Monday, December 31, 2007
Happy New Year, Denver!
Greetings, everyone! For the past few weeks I've been off traveling and busy with a number of other things, so my apologies for the lack of blog entries. But now that I'm back in town and things have settled down, I'm looking forward to catching up. Coming up over the next week or two will be my DenverInfill 2007 Retrospective, a brand new Downtown Crane Census, and an overall project photo update for the entire Downtown area. I'm also working on a new Big Picture future skyline image and updates to the Infill Scoreboard and other sections of the website. I'm anticipating a great 2008 here at DenverInfill world headquarters!
Downtown Denver has plenty to look forward to in 2008. Not only will we have that little gathering of Democrats in August, but 2008 is the year of Denver's Sesquicentennial! We've accomplished amazing things over the past 150 years. We have a great Downtown core that is both vibrantly historic and modern, and a strong tradition of urbanity as a city. Yet we also have so many areas for improvement, so many challenges to overcome, so many great opportunities to take advantage of. It's the best of both worlds.
Anyway, have a safe and fun New Year's Eve and we'll see you in 2008!
Downtown Denver has plenty to look forward to in 2008. Not only will we have that little gathering of Democrats in August, but 2008 is the year of Denver's Sesquicentennial! We've accomplished amazing things over the past 150 years. We have a great Downtown core that is both vibrantly historic and modern, and a strong tradition of urbanity as a city. Yet we also have so many areas for improvement, so many challenges to overcome, so many great opportunities to take advantage of. It's the best of both worlds.
Anyway, have a safe and fun New Year's Eve and we'll see you in 2008!
Sunday, December 09, 2007
1900 16th Street Design Update
The first phase of Trammell Crow's 1900 16th Street project in Downtown Denver's Central Platte Valley has been under construction for over a month now. Phase 1 consists of a 17-story office building at 16th and Delgany, plus a parking garage along 15th Street. Phase 2 consists of a 13-story office building next to the Millennium Bridge, and Phase 3 consists of 8 levels of residential built atop the parking garage.
Here are three images that show in a very clear manner the three phases of this project.
Phase 1 - A 17-story office building and parking garage:
Phase 2 - A 13-story office building (right) next to the Millennium Bridge and to the northwest of the Phase 1 building:
Phase 3 - An 8-story residential addition on top of the parking garage:
Please note: I believe the architectural design of the buildings shown in the three images above is not the most recent, but the images still do a good job of showing the entire 3-building complex from several perspectives. For what I believe is the latest architectural design rendering, see my blog of October 12.
Here are three images that show in a very clear manner the three phases of this project.
Phase 1 - A 17-story office building and parking garage:
Phase 2 - A 13-story office building (right) next to the Millennium Bridge and to the northwest of the Phase 1 building:
Phase 3 - An 8-story residential addition on top of the parking garage:
Please note: I believe the architectural design of the buildings shown in the three images above is not the most recent, but the images still do a good job of showing the entire 3-building complex from several perspectives. For what I believe is the latest architectural design rendering, see my blog of October 12.
Latest Denver Union Station Plans
In the continuing saga of revised Denver Union Station plans, the latest plan was released on December 5 by the Union Station planning team. Here's a quick summary:
Commuter rail will be at-grade behind the historic station, light rail will still be at-grade along the Consolidated Main Line tracks, and the bus facility will be underground connecting those two elements. Eighteenth Street will not become a through street for vehicular traffic from Wynkoop to Wewatta as originally planned, but pedestrians will still be able to cross over the tracks. Sixteenth Street, from Wynkoop to Chestnut, will be open to regular motor traffic as well as pedestrians and the Mall Shuttle. The proposed Downtown Circulator will go from Wynkoop at Eighteenth Street underground via the bus facility to access commuter and light rail stations.
For the latest plan presentation, download this PDF from the Union Station Master Plan website: http://www.denverunionstation.org/pdfs/meetings/USAC_Presentation_120507.pdf
By the way, the various maps and diagrams in the presentation have been saved at such a low resolution that they are virtually illegible. This is one of the most important projects in our city; the least we deserve is to have plans and materials presented to us in a clear, readable, manner. Denver Union Station planning team: Could you please upload a more legible version of the plan presentation? Thanks.
Commuter rail will be at-grade behind the historic station, light rail will still be at-grade along the Consolidated Main Line tracks, and the bus facility will be underground connecting those two elements. Eighteenth Street will not become a through street for vehicular traffic from Wynkoop to Wewatta as originally planned, but pedestrians will still be able to cross over the tracks. Sixteenth Street, from Wynkoop to Chestnut, will be open to regular motor traffic as well as pedestrians and the Mall Shuttle. The proposed Downtown Circulator will go from Wynkoop at Eighteenth Street underground via the bus facility to access commuter and light rail stations.
For the latest plan presentation, download this PDF from the Union Station Master Plan website: http://www.denverunionstation.org/pdfs/meetings/USAC_Presentation_120507.pdf
By the way, the various maps and diagrams in the presentation have been saved at such a low resolution that they are virtually illegible. This is one of the most important projects in our city; the least we deserve is to have plans and materials presented to us in a clear, readable, manner. Denver Union Station planning team: Could you please upload a more legible version of the plan presentation? Thanks.
Monday, December 03, 2007
New Highland Project: Highland 7
A new infill project is coming to the booming W. 32nd Avenue corridor in Downtown Denver's Highland district. The project is located near the corner of 32nd and Wyandot and will feature seven live/work townhomes. A rendering is not yet available, but here's a link to the project's website: www.highland7denver.com.
The project is located between the Zuni and Tejon intersections with 32nd. Both intersections were streetcar stops long ago and feature a cluster of historic commercial storefronts that have recently been renovated into new shops, pubs, and restaurants. With a little more time, both of these intersections should end up like 32nd and Lowell to their west (a/k/a Highland Square)--and we all know how trendy that neighborhood commercial district has become.
I'll pass along more information about Highland 7 as it becomes available.
The project is located between the Zuni and Tejon intersections with 32nd. Both intersections were streetcar stops long ago and feature a cluster of historic commercial storefronts that have recently been renovated into new shops, pubs, and restaurants. With a little more time, both of these intersections should end up like 32nd and Lowell to their west (a/k/a Highland Square)--and we all know how trendy that neighborhood commercial district has become.
I'll pass along more information about Highland 7 as it becomes available.
New Jefferson Park Project: Jefferson Park Townhomes
There's a new infill project coming to Downtown Denver's Jefferson Park district: the Jefferson Park Townhomes. The project is planned for the southeast corner of 22nd and Decatur, directly across Decatur from the recently-completed Zocalo project.
Jefferson Park Townhomes will feature 9 units ranging from 1,000 to 1,600 SF and prices in the $300k to $600k range. The project developer is Paul Stann, who participated in the late-1990s Palace Lofts project in LoDo and several other Downtown-area infill developments.
Here's a rendering of the Jefferson Park Townhomes project:
The Jefferson Park project represents the fourth project fronting on Jefferson Park itself; the other three being Walker's Row, the Zocalo Condos, and the under-construction RiverClay project. Together, these projects are providing added density and a new vitality to the Jefferson Park district.
Jefferson Park Townhomes will feature 9 units ranging from 1,000 to 1,600 SF and prices in the $300k to $600k range. The project developer is Paul Stann, who participated in the late-1990s Palace Lofts project in LoDo and several other Downtown-area infill developments.
Here's a rendering of the Jefferson Park Townhomes project:
The Jefferson Park project represents the fourth project fronting on Jefferson Park itself; the other three being Walker's Row, the Zocalo Condos, and the under-construction RiverClay project. Together, these projects are providing added density and a new vitality to the Jefferson Park district.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Office Tower to Become "Mondrian City Homes"
The 15-story triangle-shaped office tower at 1800 Glenarm in Downtown Denver is slated to be converted into the Mondrian City Homes residences. This project was announced in September and it's not an infill project per se, but it is a notable Downtown Denver development, so I'm finally blogging about it.
The 1800 Glenarm office tower was built in 1980 and is located on the tiny triangular Block 193 bounded by Glenarm, 18th Street, and Broadway. The small site results in floorplates of only about 4,200 SF in size. The plan is for the Mondrian to feature just one residence per floor, with units starting over $1,000,000 each. The project will also include an automated parking system beneath the building.
Here's what the tower will look like once converted:
The project is being developed by Erik Osborn, developer of the One Lincoln Park project about a block away that is nearing its ultimate 32-story height. Across Broadway from the Mondrian site are several blocks covered mostly by surface parking lots that may be developed by Osborn as future phases of his Lincoln Park project. For more on this project, here's an article by John Rebchook at the Rocky Mountain News from September.
While I would prefer to see a higher number of residential units in a project like this, the Mondrian is still a positive indication of Downtown's growth and revitalization, and the tower's renewed exterior will help spice up the skyline in that part of Downtown.
The 1800 Glenarm office tower was built in 1980 and is located on the tiny triangular Block 193 bounded by Glenarm, 18th Street, and Broadway. The small site results in floorplates of only about 4,200 SF in size. The plan is for the Mondrian to feature just one residence per floor, with units starting over $1,000,000 each. The project will also include an automated parking system beneath the building.
Here's what the tower will look like once converted:
The project is being developed by Erik Osborn, developer of the One Lincoln Park project about a block away that is nearing its ultimate 32-story height. Across Broadway from the Mondrian site are several blocks covered mostly by surface parking lots that may be developed by Osborn as future phases of his Lincoln Park project. For more on this project, here's an article by John Rebchook at the Rocky Mountain News from September.
While I would prefer to see a higher number of residential units in a project like this, the Mondrian is still a positive indication of Downtown's growth and revitalization, and the tower's renewed exterior will help spice up the skyline in that part of Downtown.
LiveDowntownDenver Blog
Downtown Denver is on a roll, and one indication of that is the number of quality blogs that now cover the downtown scene from multiple perspectives. One of those blogs, the LiveDowntownDenver Blog, is written by a friend of mine and is sponsored by the Downtown Denver Partnership's popular LiveDowntownDenver website. I've had a link to the LDD Blog on my DenverInfill links page for several months now, but today I wanted to highlight the LDD Blog through a blog of my own.
The LDD Blog features a ton of photos (way more than this blog, I'm jealous) and covers topics such as downtown planning and development--making it a great complement to DenverInfill--as well as downtown-related civic and cultural events, new downtown businesses, and other random downtown happenings of interest. Recent LDD Blog entries include photos from the grand opening of the Museum of Contemporary Art, the 16th Street Mall's 25th Anniversary celebration, and news that a new place called the Library Bar & Grill is coming to the corner of 16th and Champa.
For all you Downtown Denver enthusiasts out there, I think you'll find the LDD Blog a great addition to your daily blog reading list, and another example of Downtown Denver's surging growth and popularity.
The LDD Blog features a ton of photos (way more than this blog, I'm jealous) and covers topics such as downtown planning and development--making it a great complement to DenverInfill--as well as downtown-related civic and cultural events, new downtown businesses, and other random downtown happenings of interest. Recent LDD Blog entries include photos from the grand opening of the Museum of Contemporary Art, the 16th Street Mall's 25th Anniversary celebration, and news that a new place called the Library Bar & Grill is coming to the corner of 16th and Champa.
For all you Downtown Denver enthusiasts out there, I think you'll find the LDD Blog a great addition to your daily blog reading list, and another example of Downtown Denver's surging growth and popularity.
