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The
16th Street Mall continues to
examine redevelopment. Alternative Urban Design
plans provided by ZGF urban design consultants are
being considered by the 16th Street Steering
Committee. Retail, Design/Planning and Historic
Preservation Stakeholders are providing their
advice and public meetings are scheduled for April
6th and May 12th in the Wellington Web Building at
201 West Colfax Avenue, Rooms 4.F.6 and
4.G.2. In addition to consideration of a
variety of streetscape alternatives, the
alternative plans include realignment of the
shuttle bus lanes in the mall, movement of one of
the lanes to 15th Street and leaving the bus lanes
as is. More at:
http://downtowndenver.com/CurrentUrbanDesignPlanDetails/tabid/400/Default.aspx
RTD
has begun to replace the shuttle busses on the
16th Street Mall. With expansion
of the mall as Union Station is redeveloped for
FasTracks, and existing busses nearing the end of
their economic lives, the RTD Board of Directors
approved a contract with DesignLine USA of
Charlotte NC for two prototype busses with an
option for 57 more. The design
of the new shuttles will be much the same as the
existing 36 bus hybrid fleet and the new
prototypes will be delivered in early 2011.
A new pedestrian bridge has opened near
the Union Station area. Spanning 170
feet to connect the area with the Riverfront Park
residential/commercial development along 18th
Street, the Union Gateway Bridge
is to complement the redevelopment of
Union Station into a central transportation hub
for the Denver metro area.
A new mixed-use
development has been announced for the area
west of South Broadway and West Jewell Avenue
by real estate investor Jon Cook. To be known
as The Lumberyards, construction
of the site is to begin in 2011 with an 8-story
building that will have an upscale restaurant on
the base floor and residences above that is to be
followed later by buildings that will add office,
residential, retail and restaurant space.
As the State Legislature and the Denver
City Council grapple with the issue of
medical marijuana, the Cherry
Creek News reports that at least six dispensaries
have opened along East Colfax Avenue and about
eight have opened in Cherry Creek North.
The Park Hill area
continues to seek a grocery
store. The Denver Post reports that
Sunflower Farmers Market considered opening a
store in the neighborhood about a year ago, but
now the chain "has expanded its search for a
location to include central Denver." Local
residents complain about a lack of convenient
grocery shopping and are now focused on a
public-private partnership to bring shopping to
the area using a $500,000 grant from the Colorado
Health Foundations to the Denver Department of
Environmental Health to replicate the Pennsylvania
Fresh Food Financing Initiative which developed
some 78 grocery stores in underserved
communities. More at:
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_14644222
The owners of the former Andrison Morton's
's store
(FKA Auer's) at 210 St. Paul Street
presented redevelopment plans to the
Cherry Creek Steering Committee. The site
now has about 20,000 SF of retail and office space
on two levels. After a rezone, supported by
the Cherry Creek North Neighborhood Association
the redevelopment plans total some 40,000 SF,
including retail space on the ground level and 18
to 19 units of residential above, up to 55 feet
high.
Neck Lemasters reports that the
Cherry Creek Shopping Centerhas
signed leases for Sports Authority to occupy the
15,000 SF former Chevy's restaurant space, and
with Cherry on Top, a frozen yogurt outlet, and
BCBG Max Azria women's apparel. Also the
biennial Mask Project, which benefits the Denver
Hospice began on April 1 and culminates with a
gala in the center on May1. More at:
http://www.themaskproject.org
Saks Fifth Avenue, the
luxury goods anchor tenant at the Cherry
Creek Shopping Center has announced that it will
close two stores in Portland, Oregon and perhaps
others to enhance the chain's gross
margin. The Denver Post said Nick
Lemasters said "he doesn't think the Saks there is
in danger of closing."
The Stapleton and
Northfield developments will be served by a new
I-70 interchange at Central Park
Boulevard. Construction will start
in June with completion expected in late
2011. Funding totals some $70 million,
including the Better Denver bond program, American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, Colorado
Department of Transportation funds and some $20
million from Forest City, the developer of
Stapleton for extension of Central Park Boulevard
to the interchange.
And Stapleton
will be the site of an additional
schoolat East 35th Avenue/Syracuse
Street. Denver Public Schools announced it
will start construction in June of a 900 student
school that will serve pre-school to 8th grade
students. The development reportedly
benefits from lower construction costs than
expected and Forest City funding some $19 million
of the costs with payback to come later as real
estate taxes increase.
Warmer weather is
fast approaching and so why not earn some prizes
for cycling more often into the Cherry Creek area?
This year's Commuter Challenge by
Transportation Solutions' Bike
Rackkicked-off on Thursday, April 1 and
will run through June 22. Earn an entry into
the Grand Prize Drawing every time you ride to (or
check in as you ride past) The Bike
Rack. Challenge participants will also have
chances to win weekly and monthly prizes. The
Grand Prize winner will be announced at the Bike
to Work Day Breakfast Station on June 23. New
for 2010, is recognition of a Commuter of the
Week, spotlighting a different cyclist who's
making a difference each week during the
Challenge.
Grand Prize: a Trek FX bike,
courtesy of Campus Cycles
April Monthly Prize:
a Chrome messenger bag
Weekly Prizes: to be
announced! More
at:
http://cherrycreekbikerack.com/
Redpeak
Properties has opened the new expansion of the
Seasons Apartmentsat South
Madison Street/East Bayaud Avenue. The
13-story 147-unit building has luxury amenities
and a number of penthouse units. More at:
http://www.redpeak.com/whats-new/the-seasons-expansion.cfm
Guiry's,the
paint and interior design retailer has opened a
store in the 17,000 SF former Bova Furniture store
at 2121 South Colorado
Boulevard.
Mayor Hickenlooper, the
Denver Office Cultural Affairs and
The Denver Architectural Foundation invite the
public to celebrate Denver's unique architectural
landscape by taking part in Doors Open
Denver 2010. The theme for this
year's Doors Open Denver is adaptive reuse and the
program will feature sites that represent
outstanding examples of buildings with a second
life
Denver Redux/Redo, as Doors Open
Denver 2010 has been coined, will take place the
weekend of April 17 and 18. Residents and
visitors will have the opportunity to experience
Denver's built environment in a special way-from
inside many buildings that are not ordinarily open
to the public. Attendees will have access to
more than 80 of Denver's prominent architectural
gems and lesser-known treasures. These
include corporate offices, mansions, architecture
and design studios, hotels, commercial and retail
buildings, museums, educational facilities and
more. Note that about half of the sites
featured in 2010 are new to Doors Open
Denver.
Doors Open Denver is a FREE
event. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on
Saturday and Sunday. Activities were
developed with families in mind. Event
guides will be distributed to through the April 9
edition of The Denver Post, at event headquarters
in Union Station on event weekend, at each
participating site, kiosks along the 16th Street
Mall and tourist information centers. More
at:
www.DenverGov.org/DoorsOpenDenver
Walter
Gerash, prominent Denver defense attorney has sold
the Curry-Chucovich House at 1439 Court
Place. The 1887 2-story historic 3,000 SF
brownstone formerly housed the Gerash law firm and
was sold to another law firm, Semler &
Associates for $750,000 or $250/SF. The
building is across Court Place from the City of
Denver's the Wellington Webb office building and
surrounded by parking lots.
Denver City
Council Member Marcia Johnson reports that the
Better Denver Bond Program is funding major
improvements to Denver parks and trails including
the Highline Canal Trail between Quebec and
Yosemite Streets. The Denver Parks and
Recreation trail system was named No. 1 in the
country for 2009 by Parks and Recreation
Magazine. Also Council Member Johnson reports
that no more LED billboards will be permitted in
the city. Three LED billboards were given
permits before the ban and they have significant
constraints on light and movement.
Council
Member Jeanne Robb announced that work has started
on renovation of Cheeseman
Park. In 2007, voters approved
theBetter
Denver BondProject
that included just over $2 million for replacing
the irrigation system and $990,000 for other
improvements that will enhance pedestrian safety,
and include renovation of Cheeseman Pavilion and
Cheeseman Fountain. More at:
http://www.denvergov.org/parksandrec/PlanningandDevelopment/CheesmanParkMasterPlan/tabid/432887/Default.aspx
Also,
Denver Parks and Recreation will upgrade the
irrigation system of Congress
Parkthis year. Work will start in
May and is expected to be complete in
November. Athletic fields will be closed for
the duration of construction except for the spring
soccer schedule. .Access to the Congress Park
parking lot, outdoor pool, tennis courts and
playground should remain throughout construction.
This project is also made possible
through Better Denver, the City of Denver's $550
million voter-approved bond program.
The
Cherry Creek North Neighborhood Association and
the Cherry Creek North Business Improvement
District will hold joint open houses on April 13th
and 15th to accept comments from residents and
other interested parties regarding the proposed
redevelopment of Fillmore
Plaza. The meetings will be held at
the Daniels Fund building at 101 Monroe Street
from 6:00 - 8:00 PM each evening. The
meetings will include presentations from Denver
City Planning on what makes a successful plaza,
the Fillmore Plaza "hybrid" street plan, the
current Fillmore Plaza plan, and the management of
the plaza for events and other activities.
In January, the Cherry Creek North
Business Improvement District Board of Directors
(CCNBID) approved a resolution that authorized the
District to explore possible alternative design
concepts for Fillmore resulting in a hybrid plan
that allows for both events and two-way vehicular
access. In March, the CCNBID held two open
houses to gather additional input, one for
merchants and one for the general public.
According to Council Member Robb,
following the open houses, the BID will vote at an
upcoming Board meeting whether they want to move
forward in the bond improvements, financed by
their property owners (not the public), with
the original plaza design, a hybrid design, or
further study. If a vote for a proposed
hybrid street or a vote for a further study does
come forward, City Council would need to vote on
either an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA)
negotiated between the BID and the city or a
vacation of the city-owned plaza
right-of-way. Council Member Robb believes
that such a vote may occur next August at the
absolute earliest. More at:
http://ccnneighbors.com/
http://www.ccnneighbors.com/FillmorePlazaHistory.doc
The
first major streetscape improvements in 20 years
in Cherry Creek North have
started on the east side of Steele Street, between
1st and 3rd Avenues and will work west through the
Cherry Creek North Business Improvement District
to University Boulevard. Improvements will include
irrigation and water conservation, color-coded,
street-level store
directories, banners and stone monument signs,
off-street parking signs, and new street and
pedestrian lighting. Major intersections and
entrances in the district will little
more landscaping than other cross streets and
planters, benches and umbrellas will be used.
Once the CCNBID is finished with
their streetscape improvements, the city of Denver
will repave all of the streets in the area.
Parking closures will be limited to just one side
of the street at any time, and only Monday through
Friday. Construction is anticipated to last
14 months. Plans for the upgrades have been
in the works since 2006 when the Cherry Creek
North Business Improvement District (property
owners, retail business owners, leaseholders and
residents within the CCNBID border) voter
approvedan $18.5 million bond issue to pay for the
improvements. The bonds will be repaid
through property taxes at the existing mill levy.
More at:
http://www.ccncapimprovements.com/
http://www.cherrycreeknorth.com/about/Cherry-Creek-North-is-getting-a-makeover/
The City of Denver purchased the Church in
the City site at 1530 Josephine Street for $6
million to be the future home of the
Central Denver Recreation
Center. Numerous centrally-located
sites were considered for the central Denver
recreation center, with the Church in the City
eventually being identified as the most feasible.
The purchase includes approximately 2.56 acres,
which will eventually be developed into a
recreation center and may also allow for
additional retail possibilities.
Council Members Carla Madison and
Jeanne Robb managed the process while Denver Parks
and Recreation completed a Recreation
Center Needs Assessment,
which identified Capitol Hill and Stapleton as two
areas not served by a recreation center. In
2007, both locations were included in the Better
Denver Bond package that was passed by Denver
voters. Voters specifically approved $11
million in bond funding for land purchase,
planning and design of a new recreation center in
central Denver. More funds will be necessary
to build the facility. The purchase price is
approximately $54/SF of land. More at:
http://www.denvergov.org/CouncilDistrict10/CentralDenverRecreationCenter/tabid/429764/Default.aspx
Within the new Denver
Justice Centerat Colfax Avenue/Fox
Street, the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center is
slated for opening sometime in April or
/May. The facility will replace the
Pre-Arraignment Detention Facility (City Jail)
downtown as well as portions of the Denver County
Jail on Smith Road. The new Detention Center
will have a capacity of 1,500 beds and will handle
the intake, booking and release of all inmates
prior to sentencing. Construction of the new
housing at the Denver County Jail on Smith Road is
scheduled to begin this summer.
According to Council Member Robb,
currently, Denver's City and County Building
houses Criminal and Civil, County and District
Courts, the Mayor's Office and the City Council
Office. The courts have outgrown the building
and six are currently housed across the street in
the Adam's Mark Hotel. The Denver Justice
Center will remove all criminal justice activity
from the City and County Building.
In the summer of 2010, all
other County and District courtrooms handling
criminal matters will be moved from the City and
County Building to the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse
within the new Justice Center with its newly
finished 29 courtrooms, situated across Tooley
Plaza from the Detention Center. An
underground tunnel will allow inmates to be
securely moved to and from the new Courthouse,
eliminating the need to transport inmates by bus
from the existing jails and limiting contact with
the general public in the courthouse halls.
The portion of the complex featuring a Post
Office and parking garage on 14th Avenue between
Delaware and Elati Streets has already been
finished.
http://www.denvergov.org/justice_center/HomePage/tabid/389767/Default.aspx
In late April or early May, the
Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will
begin a surface treatment project on
Colorado Boulevardbetween Alameda
Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard. The project will resurface
approximately 3.5 miles of Colorado Boulevard in
asphalt, reconstruct the medians and reconstruct
the signals and turn lanes at the Colorado
Boulevard/Colfax Avenue; Colorado Boulevard/17th
Avenue and Colorado Boulevard/Montview Boulevard
intersections. In addition, curb and gutter,
bus pads and curb ramps will be repaired or
reconstructed, as necessary. The project
should be complete by the end of October
2010.
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