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Private-property owners in the area of 14th Street
in downtown Denver have approved the creation of a general
improvement district for the area. Added to a contribution
of $4 million by the private-property owners will be $10
million from the Better Denver Bond Program. The
streetscape project will improve 14th Street by expanding
the sidewalks to encourage outdoor seating, increase the
number of trees and flowers, and adding a bike lane. The
area to be improved is between Larimer and Welton Streets
and 14th Street is becoming known as Denver's Ambassador
Street with new and renovated hotels complementing the
Colorado Convention Center and the Denver Performing Arts
Center.
The Stapleton Redevelopment will get
its third K-8 school thanks to cooperation between the
developer, Forest City, the City of Denver and Denver
Public Schools. Parents were frustrated by the two
existing crowded schools and Mayor Hickenlooper
"brokered" a deal where costs are shared among the
various entities for a $17.4 million school to be built.
The planned makeover of the 16th Street Mall
was advanced recently with the announcement by the
Downtown Denver Partnership that it has selected Zimmer
Gunsul Frasca Architects as the urban designer of the
project. The makeover of the mall is aimed to contribute
to its success for the next 25 years.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has
announced that the South Lincoln Park
homes development in Denver is to be the recipient of
$10 million in public-housing grants. A part of its
allocation of grants under the federal stimulus program,
the funds will be directed through the Denver Housing
Authority.
Bush Development has announced a new mixed-use
development for the Cherry Creek retail area. To be
located at the SEC of First Avenue and Steele
Street, the 12-story Steele Creek development
will house 20,000 SF of retail space, a 140-room luxury
hotel, 15,000 SF of restaurant space, 70,000 SF of
office space, and high-end condominiums as well as
possibly provide a rooftop deck for events that could
also include weddings. The company anticipates
construction of the $100 million development to begin in
2011 and completion to occur in 2013.
Consultants FHU and Civitas have been awarded a $75,000
contract to study the East 1st Avenue corridor
between Colorado Boulevard and Steele Street. The study
will address pedestrian safety issues, traffic calming,
reconfiguring of streets to be more pedestrian oriented
consistent with the "Living Streets Initiative'" and to
serve as a gateway into Cherry Creek. No City funds are
available for implementation, so funding mechanisms will
also be explored.
The Clifford Still Museum is
scheduled to start construction in December. Just
west of the new Hamilton Wing of the Denver Art Museum
in the 1200 block of Bannock Street, the $29 million
building will house some 2,400 works by the pioneer
Abstract Expressionist artist.
Council Member Marcia Johnson reports that the City of
Denver's East Side Mobility Plan will
identify ways to improve mobility in the area from I-70
to Leetsdale Drive, between Monaco Parkway and Yosemite
Street. The nine-month planning effort will make
recommendations for improving vehicular, pedestrian,
bicycle and transit movement in this area. The first
community meeting has been scheduled for Thursday,
November 19th from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Denver School of
Science & Technology, 2000 Valentia Street Ideas will
be solicited about the traffic problems within the "East
Side Travel Shed" from I-70 to Leetsdale Drive and
between Monaco Parkway and Yosemite Street. The ESMP
will identify ways to improve movement through the area,
by foot, bicycle, car or bus. More at
www.denvergov.org/eastside.
The Denver Pavilions shopping center at
16th/Glenarm has reopened with significant vacant space
after completing its $25 million renovation. The
347,000 SF center has over 50 tenant spaces and 17 are
reported vacant including the former Virgin Megastore
and Wolfgang Puck restaurant spaces totaling 25,000 SF.
The center was bought by Gart Properties in 2008 for
$94.5 million anticipating the renovation and the Denver
Urban Renewal Authority contributed $3 million to the
renovation.
The Transit Alliance has been awarded a grant through
the Federal Transit Administration's New Freedom grant
program to improve access and mobility for older adults
and those with disabilities. This Living Streets
implementation project will make access improvements to
transit and transit supportive facilities along
South Cherry Street in the City of Glendale.
Transit Alliance is partnering with the City of Glendale
and Transportation Solutions on this project.
With Council Member Jeanne Robb's attention for years,
the City and County of Denver is finally assessing the
feasibility of a "modern streetcar" line on the Colfax
Avenue Corridor. The initial $190,000 study area is
bounded on the west by I-25, on the east by Syracuse
Street, on the south by 12th Avenue, and on the north by
19th Avenue. The Colfax Avenue Streetcar
Feasibility Study will also identify criteria
to evaluate other candidate corridors for a potential
broader streetcar network
According to Terry Ruiter, a Planner in Denver Public
Works managing the study, stakeholders in the Colfax
corridor have suggested a modern streetcar would have
mobility and economic investment benefits. The study,
led by Fehr & Peers, will identify how a modern
streetcar in the Colfax corridor would affect transit
ridership, automobile trips, traffic operations,
adjacent property values and new economic investment.
The first public meeting will be 5:30 - 7:30 December
8th at National Jewish Hospital, Heitler Hall.
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