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The RTD Board has approved moving into negotiations with
Union Station Alliance (USA) to redevelop the
Denver
Union Station Historic Building as a
hotel with retail and restaurant uses. The Board took a
formal vote at the Board meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 20
with 14 board members in favor of moving forward with
USA and one abstention by Director Bill James for a
professional conflict of interest. The process to decide
how to re-use the building has been extensive with much
evaluation, thought and consideration.
After the first of the year, RTD staff will begin
negotiations with USA. The group's proposal includes a
boutique hotel on the second and third floors of the
building, as well as restaurant and retail uses on the
first floor. To be completed in time for the formal
re-opening of the station in 2014, the $48 million
project proposed by Union Station Alliance is to benefit
the city with $65 million in revenue over its 60-year
lease. The plan won over a proposal by Union Station
Neighborhood Co. that would have redeveloped the
property with restaurants, retail and a fresh food
marketplace on the ground floor and the 2 floors above
with office. More at:
http://www.rtd-fastracks.com/dus_1
The Denver Post reports that a business plan delivered
to Denver officials Thursday by the
National
Western Stock Show & Rodeo lays out five
options for the future of the historic downtown
facility. The proposals range from making improvements
to the existing stock show facility on Brighton
Boulevard to relocating it to Commerce City or to a site
near a proposed Western-themed hotel and conference
center near Denver International Airport.
Costs to implement the plans that involve relocation or
existing site improvements are estimated at between $300
million and $550 million, according to the plan, which
was done by the stock show. The business plan was
requested by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock after the city
nixed a proposal by the stock More at:
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_19605767#ixzz1hh8obm00
The former headquarters for
Qwest
at 1801 California Street was recently exchanged between
buyer Brookfield Office Properties and seller PSEG
Energy Holdings for $215 million. For the 1.37 million
SF building the price is $157/SF.
The
1899
Wynkoop office building in downtown
Denver has been sold for $52.7 million, or $321/SF.
Exchanged between buyer Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors
and seller Nichols Partnership Inc.
The
Park
Avenue Lofts sold recently to AMLI
Residential from Martin Fein Interests Ltd. (dba Park
Avenue Lofts LLC). Totaling 194 units at 755 East 19th
Avenue, the property was sold for $49.5 million, or
$255,000/unit.
Forum Real Estate Group is currently preparing an area
near 6th and Logan for the construction of a new
apartment complex. To be called
The Logan,
the 57-unit development will total 5 stories and include
a 51-unit underground parking garage. The company
anticipates it will complete the project by the summer
of 2012.
A 1.4-acre site near the planned Blake Street Station of
the RTD FasTracks system was recently purchased for $1.7
million by the Urban Land Conservancy. Located at
East 38th Avenue and Walnut Street, the
development will provide affordable housing and other
uses. The Blake Street Station is to be completed in
2015 and is to provide light rail service to Denver
International Airport.
A new development has been proposed for the neighborhood
of Cherry Creek North by Western Development Group. To
cost $100 million, the development would place an
8-story, 70,000 SF office building and a separate
3-story building of 80 condos and 38,000 SF of retail
space at the
200 block
of Columbine Street, leaving residents
concerned that the density would increase traffic in the
area. However, it must still win a rezoning approval
from the Denver City Council to allow it to exceed the
current height limit for the block. It is anticipated
that the project could be completed by 2014 if it is
approved.
More at:
http://denvergov.net/Portals/646/documents/Rezoning/11%20I/00056/2011I.00056.application.120611.F.pdf
According to the Cherry Creek North Neighborhood
Association, increased building heights proposed by the
Cherry Creek North Business Improvement District are
proposed to increase primarily to 5 - 8 stories (70 to
112 feet), and, consistent with the philosophy of the
new Denver Zoning Code, the floor area ratio (FAR)
metric is being replaced by applicable form based
restrictions. The present CCN District Zoning only
allows 4 stories (55 feet) and requires primarily an FAR
of 1:1 (one foot of building floor space to one foot of
property lot space). These proposed changes will
generate more through traffic significantly and lead to
significantly greater building scale, density, traffic
congestion, traffic flow problems, parking difficulties,
conflicts with existing BID developments, and other
commercial growth issues as compared to the effects of
development under the present zoning code. This could
possibly affect the quality of life and neighborhood
property values for CCN residents and property owners.
More at:
http://ccnneighbors.com/
and
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_19582135
The office building at
360 South
Garfield Street was recently purchased
for $1.95 million ($52/SF) by Cherry Creek Real Estate
Holdings LLC. Totaling 37,558 SF, a collection of
limited liability companies called M360, K360, S360, and
R360 were sellers.
Prospect LLC recently began construction on a new luxury
apartment complex in the River North neighborhood.
Called
RiNo
Center, the 205-unit complex at 3200
Brighton Boulevard is to be located within a quarter
mile of the 38th and Blake light-rail station and is to
provide a clubhouse that will feature a fitness center,
community room and guest suite, as well as a large
courtyard that will include a resort pool/spa and fire
pits. Scheduled to be delivered in the 4th quarter of
2012, the development will offer primarily one-bedroom
units and provide Class A finish.
IMA Financial recently signed a lease for 108,000 SF in
the office and retail building planned to begin
construction at
1705 17th
Street just north of the Union Station
Historic Building.
Highland Investments LLLP, sold the 26,516 SF industrial
building it owned at
1460
Leyden Street in Denver to Leyden LLC.
The new owner intends to use the building to house art
studios as well as a shop for rehabilitating furniture
for refugee camps.
Granite Peak Partners recently acquired two apartment
complexes in Glendale from Carmel Cos. Totaling 137
units and 79 units, respectively, the company purchased
the
Lancelot
Apartments for $10.15 million
($74,088/unit) and the
Cherry
Point Apartments for $5.48 million
($69,380/unit). The Cherry Point property is located
across the street from the Lancelot apartments, at 888
South Dexter Street. Blueline properties separately
purchased the
Towns and
Tiffany Apartments in Glendale from
Carmel Cos. Located at 4390 East Mississippi Avenue and
totaling 129 units, the Towns apartments were purchased
for $6.2 million, or $48,062/unit. The Tiffany
apartments, which total 61 units at 1045 South Birch
Street, were purchased for $3.55 million, or
$58,197/unit. The 142-unit
Seven Oaks
Apartments complex has been exchanged
for $8.5 million, or 59,859/unit. Located at 425 South
Galena Way, the property was sold by Carmel Partners.
Greenleaf Partners and 29th Street Capital purchased the
property.
The Downtown Denver Partnership and Southwest Airlines
celebrated the opening of the
Southwest
Rink at Skyline Park for the second
season recently. The rink is open daily until February
14.
Life on Capitol Hill reports that the
Clyfford
Still Museum opened at 13th & Bannock
Nov. 18. The new, two-story facility was designed by
Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture of Portland,
Oregon and New York City. Clyfford Still is considered
by scholars to be a significant early contributor to the
Abstract Expressionist movement, along with Willem de
Kooning, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, among other
artists.
More at: http://www.lifeoncaphill.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2515&Itemid=6
Denver's B-cycle
bike-sharing system plans to add 35 new "B-stations"
with 175 bicycles beginning in the spring. The additions
have been funded by two grants totaling $1.1 million (by
Transportation, Community, & System Preservation [TCSP]
and Funding Advancement for Surface Transportation &
Economic Recovery [FASTER]). The stations will be
primarily located in five new service areas: Capitol
Hill, City Park West, the Golden Triangle, South
Broadway, and Highlands. The first wave of expansion
will begin in March in "service areas that are in close
proximity to Colfax and/or Denver Union Station,"
according to the announcement made Nov. 17.
More at:
http://www.lifeoncaphill.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2519&Itemid=6
This New Year's Eve, enjoy the excitement of ringing in
2012 in downtown Denver. The
16th
Street Mall will be brimming with
activities and entertainment for the whole family,
including concerts, magicians, mascots, balloon artists
and two spectacular fireworks shows at 9:00 p.m. and
midnight. And best of all, enjoy free bus and light rail
service on New Year's Eve from 7:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m.
on New Year's Day. The fireworks shows will affect light
rail service from 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. with no service
on the D, F, and H lines between the Theatre
District/Convention Center and 18th/California stations.
The free MallRide will have service interruptions during
both fireworks shows. Find out how you can get there on
bus and light rail at:
http://www.rtd-denver.com/Schedules.shtml
Denver Council Member Jeanne Robb reports that Denver
Public Works has converted
Delaware
Street between 13th Avenue and 11th Avenue, and Cherokee
Street between Speer Boulevard and 13th Avenue
from a one-way to two-way. The Golden Triangle
Neighborhood Association requested the changes to
mitigate traffic impacts from the new Denver Justice
Center.
Demolition of the
Gove
Middle School Building at East 15th
Avenue/Colorado Boulevard has begun. Abatement of
hazardous materials (asbestos) from the building is
underway demolition of the building will commence in
January, 2012.
Denver Office of Economic Development (OED) has awarded
Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA) $850,000 in
funding to support the city's housing rehabilitation
programs. Through the
Single
Family Rehabilitation (SFR) and Emergency Home Repair (EHR)
programs, DURA helps low- and moderate -income
homeowners in Denver address their housing
rehabilitation needs through low- or zero-interest loans
for essential home repairs. The EHR program provides
similar help for emergency situations. For more
information about qualification criteria visit
www.renewdenver.org/housing-rehabilitation
or call DURA at 303.534.3872.
The
Denver
Energy Challenge is a city sponsored
effort to connect the community to energy outreach,
education, and assistance programs available in the City
and County of Denver, in order to encourage and
recognize energy saving actions. Participants in the
challenge save energy and money, while also reducing
greenhouse gas emissions in support of the Denver
Climate Action plan. An estimated $250,000+ in rebates
already issued to businesses result in more than 2
million kwh saved annually
More at:
http://denverenergy.org/
The Denver Post YourHub reports that Denver Parks and
Recreation officials have completed a more than $1
million renovation of the
Washington
Park Boathouse. The two-phase project,
funded by the Better Denver bond and a private donation,
restored and repainted the city landmark, as well as
added restrooms and improved the building's
accessibility. Crews added a ramp to the two-story
pavilion structure to comply with the Americans with
Disabilities Act, making it available for public events.
It had previously been available only for private
events, such as weddings and other celebrations. The
roughly 7,000-square-foot building, just south of Smith
Lake at Washington Park, was built in 1913. It features
an open-air pavilion, which holds up to 150 people for
events.
More at:
http://yourhub.denverpost.com/denver/washington-park-boathouse-renovation-track/D097c5JicTVON8jTBqO5AK-story?hl
Denver Council Member Mary Beth Susman reports that the
vacant land at
13th
Avenue and Xenia St is being transformed
into a park and urban garden for the surrounding
community. In conjunction with the Trust for Public Land
and Mercy Housing, the City of Denver will open the park
in spring of 2012. The Park will also help access to
Westerly Creek.
Approvals for the 9th and Colorado redevelopment of the
former CU Health Sciences Center by the
City of Denver are well underway. The site is zoned for
Commercial Mixed Use along Colorado Blvd and Residential
Mixed Use on the east side of the property. Denver's
Community Planning and Development (CPD) department is
reviewing a General Development Plan (GDP) for the
required infrastructure including roads, utilities and
open space.
The development will include a number of new
restaurants, a natural grocer, retail, open space, and
residential. Alliance Residential will develop three
four-story complexes between 8th and 9th
Avenues and Bellaire and Clermont Streets. This seven
acre site will keep the existing parking garage at 9th
and Clermont and add 410 apartments and townhomes. The
town homes will border Clermont St. Shea, the former
potential developer, had planned for over 900 units in
this space, so the present number of units is
significantly reduced and they will be market rate
rental apartments.
More at:
http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/76/documents/5News2011December.pdf
and
http://www.denvergov.org/cpd/CPDHome/PlanningandDesign/tabid/429947/Default.aspx
As a follow up to the East Colfax Streetcar Study, the
East Colfax Transit Project (Alternatives
Analysis/Environmental Assessment) has
awarded two contracts. The $3 million study includes
testing DRCOG's new travel demand model (the FOCUS
model) and Alternatives Analysis/Environmental
Assessment. For the 18-24 month project consultants are
Steer Davies Gleave (SDG) and AECOM/Cambridge
Systematics and anticipated to kick off
mid-January/early February 2012.
RTD has completed construction of a
16th
Street Mall Granite Paver Pilot Test Program
to test new techniques for cleaning and setting granite
pavers on the 16th Street Mall. In an effort to improve
durability and reduce maintenance of the 16th Street
Mall, a technical assessment and rehabilitation study
was conducted in 2009 to analyze wear and tear from
vehicle weight and frequency, loss of bonding between
pavers and setting bed, moisture and freeze-thaw cycle,
structural voids in setting bed, loss of friction on
surface, loss of color and ponding. Construction of the
$1.8 million pilot program started in September and was
completed on Nov. 30. The Pilot Paver Test Program area
is a one-block area between Tremont and Court on 16th
Street.
The test area will be monitored for the next two years
to see which technique is most successful. The pilot
project is one of the ways RTD is working to extend the
life of the pavers in the bus lanes and improve the
overall sustainability of the mall. Part of the
immediate effect of the test project is the appearance
of the rehabilitated pavers is brighter and they have a
rougher surface, providing a cleaner look and more
traction for pedestrians and shuttles. The 16th Street
Mall opened in 1982 and its 400,000 white, black and red
granite pavers give it the appearance of a western
diamondback rattlesnake's skin when viewed from above.
The Regional Transportation District (RTD) has been
working with DesignLine Corporation of Charlotte, North
Carolina to develop a
new mall
shuttle bus prototype to test on the
16th Street mall. One new generation Clean Hybrid
Electric Vehicle is on the mall periodically now for
passenger service. The new design has a low floor from
front to back, three large passenger doors and two
panorama roof skylights that run the length of the bus.
The bus is powered by an all-electric drive train using
state-of-the-art lithium ion batteries for energy
storage. The batteries are used to power the electric
motor, which drives the bus, and all accessories such as
the air conditioner, power steering, and lighting. The
batteries recover kinetic energy from the bus brakes via
regenerative braking to extend range. The batteries are
recharged by a 30kW micro-turbine that runs on biodiesel.
The turbine shuts down when the battery charge is
sufficient for operation.
The bus runs on all electric drive operation part of the
day, and can also be plugged in at night for recharging.
The bus is equipped with LED interior lights, providing
brighter lighting, better energy efficiency and
long-life operation. This hybrid vehicle is 45 feet long
and has an ADA wheelchair ramp to help board and
de-board wheelchair passengers. With a maximum passenger
capacity at 100, this new bus may prove to be a new
favorite among passengers on the 16th St. Mall.
RTD Board Members have been reaching out to the public
through a direct and interactive outreach effort using
new telephone technology called
Telephone
Town Halls. During the calls,
participants have learned about RTD's services, projects
and FasTracks, and have had an opportunity to ask
questions to their district directors. RTD randomly
called more than 400,000 people in all through
innovative telephone technology and invited them to
participate in the telephone forum. This allowed board
members to reach out and speak directly with members of
the community. Some 74,000 district residents in all
participated during the outreach process.
During each call, participants were asked three polling
questions with the chance to answer through an automatic
polling option on their keypad. The first question asked
what RTD should focus on in the next 12 months and for
every director but one, system infrastructure
improvements was the top answer. Another question asked
what RTD can do to increase the number of passengers RTD
serves. The top answer for all 15 directors was add more
light rail as quickly as possible. Given the success of
this first round of Telephone Town Halls, RTD will
likely continue to use this outreach tool in the future.
The
2011
Annual RTD FasTracks Public Opinion Survey
finds that 80% of metro-area residents say approving
FasTracks funding in 2004 was a good decision. 70% give
RTD a favorable rating, 56% give FasTracks a favorable
rating, up 7% from 2010 and 65% say that with recent
service reductions, RTD is being fiscally responsible.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently
finalized a
$280
million federal infrastructure loan to
advance construction of the 30-mile Eagle P3 commuter
rail project from Union Station to Arvada and DIA. The
Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act
(TIFIA) loan is in addition to a $1.03 billion Full
Funding Grant Agreement for the project signed in August
of this year by Secretary LaHood and Federal Transit
Administrator Peter Rogoff. The 13-station project,
which will add nearly 23 miles of service to Denver's
transit system and is expected to create 5,400 jobs
during peak construction. |
