In present day Downtown Denver, there is one thing that is hurting our urban core: parking lots. They are all over the place creating an inconsistency in our urban fabric. But, there is good news! The ‘parkinglotification‘, as Ken likes to put it, is starting to disappear. Today we will be covering most of the sites that are in pre-development status or are going to begin within the year (hopefully). It’s always nice to visualize what is going to soon be built on these lots. Sit back and enjoy the ‘soon to be’ tour of some great developments. (As always, click the pictures to embiggen and the links for project details)
First, we will start with ‘One City Block‘. It does in fact take up an entire city block. Having this parking lot gone is a major start for the continued development of Uptown.
2300 Walnut is another project that is taking up an entire block and it looks like basic utility work has begun. Great sign of progress with this development!
I have always hated the fact there was an ugly dirt lot directly across Coors Field. Broadstone Blake Street is going to fix this eyesore of a problem.
Parking lots in front of a mass transit hub like Union Station are never okay. Luckily the South Wing (Left) and North Wing (Right) buildings are taking up those lots. Notice, a crane base has been set for the North Wing building!
Next up we have 16 Wewatta which is on a more pleasing eyesore level, and Cadence / 1601 Wewatta. GE Johnson has their trailers out on the site of Cadence, another hopeful sign of progress.
Continuing down the path of the upcoming Union Station neighborhood, you have 16 Chestnut (Left) and Alta City House (Right).
A quick skip away, there are the Delgany Apartments (Left). A fence has been put up around the lot, another good sign of progress. Then you have 20th and Chestnut (right) which is approaching groundbreaking.
Last but not least, the AMLI Riverfront project which is making a huge leap forward to helping complete the Riverfront Park master plan.
I cannot wait until I can start making updates of these projects individually when they all kick off. Just on this tour alone I covered 12 lots that are planned to be filled. This doesn’t include the developments that are in progress which have already relieved an ugly parking lot of its active duty. We are on the verge of a boom which is great news for our city.
I’m very thankful that we have a developer like David Zucker in this city! Way to go on another groundbreaking!
Great to see all the empty lots turning into offices and apartments but I’m a little disappointed that there isn’t some green space (parks) included in the mix. When I add up all the new apartments and offices I think we could use a little more common space and something more than wider sidewalks!
Mark, I don’t think that’s a big problem honestly. One Block will only be one block away from Benedict Fountain Park. The projects in Riverfront are not far from one of the best parks in downtown, Commons Park. And, anything near Union Station will benefit from plazas, the station itself and the 17th street gardens!
The only ones that are green space challenged would be 2300 Walnut and 2120 Blake…but theyre only a quick bike ride away from Commons and just a short walk away from Skyline Park with it’s cool water features.
true those are 8 prominent lots of that will definitely improve and the city will be better off for it. For a follow up post I’d be curious to hear your next 8 most viable lots that you feel would most greatly benefit the city if developed. Here are mine:
20th and Wazee
18th and Market
21st and Market
15th and Champa
15th and Glenarm
15th and Arapahoe
19th and Lincoln
18th and Curtis
Thanks for all your hard work! I love your blog and check it daily. Thank you so much
Well; there is still obviously no shortage of surface lots downtown but there has been a sizable improvement in the problem in recent years. Hopefully there will be much more eradication of the problem in the next several years.
I say that 8 of those 12 lots are under construction by the end of the year and have cranes on-site. That’s not even including the construction of the trian shed itself. The whole Union Station, Riverfront and Ballpark area is going to look like Dubai during the mid aughts.
Yes thank you for the great update! Can’t wait to see these projects under construction. A little disappointed though that the Alta City House is only four stories considering its location. Other than that its all terrific news that these lots are going away.
Is there any information about the sizable vacant lot on the southwest corner of Colfax and Osage where the Colfax viaduct has its start/terminus ? I thought I remembered reading some time back the lot was a brownfield with lots of money required to prepare it for development, but something was in the works. This would be an ideal location for a Walmart, Target, Kohls, or other retailer; a grocer like Safeway or a smaller chain; a project related to the Auraria Center for Higher Learning; or most favorably a TOD with housing and commercial to take advantage of the new RTD Fastracks West Line opening in 10-11 months. It will be interesting to see if some development does eventuate in the next few years.
Jack, rumor has it that the apartment project that was planned for that site pre-recession is coming back.
Any info on the digging happening across S. Broadway from the Gates factory?
Thanks!
That is an apartment development being done by Prospect, the same developer building the RiNo Center. A few details can be found here: http://www.denver-cityscape.com/index-2.html