: FREE  

Shredding (documents, hard drives, DVD, CD, floppy disks) - Cintas  
There will be a $5 fee per person.

Latex Paints - Paint Genius
Accepting reusable latex in good condition.  The paint needs to be in its original can with a readable label. Will not accept intermixed paint.  The recycling fee is $2 per container or $2 per gal in the case of a 5-gal bucket.

Moving Boxes - The Kearns Team, RE/MAX of Cherry Creek   www.BuildingStapleton.com
Reuseable moving boxes - must be flattened. Note that this is not cardboard recycling, only useable boxes. If you have extra boxes, bring them - if you need boxes, take some.  FREE

Plastic Grocery Bags - other small plastic bags without holes, such as from bread, deli, etc.
We will donate these to poop scoop locations around Stapleton

Pet Food and Accessories - The Urban Farm at Stapleton  

Home Furnishings: Furniture, Appliances, Tools, Plumbing Fixtures, Building Materials (nails, wood, etc.) - Go Green Warehouse - Veterans Green Jobs
FREE  - furniture should be gently used

Bicycles and accessories - The Bike Depot  

Plastic only Flower Pots, Flats, Containers - City Floral  

Books
will be donated to Park Hill Community Bookstore

Car Seats
out of date car seats, will be taken to a recycling facility in Golden (this is not a donation of good car seats)

TerraCycle items - SUN
These items will get you an entry for the $50 Whole Foods gift card

New Home update from Forest City Stapleton:

Historically, new home sales at Stapleton steadily increased year over year until 2006, which was when we started seeing a decline in total sales due to the economy.  This decline lasted through 2009.

The good news is that in 2010, we saw a slight increase in new home sales of 3 ½ %.  And in 2011, Stapleton rebounded with a 45% increase.  This upward trend has continued in to the 1st quarter of 2012, with a 62% increase over the 1st quarter of 2011.  

CLEVELAND, March 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Forest City Enterprises, Inc., (NYSE: FCEA and FCEB) today announced the closing of the sale of Quebec Square, a retail 'power' center in Denver, to Quebec Square, CMH, LLC.  The sale price of $34.25 million generated net proceeds of approximately $8 million, representing an effective cap rate of 6.4 percent based on 2011 net operating income.  

'We're pleased to complete this sale,' said David J. LaRue, Forest City president and chief executive officer.  'The disposition of this center is part of our retail strategy to focus on our regional malls and anchored lifestyle centers around the country, as well as urban retail in our New York core market.'  

The company plans to use proceeds from this and future dispositions to pay down debt, reinvest in its portfolio, and selectively activate new development with a focus on existing entitlement. Forest City will continue to manage Quebec Square on behalf of the new owner.  

Quebec Square is located at the corner of Quebec Street and Smith Road in Denver, adjacent to Stapleton, Forest City's mixed-use redevelopment community.  The center has a total of 739,000 square feet of space, with gross leaseable area (GLA) of approximately 217,000 square feet, including current tenants Famous Footwear, Ross Dress for Less, Big 5 Sporting Goods, Office Depot and PetSmart.  Anchors (not included in the GLA) are WalMart, Home Depot and Sam's Club.

About Forest City
Forest City Enterprises, Inc. is an NYSE-listed national real estate company with $10.5 billion in total assets. The company is principally engaged in the ownership, development, management and acquisition of commercial and residential real estate and land throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.forestcity.net. 

Safe Harbor Language
Statements made in this news release that state the company's or management's intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations or predictions of the future are forward-looking statements. The company's actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements due to various risks, uncertainties and other factors. Risks and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the impact of current lending and capital market conditions on its liquidity, ability to finance or refinance projects and repay its debt, the impact of the current economic environment on its ownership, development and management of its real estate portfolio, general real estate investment and development risks, vacancies in its properties, further downturns in the housing market, competition, illiquidity of real estate investments, bankruptcy or defaults of tenants, anchor store consolidations or closings, international activities, the impact of terrorist acts, risks associated with an investment in a professional sports team, its substantial debt leverage and the ability to obtain and service debt, the impact of restrictions imposed by its credit facility and senior debt, exposure to hedging agreements, the level and volatility of interest rates, the continued availability of tax-exempt government financing, the impact of credit rating downgrades, effects of uninsured or underinsured losses, effects of a downgrade or failure of our insurance carriers, environmental liabilities, conflicts of interest, risks associated with the sale of tax credits, risks associated with developing and managing properties in partnership with others, the ability to maintain effective internal controls, compliance with governmental regulations, increased legislative and regulatory scrutiny of the financial services industry, volatility in the market price of its publicly traded securities, inflation risks, litigation risks, as well as other risks listed from time to time in the company's SEC filings, including but not limited to, the company's annual and quarterly reports. 

SOURCE Forest City Enterprises, Inc.

Robert O'Brien, Executive Vice President - Chief Financial Officer, +1-216-621-6060; Jeff Linton, Senior Vice President - Corporate Communication, +1-216-621-6060

A message from the Stapleton Master Community Association

Last weekend's SNL...Kids' Night Out event was incredibly successful!  We had a great turnout and we are so excited to host this event once again this Saturday, March 3.

This weekend will include similar activities and dinner will be provided!  Parents, remember to pack your child's swim-suit and towel for the pool!  Kids will be allowed to access the Central Park Rec Center's pool facility.  We will also have a variety of arts and crafts, the hamster ball, booger wars, and other fun activities!

This event kicks off at 6:00 p.m. and will end promptly at 9:00 p.m., so please plan accordingly to assure you are there on time!

Pre-register your kids through the Stapleton MCA, either online or in-person.  Tickets will be sold for $10 until Friday, March 3. Tickets will be sold at the door for $15, but tickets are limited and are only available on a first-come, first-serve basis.  We are planning to have a much larger turnout this weekend.

Give yourself a break from the kids and purchase your tickets today!  Many Denver restaurants still have reservations available for 5280 Restaurant Week.  Pick your menu and book your reservation today at http://www.denver.org/denverrestaurant/.

To register for the event, please click on the link: Saturday, March 3

Denver Parks and Recreation in partnership with Forest City Stapleton will host the 2^nd Public meeting to obtain input on the North Stapleton Park Project. Please plan on attending or contact David Marquardt or Tom Gleason.

Wednesday, March 14, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, at the Central Park Recreation Center, 9651 E. MLK Blvd, Denver CO 80238

For More Information Please contact:  

 David Marquardt
Denver Parks Planning Division
720-913-0629
David.marquardt@denvergov.org     

Thomas J. Gleason
Forest City Stapleton, Inc.
(303)382-1800  Ext 72720
Tomgleason@forestcity.net 

DENVER, Feb 23, 2012 -- Forest City announced today it has sold a site for an office and training facility in Stapleton’s Enterprise Park to the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters.

John S. Lehigh, president of Forest City Stapleton, Inc., master developer for the former airport, said the 13 acre parcel of land is on the north side of 40th Avenue, directly west of the Enterprise Park buildings housing other tenants that include SMA Solar and USBank.

“The Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters made the right choice when they chose Stapleton for their office and training facility,” Lehigh said. “Stapleton offers businesses excellent freeway visibility, easy access to interstates and public transportation and diverse, flexible real estate options—all of which is just minutes from Downtown Denver and Denver International Airport. When the ribbon was cut on the new Central Park Blvd interchange on I- 70 late last year, we opened another door to one of the region’s most exciting office locations and sent the message that Stapleton is truly ‘business ready.’”

“This is a great addition to the next phase of our development,” Lehigh added. “Stapleton is Denver’s fresh, new business address.”

“We think this is a great location for our new facility,” said Mike McCarron, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters. “We are looking forward to building our newest training center here in Denver because it is an important resource for carpenters and contractors alike.”

Among the diverse group of business or government interests who have chosen Stapleton for their office location are the Denver Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the A.F. Williams Family Medical Center, The United Air Lines Flight Training Facility and Nobel Sysco.

Just received from Denver Public Schools:

Dear DPS Community:

Due to severe winter weather and unsafe road conditions forecasted to last throughout the day tomorrow, all Denver Public Schools will be closed on Friday, Feb. 3. This includes all before- and after-school programming, athletics and after-school activities. All DPS district offices will also be closed for Friday, Feb. 3.

Be safe and have a good weekend.

DPS Office of Communications

Please join Councilman Christopher Herndon, Councilman Albus Brooks, City Librarian Shirley Amore and members of the Denver Public Library Commission for a sneak peek at the new Sam Gary Branch Library due to open in mid-2012.

• When: January 28 at 1:00 pm
• Where: 2961 North Roslyn Street (Southeast corner of Roslyn Street and 29thAvenue in the Stapleton Town Center)
• What: An up-close and personal look at the construction progress of the new Branch Library!

The new branch library was recently named after Sam Gary, who has been dubbed by the Front Porch as “the key community member in Denver who brought the new-urbanism planning concept to the redevelopment of the old Stapleton airport.”  He is an upstanding citizen and philanthropist who dedicates much of his life to help economically challenged inner-city children through his foundation, the Piton Foundation, as well as contributing to early childhood education and healthcare programs. 

In an effort to ensure the quality programming, materials and faculty for the upcoming library; The Denver Public Library is offering the community an opportunity to purchase beautifully engraved sandstone pavers as a special way to memorialize your family or business outside of the new Sam Gary Branch Library in Stapleton.  For more information on purchasing a paver or to learn about interior naming opportunities, please contact Brenda Ritenour at 720-865-2046 or britenour@denverlibrary.org.

Availability is limited - apply no later than February 12, 2012

DENVER, CO – This spring only, all Denver residents are eligible for free trees regardless of where they live within the city. This rare opportunity is made possible by two tree distribtuion programs: The Park People’s annual Denver Digs Trees street tree program and the City’s Mile High Million tree planting initiative.

“We’re thrilled to be part of this exciting partnership that is sure to add thousands of trees Denver neighborhoods across the city,” says The Park People’s Paige Heydon. “The trees are being offered at no cost. It’s a win for the city’s urban forest and a win for Denver residents.”

Any resident of the City and County of Denver can apply for free trees to plant along the street in the public right-of-way. Additionally, those who have space for trees on the west side of their homes – whether in front, back, or side yards or along the street – are eligibile to have trees delivered and planted for them.

“Trees planted on the west side of houses not only offer wonderful shade, they also reduce energy consumption,” says Sara Davis, the Program Manager for Denver Parks and Recreation’s Mile High Million Program. “With that in mind, we are happy to offer the trees and the planting free of charge.”

Availability will be limited, so apply no later than February 15, 2012. Visit www.theparkpeople.org or call 303-722-6262 for application information.

“Trees beautify neighborhoods, improve property values, provide environmental services, and support good health by encouraging people to spend time outdoors,” says Denver’s City Forester Rob Davis. “This is a great opportunity for Denver residents to enhance their neighborhoods.”

The Denver Digs Trees program is able to offer free street trees to all Denver residents this spring thanks to a partnership with Denver Parks and Recreation Forestry Division and the sponsorship of Xcel Energy Foundation and the City of Denver’s Office of Economic Development. The Mile High Million’s Trees for Energy Savings program is made possible with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The Park People

The Park People is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, enhancing and advocating for Denver’s parks, recreation resources, open space and urban forest. Through its Denver Digs Trees program, The Park People is responsible for adding more than 43,000 trees to Denver’s neighborhoods, with hundreds more sold each fall and spring to help raise funds for the organization’s public tree efforts. Visit www.theparkpeople.org for more information.

Mile High Million

In 2006, Mayor John Hickenlooper (now Governor) announced an ambitious tree planting program with a goal of adding one million new trees in metropolitan Denver by the year 2025. The initiative aims to engage and motivate individuals to become life-long stewards of our natural environment through planting and caring for trees. The end result will be a healthier and more extensive urban forest, creating more inviting places to live, work and play. Visit milehighmillion.org for more information.

Denver Forestry

The Denver Parks and Recreation Forestry Office is the city agency responsible for trees and shrubs in public parks, parkways and around government buildings. They also are involved in programs that add trees to Denver neighborhoods. Trees are an extremely valuable resource that not only provide attractive landscapes, but also replenish oxygen in the atmosphere, cool us with shade in the summer and help clean the air. Denver is a fortunate city with a broad tree canopy and public policies that recognize the value of trees through promotion programs and regulation. Visit www.denvergov.org/forestry for more information.

Two great new homes, just listed for sale in Stapleton!

3465 Willow Street, Denver CO 80238
offered for $469,999 

This beautiful home from New Town Builders is located less than a block from Stapleton's 80 acre Central Park.

It features three bedrooms upstairs (including a huge Master Suite), and kitchen, great room, dining room, and study on the main floor. 

For more photos, please visit our virtual tour. To schedule a private tour of this home, please contact The Kearns Team at 303.331.4500.

3367 Xanthia Street, Denver CO 80238
offered for $825,000

Truly one of the finest homes in Stapleton, this Court Home from the Infinity Home Collection sits between Stapleton's Central Park and a neighborhood pocket park.

In addition to the impeccable custom upgrades and gourmet kitchen, this home features 5 bedrooms (three with private baths) and a finished basement with family/media room.

For more photos, please visit our virtual tour. To schedule a private tour of this home, please contact The Kearns Team at 303.331.4500.

Apparently 8-10 inches of snow is enough to create havoc at United Parcel Service in Denver.

A Christmas Week snowstorm which delivered 8-10 inches of snow in Denver (more in some areas, less in others) on December 22 has delayed delivery of 50,000 packages until after Christmas. Packages which were scheduled for delivery on Thursday and Friday were instead re-routed to the UPS center in Commerce City. Customers who called UPS were told to go to the center to pick up their packages, as UPS would not attempt redelivery until Tuesday December 27.

I write from personal experience - I was one of the customers who was supposed to receive a package on Friday, only to have my delivery status updated to read, 'Emergency conditions beyond UPS' control.' I called Friday night, and after 30 minutes on hold was told to go to the center to pick up my package on Saturday. When I arrived there at 10:30 Saturday morning, the line of customers (over 300 by some news reports) already snaked around the building and waits were reported at over 2 hours.

As the day went on, UPS's problems only grew. The lines got longer, and the wait was said to exceed 3 hours. Perhaps one problem is the crazy layout of the UPS facility on Commerce City, where the huge warehouse sits across the street from the customer service office. This creates a need for employees to run back and forth from the customer service office to the warehouse to look for packages. According to Denver's Channel 7 News, police were called to the scene mid-afternoon after employees were harassed by customers.

Calling UPS at their 800-PICK-UPS number didn't help. I was personally told that I, 'need to understand that there was an emergency situation in Denver which caused the delay.' When I asked the agent for an explanation of the emergency, I was told that they didn't have that information. Later I was told that it was 'a blizzard on Friday' - the snow actually tapered off early Thursday, and both FedEx and USPS were able to make deliveries to my house.

I really do feel sorry for the font-line UPS employees who bore the brunt of customer frustrations today, but I have no sympathy for the company which had no idea of how to deal with the situation. It tends to snow in Denver in December. Packages get delayed. A company like UPS, which undoubtedly receives a large percentage of their annual revenue from December deliveries, needs to be better prepared - and better able to communicate to their customers.

Related News Reports:

• Denver Post: Hundreds wait for backlogged packages at UPS center in Commerce City
• Channel 7 (ABC) News:  Irate Customers Demand UPS Packages
• 9 News (NBC):  UPS says 50,000 packages delayed by Denver weather

It probably won't come as a shock, but a recent survey by HomeGain reports that 76% of home sellers believe their home is worth more than their real estate agent recommended. This comes despite other surveys which indicate that consumers expect home prices will be flat or down in the next 12 months.

While sellers believe their homes are under priced, 68% of home buyers believe that homes are over priced - and 32% said homes are overpriced by at least 10%. Perhaps some of this discrepancy is based on the availability of 'questionable' pricing data from online sources such as Zillow.

“Homeowners and real estate professionals appear to be in sync regarding the direction of home prices. Home buyers and sellers, however, continue to remain apart as to home valuations with the vast majority of homeowners thinking their homes are worth more than their agents and the market are telling them,” said Louis Cammarosano, General Manager of HomeGain.

HomeGain's 4th Quarter 2011 Home Value Survey included responses from Over 400 real estate agents and brokers and over 2,000 homeowners.

Locally, we've seen most prices rise slightly after being stable for the past year or so. Stapleton homes priced below $400,000 have been selling well, while those above $500,000 have been slow to sell. We've seen an increasing number of sellers 'boycott' the market, declining to sell until they believe that prices are higher. This has led to a lack of overall inventory... and the laws of supply and demand have begun to benefit patient sellers.

On Sunday, the Denver Post reported that under a new state House district map, endorsed by former Mayor Wellington Webb, Stapleton would be split and fall into two different districts. Webb is the Vice-Chairman of the Colorado Reapportionment Commission

Under the proposed map, Stapleton homes south of E 28th Ave and east of Central Park Boulevard (roughly the 'Southend' neighborhood plus additional houses to the north) would shift into House District 8, currently represented by Rep. Beth McCann. The balance of Stapleton residences would remain in House District 7, represented by Rep. Angela Williams. According to the article, Webb reportedly said that, '...the move was sone in order to protect 'African American influence' in House District 7.'

Interestingly, both of Rep. Williams challengers (both withe males) in the last primary election live in the area to be moved out of her district. It could be worse: under a Republican sponsored map, Stapleton would have been divided among three different districts.

So, is this a big deal? With a proposed build-out of 12,000 homes and over 30,000 residents it is unlikely that a completed Stapleton would have remained within a single district.

Active duty military personnel and veterans may qualify for a grant of up to $5000 towards down payment and closing costs on their first home. The Dream Makers program is provided by the Pentagon Federal Credit Union, but the grants are available to non PenFed members and may be aaplied to a mortgage from any financial institution.

Additional information is available on PenFed's website.

According to information on the website, you are eligible for a grant if:

1. You're Military (Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard or Veteran), a Department of Defense employee or a Department of Homeland Security employee. 
2. You're a first-time home buyer, or you have not owned a home for the last three years, or you have lost your home through divorce or disaster. 
3. The gross household income, including allowances, that you use to qualify for your mortgage loan is: A maximum of $55,000 per year, or A maximum of 80% of your community’s median income based on your family size

Up With People, the international educational and cultural program, is looking for families to host cast members during their four-week stay in Denver, January 6 – February 6, 2012.

Host families are asked to provide a bed, breakfast, dinner, and limited local transportation (bus or light rail passes will be provided to cast members if needed). Cast members are out in the community during most business hours Monday through Saturday – Sunday is considered “Host Family Day.” This is an opportunity for families to connect with other countries and cultures while sharing your community.

Host families receive two complimentary tickets to the February 3rd show in Denver. More information is available on the Up With People website.

If you are interested in hosting, please contact Shawna Reed at 303-408-4143 or email her at sreed@upwithpeople.org