Transportation
Celebrate the Train to the Plane - April
22-23
Join RTD on Friday April 22 for the grand
opening ceremony of the newUniversity of
Colorado A Line at
Denver International Airport at 10:00 a.m. To
commemorate this historic event, Governor
Hickenlooper and other special guests will
preside over a special ribbon cutting ceremony,
dedication, color guard, and the start of free
rides on the University of Colorado A Line all
day after the ceremony.
RTD's rail system has consisted entirely of
light rail and now commuter rail will make its
inaugural run on the new University of Colorado
A Line. Commuter rail is heavier and faster than
light rail and trains have level boarding at all
doors, larger seats, overhead storage, luggage
towers and bicycle racks and travel at speeds up
to 79 mph.
On Saturday, April 23, the fun continues with
free rides on the entire rail system, and
community-hosted station parties along the
University of Colorado A Line from noon to 9:00
PM with food, entertainment, giveaways and
activities the whole family can enjoy.
With the implementation of the first commuter
rail line in the metro area, this new service
will provide improved connections, better travel
times, and streamlined bus service. For details
on the upcoming service changes, see the Final
University of Colorado A Line and April Service
Changes brochure available at stations, on buses
and trains. More about the A-Line at:
And here's a 9News piece on the opening of the A
Line and other rail lines this year
RTD's recently started Flatiron
Flyer bus
rapid transit (BRT) service first three months
of operation showed passenger trips well above
what existed on the US Highway 36 corridor bus
routes prior to the start of the BRT service.
The new Flatiron Flyer BRT routes began in
January 2016 and now average 14,428 passengers
per weekday up 45% from previous bus service
along the corridor. Flatiron Flyer service is
comprised of six all-stop and express routes
that replaced the prior bus routes that operated
along the corridor. The BRT service runs every
3-15 minutes, depending on time of day and
location over 18 miles between downtown Denver
and Boulder with six stations along the Highway.
The new service benefits to riders include:
- Service from Downtown Boulder Station,
Boulder Junction at Depot Square, Union Station
and Civic Center Station
- Reduction of travel times due to the
bi-directional managed lanes on U.S. 36
- New branded buses that include USB ports and
120-volt outlets for passengers to charge
laptops, tablets and smartphones
- Enhanced passenger stations with large
canopies and digital information screens with
bus departure times
Shared-use mobility is transforming the future
of transportation. You can be part of the
conversation at Live.Ride.Share Denver
on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at the Colorado
Convention Center. Over time, we've come to
accept the idea that single occupancy vehicles -
a car for every person - are not only necessary,
but synonymous with access and freedom. This is
changing. The Denver region, like other metro
areas destined for explosive growth, knows that
the "car for every person" model is outdated.
But what do the alternatives look like? And what
will this mean for the evolution of
transportation in the Denver region and across
the country?
Join nationally-recognized speakers from the
emerging field of shared-use mobility to explore
the next frontier of transportation. Nearly 50
speakers participating in 14 different panel
sessions will be addressing questions like:
- How can emerging mobility options like
carshare, bikeshare, and rideshare equitably
serve groups beyond the mid- to high-income
people who live downtown?
- How can smaller and suburban communities
achieve mobility goals such as the ability to
live and/or work without the need to own a car?
- What are the economic, environmental, and
public health benefits of shared use mobility
and reduced personal vehicle ownership?
- What if we could eliminate 80% of parking?
What is the potential for re-use of all that
land?
- How can ride sharing, ride sourcing,
driverless cars, and other innovations in
mobility contribute to the Vision Zero movement
and the goal of zero traffic fatalities? How
can increasing safety for pedestrians and
bicyclists help the shared use mobility market
flourish?
- What new technologies will have the biggest
impacts on shared mobility and what do policy
makers need to do to help (or get out of the
way)?
- How do transit and shared use mobility
providers complement each other? How can they
work together to enhance the utilization and
efficiency of each other?
- Beyond low-hanging fruit: How do we maximize
the promise of shared use mobility and achieve
transportation mode shift when change isn't
popular?
The Downtown Denver Partnership (DDP) reports
that over the past several weeks, strategic
planning efforts led by the City and County of
Denver in partnership with the DDP and other
stakeholders offer a glimpse into what "The
Next Visitor Experience" in
the center city may look like. Initiatives are
guided by the City's three interrelated plans -
The Next Stage, the Colorado Convention Center
Master Plan, and the Urban Design Framework
Plan, which together establish a vision to
create an unforgettable visitor experience
brimming with cultural and educational
enrichment opportunities. They also advance key
goals of the 2007 Downtown Area Plan, including
strengthening connections to the Auraria Campus
and reinforcing 14th Street as a signature
street and visitor destination. The plans were
presented at a Partnership Forum on March 17th.
Urban Design Framework
The City's Urban Design Framework has
established goals for the area, including
enhancing arrival and departure, fostering
reasons to stay and play, exposing and
celebrating existing programs and uses,
strengthening and creating physical and
functional connections, diversifying and
maximizing the mix of uses and potential
visitors, building on and leveraging economic
development opportunities, and integrating and
respecting Colorado's natural environment. The
goals are themes that run throughout subsequent
strategic planning efforts, including The Next
Stage and Colorado Convention Center Master
Plan.
The Next Stage: A Vision for the Future
of the Denver Performing Arts Complex
Mayor Hancock and Denver Arts & Venues announced
the vision plan for the Denver Performing Arts
Complex at a press conference on March 10th. The
Next Stage is a plan to enliven, diversify and
sustain the 12-acre complex that sits in the
heart of Downtown Denver. The Downtown Denver
Partnership engaged in the development of the
plan through participation on the plan's
Executive Leadership Team. The vision includes a
new school of the arts, commercial development,
expanded retail and more. A year-long funding
and governance study will develop next steps to
deliver on the vision, although work will begin
almost immediately to diversify and expand arts
programming.
Colorado Convention Center Master Plan
The Colorado Convention Center (CCC) Master Plan
helps ensure the CCC remains a major driver of
Denver tourism and is "best in class" by
responding to trends in conventions, trade shows
and meetings by enhancing existing spaces and
creating new ones, improving connectivity and
accessibility, and activating areas surrounding
the CCC to create one-of-a-kind experiences for
attendees. The Master Plan is designed to fund
and phase improvements strategically for both
short-term and long-term success, and includes
recommendations such as a rooftop expansion,
lobby improvements, technology upgrades and
re-imagining the outdoor spaces surrounding the
facility.
Connecting it All - Downtown's
Ambassador Street
14th Street, home to both the Colorado
Convention Center and Denver Performing Arts
Complex, is considered by many as Denver's
"front door." 14th Street has significantly
transformed over the past decade, driven by the
City's $880 million re-investment in the
corridor through projects like the Colorado
Convention Center, the Hyatt Regency at Colorado
Convention Center, improvements to the Elle
Caulkins Opera House and construction of the
Webb Municipal Office Building, and boosted by
$700 million in private sector reinvestment
including the SPIRE, Four Seasons Hotel and
Residences, the Curtis Hotel and more.
These investments allowed the Downtown Denver
Partnership to focus on the prime opportunity to
create a new and exciting destination for both
day and evening activities along 14th Street,
and together with a core group of property
owners, the Partnership funded a conceptual
design for a new streetscape. Through a
partnership with the City, including securing
bond funding for the project, matched by a
financial commitment of property owners through
the creation of the 14th Street General
Improvement District, the new streetscape was
completed in 2012. It features new, widened
sidewalks, 150 new trees, generous landscaping,
public art, improved lighting and a bicycle
lane, and is a premier example of public-private
partnership that has transformed a formerly
ordinary street into a model street.
Three presentations at the Inter-Neighborhood
Cooperation (INC) Transportation Committee
recently offer insight into transportation in
south central Denver.
Aylene McCallum, Director of Downtown
Development at the Downtown Denver Partnership
presented on Patterns
in How Denver Commutesover the past
nine years. What can commute patterns downtown
tell us about traveling in Denver more broadly?
Providing much more detail than Census-based
surveys, the Downtown Denver Partnership's
annual commuter survey reveals that active
transportation - like walking and biking - is on
the rise for commuters under 30. In fact,
downtown commuters are almost 11 times more
likely to bike to work and twice as likely to
walk to work as the average U.S. commuter. The
adage that "everyone is a pedestrian" holds true
because the average commuter walks 10 blocks
between their commute and work day obligations.
The number of employees who walk to work (5.6
percent of all commuters) increased by 25
percent from 2014.
For Denver's neighborhoods the survey
illuminates a number of interesting patterns:
the neighborhoods of Golden Triangle/Lincoln
Park, Baker/Athmar Park and Five Points have the
highest number of bike commuters, while
commuters from Littleton, Broomfield and
Columbine/Ken Caryl are top users of transit.
The average one-way commute into Downtown Denver
is 13 miles. Commuters under 30 have the
shortest average commute of 8.8 miles and
commuters over 50 have the longest average
commute of 15.7 miles and nearly half of them
(48 percent) use transit. In 2016 the
Partnership plans to add questions regarding
Transportation Network Companies such as Uber
and Lyft, car share like Car3Go, and more
nuanced transit questions to tease out more
information about commuter behavior.
- Commuters traveling five miles or less are
three times more likely to bike to work and 3.5
times more likely to walk to work.
- Commuters are nearly twice as likely to take
transit when their employer fully or partially
subsidizes their transit pass.
- 76 percent of Downtown Denver commuters
whose employer requires them to have a car at
work drive alone.
- Males under 30 are the most likely group to
bike to work, women between 30 and 49 are the
most likely to drive alone, and commuters over
50 are the most likely group to take transit.
- Downtown Denver commuters residing in the
Stapleton neighborhood have the highest drive
alone rate. This may change in 2016 with the
opening of RTD's A Line which will serve
Stapleton.
Patrick McLaughlin, RTD Senior Transit-Oriented
Development Associate presented about the Civic
Center Transit District Plan (CCTDP)
that will soon be released to the public. This
Plan is a partnership between RTD, the City and
County of Denver, and the Downtown Denver
Partnership for Civic Center to become a
multimodal hub with improved streetscape and
wayfinding elements to help create a unique
district identity and economic development
opportunities.
Civic Center serves as a major hub for Denver
metro transit service (on-street local routes,
the Free MallRide, and Free MetroRide) yet the
area is uninviting and unsafe. This part of
downtown is ripe for redevelopment as there are
undeveloped parcels and a number of surface
parking lots. The CCTDP establishes a long-term
vision and identity, near-term implementation
options for the future of the station area as a
revitalized urban transportation hub and an
enhanced downtown neighborhood. The CCTDP
complements the station renovation project which
is underway -- look for the physical work to
begin later this year. The effort also involves
an analysis of short, medium and long-term
implementation strategies for a 20,000
square-foot developable parcel along the north
side of Colfax Avenue between Broadway and
Lincoln.
goals:
- Mobility: Reimagine
Civic Center Station as the complement to DUS
and the major mobility hub for the southeast
sector of Downtown Denver
- Connectivity:
Endorse planned, complete networks for
transit,pedestrian and bicyclists to connect the
district internally and externally to its
neighbors
- Economic
Development: Optimize economic development
potential by creating strategies to redevelop
underutilized district properties
- Placemaking: Create
a CCTD Public Realm Plan with a distinct sense
of place that anchors 16th Street Mall, creates
a unique district identity, and fosters more
inviting pedestrian and bicycle connections to
its surrounding area
The plan addresses
mobility and safety challenges for the major
corridors surrounding the station,
under-performing economic development in the
station area, as well as physical conditions and
antisocial behaviors that detract from security
and healthy urban activity. Additionally, the
plan is intended to consider how to organize and
leverage multiple intersecting major transit
investments and planning including FasTracks,
Colfax Connections, the Central Corridor Study,
and others. Expect over the next three years:
- A completion of the Civic Center Station
Rehabilitation. This already-committed project
will replace aging infrastructure and provide
expanded transit capacity
- While further engineering and technical
analysis are needed to accurately test some of
this plan's recommended concepts, expect to see
improved pedestrian crossings and enhanced
bicycle infrastructure and amenities, especially
along Colfax Avenue
- Potentially the testing mobility concepts
with inexpensive, moveable barriers, striping
and other temporary installations (think:
lighter, quicker, cheaper!)
- An activation of the catalytic parcel
(adjacent to Colfax between Broadway and
Lincoln) to become a lively public space after
the station renovation is completed, until
larger development is feasible
- Changes to Broadway and Lincoln corridors
(see below)
- Branding and wayfinding signage to anchor
and help orient users
Emily Snyder,
Denver Urban Mobility Manager & Dan Raine,
Senior City Planner presented about the Denver
Moves Broadway/Lincoln Corridor Study.
Broadway and Lincoln are the spine of central
Denver, connecting downtown Denver to south
Broadway and beyond. However, these streets
aren't working for everyone: they're
auto-focused, unpleasant for pedestrians, and
lack bike facilities.
Through the Denver
Moves Broadway/Lincoln Corridor Study, the City
has been studying the feasibility of adding a
bikeway to the Broadway/Lincoln corridor.
Denver Moves Bikes (2011) identified the South
Broadway Corridor from downtown to the
I-25/Broadway Light Rail Station as a project
that "Needs Further Study" due to its unique
character, complex traffic operations, and
importance as a north-south spine for travel.
The Golden Triangle Plan (2014) included a
vision of South Broadway as Grand Boulevard with
a goal of increasing transit and active mobility
beyond the neighborhood.
The team drafted
ten options, narrowed them to three and finally
a two-way cycletrack on Broadway met the most
criteria and project goals of safety,
livability, and mobility and will be carried
forward into Phase 2 of the project. The City
has identified pedestrian, bicyclist, transit
and place making improvement concepts that will
be carried forward into demonstration projects
starting later in 2016. These demonstration
projects will enable the public to try out the
proposed changes in limited sections, and will
allow the City to collect data on safety,
traffic, and use, all at minimal cost and with
maximum flexibility to adapt to what is learned.
Denver City Council Member Mary Beth Susman
reports that last monthCity Council held
a Policy
Planning Retreat to
discuss issues of importance around the city.
Council members came with pressing issues facing
the city and offered priorities on which to
focus over the next year. A number of concerns
were brought forth including items impacting
mobility, safety, housing, economic development,
and zoning. Council members then chose the
policy items they preferred for the Council-wide
work plan for the year.
The top three issues are mobility and
transportation; housing and homelessness; and
economic and workforce development. Next Council
will establish working groups around these
policy issues that will engage stakeholders and
policy experts, research successful models from
other municipalities, do outreach with the
community and work with the mayor's
administration to craft recommendations and next
steps. Council Member Susman's number one
priority continues to be mobility and
transportation particularly micro-transit
service, sidewalks, pedestrian safety, bike
infrastructure and bus-rapid transit along
Colfax.
Denver City Council Member Wayne New reports
that the 12th annualDoors Open Denver, the
premier event showcasing the richness and
history of Denver's built environment, will take
place on Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April
24. Presented by the Denver Architectural
Foundation, the event highlights nearly 70 of
Denver's unique spaces and offers 44 Insider
Tours. There is no charge to wander into some of
Denver's most architecturally interesting
buildings, including these City and County of
Denver-owned sites: Fire Station 3, Fire Station
9, Fire Station 14, Fire Station 18, Wellington
E. Webb Municipal Office Building, Ellie
Caulkins Opera House, Boettcher Concert Hall,
Buell Theatre, and Blair-Caldwell African
American Research Library.
Doors Open Denver also offers ticketed Insider
Tours that provide engaging opportunities to
hear directly from experts about Denver
structures and locales significant to our city's
history, development, design, and future. Tours
are led by architects, landscape architects,
historians, and urban enthusiasts. Insider Tours
include Blair-Caldwell African American Research
Library, Cableland (official residence of the
Denver Mayor), City Park, Civic Center, Colorado
Convention Center Bellco Theatre, Denver
International Airport public art, Westin DIA
Hotel, Denver Performing Arts Complex Nest
Stage, Downtown Denver public art by bicycle,
LoDo to LoHi public art, and Office of Mayor
Michael B. Hancock. The complete list of sites
and Insider Tours is available on the Doors Open
Denver website at:
Stuart Anderson, Executive Director of
Transportation Solutions reports that TS has
been working with Lyft for several weeks about
proposed shared ride service at Colorado
Station. Gabe Cohen, General Manager of Lyft in
Denver announced that the Lyft service
called Line is
coming to Denver. Line connects you with others
going the same way, so you split the price.
Cohen says commutes, dinners and shopping trips
are now even more affordable and environmentally
friendly with multiple passengers (and won't
take up parking). Lyft is launching Line in
Denver along with five of the other fastest
growing markets in the country.
Central and Southeast Denver Real Estate
RTD Approves Contract for Civic Center
Station
Source: Denver Business Journal
The Regional Transportation District Board of
Directors approved a contract for the
redevelopment of the Civic Center bus station.
Mortenson Construction will build the $26
million project at Broadway and East Colfax
Avenue. The Civic Center station serves 18 RTD
bus routes in addition to the 16th Street mall
shuttle. The reconstruction will improve
passenger access to buses and provide space for
potential future construction of complementary
private development. The building design
includes:
- Nine bus bays
- Glass-enclosed terminal building
- Bus concourse rebuild
- Bus ramp extension connecting Broadway to
Lincoln
- Open view from 16th Street Mall to the State
Capital
- Building structure that is easier to
maintain and repair long-term
In addition, the new design provides a more open
and welcoming environment and preserves a land
parcel for future development opportunities.
Trammell Crow Planning Platte Street
Building
Source: Denver Infill
Trammell Crow Company is the latest developer to
join the construction boom along Platte Street
in LoHi. The Dallas-based company plans to
develop Riverview, a 210,000 square foot office
building at 1700 Platte Street. The four and
five story building will front on the South
Platte River pedestrian and bicycle path and
will also contain about 9,000 square feet of
retail space. Construction is planned to begin
in April after an existing industrial building
is demolished.
Shorenstein Starts Downtown Apartment
Tower
Source: Denver Urban Review
Construction started on the first phase of a 511
unit apartment project near Denver Union
Station. Shorenstein Properties is developing
the project at 1777 Chestnut Place. The initial
phase will contain 403 units in 24-story tower.
A future phase will add another 108 units in ad
adjacent building at 1709 Chestnut Place. The
project will ultimately include about 20,000
square feet of ground floor retail space.
City and County
of Denver Leases Space in Denver Post Building
Source: Denver Post
The City and County of Denver will move some
local government operations into the Denver Post
building. The newspaper subleased up to 45,505
square feet in the building at 101 West Colfax
Avenue, which is directly across the street from
the City and County Building in Civic Center.
Initial offices moving to the Denver Post
building include the Civil Service Commission,
the 311 call center, the Independent Monitor and
some financial services workers.
Office Building Planned for Platte
Street
Source: Business Denver
Goff Capital Partners plans to develop a 147,000
square foot office and retail building at 15th
and Platte streets in downtown Denver. The
five-story building will be called Platte
Fifteen and contain about 14,000 square feet of
ground floor retail space. Construction on the
$60 million project is scheduled to begin in
mid-2017.
Virginia Investor Buys El Jebel Shrine
Property
Source: Business Denver
A Virginia investor bought the historic El Jebel
Shrine building at 1770 Sherman Street. An
investment entity called DMPT LP acquired the
building and an adjacent lot for $12,375,000.
The buyer is associated with Robert Lubin, who
did not reveal development plans. The adjacent
lot has zoning approval for construction of a
building of up to 650 feet in height, which
would make such a structure Denver's fourth
tallest. The Scottish Rite Masons were
represented in the sale by CBRE agents Hadley
Cox, Martin Roth and Eric Roth.
Hayman Purchases Uptown Building
Source: Business Denver
Hayman Properties bought the Denver Tower, a
55,000 square foot office building at 1905
Sherman Street in the Uptown neighborhood. The
ten-story building was purchased from Centre
Point Properties for $8.6 million, or about $156
per square foot. The seller was represented by
Jon Hendrickson and Aaron Johnson of Cushman and
Wakefield,
Investor Purchases Apartments in
Governor's Park
Source: Colorado Real Estate Journal
An unidentified buyer purchased Dwell, a 53-unit
apartment building in the Governor's Park
neighborhood of Capitol Hill. The 54-year old
property is located at 600 and 624 Pennsylvania
Street. The property was sold for $11,750,000,
or about $221,000 per unit, reflecting a recent
renovation. The seller was represented by ARA
brokers Robert Bratley, Andy Hellman and Justin
Hunt.
McWhinney Plans Uptown Apartments
Source: Denver Urban Review
Pending approvals by Denver planners, McWhinney
will develop SOVA, a 211-unit apartment building
at the northwest corner of East 19th Avenue and
Grant Street in the Uptown neighborhood. The
12-story building was designed by Craine
Architecture.
Developer Starting Kalamath Street
Townhouses
Source: Business Denver
Witkin Properties plans to start construction on
Art District Santa Fe Rowhouses, a 34-unit
townhouse development at West 9th Avenue and
Kalamath Street. The project will contain 34
units selling in a range of $370,000 to
$550,000. Witkin Properties is based in Boulder.
DPS to Sell Emily Griffith Building
Source: Denver Business Journal
The Denver Public School system is preparing to
offer for sale the former Emily Griffith
Technical School for sale to developers or
investors. The historic building is located at
1250 Welton Street and occupies about 2.5 acres
of land. DPS is applying for designation of the
building by the City and County of Denver as a
historic landmark prior to issuing request for
proposals from buyers. The school moved to 1860
Lincoln Street in 2014.
Denver Begins South Broadway
Reconstruction
Source: Denver Post
The City and County of Denver began work on a
$12 million project to reconstruct South
Broadway between Arizona and Kentucky avenues.
The project will replace the deteriorated
asphalt roadway with concrete, add turn lanes at
several intersections, improve sidewalks and
crosswalks and install new traffic signals.
Initial work is located at Mississippi Avenue,
addressing drainage issues and seriously damaged
street conditions. The latest project is part of
an overall plan to improve the South Broadway
streetscape and will be completed in late 2017.
Regus Opening Downtown Co-Working
Offices
Source: Business Denver
Regus leased 2301 Blake Street in the Ballpark
neighborhood of downtown Denver. The
shared-space company will operate a 35,000
square foot co-working facility in the building,
opening in August. The building was acquired by
Oakwood Real Estate Partners, which is leasing
the entire building to Regus. Newmark Grubb
Knight Frank agents Jeff Castleton and Jamie
Gard represented Oakwood in the transaction. The
project, called Spaces, is Regus' fourth new
concept office in the US, joining facilities in
New York, San Joe and San Francisco. The company
is considering other Denver locations as well.
Assisted
Living Community Opens in Mayfair
Source: Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle
The Rosemark at Mayfair Park opened to
residents. The assisted living and memory care
facility contains 163 units and is located in
the Mayfair neighborhood of east Denver at East
8th Avenue and Jersey Street. The project was
developed by Zing Development Strategies and Old
Vine Property Group.
Permutter Developing Yale Station
Apartments
Source: Business Denver
Jordan Permutter and Company plans to develop
Yale Street Station, a 112-unit apartment
building in southeast Denver. The project will
be located at 5101 Yale Circle near the RTD Yale
Avenue light rail station. The building will
replace a small retail center on the site at
Yale Circle and East Yale Avenue.
Denver
Council Approves South Broadway Area Plan
Source: Denver Post
The Denver City Council approved the proposed
area plan for the neighborhood adjacent to the
RTD light rail station at South Broadway and
I-25. The concept covers the area generally
between South Broadway, West Mississippi Avenue,
the South Platte River and the extension of West
Center Avenue, including part of the former
Gates Rubber Company plant. The plan foresees
the development of a high-density
transit-oriented midtown neighborhood. To the
north of the area D4 Urban is beginning the
planning process for the redevelopment of
several shopping centers between West Alameda
Avenue and I-25.
BuildMark Plans Lowry Condos
Source: Denver Real Estate Watch
BuildMark Development plans to construct a
107-unit condominium project in Lowry. The
Aileron at Boulevard One development will be
located on Lowry Boulevard and Monaco Parkway
and will offer a combination of flats and
townhouses. Prices are expected to range from
the $400,000s to over $1 million. Construction
is due to begin in early 2017.
