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Here's to Wishing You All a Grand 2013!
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("Well, it's gotta be -- 'cause new era begins for this old section of Lakewood Colorado with the opening of light rail on April 26, 2013!)
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The "W" Line Opens in:
120 Days.
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Hi Everyone! This is Bill Spriggs and I have found several news articles, links and blogs that I wanted to share along THE BACK FENCE & beyond in the Weekly Edition, December 27, 2012. |
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West Corridor, Denver & Region
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The Transit Alliance Citizens' Academy is now Accepting Applications for the Spring 2013 Class! scroll down to the "Things You Need to Know Around the Region" Section, click on the link and apply.
Deadline to apply is Feb 15th, 2013
TheDenverPost
Arvada, Westminster Boost Budgets for Proposed Light-Rail Stations
By Yesenia Robles, Dec 15 2012
Two cities that will be home to FasTracks stations will invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to change the budget-conscious design of the commuter- rail stops.
READ MORE...
East Rail Line - Construction!
Posted by Ryan Mulligan on Dec 26 2012
Written by Robert Wilson
The progress between Central Park Boulevard and Peoria Street is less noticeable as there are no bridges or major street crossings under construction yet. East of about Quebec Street, the easement shared by the freight and commuter rail tracks opens up and there is no need to relocated the existing UPRR freight tracks. There is, however, a lot of earthwork going on in this area.
READ MORE...
TheDenverPost/Obituary
Former RTD Director Philip Anderson Kept Light Rail "On Track"
By Ryan Parker, Dec 27 2012
When the politics of a plan to build a metro light-rail system became so contentious in the 1990s that some members of the RTD board of directors threatened to return federal money, Philip Anderson fought to keep the planning rolling.
READ MORE...
TheDenverPost
Judge Declares Land Swap in Jefferson Parkway legal
By Jordan Steffen, Dec 23 2012
A federal judge has ruled that a controversial land exchange, a critical next step in the creation of a high-speed toll road in Jefferson County, is legal and can be finalized before the end of the year.
READ MORE...
BizJournals Case-Shiller: Denver Home Prices up 6.9 Percent By Dennis Huspeni, Dec 26 2012 Denver-area home prices in October rose 6.9 percent from the same month a year ago, capping the tenth consecutive month that metro Denver posted year-over-year home sale price increases...
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| National
| TheAtlanticCities
Death by a Million Cuts: What Cities Stand to Lose If We Go Over the Fiscal Cliff
By Amanda Erickson, Dec 21 2012
The on again, off again threat of the fiscal cliff has put municipal governments in a decidedly awkward position. How should they prepare for legislation designed not to minimize pain, but rather to be too hurtful to ever enact?
READ MORE...
TheAtlanticCities
People Trying to Reduce Air Pollution Might Be Inhaling Even More Pollution
By John Metcalfe
Well, how's this for a kick in the Pearl Izumi thermal tights: Bicycling to work might help reduce your carbon footprint, but may also be terrible for your heath.
READ MORE...
TheNewYorkTimes/Green Why Renters Use More Electricity
By Matthew L. Wald, Dec 20 2012
Why do people buy inefficient refrigerators and clothes washers when spending a little more for an efficient one would save them money over time through lower electricity or water bills? There are a variety of reasons, but one that is persistently cited is that people are not necessarily buying these appliances for themselves. Often the buyer is a landlord, and the user is a tenant who does not make the choice but faces the consequences because he receives the energy bill.
READ MORE...
TheAtlanticCities
Do Places Seem Farther Away When You Have to Walk to Get There?
By Sarah Laskow, Dec 21 2012
When Kevin Krizek, a planning and civil engineering professor at the University of Colorado, and his colleagues asked hundreds of people living in and around Minneapolis, Minnesota, to estimate the time it would take them to reach destinations like-the closest coffee shop, convenience store, laundromat, bank, pharmacy, hardware store, bus stop, library, post office, book store and park- on foot, only about a third got the answers right.
READ MORE...
TheNewYorkTimes
The Battlefront in the Front Yard [Urban Farming]
By Steven Kurutz, Dec 19 2012
Jason Helvenston was at work on his second crop, spreading compost to fertilize the carrots, bok choy, kale and dozens of other vegetables he grows organically on his property in Orlando, Fla., when the trouble began.
READ MORE...
TheNewYorkTimes
The Learning Curve of Smart Parking
By Randall Stross, Dec 22 2012
Place "smart" in front of a noun and you immediately have something that somehow sounds improved. In its current state, however, "smart parking" is in some ways little different from regular parking. The term refers to a beguiling technology, now being tested in several cities, that uses sensors to determine whether a particular spot on the street or in a parking garage is occupied or vacant. READ MORE...
GristDotOrg
Peace in a Pod: How Tiny Apartments Could Reshape the Big City
By Claire Thompson, Dec 13 2012
A few weeks ago, a series of mishaps hit Molly, 24, all at once: a roach-infested apartment, a sudden breakup, and she found herself sleeping in a friend's basement, searching desperately for an affordable place she could move into with little notice. Easier said than done, as she lives in Seattle.
READ MORE...
TheAtlanticCities The Death of the American Shopping Mall
By Jeff Jordan, Dec 26 2012
America has too many malls. I've recently blogged that many traditional brick-and-mortar retailers are being threatened with "economic destruction" by their advantaged online competition. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, anchorwoman Nicole Lapin asked about the implications of this dynamic on retail real estate. I said I hadn't studied it, but I thought the ramifications would be very big and very negative (I believe the phrase "apocalyptic" was used).
READ MORE... GristDotOrg
These Teeny, Sparkly Sequins are Actually Functional Solar Cells
By Sarah Laskow, Dec 26 2012
Sandia National Laboratories has created solar power cells so small they call them "glitter-sized." And they look like snowflakes. AND they're just as efficient as normal solar cells, all while using one-100th of the material that a normal solar cells would use to create the same amount of energy.
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International (when available)
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Weekly Film (when available)
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UtilityCycling
Bike Boxes
by Melanie Colavito. Oct 2012
Bike boxes are popping up on streets across world. A bike box is simply a colored area at an intersection that is meant for cyclists to pull into while waiting for a red light to turn green. Bike boxes are meant to increase the visibility of cyclists to motorists, as well as provide clear instructions for cyclists about where to safely wait for traffic. For the most part, they are quite easy to use once you know what to do when you get to one.
VIEW FILM...
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Things you need to know along the West Corridor
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RTD US 6th Ave Bridge Lighting Ceremony!
On January 23, 2013, RTD will host a ceremonial lighting of the 6th Avenue Bridge. Join them for this exciting event as the switch is pulled and the bridge is illuminated for the first time. The ceremony marks the end of construction activities and signifies the start of testing and countdown to the Grand Opening on April 26, 2013. For more information, contact Katie Angell at Katherine.Angell@RTD-Denver.com.
[Note to below: I'm enclosing the full text of one section from a Friday Report from the City of Lakewood because it involves an important built environment connectivity change along the West Corridor adjacent to the West Rail Line.] 
Preparing for a roundabout
The City received funding, including a $1 million grant from the state, to build a roundabout at the intersection of Lamar Street and West 14th Avenue and to add a section of sidewalk and bicycle lanes. The work will improve safety at the intersection and provide better access for pedestrians and bicyclists to the upcoming Lamar Station for the West Rail Line. This intersection has an unusually high rate of accidents, and they are some of the most dangerous kind, which are collisions at a right angle. The roundabout will eliminate these kinds of accidents and slow vehicles in the intersection. Properly designing the improvements to match the surrounding area will require collecting land survey information along 14th for 400 feet east and west of Lamar and along Lamar for 400 feet north of 14th to south of West 13th Avenue. The City needs residents' help by allowing surveyors to collect information on their property. Residents with concerns can contact Ken Nyhoff, Lakewood's engineer for the project, at (303) 987-7939/kennyh@lakewood.orgAdded Information. See the short video below
How to use a roundabout Michagan DOT Aug 10 2011  | |
How to use a roundabout
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Denver Union Station
Construction Cam
Wish You Could Find an Apartment/Condo near a Light Rail Station? As part of TBF's continuing efforts to bring TOD's to the West Corridor & elsewhere, this link from Walk Score.com will now be a permanent feature. Thanks.
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Commercial Real Estate Assemblages, Land or Buildings Available on The West Corridor
Please note: TBF does not
own or sell any real property.
Prices displayed may not be correct.
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>4917 West 11th Ave Assemblage [sold]
Sold, See Press Release
>10th Avenue Light Rail Assemblage
>1010 Sheridan Blvd TOD Site
>5310 West 10th Ave TOD opportunity
>13th Ave & Newland, Ideal TOD property
>5830 West Colfax Ave
>1025 Ammons Complex
>6990 West Colfax Ave Pad Site
THE BACK FENCE supports a corridor wide, regional vision, with individual nodes of unique "places" within that corridor. We hope that the listing of commercial properties available will help to speed this vision to fruition sooner. Learn more about this vision below from the Center for Transit-Oriented Development.
West Corridor Vision
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Residential Real Estate Agents
who get the "big picture" of
transit-oriented living of
walkable, sustainable
neighborhoods.
JIM SMITH REALTOR, GOLDEN
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Things You Need to Know Around the Region
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The Transit Alliance Citizens' Academy is now Accepting Applications for the Spring 2013 Class!
Please note that the Academy application process is competitive as they only have 50 slots available and usually have 100 applicants or more. Please be sure to answer all questions thoughtfully and thoroughly as the selection committee selects participants primarily upon application responses. The Spring 2013 Citizens' Academy will be held on Wednesday evenings for seven weeks beginning on March 6th and ending on April 17th. Classes will be held at the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM each week.
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