Cypress Real Estate Advisors and the city planning office continue to work out the details of the General Development Plan for the Denargo Market project in Downtown Denver’s River North district. This major infill project was first announced in October 2006, and since then has been working its way through the zoning and entitlement process with the city.
Recently, the developers presented the project to the Denver Planning Board. A copy of that presentation was posted on the Curtis Park Neighbors website. Here’s a link to that site if you’d like to download the entire presentation. But here’s some additional information about the project as its design continues to evolve. The project is planned to include 2,000 – 2,500 residential units (including 10% affordable under the city’s inclusionary housing ordinance), 125,000 – 200,000 square feet of retail space, and 75-foot building heights with the exception of three towers of 220, 200, and 180 feet in height. The project would also include a new signalized intersection at Brighton Boulevard and 29th Street, and bike/pedestrian connections to the Platte River Trail system. The current schedule has the project’s GDP up for final consideration by City Council on May 21, 2007.
Here’s the site plan and a new rendering showing what the project might look like:
One other positive attribute about this project is its location along the North Metro FasTracks line. Presently, the first station planned along the North Metro line is the proposed 40th St./40th Av. station, about two miles northeast of Union Station. What is almost exactly half way in between those two stations and right adjacent to the line? Denargo Market!
When the original Major Investment Study for the North Metro line was conducted, there wasn’t much going on in the River North area, so a station wasn’t planned for the area. Since then, not only have dozens of new infill projects been completed or proposed in the area, but the Denargo Market project and its 2,000-plus residential units has been announced. Consequently, at the request of residents and businesses in the area, the project team conducting the North Metro Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has agreed to take a look at the possibility of a Denargo Market station.
If you think it makes sense to locate a transit station at the doorstep of a dense urban development of over 2,000 residential units on 32 acres, then please let the North Metro project team know that you support adding a Denargo Market station. They’re currently in the EIS phase where they are evaluating the station locations, so now is the time to speak up! Please send your comments to: Dave Shelley, North Metro Corridor Project Manager, Regional Transportation District, 1560 Broadway, Suite 700, Denver, CO 80202. Office: (303) 299-2408, Fax: (303) 299-2425. Or, what’s even easier is to submit a comment on the North Metro project website. Here’s a direct link. The Denargo Market project can become one of Denver’s largest TODs, but only if it has a station!
Transit, transit, transit! Any retail area that would rely on transit only will fail. Why aren't we hearing about PARKING! Sure, give em the station, but also make sure for once there are plenty of parking structures to attract everyone who lives in DTD, not just locals. Sure, a couple of Big Boxer's- Great! A Costco, Whole Foods, and Best Buy! Great Idea! Just for the simple fact that there are none in or very near to the DTD area. River North, Denargo could be the area DTD people could finally go to buy groceries and have plenty of parking. But, then again, all the restaraunts rely on people not having close access to a grocer, so they will eat out more. Naa, there is still enough demand for a big grocer in or near DTD.