Arapahoe Square

Click on a block to view street level elevation photos and other information about the block. A yellow outline represent the location of an urban infill project.

The Arapahoe Square district is certainly the most underdeveloped part of Downtown Denver. Deteriorating buildings and parking lots dominate. With much of the area cleared in the 1970s and 1980s to serve as a parking reservoir for daytime office workers, Arapahoe Square has never recovered. But, as development pressures mount and available land throughout Downtown continues to become more sparse, Arapahoe Square has recently gained the attention of the development community.

Proximity to the core Central Business District and access to light rail gives Arapahoe Square great redevelopment advantages. The 2007 Downtown Area Plan calls for the evolution of Arapahoe Square into a mixed-use residential district featuring mid-rise structures, public spaces, ground-floor retail, and pedestrian-oriented streets--essentially everything that Arapahoe Square currently lacks. Much work remains to be done, but Arapahoe Square represents a huge growth opportunity for Downtown residential over the next several decades.