Transportation
The Transit
Alliance, creator of the Citizens'
Academy which has educated an empowered over
750 Denver Metro residents since 2007, is
holding its 6th annual fundraiser breakfast
event on Thursday, November 17th from 7:30
AM-10 AM. This year, the event will be at
the Denver Performing Arts Center in the
Seawell Ballroom. The keynote speaker will
be internationally-recognized transit expert
Jarrett Walker. This is a fundraiser which
helps defray the costs of the Transit
Alliance programs, including the Citizens'
Academy which is held tuition-free.
This year, the Regional Transportation
District (RTD) has opened two new commuter
rail lines-the University of Colorado A Line
and the B Line. Both lines, as well as the G
Line to Wheat Ridge, are part of the Eagle
P3 Project. Since the opening of the A and B
lines, there has been good news...and some
frustrations. Here's an update on the
commuter rail lines:
On the University
of Colorado A Line (commuter
rail service between Union Station and
Denver International Airport): RTD's rail
construction and operations contractor for
the Eagle P3 Project, Denver Transit
Partners (DTP), has been operating trains
under a waiver from the Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA). Since the A Line
opened April 22, grade-crossing gate times
for motorists and pedestrians have not yet
reached a level of acceptable consistency.
Since opening in April, the A Line has
operated with flaggers at each of the
crossings to monitor and control traffic in
case the gates stay down too long. Under
the waiver, DTP has been paying for the
flaggers at each grade crossing. The primary
concern is to ensure that motorists and
pedestrians can safely cross these at-grade
train crossings.
On October 14, the FRA issued a waiver
extension through Nov. 5. The FRA indicated
that under the waiver extension, progress
needs to be made on the grade-crossing gate
times for motorists and pedestrians. The
goal was to complete the required
gate-crossing modifications or, at least,
make enough progress to further extend the
waiver.
The daily average on-time performance for
the line is 87.3 percent. RTD General
Manager and CEO Dave Genova says, "That is
not good enough. We want to be at a minimum
of 90 percent or better." The average
weekday ridership for September reached
18,881, which for the first time surpassed
the projected weekday estimate of 18,600
average riders during the first year of
operations. To put that in perspective, the
minimum goal for light rail on-time
performance is 90 percent and light rail is
performing at approximately 94 percent.
These goals were set by the RTD Board of
Directors. Genova explains on-time
performance to mean arrival at a location no
more than one minute early or no more than
five minutes after the scheduled arrival
time. Across the entire RTD system, that is
a strict standard.
In addition, the University of Colorado A
Line is operating using a "positive train
control" (PTC) system - a safety system
mandated by Congress to be installed on all
commuter rail systems by 2018. RTD is the
first agency to install PTC on a new
commuter rail line from the ground up. DTP
is testing new software to improve the
timing and signaling. This testing would
impact scheduled operations on the
University of Colorado A Line, therefore the
tests can currently only be performed during
non-revenue hours.
On Nov. 2, 2016 the FRA granted RTD and DTP
an extension of their waiver, allowing for
continued operation of the A Line and the B
Line. Under the waiver extension, FRA noted
that DTP must implement the items contained
in a plan that was presented to FRA.
"We greatly appreciate the FRA granting the
waiver extension, which is the direct result
of the excellent working relationship
between FRA, RTD and DTP," said Dave Genova.
"The University of Colorado A Line and the B
Line trains have and will continue to
operate safely while the remaining crossing
issues are being addressed. We also
appreciate that our passengers have
continued to embrace our commuter rail
service, as we are already exceeding our
ridership projections for the end of the
first year of operation for both lines."
On the B
line (commuter
rail service between Union Station and
Westminster): The daily average on-time
performance is 95.9 percent. B line
ridership is humming along at 1,511 per
weekday in September, which far exceeds the
projected estimates of 800 per weekday after
one year of operation. The B Line, which
opened in July, has a flagger in place at
the one crossing on that line. The flaggers
will remain in place until all actions are
completed to correct crossing gate down time
and other issues.
The G
Line (commuter
rail service between Union Station and Wheat
Ridge) has ceased train testing until the
grade crossings on the University of
Colorado A Line are resolved. RTD has set a
target to open the G Line this fall. The B
and G lines use the same grade-crossing
technology as the A Line.
The A, B and G lines are all part of RTD's
Eagle P3 Project, designed, financed, built,
operated and maintained (DFBOM) by Denver
Transit Partners as a public-private
partnership (PPP) with RTD. The University
of Colorado A Line opened April 22, 2016;
the B Line opened July 25, 2016; and the G
Line is planned to open this fall.
Genova added, "We believe the system is
operating safely and we err on the side of
caution." As background, in 2007, the
Regional Transportation District (RTD)
entered into the Federal Transit
Association's (FTA) Public Private
Partnership Pilot program or Penta P
program. RTD was the only agency to
complete this program, which allowed RTD to
combine the University of Colorado A, B and
G commuter rail lines into one project, the
Eagle P3 Project, and pursue a Full Funding
Grant Agreement. As a direct result, RTD was
successful in getting a $1 billion federal
grant for this combined project.
Because of the major negative financial
impacts of the Great Recession, without the
P3 project approach, RTD would not have had
the financial capacity to build or operate
any of these three commuter rail lines.
In 2009-2010, following a competitive
procurement involving three initial bidders,
RTD entered into a 34-year concession
agreement with DTP to DFBOM the A, B, and G
lines, also known as the Eagle P3 project.
All at-grade crossings throughout the RTD
system are safe Train crossings are
activating the flashing lights, warning
bells and gates well in advance of arrival
and often in excess of the required minimum
activation times. Flaggers from DTP are
staffing the crossings as an added safety
measure until the final certification of the
crossings is completed within the FRA and
Public Utilities Commission (PUC)
requirements. RTD is deducting payment
amounts to DTP for performance-related
issues and is penalizing DTP for contractual
non-performance, totaling $250,000/month for
the A Line and $100,000/month for the B
Line.
Trains are also required to sound horns when
they approach at-grade crossings until
"quiet zones" are established enabling
termination of sounding of the horns. The
process of establishment of quiet zones has
been initiated, but is on-hold pending
certifications that the crossings are
operating properly. Once the final
certifications are issued, RTD can continue
the quiet zone application process.
Also light rail test trains are turning
heads as they move through Aurora. While
smaller and slower than the commuter trains
that run between downtown Denver and Denver
International Airport, the vivid white
trains are undergoing integration testing on
the future R Line before the line opens to
the public this winter. The testing began
in June and has largely taken place at night
to minimize impacts to traffic. Integration
testing is a process whereby light rail
vehicles run on the tracks so that technical
and performance requirements can be
evaluated. Crews measure track clearances,
test train and traffic signal systems, and
test electrical and communication systems.
Once integration testing is completed, the R
Line will be turned over to RTD's operations
crews who will run the trains to gain
familiarity with the new alignment prior to
revenue service.
RTD and its contractor Regional Rail
Partners unearthed a century-old train
trestle bridge while working on a drainage
project in the Grange Hall area on the North
Metro Rail Line. Records indicate
the track and bridge were built in 1909 and
1911 to carry the Burnham Yard Lead over
Grange Creek. The bridge, a 14 pier, 209
foot long bridge was backfilled in 1951 by
Union Pacific after the Grange Creek was
piped. After the discovery, construction was
halted to give the State Historic
Preservation Office an opportunity to look
at the find. On determination the bridge had
no historical value, crews moved back into
the area to continue construction. Learn
more about the North Metro Rail Line at:
Denver City Council Member Mary Beth Susman
reports that a couple of exciting things are
happening along East Colfax. In partnership
with RTD, Denver was awarded $1.35 million
from a Federal Transit grant. The funds will
go towards planning the Colfax
Corridor Connections Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
project which has been in the initial
planning stages. The BRT project will
stretch from the Auraria Campus to Aurora
along Colfax Avenue. Research shows the
addition of BRT on Colfax would double the
daily ridership along the corridor. The BRT
vehicle is a bus like those on the 16th
Street Mall with multiple door openings,
curb level entry, and the opportunity to buy
your ticket at a kiosk. It has a dedicated
lane with head start priority at traffic
signals. The planning initiative will
improve the Colfax corridor for greater
economic development. Neighborhoods along
the route will be better connected through
an enhanced multimodal system that includes
bike lanes, better pedestrian routes, and
safety installations. More info on Colfax
Corridor Connections at:
Real Estate
In September, Mayor Michael B. Hancock
signed Council Bill 0625, establishing an affordable
housing fund to
help create or preserve 6,000 affordable
homes for low- to moderate-income families
in Denver. It will be financed by property
tax revenue and an impact fee on new
development that will take effect January 1,
2017. The new fee will apply to building
permits for new square footage, based on
fees per square foot.
The new housing fund will be used to create
and preserve housing for households across a
wide income spectrum, including people
experiencing homelessness and the most
vulnerable households. The fund will support
permanent housing and supportive services
for at-risk residents, low- and
moderate-income workforce rental housing,
and moderate income for-sale housing.
Council Member Susman also reports that the 9th
and Colorado redevelopment project
is progressing smoothly according to Frank
Cannon of Continuum Partners who hosted a
neighborhood meeting in October. The
apartments going up around the parking
structure are expected to be completed at
the end of 2017, and the apartments to the
east of the structure should be completed
mid-2018. All of the commercial building
west of Bellaire is planned to be completed
by the end of 2018. They are adding a lane
to both 8th avenue and Colorado Boulevard to
ease traffic going in and out. The developer
is no longer planning a hotel in the
preserved bridge structure because the
architecture is simply unable to accommodate
a hotel design. Residential units are now
being considered.
Confluence reports that redevelopment of the High
Line Canal is
being planned by various community
organizations. Measuring 71 miles from
canyon to plains the 130-year old canal is
one of the nation's longest linear parks
with its first headgate just north of
Waterton Canyon's rocky mouth, at a
diversion dam on the South Platte River.
That dam's been closed for repairs, though,
since the original structure was wiped out
in a flood in 2013. Construction on the dam
should wrap up next month -- too late for
this year's run.
Denver Water owns the High Line, and
contracts with seven parks and recreation
agencies from Douglas County to Aurora to
maintain the canal's bordering trails and
greenways. "Other than where the diversion
dam broke, High Line is 100 percent
functional," says, says Tom Roode, Denver
Water chief of operations and maintenance.
Despite rumors to the contrary, Denver Water
intends to continue running its canal,
sending irrigation water to 70 or so active
contract holders situated between Waterton
Canyon and Fairmount Cemetery, located at
about mile 48 on the 71-mile High Line Canal
Trail. Canal users range from wildlife
refuges and golf courses to private citizens
filling small ponds on their private
property. "Current customers," Roode says,
"will always have a water supply, no matter
what the future beholds for the canal."
"The High Line was a major water system when
it was first created, but even then it
wasn't very profitable because it's a leaky
little canal," says Harriet Crittenden
LaMair, executive director for the High Line
Canal Conservancy. The High Line changed
hands a couple of times, until Denver Water
purchased it -- along with Antero Reservoir
-- from the city in 1924. The leaky canal
delivered water to many of its original
contract holders for the next six decades,
until customers gradually began coming off
of the canal in the 1980s.
"We've always known the canal is an
inefficient way to deliver water," Roode
says, noting that 60 to 80 percent of water
put into the canal is lost to seepage and
evaporation. "Now," LaMair adds, "there are
better, more sustainable and economically
feasible ways to bring water to customers.
For example, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal,
once a major canal customer, converted to a
recycled water system in 2003.
"The canal's original purpose has changed,"
Roode says. To that end, the High Line Canal
Conservancy and Denver Water have undergone
a comprehensive planning project to identify
new long-term uses for the space. While
Denver Water will continue to manage the
canal for the foreseeable future, it gave
the Conservancy permission to create a
vision plan for the High Line, and that plan
began to materialize by way of a four-part
series of Conservancy-sponsored open houses
that kicked off in June.
Meanwhile, Denver, Cherry Hills Village and
Arapahoe County have already begun to
address one such crossing problem at the
intersection of Hampden Avenue and Colorado
Boulevard. Funding has been secured to
reroute the trail underneath both busy roads
next to Denver's Wellshire Golf Course, and
construction is expected to begin in 2017.
"We don't know what the future holds," Roode
says, adding, "The first question we have to
answer is what the vision for the canal will
be."
Restaurant Chain Leases Dairy Block Space
Source: Business Denver
Romano's Macaroni Grill, which is relocating
its corporate headquarters to Denver from
Houston, leased 9,000 square feet of office
space at the Dairy
Block. The project by McWhinney at
1855 Blake Street involves the renovation of
some existing historic buildings and
construction of new office, retail and hotel
space. The relocation is expected to occur
in April and will result in the creation
ultimately of at least 50 jobs.
Northwood Purchases LoDo Building
Source: Business Denver
Northwood Investors bought 1819
Wazee Street, a
23,500 square foot office building in LoDo.
The company paid PostNet $7,880,000, or
about $334 per square foot. Both PostNet, a
franchised business support company, and
Northwood are tenants in the building.
Synergy Energy Expands Downtown Offices
Source: Denver Business Journal
Synergy Resources Corporation is expanding
its Denver office space. The oil and gas
company is moving into 38,000 square feet in
the Denver
Energy Center at
1675 Broadway. It had previously relocated
its headquarters from Platteville, Colorado
into smaller subleased quarters in the
adjacent tower of the Denver Energy Center.
The company's move is at odds with those of
other energy companies that have been
closing or reducing operations due to the
lower price and demand for oil.
Law Firm Takes Space in Union Tower West
Source: Denver Business Journal
The law firm of Bartlit Beck Herman
Palenchar and Scott LLP leased 25,181 square
feet in Union
Tower West, a new office building
under construction at 1801 Wewatta Street
near Denver Union Station. The firm will
move from its existing space at 1899 Wynkoop
Street. Union Tower West is a 100,000 square
feet office building being developed by
Portman Holdings of Atlanta. The project
also includes a 180-room Hotel Indigo and
10,000 square feet of retail space.
Construction is scheduled to be completed in
2017.
Evo Opening Denver Outdoor Gear Store
Source: Denver Business Journal
A Seattle based outdoors equipment retailer
is opening its first Colorado store. Evo
leased 10,000 square feet at 860
Broadway near
downtown Denver. The company primarily sells
skis, snowboards and mountain bikes. In
addition to Seattle, Evo has a store in
Portland.
Mill Creek to Start Capitol Hill Building
Source: Denver Cityscape
Pending final approvals by Denver planners,
Mill Creek Residential Trust will begin
construction shortly on Modera
Capitol Hill, a 197-unit apartment
building southeast of downtown. The eight
story building will be located at the
northeast corner of Grant Street and East
12th Avenue.
Mixed-Use Project Announced for Sloan's Lake
Source: Denver Post
Koelbel and Company and Trailbreak Partners
are proposing to develop a mixed-use project
on a full block in the Sloan's Lake
redevelopment site. The project would occupy
the block bounded by Perry and Quitman
streets and West 16th and West 17th avenues.
It would renovate the derelict Kuhlman
Building into
49 affordable apartments and add about 27
for-sale rowhouses, plus a cafe and public
plaza. The Kuhlman Building housed a nursing
school, dormitory and administrative offices
for the St. Anthony's Hospital, which
previously occupied the site.
Cisneros Starting Sloan's Lake Apartments
Source: Business Denver
Leon Cisneros started construction on Sloan's
Lake Flats, an 82-unit apartment
building in west Denver. The five story
building is located at 4601 West Colfax
Avenue and will also contain about 6,000
square feet of ground level retail space.
Plans filed with the City and County of
Denver indicate that units will range in
size from about 380 to 508 square feet.
Limited liability companies associated with
Cisneros acquired the 25,000 square foot
site at the northwest corner of Vrain Street
and West Colfax Avenue for $1 million in
2015, which equates to about $40 per square
foot of land or $12,200 per unit.
Shift Opens Second Denver Office
Source: Business Denver
Co-working firm Shift opened
a second office in Denver. The new quarters
are in the former Fistell's Electronics
Supply building at West 10th Avenue and
Bannock Street, which was converted into
22,000 square feet of office space. Shift
also operates a co-working space at 383
Corona Street.
DHA to Build Sloan's Lake Apartments
Source: Business Denver
The Denver Housing Authority plans to
develop Vida
at Sloan's Lake, a 176-unit
apartment building for low and moderate
income residents. The 176-unit project will
be located on West Colfax Avenue between
Perry and Quitman streets, adjacent to the
redevelopment of the former St. Anthony's
Hospital. The seven-story building will
contain a 30,000 square foot medical
services center on the ground floor. Funding
for the building includes low income housing
tax credits provided by the Colorado Housing
and Finance Authority. The site is currently
being cleared and construction is scheduled
to begin in mid-2017.
Affordable Apartments Completed on Welton
Street
Source: Denver Real Estate Watch
Century Development completed construction
on Welton
Place, a 223-unit affordable
apartment building at 2300 Welton Street.
The project is one of the largest recently
developed in metro Denver that is oriented
to low and moderate income residents. Welton
Park's construction was facilitated by
funding from the HUD 221(D)(4) program. low
income housing tax credits and private
activity bonds issued by the City and County
of Denver.
Work Started on Curtis Park Condos
Source: Denver Infill
Construction started on SPark,
a 99-unit condominium project in the Curtis
Park neighborhood. The community is being
developed by Treehouse Brokerage and
Development and Tres Birds Workshop on the
block bounded by 25th, 26th, Arapahoe and
Lawrence streets. SPark will occupy land
that once contained public housing units
owned by the Denver Housing Authority. A
future phase is planned for the block north
of 26th Street.
Plans Submitted for Blake Street Hotel
Source: Business Denver
InterContinental Hotels Group filed plans
with the City and County of Denver for a
150-room Even
Hotel at
2250 Blake Street. The eight story hotel
would be located on Blake Street between
22nd Street and Park Avenue West, replacing
a parking lot on the site. The property is
listed for sale by Tom Monks of Equity
Commercial Real Estate..
Construction to Begin on Cherry Creek North
Condos
Source: Business Denver
The Pauls Corporation is preparing to start
construction on 155
Steele Street, a 12-story
condominium building in Cherry Creek North.
The project will contain 71 units. The site,
which previously housed a restaurant, has
been cleared and Haselden Construction
selected as the general contractor.
Koelbel to Develop Congress Park Townhouses
Source: Business Denver
Koelbel Urban Homes is developing a 14-unit
townhome community in Congress
Park. The site at East 14th Avenue
and Race Street was formerly the location of
the Sewall Child Development Center. The
site has been cleared and construction is
scheduled to begin shortly. Sale prices were
not announced.
Denver Starts
Brighton Boulevard Reconstruction
Source: Denver Urbanism
City and County of Denver officials broke
ground on the reconstruction of Brighton
Boulevard in
the RiNo neighborhood. The project will
redesign the street with landscaping, new
roadways, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, traffic
signals, street lights and underground
utility lines. The project is intended to
both encourage and respond to new
development along Brighton Boulevard and
adjacent streets. The work between 29th and
47th streets will be done in four
consecutive phases
Construction Starts on Catalyst HTI Building
in Rino
Source: Confluence Denver
Koelbel and Company started work on the
Catalyst Health Tech Innovation building in
RiNo. The 300,000 square foot building is
located at 35th Street and Brighton
Boulevard and is scheduled to be completed
in early 2018. The seven story building will
include both office and retail space and
will provide office and co-working space for
companies, organizations and individuals in
health care fields. About 40% of the office
space is leased to Kaiser Permanente, which
will operate a primary care facility in the
building.
Zeppelin Starts Work on RiNo Building
Source: Business Denver
Zeppelin Development started construction on
a 100,000 square foot mixed-use building in
RiNo. Zeppelin Station will be located at
35th and Wazee streets, adjacent to a
pedestrian bridge across the railroad tracks
to RTD's 38th and Blake commuter rail
station. Zeppelin
Station will
contain 75,000 square feet of office space
and 25,000 square feet of ground floor
retail space.
Mixed-Use Building Purchases on Colorado
Boulevard
Source: Business Denver
Kentro Group bought a 26,000 square foot
office and retail building in east Denver.
The property is located at the northeast
corner of East
7th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.
An investment entity associated with Leith
Ventures sold the property for $7.1 million,
or about $273 per square foot.
Denver Starts Construction on Levitt
Pavilion
Source: Denver Post
The City and County of Denver began
construction on the Levitt
Pavilion, a $4.8 million outdoor
entertainment and performance venue in
southwest Denver. The pavilion is located in
Ruby Hill Park at West Florida Avenue and
South Platte River Road. It will provide
about fifty annual free shows and programs
of various types. The pavilion is part of a
renovation of the park, which is the largest
in southwest Denver.
Foundation to Build Baker Apartments
Source: Colorado Real Estate Journal
The Atlantis Community Foundation plans to
develop Atlantis, a 63-unit affordable
apartment building in the Baker neighborhood
of south central Denver. The project at 201
South Cherokee Street received
an award of low income housing tax credits
from the Colorado Housing and Finance
Authority. Construction is scheduled to
begin by mid-2017.
Koelbel Building Lowry Townhouses
Source: Denver Real Estate Watch
Koelbel Urban Homes started 35 townhouses in
the Boulevard One section of the Lowry
neighborhood in east Denver. The project is
part of the redevelopment of the 70-acre
former US Air Force finance center on the
west side of Quebec
Street at East 1st Avenue. The
townhouses are selling in a range of
$710,000 to $850,000. Boulevard One will
also include detached houses, condominiums,
apartments and retail space.
AMLI Sells Lowry Apartments
Source: Business Denver
AMLI Residential sold AMLI
at Lowry Estates, a 414 unit
apartment community in east Denver, for
$112,250,000, or about $271,000 per unit.
The buyer was an entity affiliated with
Mesirow Financial of Chicago. The property
is located at the northeast corner of East
Alameda Avenue and Fairmount Drive in the
Lowry neighborhood. HFF brokers Jeff Haag
and Jordan Robbins were agents for the sale.
Breakers Sale Sets Denver Record Price
Source: Denver Business Journal
A record price for a Denver area apartment
community was set with the sale of The
Breakers, a 1,523 unit community at
9099 East Mississippi Avenue in east Denver.
A majority interest in the 190-acre property
was acquired by BH Equities LLC, Pensam
Residential and Wafra Capital Partners. The
sellers were Bascom Group and Koelbel and
Company, both of which will remain as
minority owners. The purchase price was
about $350 million, which equates to a per
unit price of approximately $229,000. The
sale was handled by ARA
Vukota Capital Purchases East Denver
Apartments
Source: Business Denver
The Stratford
at Lowry was
acquired by Vukota Capital Management of
Greenwood Village The 142-unit community is
located at 425 South Galena Way, near the
intersection of South Havana Street and East
Alameda Avenue. The property was acquired
from an affiliate of Jackson Square
Properties for $20,750,000, or about
$146,000 per unit. The Stratford at Lowry
was built in 1979.
