This may not be around or directly downtown but over in the University of Denver / Observatory Park area (South University Boulevard and East Evans Avenue to be exact), there’s a new apartment building going up. For some current renderings check out their website.
The demolition of what was on the block is complete and ground work has started on the project.
A tower crane has been put up as well and can be seen all over the area.
The next two photos were taken off of South University Boulevard to give you an idea of the size of the project as well as how big of an impact it is going to have at this particular intersection.
This project is going to be an 11-story apartment building with 213 rental units. It also comes with 25,000 square feet of retail. A nice selling point of this project is its close proximity to the University of Denver light-rail station, four blocks to be exact. It is expected to finish the first half of 2013.
I work at DU, and am glad to see this project move forward. What we really need, though, is a good hotel, within walking distance, for job candidates, visiting scholars, families of students, etc.
Certainly qualifies as Infill.
Even Urbanism.
I agree a hotel would be perfect for this area. Maybe somewhere around the Buchtel & University intersection, or a redevelopment of the strip mall at Asbury into a taller mixed-use tower with a hotel.
The density was probably needed at this location, but it was sad to see the loss of University Manor, a two and a half story art deco apartment block, at the edge of this site to accommodate the development. It would enrich our city a bit more if we were able to incorporate some of the quality existing built environment into new development. It would also assist in place making in that our new buildings could have some uniqueness to their edges and read more as “Denver”, instead of looking like much of the other developments of this scale.
Is this project truly progress? The intersection of University and Evans formerly had character(minus the northeast corner) now it will look more like a suburban business park / apartment complex.