Hey everyone! It’s time for another DenverInfill walking tour of the Union Station transit project. Our next tour is scheduled for this Saturday, March 17, 2012, at 2:00 PM.

We usually begin our tours at 10:00 AM. But this Saturday, that time would coincide exactly with the kickoff of Denver’s big St. Patrick’s Day Parade—the parade’s 50th Anniversary no less!—so this time only we’re shifting the start of our tour to 2:00 PM. That way, you can come on down to LoDo, enjoy the parade, have lunch, and then join us for a one-hour overview of the four major components of the Union Station project: the transit infrastructure, the public spaces, the private-sector development, and the renovation of the historic station.

Here’s how it works: Head on down to the LoDo side of the historic station at the corner of 17th & Wynkoop at about 1:50 PM. Whoever shows up, that will be our tour group. We’ll start promptly at 2:00 PM and conclude around 3:00 PM. It’s an informal, informative, and fun way to spend an hour learning about Denver’s biggest current civic project.

A special note: Ever since we started our DenverInfill tours of Union Station in October 2010, we’ve had a suggested donation for the tour of $10/person, with all proceeds going to the non-profit Union Station Advocates. The money we’ve raised for Union Station Advocates over the past year and a half has made a big difference in helping the organization promote the Union Station project and engage citizens in advocating for excellence in the design and implementation of the project’s public spaces.

However, beginning with this tour, I will be directing all donations we raise through the tours to a different non-profit organization: the Student Chapter of the American Planning Association at the University of Colorado Denver.

At the beginning of the year, I left Matrix Design Group to embark on a new aspect of my career in urban planning: academics. I now teaching full-time at the College of Architecture and Planning in the Master of Urban and Regional Planning program. The Student Chapter of APA is an important organization I’m committed to helping. Their mission: “to promote the involvement of student planners in local, regional, and national planning activities and to provide a mechanism through which students can interact with professionals, address common concerns, and receive support in their endeavors in the field of planning.” So, while I’m still very involved with Union Station Advocates, our DenverInfill tours of Union Station will now be supporting another worth group that is focused on improving our nation’s built environment. As always though, everyone is welcome to join us on the tour, whether you choose to make a donation or not.

I hope to see you this Saturday afternoon at 2:00 PM!