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The
long-anticipated arrival of kidney-care company
DaVita Inc. into the Denver market
was confirmed with the official announcement by the
company of its plans to build its offices downtown on
a lot near the Millennium Bridge and Denver Union
Station that was purchased by the company for $11
million. To begin construction in the
coming year, the 207,000 SF facility will
open during the second half of 2012. The company
currently employs roughly 200 persons n the Denver
metro area.
The
award of grants by the U.S. Department of
Transportation will benefit the 16th Street
Mall with 8 new shuttles. As part of an
overall transit improvement program totaling $293
million, the grants total $5.2 million.
The
135,500 SF Quad at Lowry office building at 7901 East
Lowry Boulevard in Denver has been purchased for $22.7
million, or $167/SF. Kaiser Permanente expanded
its lease by 45,892 SF to bring their total leased
space at the building to 97,603 SF.
Glendale
will be the home of a new King Soopers
grocery store in the fall of this year.
To total 78,100 SF at the SEC of Leetsdale Drive and
South Cherry Street, the redevelopment of the former
Cub Foods store will include an auto fuel facility on
Leetsdale Drive and 10,000 SF for the only liquor
store in a King Soopers statewide. The store is
anticipated to benefit the local economy with more
than $500,000 in tax revenue annually. The
redevelopment was delayed since Cub Foods closed in
2003 by a dispute between King Soopers and the City of
Glendale over zoning of the property.
U.S.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that the
Denver Union Station project will
receive just over $300 million in federal loans
through an unprecedented and historic innovative
financing arrangement using the Department of
Transportation's (DOT) Railroad Rehabilitation and
Improvement Financing (RRIF) Program and the
Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation
Act (TIFIA) Program. The project is funded with a
unique financing structure and for the first time
combines credit assistance from both programs.
The loans are being awarded to the Denver Union
Station Project Authority (DUSPA), a non-profit,
public benefit entity formed by the city in July 2008,
through a partnership with the Regional Transportation
District (RTD), City and County of Denver, Colorado
Department of Transportation, Denver Regional Council
of Governments and Denver Union Station Metropolitan
District.
Habitat
for Humanity is nearing completion of construction the
Bails Townhome Community at East
Bails Place and South Bellaire Street adjacent to
I-25. The 24 "green" townhomes are being built
for sale at a cost of some $150,000/unit to low income
families using an Enterprise Community Partners Green
Communities Grant and zero interest mortgages.
The project is Habitat's first transit oriented
development anticipating construction of a pedestrian
bridge across I-25 to Colorado Center and its light
rail station.
At
the Cherry Creek Steering Committee, Bush Development
representative, Phil Workman updated on progress at
the southeast corner of First and
Steel. Bush continues the zoning process,
raising money, acquiring property, meeting with
architects and neighborhood groups. Workman also
mentioned that they are starting to have discussions
with the Handler family that owns several parcels of
land at First and Colorado, and
First and Bayaud. Trish Palamera of
the Cherry Creek East Neighborhood Association reports
anticipating a zoning change request as the Handler
family investigates the possibility of selling their
holdings along the west side of Colorado Boulevard at
First Avenue and Bayaud Street. Michael Henry
reports that at a recent meeting of the Colorado
Boulevard Health District, Shea properties reported
that because of current economic conditions the
proposed redevelopment of the former CU Health
Sciences Center may not be economically
feasible for years, and that they will have to adopt a
phased approach to the closing of the campus and
eventual redevelopment.
Denver Community
Planning and Development held a Public Workshop with
some 70 people at the JW Marriott Hotel to obtain
vision update of the Cherry Creek Neighborhood
Plan. Barbara Frommell, Chris Gleissner
and Cindy Patton encourage others to provide input at
an Online Visioning Exercise that should only take you
about 10 minutes to fill out. The survey and the
presentation from Public Workshop are posted at:
www.denvergov.org/cherrycreek
In case you missed it in Sunday's Denver Post,
the status of the Cherry Creek North
retail district is described at:
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_15592166
and Penny Parker reports the potential demise
of Tamarac Square as a shopping
center at:
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_15592165
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Denver
Council Member Jeanne Robb reports that the proposal for a
hybrid plaza on Fillmore
Plaza between
First and Second Avenues has merit and "moves us close to a
win-win situation for business and neighborhoods in the Cherry
Creek Area." The key design elements:
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Special
pavement treatment from building face to building face,
sidewalk and street.
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While
ADA requirements prevent curblessness, this design proposes
3/12" rolled curbs (regular curbs are 6")
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While
businesses in Cherry Creek say that on-street parking, high
pedestrian traffic and visibility are the three factors most
important to their success, parking in this plan is reduced
from 22 spaces to 14, with only six on the north end.
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Additionally
the north end, near Second Avenue, is designed to feel more
open, with trees but no planters and more space for movable
chairs and tables or for restaurant spill-out.
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Planters
remain on the south end near First Avenue for lusher
landscaping.
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There
is no parking with no curbs in the center of the
plaza. The center is also raised slightly, only 20'
wide, and can accommodate a semi-permanent high
tent.
The key
programming elements:
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An 11
member Event Advisory Group will be formed with 4
neighborhood reps, 6, merchant/business constituents, and
CCN BID staff
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The BID
is installing $600,000 of event infrastructure on the Plaza
(sound, lighting, mechanical)
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The BID
has committed to 35 days of closures and events - including
Sundays from May to September, 4 neighborhood/community days
or evenings, 5 3rd party requests, etc.
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The BID
has committed to budgeting for events. This past year
their budget was $49,000. Parking revenue of
approximately $2000 per meter could also be allocated to
events. Revenue and closures will be noted in the
BID's annual operating plan and budget that must be approved
by City Council.
A small
group of neighborhood leaders (representing the Cherry Creek
North Neighborhood, Country Club Historic Neighborhood, Cherry
Creek East Neighborhood and CHUN) and business district
leaders has been meeting since the conclusion of an extensive
round of public meetings in April and May. Robb reports near
consensus from those participants that this proposal is a good
one. CHUN rep Michael Henry said it's time to
continue the positive work of businesses and neighborhoods
that has been the hallmark of the Cherry Creek Steering
Committee. The Cherry Creek North Neighborhood
Association remained uncertain, citing continued concern about
any parking on the plaza.
Robb
says, "I am encouraged by this progress. I've asked that
the neighborhood reps talk with their boards and that the
business district talk with its board." Council
will still need to vote on the mechanism (either a street
vacation or an intergovernmental agreement to create this
unique hybrid of a plaza and a street.
Council
Member Robb also reports that after five years of meetings,
working sessions, listening sessions, drafting and mapping,
Denver's New Zoning Code and Map were
unanimously approved by City Council. The City Council vote
caps one of the largest and most significant legislative
processes in Denver history - a process that engaged nearly
36,000 participants, including individual residents and
neighborhood organizations, business owners, development
interests, the historic preservation community and City
Council. The New Code fixes Denver's antiquated 53-year-old
zoning code.
http://www.denvergov.com/cpd/Zoning/ZoningCodeMapWhatsMyZoning/tabid/432507/Default.aspx
Robb also
reports that the new Denver Justice Center
has opened on the site of the old Rocky Mountain News
building. The new detention center was designed by the
combined team of Hartman Cox, Washington, D.C., Richie Green,
New York City and local architect OZ. The 438,000 SF Indiana
limestone exterior contains 1500 beds in 27 housing units for
pre-sentenced inmates as well as pre-arraignment and
preliminary hearing courtrooms, inmate video visitation, a
full medical facility, heat and serve food service and a
laundry. The project is tracking for LEED Silver
certification. The Van Cise Simonet Detention Center
opened last month.
Across
the plaza and connected by a tunnel is the Lindsey Flanagan
Courthouse. Designed by Klipp Architecture, the building
is wrapped in Alabama limestone with a curtain wall façade on
the east side, it contains 35 courtrooms, 6 shelled, the
Cisneros jury assembly room as well as space for the District
Attorney, City Attorney, Clerk of the Courts, Public Defender,
Probation Offices. This project is also tracking for LEED
Silver certification. This campus configuration successfully
addresses the issues regarding the daily transporting of
detainees as well as the separation of the public, judiciary
and detainees while adding an attractive new civic space to
the downtown area.
The Biennial of the
Americas is a month-long cultural celebration of
innovation, imagination and artistic achievement of the
Western Hemisphere. Beginning this year, and every
even-numbered year to follow, the City of Denver will host
this event. Denver will welcome national and international
visitors for a cross-cultural experience bridging and unifying
the artistic, intellectual and political progress
of the hemisphere's 35 nations. Through the
comprehensive coordination of art exhibitions, cultural
programming and conversational roundtables, the Biennial of
the Americas will bring together established and emerging
leaders in the the arts, culture, sciences, politics,
economics and technology communities, facilitating the
development of a unified vision for the future of the Western
Hemisphere. The newly renovated McNichols Building,
located in Civic Center, is the Biennial's main stage and
community gathering place. There are Biennial events and
exhibitions being held throughout the city as well. For more
information about this event, visit the Biennial
of the Americas website.
As a result of the Harrison
Substation fire, the starting date of some previously
scheduled Xcel work has been pushed up. Xcel is installing a
new electrical feeder which will give Xcel greater system
reliability which will reduce system interruptions for
customers. Xcel anticipates the work on Capitol Hill and
the Golden Triangle to be completed by August.
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Perspective and Cherry Creek Perspective by the Colorado
Chapter of the Appraisal Institute does not constitute
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