Bike Commuting from Platt Park

July 09, 2011 in Commuting, Neighborhood, Sustainability

Click on the image above for a slideshow of Denver Bike Sharing - Bcycle & MapMyRide Maps

Denver Bike Share - Platt Park

In addition to the excellent neighborhood light rail access a few blocks away (Louisiana Pearl Station), a great addition to the area is B-cycle, the Denver Bike Sharing program. There are 50 bike stations throughout the city, and two of these "kiosks" are in the Platt Park neighborhood. One is located at the light rail stop, and the other in the heart of Old South Pearl St. at the intersection of Florida and S. Pearl. It's very handy for grabbing a bike to head downtown, Cherry Creek North, or even a quick ride to the grocery store (big baskets on the front of all bikes). B-cycle has a web site and iPhone app - so if you are trying to find a station, or figure out which station has bikes or empty docks, the web site or app gives you all the info.

Keep in mind that the system is setup for sharing a bike for a ride between stations, not renting it for the day. You can get a 24 hour pass or yearly membership and the first 30 minutes is free. If you keep the bike longer (lock it somewhere vs. returning it to another station), there are fees involved. Check out more details on their web site:

http://denver.bcycle.com/

Bike Commuting from Platt Park

For commuting on your bike, there is now a bike lane up Emerson Street so you can get to the Cherry Creek bike path more easily. Once there, you can get to Cherry Creek North or Downtown via the path without having to deal with street level traffic. From my experience, I’ve been riding to LoDo in nearly the same time it takes to get there during rush hour in a car. If you want to add a little time and different scenery to your ride back to Platt Park, check out the Platt River option too (second link below).

Check out a couple of the various routes we have mapped out on the cycling web site MapMyRide.com:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/31570940/

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/40963590/

Platt Park’s Transformation - Old South Pearl, Light Rail, etc.

April 24, 2011 in Conext, Neighborhood, Site

The T-Rex project and the recent completion of a neighborhood light rail stop have been a catalyst for new building and investment in Platt Park over the last few years. As illustrated through an excellent walkscore (www.walkscore.com), the neighborhood contains many of the amenities that make a community sustainable. The access to parks, good public transit, restaurants, and a Whole Foods Market are just some of what so many of the “new urbanist” developments strive for.

Historically, Old South Pearl Street offered a mixed use retail/residential corridor with the trolley running through it. Retaining its original character, Old South Pearl has flourished and has now become an extremely vibrant area, with some of Denver’s top restaurants and cafes, as well as, a variety of specialty boutiques and shops.

Within the last few years, much of the new retail has added more appeal to the neighborhood resident. Pajama Baking Company provides excellent fresh bread and pastries for the daily shopper, and during the summer, the Sunday farmers market provides access to the freshest locally grown vegetables and fruits. Complementing the farmers market is live music, as well as the trendy food trucks.

Sushi Den (consistently rated the top sushi in Denver) has sustained an amazing following. It’s a destination restaurant which helps bring additional shoppers to the boutiques, bars, and pubs to give these establishments a better chance of supporting an otherwise small neighborhood. The owners of Sushi Den have recently expanded to two new restaurants which are both on S. Pearl - Izakaya Den and Ototo Food & Wine.

Many visitors have realized the advantage of living closer to this vibrant community center and have moved into the neighborhood. The housing prices in Platt Park are comparable to Wash Park, while still being within easy walking distance to the park. With the light rail, Whole Foods Market, and more urban amenities, it is now one of the more desirable places in to live in Metro Denver!

The appeal of the neighborhood continues to attract new boutiques and restaurants...as well as new home projects around the area, which we will highlight in the next post.

Some of our favorite spots along Old South Pearl Street:

Pajama Baking Company

Old South Pearl St Web Site:

http://www.oldsouthpearlstreet.com/index.html

TOD (Transit Oriented Development)

October 02, 2006 in Conext, Neighborhood, Site

TOD’s is a buzzword making the rounds in city planning circles. It’s ironic that it’s really just a throwback to what happened with the old trolly and local rail lines from over a hundred years ago. The idea is that retail and higher density housing grows around stations and results in satellite hubs spread out around a larger city.

The light rail project has kick-started a large number of development efforts up and down the I-25 corridor. Some of these are already in place (prior to the opening of the line this November 17th) while others are only a concept sketch.

I’m very happy that we have found a spot for a house so close to the only “kiss and ride” station on the new line. With a few blocks walk to public transportation, a grocery store (Wild Oats) and Old South Pearl Street just around the corner, it’s the stuff great neighborhoods are made of!

Parking Sticker

September 21, 2006 in Commuting, Light Rail, Neighborhood

The joy. Picking up our street permit parking sticker really struck home on the foresight and planning that has gone into making the Louisiana Street Light Rail Station a true neighborhood bonus. It is the first tangible thing that we’ve put our hands on to become a part of this street and of this great public transit project in Denver. Long live the light rail.