Walk Score Comes to Denver Metrolist

Denver Metrolist has added a new field to its program:  walk score.

Brokers can now search for homes for their clients by putting a minimum walk score into the search parameters.

A home’s walk score is calculated by locating nearby stores, parks, restaurants and more. 

Metrolist is responding to the growing demand by some buyers to purchase homes in neighborhoods where their environmental footprints will be reduced.  The demand for homes that are located in areas where one can live a car-light or car-free lifestyle is increasing.  Although public transportation is not part of the walk score calculation, light rail has added to the consciousness about this issue.

The higher the score, the less driving required to live in the neighborhood.

• 0-24       Car-dependent.  Virtually no destinations within walking distance.
• 25-49     Car-dependent.  Few destinations within walking distance.
• 50-69     Somewhat walkable.
• 70-89     Very walkable.  It is possible to manage without a car.
• 90-100   Walkers paradise.  Most errands can be done on foot and many folks in the neighborhood don’t own cars.      

For more information go to www.walkscore.com.

If you’d like help calculating the walk score of your current home, please email me at debpallai@comcast.net or call me at 303–883-8837.

Neighborhood Profile: Baker Historic District

from 6th Avenue to Alameda, Broadway to Platte River

A walk through the Baker neighborhood is a walk through Denver history. 

One of  Denver’s first residential districts, Baker boasts elegant and nostalgic Victorian, Dutch Colonial and Denver Square homes.  Many of the homes are on smaller lots.

The Baker neighborhood was granted historic designation in 1985.

Since then, developers have built modern condominium and retail areas, giving the area an ecclectic feel.

Within easy reach of downtown and I-25, restaurants, art galleries  and antique stores, Baker provides convenient and quality  inner city living.

Neighborhood Profile: Heather Gardens

Yale Avenue and I-225

A community designed for active adults, Heather Gardens offers townhomes, patio homes and high-rise condominiums.

Located on almost 200 acres, the amenities are numerous, and the community activities abundant.

Amenities include:

• Community center with indoor and outdoor pool
• Auditorium
• Restaurant and bar with dance floor and banquet facilities
• Crafts rooms
• Workout rooms with men’s and women’s locker rooms
• Tennis courts
• Billiard room
• Ping pong room
• 9 hole golf course
• Putting green
• Meeting rooms
• Off-campus trips
• Classes including:  ceramics, bridge, aerobics, dance, yoga, woodworking, painting, pilates and more.

24/7 security.

Dogs and cats permitted.

Heather Gardens

Neighborhood Profile: Stapleton

 

from Montview Boulevard to 56th Avenue, Quebec and east (eastern boundary is irregular)

Built on the abandoned grounds of Stapleton Airport, Stapleton was conceived as a new-style urban community.

Restaurants, retail shops, sports and recreational facilities, schools and office space make this development almost self-contained.

30% of Stapleton is open space and parks!

The 80-acre Central Park has increased Denver’s park system by 25%.  Pocket parks throughout the development nurture the sense of community, welcoming walkers, dog-walkers, and baby carriages.  Many homes were built with large front porches, encouraging neighbors to get to know each other.

With a mix of single family homes, lofts, condominiums and townhomes, many different lifestyles are accommodated.

Sustainability is a fundamental principle of the developers, Forest City Enterprises, Inc.  Since 2006, all new homes have been Energy Star certified.

There’s so much to explore and experience at Stapleton:

http://stapletondenver.com/

Neighborhood Profile: WINDSOR GARDENS

 Alameda Avenue and Clinton Street

Designed and run for adults 55 and over, Windsor Gardens is located on 143 acres. 

With 3500 residents, this community bustles with activity.  There’s a 3 hole golf course and a huge community center offering  a restaurant, classrooms, an auditorium, meeting rooms and a library.  Windsor Gardens may be for “older” folks, but provides an abundance of goings-on for the healthy and energetic member. 

Among the classes available are yoga, ballroom dance, tap dance, bridge, Spanish, chorus and ceramics.

There’s an outdoor pool and jacuzzi, and a community shuttle bus.

Twenty-four hour security and the Highline Canal make this a pleasant place for walkers.

If you are over 55, and are thinking of condominium/townhome living, Windsor Gardens is certainly worth exploring.

Neighborhood Profile: Five Points

Approximately one mile northeast of downtown Denver, from Park Avenue to Downing Street, from Stout to Tremont Streets.

Rich in history, architecture and cultural facilities, Five Points was once known as the “Harlem of the West”.  In “On the Road”, Jack Kerouac talked about the time he spent listening to jazz in the neighborhood clubs.  Among the great artists that played in Five Points were Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and Miles Davis.

Today the neighborhood is home to the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance studio and performance troupe, The Black American West Museum and Heritage Center and the Stiles African American Heritage Center.

Crossroads Theatre and Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library also make their homes in Five Points.

Each year the area hosts the Juneteenth celebration, which honors the day when African American slaves in Texas first heard of the Emancipation Proclamation.  This four day event includes a parade, food and arts and crafts booths and live music.

With an excellent mix of residential and commercial properties, Five Points offers a true urban lifestyle.  With Coors Field and downtown Denver nearby, residents don’t have to go far for their food and entertainment.