Wednesday, February 28, 2007
March Could Be A Groundbreaking Month
March 2007 is looking like it could be a big month for official groundbreakings of Downtown Denver infill projects. One project that has already announced a March groundbreaking is 1515 Wynkoop (I'll have more on that project soon), with Spire, 1800 Market, the Museum Residence - Phase 2, and perhaps another project or two (or more) planned for March, April, or later this Spring. I'm tracking quite a few planned groundbreakings at the moment, so as these dates firm up, you'll find out about them first here at DenverInfill.
Monday, February 26, 2007
New Project Planned for 17th & Central?
The corner of 17th and Central in Downtown Denver's hot Highland district may be getting its long-awaited infill project finally. Originally the location for the second phase of the Highland Crossing project, the half-block site has remained partially undeveloped and partially occupied by an old small commercial building, as the second phase never materialized. The first phase of Highland Crossing sits at the top of the hill at 17th and Boulder, and was completed in 2002.
Recently, the old commercial building at the corner was demolished. Here's a photo:
I have some additional research to do before I can post what the plans are for this site, but hopefully I'll have something to report in the near future.
Recently, the old commercial building at the corner was demolished. Here's a photo:
I have some additional research to do before I can post what the plans are for this site, but hopefully I'll have something to report in the near future.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Downtown Denver Construction Update: Sugar-Cubed
Here's an updated construction photo of the new Sugar3 building, under construction at the corner of 16th and Blake (Block 019) in Lower Downtown Denver. The project broke ground in mid-December and, despite several blizzards since then, is making good progress.
The Sugar3 building is being developed by Urban Villages LLC. Check out the project website, which now features real-time video of the construction site.
The Sugar3 building is being developed by Urban Villages LLC. Check out the project website, which now features real-time video of the construction site.
Friday, February 23, 2007
What's Going on at the Rock Island?
One of the few buildings in Lower Downtown Denver that hasn't received a complete makeover during the historic district's restoration/conversion spree of the last 20 years has been the building at 1614 15th Street, next to the Wazee Supper Club. You'll probably know this building as the Rock Island, with the black painted front entrance, the occasional alien spaceship, angel/devil, or giant bug clinging to the building's upper facade, and the popular Rock Island nightclub with the intriguing logo:
You know, this building here:
Well, that's all about to change. Thanks to the St. Charles Town Company, the building is getting a complete renovation and new uses. I'll let the St. Charles Town Company describe the project in their own words:
"In December 2006 St. Charles Town Co. purchased the Rock Island Building at 1614 15th Street, which is a turn-of-the-century brick building fronting 15th Street between Wazee and Wynkoop streets in the Lower Downtown Historic District of Denver. Redevelopment plans call for the creation of a mixed-use project consisting of high-end office space above a ground floor restaurant or bar/nightclub. 10,000 square feet of highly-efficient office space is currently available on the top two floors, which is divisible to 5,000 square feet per floor with direct elevator access. The building will be ready for occupancy during the fall/winter of 2007.
The four-story building was originally constructed in 1890 and was one of several warehouses occupied by the Studebaker Carriage & Wagon Company. In 1986, the building was purchased by a group of early Lower Downtown real estate speculators, who installed a nightclub on the basement and first floors to offset building costs. No substantial renovation has occurred in the building since 1986.
St. Charles Town Co. is planning a complete overhaul of the building, which will have 23,464 rentable square feet upon completion. Renovations will include some structural repair, which will primarily include replacing the front windows and restructuring of the roof. The extensive structural work on the roof will remedy past fire damage, and also allow the roof to carry modern rooftop mechanical systems. To that end, the entire existing mechanical system will be replaced with a new state-of-the-art HVAC system. Other major systems that will be reworked and brought up to code include both the electrical and fire safety sprinklers.
The interior of the building will be refurbished from top to bottom with new bathroom cores, lighting, lobby, and elevator system. Exterior restoration work will include stripping the paint off the front façade and tuck pointing/replacing damaged mortar/bricks. The goal of this project is to incorporate the amenities of a modern commercial structure, while both maintaining and enhancing the building’s charm by returning the structure to its original glory. Spectrum is the general contractor, and the total project costs will be $8 million."
The building has been looking rather rough around the edges for many years, so this is great to see; although I'm a little sad that the Rock Island has closed. It certainly was a LoDo institution. Rock Island was one of the few LoDo businesses that started back in the days when Lower Downtown was known for its grit and grime and nether regions "under the viaducts" and managed to survive well into the trendy LoDo of today. But, I'm also looking forward very much to the new-and-improved Rock Island building after the renovations, and to the new energy it will add to the 1600 block of 15th Street.
Here are some photos taken recently during the interior demolition work:
Thank you to Jason at St. Charles Town Company for all the images and information on this important LoDo historic restoration project.
You know, this building here:
Well, that's all about to change. Thanks to the St. Charles Town Company, the building is getting a complete renovation and new uses. I'll let the St. Charles Town Company describe the project in their own words:
"In December 2006 St. Charles Town Co. purchased the Rock Island Building at 1614 15th Street, which is a turn-of-the-century brick building fronting 15th Street between Wazee and Wynkoop streets in the Lower Downtown Historic District of Denver. Redevelopment plans call for the creation of a mixed-use project consisting of high-end office space above a ground floor restaurant or bar/nightclub. 10,000 square feet of highly-efficient office space is currently available on the top two floors, which is divisible to 5,000 square feet per floor with direct elevator access. The building will be ready for occupancy during the fall/winter of 2007.
The four-story building was originally constructed in 1890 and was one of several warehouses occupied by the Studebaker Carriage & Wagon Company. In 1986, the building was purchased by a group of early Lower Downtown real estate speculators, who installed a nightclub on the basement and first floors to offset building costs. No substantial renovation has occurred in the building since 1986.
St. Charles Town Co. is planning a complete overhaul of the building, which will have 23,464 rentable square feet upon completion. Renovations will include some structural repair, which will primarily include replacing the front windows and restructuring of the roof. The extensive structural work on the roof will remedy past fire damage, and also allow the roof to carry modern rooftop mechanical systems. To that end, the entire existing mechanical system will be replaced with a new state-of-the-art HVAC system. Other major systems that will be reworked and brought up to code include both the electrical and fire safety sprinklers.
The interior of the building will be refurbished from top to bottom with new bathroom cores, lighting, lobby, and elevator system. Exterior restoration work will include stripping the paint off the front façade and tuck pointing/replacing damaged mortar/bricks. The goal of this project is to incorporate the amenities of a modern commercial structure, while both maintaining and enhancing the building’s charm by returning the structure to its original glory. Spectrum is the general contractor, and the total project costs will be $8 million."
The building has been looking rather rough around the edges for many years, so this is great to see; although I'm a little sad that the Rock Island has closed. It certainly was a LoDo institution. Rock Island was one of the few LoDo businesses that started back in the days when Lower Downtown was known for its grit and grime and nether regions "under the viaducts" and managed to survive well into the trendy LoDo of today. But, I'm also looking forward very much to the new-and-improved Rock Island building after the renovations, and to the new energy it will add to the 1600 block of 15th Street.
Here are some photos taken recently during the interior demolition work:
Thank you to Jason at St. Charles Town Company for all the images and information on this important LoDo historic restoration project.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Denver Construction Update: 1200 Delaware
Construction has begun on 1200 Delaware, the 6-unit high-end townhome development on Block 046-E in the Civic Center/Golden Triangle area of Downtown Denver. The parking lot asphalt has been removed and construction equipment and a large project sign are new situated in the lot.
That's one less parking lot for a part of Downtown where parking lots are far too common!
That's one less parking lot for a part of Downtown where parking lots are far too common!
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Design Guidelines, Zoning Approved for 31-story Geller Tower
This evening, Denver City Council approved by a 12 to 1 vote the controversial "Historic Urban Edge District" in Lower Downtown, which includes design provisions that would allow the construction of high-rise on a single parcel at Speer and Market on Block 242, the site where developer Richard "Buzz" Geller has proposed to build a 31-story condo tower. For background on this development, please see my blog of February 1, 2007.
Shortly after the approval of the bill creating the HUED, Council passed by the same 12 to 1 margin the PUD (Planned Unit Development) or site-specific zoning for Mr. Geller's project. Just like the HUED provides for two development options on Block 242 (a high-rise with a smaller footprint or a low-rise with a larger footprint), the PUD also provides the developer with the same two development options.
Mr. Geller still has a long way to go before his project can break ground but, at this point, he has a use by right to build a 375-foot tower (400-foot including spire), and must now get the tower designed and have it proceed through the city's usual development review process.
Shortly after the approval of the bill creating the HUED, Council passed by the same 12 to 1 margin the PUD (Planned Unit Development) or site-specific zoning for Mr. Geller's project. Just like the HUED provides for two development options on Block 242 (a high-rise with a smaller footprint or a low-rise with a larger footprint), the PUD also provides the developer with the same two development options.
Mr. Geller still has a long way to go before his project can break ground but, at this point, he has a use by right to build a 375-foot tower (400-foot including spire), and must now get the tower designed and have it proceed through the city's usual development review process.
Sign Goes Up for 51-Story 1401 Lawrence Project
I've mentioned before that I appreciate it when a developer puts up a project sign at an infill construction site. Surprisingly, many do not. Anyway, I was happy to learn a few days ago that the developers of 1401 Lawrence, the 51-story condo tower planned for the corner of 14th and Lawrence on Block 070 in Central Downtown Denver, were going to be installing their project sign this afternoon. Sure enough, a sign crew was just finishing up when I arrived. I even got the sign guys to wave for the camera:
It's good to see any type of evidence that a major high-rise project, such as 1401 Lawrence, is moving forward. A sales office is supposed to be built on the site later this Spring.
It's good to see any type of evidence that a major high-rise project, such as 1401 Lawrence, is moving forward. A sales office is supposed to be built on the site later this Spring.
The Big Picture Update
I recently noted that here at DenverInfill world headquarters, we've been steadily working over the past several months to bring the website fully up-to-date after getting a bit behind on adding new projects to their respective block or neighborhood pages, adding new construction photos, etc. The Infill Scoreboard was updated just the other day, and today I'm happy to report that the overview maps on the Big Picture page have also been completely updated. What's more, we've also added a link allowing you to download a larger-size version of each map in PDF format too. The "New Denver Skyline" image on the Big Picture page will also get a tweaking one of these days too.
Monday, February 19, 2007
DenverInfill Special Feature: Building Glass House
Today marks the introduction of another new Special Feature at DenverInfill. Building Glass House is a 30-photo retrospective on the construction of the 23-story twin tower condominium project in Downtown Denver's booming Central Platte Valley.
Anyone who lives in, works in, or regularly visits Downtown knows what it has been like to watch the two blueish-colored glass towers rise up from its seven-story brick base over the past 20 months. This new Special Feature preserves a bit of that experience, and shares with the rest of the world the steady journey of the Glass House staking its claim as a member of the Denver skyline. Let's hope there are many more projects like Glass House to come!
Anyone who lives in, works in, or regularly visits Downtown knows what it has been like to watch the two blueish-colored glass towers rise up from its seven-story brick base over the past 20 months. This new Special Feature preserves a bit of that experience, and shares with the rest of the world the steady journey of the Glass House staking its claim as a member of the Denver skyline. Let's hope there are many more projects like Glass House to come!
Sunday, February 18, 2007
A Sunny Look at the DAM Cows
One of the four pieces of public art installed on the grounds of the new Libeskind-designed Hamilton Building at the Denver Art Museum is Scottish Angus Cow and Calf by Dan Ostermiller. Since the oversized bronze bovines were not installed until a month or two after the Hamilton's grand opening in October, they perhaps haven't received the same degree of public exposure as the other pieces, particularly Big Sweep and Denver Monoliths, which are visible from busy 13th Avenue.
I'm not sure if Scottish Angus Cow and Calf was intended to celebrate or poke fun at Denver's cowtown heritage (perhaps a little of both) but either way, I find the work appealing. The animals' relaxed demeanor and rounded organic forms offer a comforting contrast to the sharp angularity and tension found in the Hamilton Building and adjacent Museum Residences. I do hope we keep in check this recent trend in our public art program of selecting pieces that represent familiar objects or forms that have been "supersized," but in this case, I'm happy to see this piece installed where it is. I think Scottish Angus Cow and Calf will become as popular as I See What You Mean by Lawrence Argent, the recently-installed piece at the Colorado Convention Center that everyone else refers to as "the Big Blue Bear."
The cow measures 13 feet high and 24 feet long, and her calf measures 10 feet high and 14 feet long. Bathed in yesterday's warm sunshine, Scottish Angus Cow and Calf proved to be popular with adults and the kiddies alike.
I'm not sure if Scottish Angus Cow and Calf was intended to celebrate or poke fun at Denver's cowtown heritage (perhaps a little of both) but either way, I find the work appealing. The animals' relaxed demeanor and rounded organic forms offer a comforting contrast to the sharp angularity and tension found in the Hamilton Building and adjacent Museum Residences. I do hope we keep in check this recent trend in our public art program of selecting pieces that represent familiar objects or forms that have been "supersized," but in this case, I'm happy to see this piece installed where it is. I think Scottish Angus Cow and Calf will become as popular as I See What You Mean by Lawrence Argent, the recently-installed piece at the Colorado Convention Center that everyone else refers to as "the Big Blue Bear."
The cow measures 13 feet high and 24 feet long, and her calf measures 10 feet high and 14 feet long. Bathed in yesterday's warm sunshine, Scottish Angus Cow and Calf proved to be popular with adults and the kiddies alike.
Friday, February 16, 2007
18th Street Ped Bridge Funding Approved
A pedestrian bridge at 18th Street over the consolidated main line railroad tracks in Downtown Denver's Central Platte Valley has been planned for many years. Exactly when the bridge would actually get built was always dependent upon the pace of development and the cost and phasing of other infrastructure projects in the CPV. That time has finally arrived.
Recently, the Central Platte Valley Metropolitan District, the entity created to build infrastructure projects in the Valley financed by property tax assessments on real estate in the district, recently approved funding for the 18th Street Pedestrian Bridge. The bridge's design has not yet been determined, but the bridge should be finished by late 2009 or early 2010.
With the undergrounding of the Amtrack and future FasTracks commuter rail lines by 2011 as part of the Denver Union Station redevelopment, 18th Street, which currently ends at Wynkoop Street, will be exteded past Union Station to Chestnut Street, where a pedestrian plaza will continue the short distance past East-West Partners' proposed City House project to the base of the new pedestrian bridge. Once over the tracks, it's a short two-block walk to Commons Park.
Recently, the Central Platte Valley Metropolitan District, the entity created to build infrastructure projects in the Valley financed by property tax assessments on real estate in the district, recently approved funding for the 18th Street Pedestrian Bridge. The bridge's design has not yet been determined, but the bridge should be finished by late 2009 or early 2010.
With the undergrounding of the Amtrack and future FasTracks commuter rail lines by 2011 as part of the Denver Union Station redevelopment, 18th Street, which currently ends at Wynkoop Street, will be exteded past Union Station to Chestnut Street, where a pedestrian plaza will continue the short distance past East-West Partners' proposed City House project to the base of the new pedestrian bridge. Once over the tracks, it's a short two-block walk to Commons Park.
Monday, February 12, 2007
New Central Platte Valley Project: Wewatta Plaza
Resolute Investments, Inc. is planning a new office project, Wewatta Plaza, for Downtown Denver's Central Platte Valley. The project is proposed for the corner of Wewatta and 18th Street in the heart of the Union Commons portion of the CPV behind Denver's historic Union Station. Wewatta Plaza will feature 180,000 square feet of for-sale office condominiums, 346 parking spaces on four levels, and approximately 20,000 square feet of ground-floor lobby and retail space.
The building's site is a triangular 49,130-square foot parcel that covers approximately the middle one-third of the block bounded by Wewatta, 18th, Chestnut, and 19th. To the northwest of the Wewatta Plaza site is a vacant parcel along Chestnut that can accommodate a future residential tower up to 140 feet in height. To the east of the Wewatta Plaza site is another triangular parcel that is owned by Public Service Company (Xcel Energy) and is currently occupied by a small industrial building at the corner of 19th and Wewatta. Here's the site plan showing the Wewatta Plaza location along with existing and future projects in the area:
The Wewatta Plaza project consists of a proposed 8-story rectangular wing fronting along 18th Street and an 11-story triangle-shaped wing located in the center of the block. A landscaped pedestrian plaza is featured right at the corner of 18th and Wewatta. Here are two renderings of the proposed building, as viewed from the opposite side of the 18th and Wewatta intersection:
For a different view, here are three perspectives showing the existing conditions (left), the project with the Union Station Master Plan buildings (center), and the project with both the Union Station and all other private development nearby (right):
Groundbreaking for Wewatta Plaza is planned for Spring 2008, with the estimated completion set for Summer 2009. Here's the entire project schedule, along with a typical floorplate diagram:
For more information, check out the project website: www.WewattaPlaza.com. Many thanks to the developer, Resolute Investments, Inc., for all of the images. The project architect is Newman Cavender & Doane.
The building's site is a triangular 49,130-square foot parcel that covers approximately the middle one-third of the block bounded by Wewatta, 18th, Chestnut, and 19th. To the northwest of the Wewatta Plaza site is a vacant parcel along Chestnut that can accommodate a future residential tower up to 140 feet in height. To the east of the Wewatta Plaza site is another triangular parcel that is owned by Public Service Company (Xcel Energy) and is currently occupied by a small industrial building at the corner of 19th and Wewatta. Here's the site plan showing the Wewatta Plaza location along with existing and future projects in the area:
The Wewatta Plaza project consists of a proposed 8-story rectangular wing fronting along 18th Street and an 11-story triangle-shaped wing located in the center of the block. A landscaped pedestrian plaza is featured right at the corner of 18th and Wewatta. Here are two renderings of the proposed building, as viewed from the opposite side of the 18th and Wewatta intersection:
For a different view, here are three perspectives showing the existing conditions (left), the project with the Union Station Master Plan buildings (center), and the project with both the Union Station and all other private development nearby (right):
Groundbreaking for Wewatta Plaza is planned for Spring 2008, with the estimated completion set for Summer 2009. Here's the entire project schedule, along with a typical floorplate diagram:
For more information, check out the project website: www.WewattaPlaza.com. Many thanks to the developer, Resolute Investments, Inc., for all of the images. The project architect is Newman Cavender & Doane.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
DenverInfill Special Feature: Downtown Denver Peer Cities Analysis
Annually, I coordinate the Class Project topic for the urban planning course I teach at the University of Colorado-Denver with the folks at the Downtown Denver Partnership. Doing so results in a win-win-win situation: The students get a chance to do planning work for a real client, the Partnership gets a ton of good information at no cost to them, and I get a great new Downtown Denver-related topic to add to the Special Features section of DenverInfill.
This year, the idea was to evaluate the downtowns of 16 peer cities of Denver's to gain an understanding of those downtowns, their built and natural environments, their urban planning issues and challenges, and how those cities' experiences in their downtowns might be applicable and informative to the Partnership in their efforts to improve Downtown Denver. Now that the Fall semester is over and I've had a chance to take the students' work and convert it into a web-friendly format, the new Downtown Denver Peer Cities Analysis special feature is ready to go. My thanks and congratulations to the students for a job well done, and to the Partnership (especially Jenna Berman, the Partnership's Research Coordinator) for helping us out again this year.
This year, the idea was to evaluate the downtowns of 16 peer cities of Denver's to gain an understanding of those downtowns, their built and natural environments, their urban planning issues and challenges, and how those cities' experiences in their downtowns might be applicable and informative to the Partnership in their efforts to improve Downtown Denver. Now that the Fall semester is over and I've had a chance to take the students' work and convert it into a web-friendly format, the new Downtown Denver Peer Cities Analysis special feature is ready to go. My thanks and congratulations to the students for a job well done, and to the Partnership (especially Jenna Berman, the Partnership's Research Coordinator) for helping us out again this year.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
"The Park | One Riverfront" Final Design Released
What could be thought of as "Phase 2" of East-West Partners' One Riverfront project (see yesterday's blog) in Downtown Denver's Central Platte Valley is a project called "The Park | One Riverfront," which is located in the space between the One Riverfront project and the south tower of the 23-story Glass House project next door. The space where "The Park | One Riverfront" will go is in alignment with the Union Station view plane, so the project is height restricted to 3-story townhomes.
Until today, all I've had to show of the project's design was a couple of early concept sketches, such as this one:
Today, East-West released a final design of the project, with construction on the 18-unit development planned to begin soon. Here's what it will look like (rendering courtesy of East-West Partners):
The taller building in the background on the right side of the image is the 7-story section of One Riverfront.
"The Park | One Riverfront" features a small private park tucked in behind the townhomes (providing the inspiration for its name), with roughtly half the units facing Union Station and Downtown, and the other half facing Commons Park. The units average 2,000 SF in size and prices start at $1 million. Sales will begin on February 9.
With the construction of "The Park | One Riverfront" project, the entire Downtown edge of the Riverfront Park development along the railroad tracks from 16th to 19th Streets will be complete.
Until today, all I've had to show of the project's design was a couple of early concept sketches, such as this one:
Today, East-West released a final design of the project, with construction on the 18-unit development planned to begin soon. Here's what it will look like (rendering courtesy of East-West Partners):
The taller building in the background on the right side of the image is the 7-story section of One Riverfront.
"The Park | One Riverfront" features a small private park tucked in behind the townhomes (providing the inspiration for its name), with roughtly half the units facing Union Station and Downtown, and the other half facing Commons Park. The units average 2,000 SF in size and prices start at $1 million. Sales will begin on February 9.
With the construction of "The Park | One Riverfront" project, the entire Downtown edge of the Riverfront Park development along the railroad tracks from 16th to 19th Streets will be complete.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
One Riverfront Park: Construction Update
When your next door neighbor is a 23-story twin tower construction project, there's the potential to be overshadowed a bit. So, just to make sure that doesn't happen, here are a couple of photos of One Riverfront Park, the 7-story, 49-unit mid-rise/townhome condo project under construction by East-West Partners in Denver's booming Central Platte Valley. The image on the left is the northwest elevation, viewed from Little Raven Street, and the image on the right is the southeast elevation, viewed from Wewatta Street behind Union Station.
Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver: Construction Update
Construction of the new home for the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver is coming along nicely. Over the past two weeks, the steel frame of the new building has taken shape. Here's a photo from today:
The finished product will look something like this:
For more information, check out the museum's website at www.mcartdenver.com.
The finished product will look something like this:
For more information, check out the museum's website at www.mcartdenver.com.
Infill Scoreboard Update
Yes, I admit, I've been way overdue for an update of the Infill Scoreboard, as well as adding new infill project data to the main subarea/neighborhood map sections. But, thanks to the hard work of my friend Rob who has taken over most of the computer/design duties for me, I'm happy to report that not only has the Infill Scoreboard been completely updated recently, but we're now also up-to-date on incorporating the latest infill project data to all of the Downtown and Center City Neighborhood map sections. All that's left to update is the Big Picture page, which should be finished soon. From now on, the plan is to update the Infill Scoreboard and Big Picture pages on a quarterly basis, while updating the main subarea/neighborhood map sections as the project information is obtained. With Rob focused on the day-to-day content updates, I can focus on the Blog, as well as adding to the Special Features section. I've got several new Special Features in the works which should be making their debut over the next several months.
As always, thank you to all of you who help us out by submitting information or images on infill projects in the Downtown Denver area!
As always, thank you to all of you who help us out by submitting information or images on infill projects in the Downtown Denver area!
ExperienceDowntownDenver.com
In case you haven't heard, the Downtown Denver Partnership has launched a new website, www.ExperienceDowntownDenver.com. The website provides an interactive map that displays the location of all the commercial, civic, and cultural organizations and businesses in the core Downtown area, organized by category and subcategory. Whether it's nightclubs, hotels, churches, banks, or flower shops, the map will show all locations in that category along with the business or organization name, address, and phone number. You can even select multiple categories at once... such as restaurants and ATMs so you can figure out where to get cash near your dining destination.
The ExperienceDowntownDenver.com website is a nice complement to another popular Downtown Denver Partnership website, www.LiveDowntownDenver.com, which helps renters and homebuyers find just the right new pad in the Downtown area.
Here's the press release announcing the launch of ExperienceDowntownDenver.com. They even managed to get a quote from that DenverInfill guy.
The ExperienceDowntownDenver.com website is a nice complement to another popular Downtown Denver Partnership website, www.LiveDowntownDenver.com, which helps renters and homebuyers find just the right new pad in the Downtown area.
Here's the press release announcing the launch of ExperienceDowntownDenver.com. They even managed to get a quote from that DenverInfill guy.
Great Gulf Group Denver Project Named
Over the past year or so since the announcement of Great Gulf Group's proposed 51-story condo tower for the corner of 14th and Lawrence in Downtown Denver, I've generally referred to the project as the "Great Gulf Tower" or the "14th and Lawrence" tower. Now, Great Gulf has given its project on Block 070 an official name: 1401 Lawrence. The project also has a new website appropriately named www.1401Lawrence.com. Right now the website doesn't have much content, but it's been up and running for just a couple of days. The project's previous website, www.greatgulfdenver.com now automatically redirects you to the new website.
In addition to the new name, a few other project updates: The number of units has been reduced from 167 to 145 to allow for slightly larger unit sizes, and the developers plan to begin construction of a sales center at the site this spring.
It's good to see this exciting project continuing to move in the right direction!
In addition to the new name, a few other project updates: The number of units has been reduced from 167 to 145 to allow for slightly larger unit sizes, and the developers plan to begin construction of a sales center at the site this spring.
It's good to see this exciting project continuing to move in the right direction!
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Lower Downtown Denver Welcomes EPA Regional HQ
On Thursday, February 1, the new Environmental Protection Agengy Region 8 headquarters officially opened for business in their new 9-story, 250,000 square foot building at the corner of 16th and Wynkoop in Lower Downtown Denver. During the month of January, the EPA's 800 or so Denver headquarters employees moved into the new LEED Silver-certified building. Currently, none of the ground-floor retail spaces have opened yet, but reportedly a Starbucks, a Heidi's Deli, and a bank are planning on occupying the retail storefronts at this high-profile location along the 16th Street Mall across from Union Station.
The remaining half of this block (Block 013), where construction staging took place for the EPA project, has been fully cleared by developer Opus Northwest, and is now ready for the Hines Corporation to get underway in a month or two on their new 8-story, 300,000 square foot 1515 Wynkoop project. Meanwhile, Opus didn't have to move their construction gear too far away... just down the street to Block 012 where they've already started working on their 345,000 square foot 1400 Wewatta mixed-use project.
Welcome EPA to your new LoDo home!
The remaining half of this block (Block 013), where construction staging took place for the EPA project, has been fully cleared by developer Opus Northwest, and is now ready for the Hines Corporation to get underway in a month or two on their new 8-story, 300,000 square foot 1515 Wynkoop project. Meanwhile, Opus didn't have to move their construction gear too far away... just down the street to Block 012 where they've already started working on their 345,000 square foot 1400 Wewatta mixed-use project.
Welcome EPA to your new LoDo home!
Thursday, February 01, 2007
New LoDo Special Review District Would Allow 375-Foot Tower
In April 2005, Denver developer Richard “Buzz” Geller acquired the two triangular parcels that constitute Blocks 242 and 044 in a land swap with the City and County of Denver for property he owned in the Civic Center area where the City proposed to build the new Denver Justice Center. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Geller announced plans to construct a 31-story condominium tower on his newly acquired property along the banks of Cherry Creek on the edge of the Lower Downtown Historic District. Since then, the project has negotiated a minefield of controversy as the Downtown community has debated the merits of permitting a modern 375-foot tower on a site that has historic roots and is located a block from the Victorian storefronts of Larimer Square, yet is occupied by surface parking lots and relates more to busy Speer Boulevard than to the grid of LoDo. To review the saga of this project, check out my blogs of August 10, 2005, August 18, 2005, October 10, 2005, November 11, 2005, and April 16, 2006 and the newspaper articles linked in those blog entries.
The current effort to reach a compromise on the tower issue, as well as to address a broader need for specific design guidelines for the “urban edge” along Speer Boulevard, has been the proposed creation of a fourth Special Review District in Lower Downtown, known as the Historic Urban Edge District (HUED). The default height limit for new buildings in the Lower Downtown Historic District is 55 feet, with 85 feet allowed in certain instances if residential uses are included in the building. However, there are three existing Special Review Districts in LoDo that allow for an increased height limit to 130 feet. These three are generally located at the 1800 block of Market Street, the area along the 16th Street Mall near Market Street Station, and the former Postal Annex site and the block to the west. It is because of the higher height limit allowed in these Special Review Districts that 16 Market Square, the new EPA building, and the future 1800 Market Residences, Sugar3, 1515 Wynkoop, and 1400 Wewatta projects all exceed the default 55-foot/85-foot height limit, and approach 130 feet in height instead.
The proposed Historic Urban Edge District includes the land between Speer Boulevard and Cherry Creek, between Larimer and Wewatta (Blocks 240, 241, and 242), as well as the “Bell Park” triangle site of Block 044 (see the maps below). The HUED is then divided into six subareas, with Subareas 03, 04, 05, and 06 (Blocks 240 and 241) maintaining the standard 55-foot/85-foot height restrictions found throughout most of Lower Downtown. Subarea 01 is Block 242 and Subarea 02 is Block 044. There are two options for Subareas 01 and 02, as represented in the maps below (click and expand to view at full size):
Option 1 (map on left) would allow a tower up to 375 feet (400 feet including spire) on Block 242 (corner of Speer and Walnut), and a 55-foot high building on Block 044 (14th and Walnut). The footprint of the tower would be quite small (about 7,500 SF) and the 14th and Walnut building would have a smaller footprint too, extending only to the alley line between Market and Larimer. The rest of Block 044 would become a new landscaped park with public access provided down to the creek level.
Option 2 (map on right) would allow a building up to 85 feet high on Block 242 and a building up to 55 feet high on Block 044, but both buildings would have much larger footprints than under Option 1, thereby effectively eliminating the park and limiting the range of the view plane to the mountains.
Both Options 1 and 2 would become part of the design guidelines for the HUED if approved as written, with developers having the choice of under which option they wish to submit a proposed building for consideration.
Here’s another image to illustrate Option 1 and the visual impact of the proposed tower. The dotted line represents the allowed envelope within which a building could be placed. The rendered tower object represents the actual dimensional limits of a building that could be placed within that envelope. This image was prepared by Tryba Architects, but does not represent the actual proposed design of Mr. Geller’s tower.
The proposed HUED has been approved by the Lower Downtown Design Review Board and the Landmark Preservation Commission. The last step in the approval process is the Denver City Council. The Council will hear the proposed HUED on final consideration (Council Bill 2007-25), along with a courtesy public hearing, on Tuesday, February 20, 2007. If Council approves C.B. 2007-25, that does not mean Mr. Geller’s project has been approved; only that the HUED has been created and that a tower of the height proposed by Mr. Geller would be potentially allowable on Block 242 under the Lower Downtown Historic District design guidelines. The Geller project would still need rezoning approval by Council and, once an actual tower design has been submitted to the city, design review approval by the Lower Downtown Design Review Board, the Landmark Preservation Commission, and the Planning office.
The current effort to reach a compromise on the tower issue, as well as to address a broader need for specific design guidelines for the “urban edge” along Speer Boulevard, has been the proposed creation of a fourth Special Review District in Lower Downtown, known as the Historic Urban Edge District (HUED). The default height limit for new buildings in the Lower Downtown Historic District is 55 feet, with 85 feet allowed in certain instances if residential uses are included in the building. However, there are three existing Special Review Districts in LoDo that allow for an increased height limit to 130 feet. These three are generally located at the 1800 block of Market Street, the area along the 16th Street Mall near Market Street Station, and the former Postal Annex site and the block to the west. It is because of the higher height limit allowed in these Special Review Districts that 16 Market Square, the new EPA building, and the future 1800 Market Residences, Sugar3, 1515 Wynkoop, and 1400 Wewatta projects all exceed the default 55-foot/85-foot height limit, and approach 130 feet in height instead.
The proposed Historic Urban Edge District includes the land between Speer Boulevard and Cherry Creek, between Larimer and Wewatta (Blocks 240, 241, and 242), as well as the “Bell Park” triangle site of Block 044 (see the maps below). The HUED is then divided into six subareas, with Subareas 03, 04, 05, and 06 (Blocks 240 and 241) maintaining the standard 55-foot/85-foot height restrictions found throughout most of Lower Downtown. Subarea 01 is Block 242 and Subarea 02 is Block 044. There are two options for Subareas 01 and 02, as represented in the maps below (click and expand to view at full size):
Option 1 (map on left) would allow a tower up to 375 feet (400 feet including spire) on Block 242 (corner of Speer and Walnut), and a 55-foot high building on Block 044 (14th and Walnut). The footprint of the tower would be quite small (about 7,500 SF) and the 14th and Walnut building would have a smaller footprint too, extending only to the alley line between Market and Larimer. The rest of Block 044 would become a new landscaped park with public access provided down to the creek level.
Option 2 (map on right) would allow a building up to 85 feet high on Block 242 and a building up to 55 feet high on Block 044, but both buildings would have much larger footprints than under Option 1, thereby effectively eliminating the park and limiting the range of the view plane to the mountains.
Both Options 1 and 2 would become part of the design guidelines for the HUED if approved as written, with developers having the choice of under which option they wish to submit a proposed building for consideration.
Here’s another image to illustrate Option 1 and the visual impact of the proposed tower. The dotted line represents the allowed envelope within which a building could be placed. The rendered tower object represents the actual dimensional limits of a building that could be placed within that envelope. This image was prepared by Tryba Architects, but does not represent the actual proposed design of Mr. Geller’s tower.
The proposed HUED has been approved by the Lower Downtown Design Review Board and the Landmark Preservation Commission. The last step in the approval process is the Denver City Council. The Council will hear the proposed HUED on final consideration (Council Bill 2007-25), along with a courtesy public hearing, on Tuesday, February 20, 2007. If Council approves C.B. 2007-25, that does not mean Mr. Geller’s project has been approved; only that the HUED has been created and that a tower of the height proposed by Mr. Geller would be potentially allowable on Block 242 under the Lower Downtown Historic District design guidelines. The Geller project would still need rezoning approval by Council and, once an actual tower design has been submitted to the city, design review approval by the Lower Downtown Design Review Board, the Landmark Preservation Commission, and the Planning office.
