![]() Planning is underway for construction of a uniquely designed hotel that will go up in the increasingly popular Lower Highland neighborhood of Denver. The project belongs to the Denver-based company Urban Green Development, which specializes in smartly designed sustainable real estate projects. To be called Raha, the new four-story hotel will feature 35 units and some 2,000 square feet of bar and restaurant space on the ground level. Designer of the new project is the Neo Studio, also of Denver, which specializes in mixed-use and residential projects. The hotel, which is expected to cost around $23 million to complete, will also include a rooftop patio. Among its many other projects, Urban Green Development has launched the Factory Flats, located at 3189 Blake Street in the River North Art District of Denver. That 5-story building features roof top solar panels and was built for a LEED Platinum certification. The Lower Highlands area, populated with historically significant Victorian homes built in the late 19th century, as well as more recent townhome construction, has become one of the most upscale sections of the Mile High City. The average single family home price in the neighborhood in 2022 was just over $1.5 million, while the average rent, according to the site Zumper, is now above the $2,000 mark. By Garry Boulard
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![]() The official designation of a huge swath of land in northern Arizona is prompting an angry debate between federal and state officials regarding the future use of that land. Last month President Biden announced that nearly 1 million acres of public land surrounding the Grand Canyon National Park would be protected from development. In establishing the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, Biden noted that he was also protecting more than 3,000 sacred and cultural sites belonging to a number of Native American tribes. “America’s natural wonders are our nation’s heart and soul,” Biden said in announcing the designation of the land as a new national monument. Such wonders, continued the President, are a “birthright we pass down from generation to generation.” The land in question is more specifically located to the south, northeast and northwest of the Grand Canyon National Park. According to a White House statement, the area in question includes everything from “sweeping plateaus and deep canyons to meandering creeks and streams that ultimately flow into the mighty Colorado River, providing water to millions of people across the Southwest.” But some Arizona officials have suggested that they may go to court to overturn the new land designation, arguing that its real purpose is to prevent mining in the area. In a statement, Arizona State President Warren Petersen remarked: “Using the guise of creating a Grand Canyon national monument in a remote area that is not even connected to the Grand Canyon is completely disingenuous.” Petersen added that the Biden designation is designed to “block responsible mining and agricultural production” in the area. Arizona Majority Whip Sine Kerr, also in a statement, said the designation carries “drastic implications for the livelihoods of our cattle ranchers who have relied on this land for generations.” The White House has said that existing mining claims will remain in place, with “two approved mining operations within the boundaries of the monument” being allowed to operate. Despite that pledge, some Arizona lawmakers have said that the monument designation is an unconstitutional usurpation of public land that can only be resolved in court. Petersen has disclosed that as part of a preliminary investigation, he has directed attorneys to identify individuals, businesses, and local governments that may be negatively impacted by the land designation. By Garry Boulard ![]() Members of Congress in the immediate days ahead are expected to engage in fierce debates and parliamentary skirmishes over spending priorities as a September 30 government shutdown date grows nearer. While members of the Senate have cobbled together an initial spending compromise to keep the government up and running, matters are more complicated in the House. Speaker Kevin McCarthy has a narrow path for any bill with only 222 Republican members and a majority of 218 needed to pass legislation. That path is made complicated by members of his own caucus who are pushing for greater spending cuts. Speaking with The Hill newspaper, South Carolina Representative Ralph Norman remarked: “We’re going to use our votes to defund as many things as we can.” Another member, Pennsylvania Representative Scott Perry, declared in a news conference that “what we’re not going to do is say that we’re going to pass things without knowing what the plan is; and knowing that it leads to the increased spending that is crippling our citizens.” Other concerns frequently mentioned by some conservative members: more funding to complete construction of a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, and getting rid of what are called politically correct or “woke” policies currently in play at the Department of Defense. Reporter Li Zhou, writing for the site Vox, noted that a spring agreement between Congress and President Biden that saw passage of a new debt ceiling, could only become reality this time around if McCarthy manages to “build a coalition of House Republicans and Democrats.” There have been 20 shutdowns in the last four decades, with the most recent lasting for just over a month in late December 2018 and January 2019. Other shutdowns were averted when lawmakers passed a series of continuing resolutions that extended the funding levels of various agencies before a final overall budget vote was agreed to. By Garry Boulard ![]() A move is underway to clean up a contaminated site in Trinidad, Colorado that was once home to a longstanding convent and school. In May, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it was awarding a Brownsfield Cleanup Grant of just under $1 million to the Mt. Carmel Wellness and Community Center to clean up the site located at 237 Church Street. That property was formerly the home of the Holy Trinity Convent and School before being acquired by the wellness and community center, which has plans to repurpose the school at the site. At the time of the awarding of the grant, Kathleen Becker, EPA Regional Administrator, said the federal funding would serve to remove "harmful contaminants and restore a vital property in historic downtown Trinidad." A Request for Proposals issued by the wellness and community center is asking for a Qualified Environmental Professional to potentially secure additional funding for the project, while also taking on the "environmental assessment, remedial planning, community outreach, and other environmental or planning components" as required by the project. The nearly 54,500 square-foot, four-story brick building in question was built in 1873 and served as both a convent and school before being closed in 2004. Plans call for restoring the structure and creating roughly 30 new residential units, along with restaurant space. By Garry Boulard ![]() A new processing center may soon be built on the south side of Yuma, Arizona in a move to keep up with increased migrant traffic out of Mexico. The Department of Homeland Security opened a modern 90,000 square-foot processing facility in the spring of 2021 on the property of the Yuma Sector Border Patrol Headquarters. But a need for additional space has prompted the agency to propose construction of a new facility on some 40 acres in the city. As proposed, the new 180,000 square-foot center will be designed to process up to 1,000 migrants. A preliminary environmental assessment document says additional features of the project will include: "Public and private parking areas, a temporary fuel island with above ground storage tanks, stormwater management system, roadways, emergency generators, and utilities." In a public notice, Homeland Security says it is seeking input from potential state, local, or Tribal partners for a project to "support humanitarian efforts along the southwestern United States/Mexico international border." Input from those potential partners or the general public on the project will then be used to "inform the environmental planning process concerning the proposed project, including planning and analysis pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act." Two sites have so far been mentioned as possible homes for the new center: an area that is part of the popular Yuma Swap Meet outdoor market at 4000 S. 4th Avenue, and a vacant property currently owned by and just to the west of the Yuma Airport Authority. The project has been talked about for at least the last two years. While the number of migrants entering Yuma has decreased from an estimated 7,000 a week in 2021 to roughly 1,000 today, local officials have expressed concerns that a new surge could prove overwhelming. The Yuma Sector Border Patrol is tasked with overseeing just under 182,000 square miles of desert land in both southwestern Arizona and southeastern California. By Garry Boulard ![]() While the ranking of other metro areas across the country have gone up and down in recent decades, metro Denver has remained in the top ten for areas with the highest per capita incomes for more than 40 years. A new report compiled by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Regional Economic Research Initiative gives the Denver area, which includes the cities of Aurora and Lakewood, a number 8 ranking. That number shows how sustained economic growth has been in the Mile High City environs which received a number 7 ranking in 1980. Among 110 metro areas studied, says the Chamber report, only six "were among the top ten for income" in both 1980 and 2021, the last year for which census data is available. Those six included metro Denver, as well as Fairfield County, Connecticut; San Francisco; San Jose; Seattle; and Washington, DC. Two areas in the South and West showed the greatest income growth: metro Austin, jumping from a ranking of 55 in 1980 to 9 today; and metro Fayetteville, Arkansas, with an even more dramatic increase from a 107 ranking four decades ago to 10 today. Expanding the list to the top 30 metro areas sees the West represented by Santa Fe, metro Salt Lake City, and metro Fort Collins as top income growth metros. While not in the top ten, Nashville, Raleigh, and Orem, Utah, saw a dramatic increase in population growth. But notes the report, "some Sunbelt metros experienced rapid job and population growth, but with relatively slow per capital income growth." Typical of this pattern: metro Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Riverside-San Bernardino, California area. Despite the shifts in metro area incomes here and there, the Chamber study offers an observation that should challenge public planners: "Not only has the gap between richer and poorer places widened but, in general, there is little change in which places are richer and which are poorer." The study continues: "Economic opportunity tends to be concentrated in some areas and not others, and most places with less economic opportunity for their residents remain so over time." By Garry Boulard ![]() Renovation and upgrading work on a prominent six-story modernistic Denver structure built in 1959 may soon be underway. The state-wide radio network Colorado Public Radio has purchased the structure at 777 Grant Street, with plans to turn the building into its new headquarters. Measuring around 75,200-square feet, the building, featuring an airy modern lobby, was originally designed for the International Business Machines Corporation, and later served as the headquarters for the Denver Housing Authority. In a statement, Stewart Vanderwilt, chief executive officer of CPR, said the new headquarters and station will "create a home institution for all Coloradoans to experience news, entertainment, and thought-provoking content." Design work on the project is expected to begin shortly, as is ongoing fundraising to complete the work. A donor contributed just over $8.3 million to purchase the structure for CPR. That donation has been described by Vanderwilt as the "largest gift in Colorado public media history." Renovation work on the building will include the creation of a series of studios as well as an auditorium. By Garry Boulard ![]() An architecturally distinct two-story structure in Fort Collins' Old Town neighborhood is on the market with an asking price of $2.2 million. Built in 1916, the building at 221 N. College Avenue is currently the home to a herbal apothecary business called the Gold Poppy, with residential units on the second floor. It is designated as a Class B building. A location through the decades for several business, the first floor of the building in the 1920s and 30s served as a store for the Rocky Mountain Hide & Fur Company. In the 1950s the building's ground level was a Sherman Williams Paint Store. Around a decade ago, the space was occupied by the Nargile Nights Hookah Lounge, before being taken over by the Gold Poppy store. The 4,200 square-foot building has undergone a recent renovation which included installation of a modern heating and cooling system and a just over 1,100 square-foot walled-in secured parking space. The property is being jointly listed by Waypoint Real Estate of Fort Collins and Sotheby's International Realty. Fort Collins' Old Town section is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is populated with dozens of commercial brick buildings constructed between the late 19th century and early 20th century. By Garry Boulard Federal Funding Opportunities Announced for Small Businesses in New Mexico Hit by Summer's Drought9/11/2023 ![]() Small businesses in New Mexico counties impacted by recent drought conditions may be eligible for federal financial support. The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced that the low-interest federal disaster loans are particularly applicable to small nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, and small businesses engaged in aquaculture. The funding opportunity also extends, according to an SBA press release, to “most private nonprofit organizations of any size.” According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, drought conditions throughout most of New Mexico this summer have been classified as either extreme or severe. The situation has been particularly critical in the state’s south central Lincoln County, with just under 90% of the land mass defined as being under drought conditions, according to the site U.S. Drought Monitor. The numbers have been equally dire for the nearby counties of Chaves, De Baca, Guadalupe, Otero, Sierra, Socorro, and Torrance. Focusing specifically on small businesses in those counties, the SBA program is making available up to $2 million in what are officially called Economic Injury Disaster Loans for support. In a statement, Jeffrey Lusk, head of the SBA’s center west disaster field operations, said eligibility for the loans takes in “both the economic input of businesses dependent on farmers that have suffered agricultural production losses caused by the disaster and businesses directly impacted by the disaster.” Loan eligibility is additionally based on the “financial impact of the disaster only, and not on any actual property damage,” added Lusk. The loans carry with them an interest rate of 4% for businesses and 2.3% for private nonprofit organizations, with maximum terms of 30 years. Late last month, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack officially designated New Mexico’s summer 2023 drought conditions as an agricultural disaster. Once such a designation was declared, the SBA made Economic Injury Disaster Loans available to counties impacted. The deadline for loan applications is set for April 29, 2024. By Garry Boulard ![]() Up to $100 million in financing and economic support is being made available to small businesses across the country via the investment banking giant Goldman Sachs. “Small businesses are engines of economic growth in our country, and that’s especially true in our rural communities,” David Solomon, chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs, said in a statement announcing the initiative. The outreach is an extension of Goldman Sachs’ already-established 10,000 Small Businesses program, which was launched in late 2009 and has provided hundreds of millions in aid to small businesses, providing everything from access to capital to mentoring to business and management education. In a press release issued by Goldman Sachs, it is noted that the $100 million targeting rural small businesses also includes additional support to community development financial institutions that provide small business loans. The new program, initially targeting small businesses in Arkansas and North Dakota, is fueled by an earlier Goldman Sachs survey showing that while 86% of small businesses in rural communities have plans to grow their businesses, only 7% indicated that they are receiving the private sector resources needed to support that growth. Said Solomon: the program will ultimately “provide more entrepreneurs with the training, tools, and access to capital they need to create more jobs and drive our economy forward.” As currently planned, Goldman Sachs’ new rural business investment program will be up and running in some 20 states between now and 2028. One of the largest corporations in the country, the New York-based Goldman Sachs specializes primarily in investment banking and asset management. Founded in 1869, it saw revenues more than $47 billion last year. By Garry Boulard |
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