Downtown Denver
But allowing any one property owner to vegetate their property to the point of detracting from other nearby properties or the collective downtown experience is unacceptable. Individual home owners are require to comply with ordinances and other mandates such as HOA covenants, why aren’t commercial property owners held to some minimum level of compliance? How is it that we have allowed commercial property owners in our core business district to lapse into mis-management of real property on some of the most visible streets in Denver? Compliance may have been left to capitalist motivation to assure that commercial property holders would be unlikely to allow their property investments to be squandered. This is evidently not sufficient motivation in every case.
What alternative motivations are available? If City authorities can force businesses to clear snow from walkways within hours of a snowfall, other City compliance mechanisms can surely come up with a motivation to make slackers pay for their contribution to blight. Every citizen of Denver (corporate or other) has a vested interest in the property values and appearance of our downtown. Every citizen of Denver needs to deliver pressure on this issue.
Ask economic students about Adam Smith’s theory of value and we find the maxim that any one parcel is contingent on neighboring parcels. This is why pig farms don’t attract many neighbors. This is why we cannot allow derelict buildings to take away from the other beautiful parts of downtown. It costs everyone except the slacker owners.
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Its called paperwork and government my friend. You have to pay $200.00 just for the permit to put in a hot water heater.... Most people are afraid to do work on their buildings mainly becuase the building inspectors make you do triple the work to get a small job done.
Posted by Rich M on April 4, 2007 09:32 AMRich M, you're an idiot. The reason why some people don't improve their properties is they'd rather wait for 20 years until they get anything near the hyper-inflated prices they want for their land and do nothing to the property rather than upgrade it themselves or sell to someone that will upgrade.
Concerning the Fontius Building specifically, the owner of the property has several other properties around downtown Denver, has never done anything with any of them, and apparently been trying to sell them for many times what the surrounding properties are going for. In other words, the owners are complete schmucks.
This is definitely a good time for eminent domain.
Aaron
Aaron, I've read several of your postings, to various letters and I must say that you appear to be quite knowegable and passionate when it comes to Denver. You should consider joining some orgainizations whose purpose is to further the betterment of the Denver area if you have not done so already. Possably even an elected office such as the RTD board of directors. The city needs more persons such as yourself who give a damn. Any way that's my thoughts.
Posted by Jim on April 6, 2007 01:30 AM