Yes, it's a long title, but the issues that were brought up in this DP article have been brewing for a long time, have now come to the surface and will continue for years. All of the parties listed in the title have a stake in Victory Crossing in some sense and I hope that there can be a robust discussion of all the involved pieces and what it means for the Rapids, which is the bottom line. The DP article has a lot to unpack which and issues such as ground water contamination and housing adjacent to Victory Crossing in Denver are a part of the story. However, for me, the first and one of the biggest questions is: How does the lack of development of Victory Crossing impact the Rapids ability to win? Is there a direct relationship or it simply an indication of KSE's attitude towards the Rapids?
Copying from the other thread: So their big plan for Victory Crossing is to pay half (while hitting up the city for the other half) of a $50K sponsorship to get college students to design it. Remember "Josh's" response to the C38 letter just a month ago? And that was the most substantial promise he made in that letter. And now we find out the plans will be "finalized" by college students? Do they think we're stupid (don't answer that) and can't connect the dots over the time period of a month?
I’m so tired. Just tired of it. I don’t understand why the Kroenkes want to own the Rapids. They obviously care about whether their other teams win.
KSE's jewel, SoFi, was just booted from WC 2026 hosting duties according to reports tonight. This was because KSE refused to pay to widen the field and other updates to the stadium and was pushing FIFA to cover the costs. FIFA called Stan's bluff.
I just envision some half drunk college students using a glorified etch-a-sketch trying to win some shady ass design contest for a chance to wipe away all their bar tabs that mom and dad’s credit card can’t cover. That’s KSE, putting it in the hands of people who aren’t qualified, who have very little business experience. If you’re going that route…. Might as well open it up to fans. I know plenty of fans who have relevant real estate experience. Just saying….
I am certainly no defender of KSE, but getting graduates students in Urban Planning/Design, Landscape Architect, Construction Management, etc. to start the initial development or redevelopment process is not uncommon. These graduate students work with public agencies, they aren't unsupervised. Yes, they are less expensive and experience is limited but you also get lots of students that can cover more ground with stakeholders and community. Another advantage is you get out of box ideas and a mix of expertise (architects, landscape architects, planners, etc.) for a reasonable rate. I say all this bc I've worked with grad students to help redevelop sites in major cities like Seattle, New Orleans and internationally. While I think KSE is full of sh*t, the (grad) student aspect isn't that odd...how they manage the project is another conversation. I work in sciences and some of most innovative work is done by grad students btw Finally, I couldn't access the article so maybe I missed important details.
My issue has never been with them working with college students (other than them being cheap about it and not ponying up the whole $50K themselves). My issue has been that a month ago "Josh" responded to the fan's letter by saying they were well underway with Victory Crossing designs and they would have something to present for feedback from the supporters by "early 2024". Now we're finding out they're hoping to enter into a sponsorship with Commerce City to have college students work on the design? Does having college students working on initial designs in late 2023 sound like a project that will be ready for supporter feedback in early 2024?
Plenty of feedback from the City Council on KSE's "master plan" for Victory Crossing in the aftermath of the Post article from Sunday. They're not happy with what it's ended up being. Worth 10 minutes of your time, Colorado Rapids Community. https://t.co/cwZjZlOnCp— Burgundy Wave (@Burgundywave) October 17, 2023
Talk about getting the word out: Mayor Huseman even commented on the Rapids Facebook Discussion Page with links to Monday night's City Council meeting! He clearly wants fans to catch up & be informed on what was said about VC by himself & Council.Gotta love local government. pic.twitter.com/xfrbrRImA7— Brendan Ploen (@BrendanPloen) October 18, 2023
Uncle Stan stopped by the @C38sg tailgate today pic.twitter.com/UIDy2XHIju— Devon Widick (@The_DevMachine) October 21, 2023
Can confirm. Daylight photo take early this month after R2 presser. Night photo taken just now. The worn down Victory Crossing signs at 56th and Valentia are gone. https://t.co/xm4y0im6yI pic.twitter.com/XpAdoQPpAL— Burgundy Wave (@Burgundywave) October 22, 2023
“… The results of this competition, along with the findings from our community engagement process, will help craft the new vision plan for Victory Crossing. We are looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Victory Crossing and the surrounding communities.” https://t.co/YVQdVAHbhC— Brendan Ploen (@BrendanPloen) October 26, 2023
With the Rapids having a wonderful season on the pitch, it's easy to have forgotten about "Victory Crossing." Well, @Burgundy Wave found the YouTube video of the presentation/proposals from the CU & DU teams. Not sure what happens next, but have a look if you have the time. The presentations start about 20 minutes into the video. I'll put my 2 cents worth in after others have had the time to view.
I watched it. DU's concept "won", but I liked CU's concept more, though both have glaring problems. CU's Concept - Commerce Corridor: + Seemed more focused on local business and Hispanic/Latino demographics. + Combination of for-sale townhomes and for-rent apartments. + Apartments include affordable units, which are well integrated into the layout. + Gas Station/C-store +Hotel with northerly views of the wildlife refuge +Food truck court. - "Transit Hub". This is a poison pill and net negative for any real estate concept that lacks a strong rail corridor. Thats because RTD these days isn't good for much beyond pumping homeless drug addicts across the city. Also, literately no one that would actually come to visit the area or go to Rapids games would use the bus. - I don't think they put enough concentration of retail along Victory Way. You want to spread people out because otherwise it will funnel more people through fewer gates. - 60th Ave from the municipal building to the stadium is pedestrian only, when I think Victory Way and 59th are better suited for it. - Way too much office space (70k sf). Large-scale office is a dying asset class and most of that space will sit empty. DU's Concept - Nine Mile Crossing + The hotel concept is "industrial chic" in its design. + Market and affordable apartments + Allows expansion of the existing municipal campus. - Nine Mile Crossing is the most generic, basic-bitch name they could've come up with. - Layout seems more patchwork and targeted at upper middle class whites. I don't hate gentrification if done right, but I think its dubious that demographic actually wants to be in Commerce City. - Hotel concept at the corner of 59th and Victory Way (catty corner form the tailgate lot). I think that's a bad location for it. CU's concept puts it in a better spot. - Affordable apartments are shoved off into a corner far away from everything else. - Market apartments are high-end Class A+ targeted, which I think would be a pretty tough sell for that area. They also hog most of the frontage along the wildlife preserve. - Aerial Adventure Park anchor tenant. A fv<king indoor zipline. Who is this even for? - A large honky-tonk bar with a concert venue. Remember Toby Keith's at Northfield? That was basically the same thing and it didn't last more than a couple of years. Who is this for? - Another "transit hub". See above.
I wonder if they got the name from "9 Mile Corner" in Erie. Pretty standard strip mall they are updating.