Certainly, the past few years have been difficult for infill development, with the economy and financial markets struggling to recover from the recession. However, it appears that 2011 was the year that the local economy really started picking up. In fact, 2011 was a great year for progress in Downtown Denver, and 2012 promises to be downright boom-like.

In 2011, two trends were evident: 1.) Public-sector development and investment has been keeping Downtown Denver a very busy place; 2.) Central Denver is on the cusp of another major residential building boom.

1. In a way, you’d never know the local economy was still recovering from a recession by the amount of construction activity in Downtown Denver in 2011. Thanks to our knack for launching major public works projects just before or during real estate busts, Denver enjoyed a robust year of construction cranes and cone-zones due to public-sector investments in city, state, and federal facilities and infrastructure. In all four directions, Downtown Denver was busy with construction in 2011:

To the South: In Downtown Denver’s Civic Center area, construction on the state’s History Colorado Center and Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center were in full-swing in 2011. The feds launched the modernization of the Cesar Chavez Building, and the city was busy with tens of millions of dollars of Better Denver Bond investments in Civic Center Park restorations, City & County Building renovations, the new Denver Police Crime Lab building, and a bunch of street/bike/ped projects in and around Civic Center. Add in the Clyfford Still Museum, and the southern end of Downtown was one booming place!

To the East: The Denver Housing Authority continued to work on its Park Avenue redevelopment project in 2011, with the multi-block, multi-year effort nearing completion. Also, Arapahoe Square’s redevelopment is underway with the completion of Solera, the beginning of construction of 2020 Lawrence, and the completion of the Northeast Downtown Neighborhoods Plan. Broadway through Arapahoe Square was completely rebuilt, and East Colfax continued to see new infill projects and momentum towards a future streetcar line.

To the West: The Auraria Campus was undergoing a nice building boom of its own with the concurrent construction of two Metro State projects: the Hotel and Hospitality Learning Center and the Student Success Building. These two projects, along with the Auraria Science Building completed in 2010, are helping to create a more urban edge to Auraria’s boundary with Downtown. Other improvements on the west side of Downtown include the transformative 14th Street project, RTD’s West Corridor light rail construction, and the launch of Denver Housing Authority’s Lincoln Park redevelopment.

To the North: In case you haven’t heard, there’s a lot going on around Denver’s Union Station—about a half-billion-dollar’s worth of goings-on—and that’s not counting the private-sector development that is underway, like the DaVita HQ. A bit further north (or is it west?), Lower Highland continues to sizzle as Downtown’s hottest residential neighborhood. Rick is planning a special Union Station Update to recap that project’s accomplishments in 2011. Stay tuned…

2. We’re on the cusp of a MAJOR housing boom in central Denver, only this time it’s rental and not for-sale residential units that are leading the charge. We’ve reported during 2011 that a number of new residential projects were underway or proposed for the Downtown area, such as Highland Park, Manhattan Phase 2, Prospect on Central, 2020 Lawrence, 19th & Little Raven, 1560 Boulder, 20th & Chestnut, 17th & Chestnut, and 19th & Logan. These are all great projects and evidence of economic recovery and the continued confidence in our urban core.

Here’s the thing: this is just the beginning. In the past few months, for every project I’ve reported on DenverInfill, there are about three to four projects that I haven’t reported. I haven’t mentioned them because they represent projects that are only rumored or otherwise unsubstantiated, or projects that have been revealed to me in confidence. Nevertheless, I have on my project-tracking list about 20 multi-family rental projects within a mile-or-so radius of Downtown that haven’t been reported on this blog. As is always the case with real estate development, a few will happen, many will not. But even if only half of these unannounced projects make it out of the ground in 2012, Downtown Denver will have several thousand housing units under construction in 2012. Is that too much? Well, the rental vacancy rate is as low as it’s been in a decade, and urban core areas continue to have strong appeal throughout the nation, so we’ll see. Nevertheless, I suggest you get ready for a very busy 2012 for central Denver infill development. I’ll wait until our 2012 Retrospective to say that the “Boom is Back,” but this is a heads-up that it may be.

We live in a fantastic city, with an urban core that features an amazing mix of 19th Century homes and storefronts, 20th Century buildings of every imaginable shape, size, and style, and a significant infusion of new 21st Century developments that are filling the gaps in our urban fabric that resulted from tragic decisions that nearly destroyed our downtown area in an effort to make life as easy as possible for people driving cars. As we shed that automobile-centric perspective and shift toward emphasizing pedestrians, bicycles, and transit, Downtown will only get better. We saw that transformation advance in 2011 and it will continue to gain steam in 2012.

2011 was a very good year for central Denver. I’m confident 2012 will be even better.

AMLI Residential, a national apartment developer headquartered in Chicago with a local office in Greenwood Village, is planning a 5-story apartment project for the corner of 19th and Little Raven next to the Railyard Dogs dog park, with construction likely to begin in 2012. Here’s a GoogleEarth view of the area, with the site outlined in yellow. Across 19th Street is where the Manhattan Phase 2 project is under construction.

The development will include 242 rental apartment units and 344 parking spaces. A leasing office and fitness center will anchor the corner at 19th and Little Raven. The residents’ lobby entrance is located mid-block along Little Raven, and the parking garage entry is on 19th Street near the corner of the dog park.

AMLI Riverfront was approved by the Denver Planning Board in October, contingent upon some minor revisions to the building elevations facing the dog park and the railroad tracks. The following images were obtained from the project’s submittal package to the city. First, the site plan:

The project architect is Paul T. Bergner Architects. Here’s a rendering of the project looking at the 19th and Little Raven corner (please note that these renderings do not necessarily represent the final design):

And here’s one looking at 20th and Little Raven:

AMLI Riverfront is another significant step forward for completing the Riverfront Park master plan. It also means more people on Downtown Denver’s streets and in Downtown’s parks and plazas. More people in Downtown also improves the basis for more and better retail. And, given the project’s proximity to Union Station, it also means more people riding transit. Yay!

Covering most of the block bounded by Chestnut Place, 20th Street, Wewatta Street, and 19th Street in the redevelopment area west of Union Station, the project will feature 55,000 square feet of retail (most of which will be a full-service national-chain grocer) and 312 rental apartments. Our last profile on the project was in April 2011, and since then the project has received its approvals from the city and is preparing for the start of construction.

Courtesy of the Nichols Partnership and the Mulhern Group, here are the latest and final renderings for the project. First, an axonometric view looking south at the corner of 20th and Chestnut:

Here’s a closer view of the same corner at 20th & Chestnut, with 20th Street on the left and Chestnut on the right:

Next, a perspective looking east at the corner of 19th & Chestnut, with Chestnut on the left and 19th Street on the right:

Finally, here’s a view looking north from near 19th and Wewatta, with 19th Street on the left. The grassy area on the right is the remaining portion of the block along Wewatta that will be developed in the future as a mid-rise tower:

Of course, the presence of the grocery store component of the project is big news for Downtown, but this development is also important for the way that it will begin to close in the gap between Riverfront Park and LoDo, as well as help connect the Prospect district with the Union Station area. It will be the first project to get underway in the area immediately west of Union Station and north of 16th Street, but it certainly won’t be the last. We’re on the cusp of a once-in-a-lifetime building boom around Union Station.

The Nichols Partnership’s 20th & Chestnut project will open in December, 2013.

The Residences at 19th & Logan is a market-rate rental apartment project that will occupy the entire block bounded by E. 19th Avenue on the north, Pennsylvania Street on the east, E. 18th Avenue on the south, and Logan Street on the west. Currently a surface parking lot, the site was the home of the Machebeuf High School gymnasium when that institution was located in Uptown. In 2005, RedPeak purchased the property and began making plans to develop the site into a mixed-use retail and apartment project, but the financial crash hit before the project could get underway. Now, with the improving economy and the hot rental market in Denver, RedPeak is ready to develop the property. You can see the full-block parking lot site here on the Uptown page aerial photo at the original DenverInfill website.

The project will include approximately 300 apartment units in four buildings, named after four of Denver’s urban parks (Washington, Benedict, Congress, and Commons). The buildings will range from four to five stories in height and sit above two levels of underground parking containing approximately 400 parking spaces. About 9,000 square feet of ground-floor retail will face 19th Avenue. Landscaped plazas and common areas will fill the gaps between the buildings.

Here’s a rendering, courtesy of Davis Partnership Architects, of the center of the 19th Avenue side with The Congress (left) and The Benedict (right) and the plaza entrance in between (click and expand to embiggen):

This is a view of The Congress at the project’s northeast corner, with Pennsylvania Street on the left and 19th Avenue on the right:

Finally, here’s a view of the southeast corner showing The Commons, with 18th Avenue on the left and Pennsylvania Street on the right:

The good folks at RedPeak and Davis Partnership tell me they are finalizing the project’s site plan and building designs, so I’ll probably have some additional project images and details to share with you in another month or two. Construction will begin Spring 2012. The two buildings along 19th Avenue (Benedict and Congress) will be completed first, opening Summer/Fall 2013, followed by The Commons and The Washington a few months later. The project team is aiming for LEED-Silver certification.

This project is fantastic news for Downtown Denver. East 19th Avenue will become an even more viable local retail street and a full city block of ugly surface parking goes away. In fact, given this project’s proximity to Uptown Square, Park Avenue Lofts, Tower on the Park, and the many other recent infill projects nearby, it wouldn’t surprise me if this RedPeak development pushes Uptown past the tipping point, causing a rush to develop the nearby vacant parcels and elevating Uptown into one of Denver’s most desirable, walkable, and livable urban districts.

Can you imagine a parking-lot-free Uptown? I can, and this project is getting us there.

For those of you that haven’t had the opportunity to drive through Governors’ Park lately, you may not have noticed that a new apartment project is underway. Within the past few months, Forum Real Estate Group has moved ahead with preparations for development on a vacant site at 6th Avenue and Logan Street. After fencing was raised around the site and signage was placed to market the new venture, the first signs of progress are visible. They appear to be preparing the grounds to begin construction of The Logan, a five-story boutique apartment building.

As Rory Seeber pointed out in a story covering the development in Life on Capitol Hill, the $9.9 million development will include 57 units and will include an underground parking structure to accommodate 51 parking spaces. Especially exciting about this project is not only that it will infill a vacant lot, but it is also one of the first developments the neighborhood has seen in two decades.

(Rendering source: www.forumre.com)

According to the marketing website for The Logan, completion is expected by Summer 2012. For more information regarding leasing or additional information, check out www.thelogandenver.com.

For further details, see the following links:

http://www.lifeoncaphill.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2518&Itemid=6

http://www.forumre.com/properties/under-development/the-logan.html

~~~

Derek Berardi is a resident in Downtown Denver. He graduated in 2009 from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Planning/Design. Derek has worked with Calthorpe Associates in Berkeley, CA, Perkins Eastman in New York City, and has worked for several government municipalities. At DenverInfill, Derek’s writing will cover the topics of infill and adaptive reuse.

Meanwhile, keep checking this blog for Rick’s regular Union Station updates and other goings-on in the Downtown development scene… and enjoy the holidays!

The Colorado district council of the Urban Land Institute held a major event this past week, Denver’s first Transit-Oriented Marketplace. My thanks to Kathleen McCormick with Fountainhead Communications in Boulder for providing DenverInfill with this recap of the event:

Report from ULI TOD Marketplace

The mood was upbeat among the more than 350 people who attended ULI Colorado’s TOD Marketplace at the Embassy Suites Downtown, where we heard from some of the nation’s most experienced finance, development, and transit experts about creative solutions for transit-oriented development. Over the course of the day, we learned about the successes of recent TOD projects and innovations in financing, housing, parking, public-private partnerships, and other components that could pave the way for more development around stations in our region’s expanding public transit system.

ULI Colorado Chair Chris Achenbach opened the program with Phil Washington, general manager of the Regional Transportation District (RTD), who discussed the roll-out of the FasTracks expansion of 57 new commuter and light rail stations, a new transit development policy, and pilot programs to encourage development around transit stations. Keynote speaker Steven Goldin, director of real estate for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the nation’s second-largest transit system, said transit-oriented development is complicated, and we need to simplify the message for the public to “ideas that resonate like jobs, mobility, and growth.” Another keynoter Emerick Corsi, President of Forest City Enterprises Real Estate Asset Services, the nation’s largest TOD developer, advised us to “embrace the city and neighborhood next door” by looking at development plans holistically and branding stations to create individual identify within the vision for the whole network.

I’d like to have been at all the concurrent sessions—TOD housing, parking, and demographics, and the TAP presentations on Lakewood, Denver, and Aurora—but I chose to focus on learning about innovative financing, urbanizing the suburbs, and joint development with public-private partnerships, and I came away with some great ideas.

Over drinks and appetizers in the ballroom, we checked out Great Sites Trading Floor, with exhibit materials on over 40 TOD sites at play in the region, and applauded fellow ULI members who won raffle prizes like Bronco tickets and registration to the ULI Fall Meeting next October in… Denver.

Kudos to the local and national speakers, event chairs Denise Balkas and Peter Kenney, the TOD program committee, all the volunteers, and our ULI Colorado staff.

– Kathleen McCormick, Fountainhead Communications, Boulder

Here’s how it works: Head on down to the LoDo side of the historic station at 17th & Wynkoop at about 9:50 AM. Whoever shows up, that will be our tour group. We’ll start promptly at 10:00 AM and conclude around 11:00 AM at the new light rail station by the Millennium Bridge. The suggested donation for the tour is $10 per person and all proceeds go to the non-profitUnion Station Advocates, but you’re welcome to attend regardless of what you can donate.

This is your chance to get a detailed overview of the project’s major components: the public spaces, the transit/transportation facilities, the new private-sector development, and the reuse of the historic structure.

See you Saturday morning!

The ULI-Colorado TOD Marketplace is a full-day conference of national and local speakers, workshops and a Great Sites Trading Floor that will be held at the Embassy Suites in downtown Denver (14th & Stout) on November 17, 2011, from 7:30 am – 6 pm.

The TOD Marketplace breaks into four program sections:

• National speakers including Emerick Corsi of Forest City Enterprises and Steven Goldin of Washington Metro, the two most successful and prolific TOD developers in the U.S.
• Panels featuring national and local experts on innovative finance, parking, redevelopment, housing, and public-private partnerships,
• Workshops on key sites including Lakewood Federal Center and Five Points
• A Great Sites Trading Floor where 30 developers present data and opportunities on the region’s best development sites within a half-mile of transit.

Title sponsors are RTD, Forest City Enterprises, and Snell & Wilmer. Other major sponsors include AECOM, Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, (EDC), Xcel, G.K. Baum, Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA), Arvada Urban Renewal Authority (AURA), Beck, Urban Land Conservancy, Medici, IBI Group, Saunders Construction, First Bank, PCL, and the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA).

Registration is open to members and non-members. For a lot more detail on the conference and registration information, please visit the event’s page at the ULI website here.

Have a great weekend!