From roughly the 1950s through the 1980s, when Downtown Denver’s skyline blossomed with skyscrapers, many property owners on the periphery of the Central Business District cleared their land of buildings to provide parking for all those new office workers and to have a “clean site” to entice developers to buy their land for the next high-rise project. This phenomenon occurred in the Golden Triangle, Uptown, Arapahoe Square, and Ballpark districts, leaving us with a four- to five-block wide “no man’s land” zone of surface parking lots separating Downtown from these adjacent urban neighborhoods. These rips in our city’s urban fabric are still evident today, but we have made great strides over the past two decades in knitting back together our city center districts with Downtown.
One area where that progress is quite obvious is along Market/Walnut Street through the Ballpark district, where 2300 Walnut by Mill Creek Residential Trust is ready to begin construction. Recent infill projects such as 2101 Market, Premier Lofts, 24 Walnut, and Ballpark Lofts have significantly helped transform the blocks along Market (which becomes Walnut Street past Park Avenue) from a sea of asphalt to a vibrant mixed-use corridor. But there was one big gap remaining: the full city block parking lot bounded by Park Avenue, Walnut, 24th Street, and Larimer. Now, thanks to Mill Creek’s 2300 Walnut project, that big hole in the urban fabric will be repaired. Here’s a GoogleEarth aerial where I’ve marked the project location (for all images, click/zoom to embiggen):
2300 Walnut is a 5-story, 310-unit apartment building wrapped around a 446-space parking garage. Here’s an axonometric perspective of the 24th/Larimer corner looking west back towards Lower Downtown:
The project features a multi-hued brick facade with an interior courtyard, a swimming pool and fitness center, and leasing office. Thanks to Scott Johnson and Marie McClellan at Mill Creek, here are two high-resolution project renderings. These are views of the Park Avenue/Walnut corner and the Walnut Street side of the project:
Mill Creek Residential Trust just closed on the property, so now they are ready to get the project underway. Utility relocations and other site work should begin soon, with full project construction by this summer. If all goes as planned, 2300 Walnut will open late 2013/early 2014.
Wow! What an upgrade from the original renderings. This has me excited and somewhat hopeful that somebody has taken the time to add some interesting architectural elements and materials. With all the new development, I wish more developers would think about the way all these new developments will affect the overall look and feel of the city. This seems to be a step in the right direction!
Awesome! So glad to see that this lot, and the entire one at that, is being infilled with more residential! And I agree with Derek that this looks – looks being the key word – like a quality project.
Wonder if all of this development will encourage Greyhound to sell its property in the area too. Speaking of which, any word on that? Is greyhound thinking of moving its maintenance property as well as the bus station?
I read on another post about this project that there would be no retail.Is this true?If so I can’t believe there would’nt be at least a few spaces for retail.
I love the brickwork. Finally, something a little different.
If it’s true about the retail, that’s a real drag. But not as bad as the proposed building right across Blake from Coors field. That one definitely has no retail and that is such a shame.
I know it’s a little late for this now, but it woulda been nice if there was something in the zoning code that demanded at least a small retail parcel in a development that occupies an entire city block.
Not every project should require retail. For example, there are still open spaces for rent in Ballpark Lofts and Premier Lofts. Additionally, the Deans Urban Market closed right across the street because there probably weren’t enough customers to support it. Retail is great to bring pedestrian activity but it has to be well thought it and fit the demographic. I think it’s fine that this project will be built without a retail component.
I agree. I recall walking through Manhattan and noticing that there were streets without much retail but with lots of housing above. Those streets were much more pleasant to walk along because they were quieter and had less cars and restaurant smells. While there were a lot less people, there were still enough people because the block over would have the retail that folks were walking to.
I agree, Larry. Not every building should have ground-floor retail. There’s simply not the demand for that much retail, plus, as you point out, retail brings with it a different character to the street. We should be strategic in where we want retail, and require it on the ground floor of new projects on those streets, but not force retail on the developers on all the other streets.
Without knowing the exact zoning or neighborhood plan, it appears that Larimer between 20th and Park Ave is fitting the bill as the retail corridor. I’d even go a step further and say that forced retail in this development would be detrimental to what is organically happening in the neighborhood.
This really bodes well for this section of town. Not only does it bring an exta 400 – 500 residents who will bring a hefty economic impact to local stores and restaurants, but makes the next developmental prospect that much less risky. I’m sure others will quickly follow.
LOVE the brickwork….original, classy touch with the color-bands on their…really like it overall.
While i agree with the retail philosophy emerging in the comments, especially that retail needs to be focused on certain corridors (e.g. main streets…) – one side of this building FRONTS on one of denver’s most important retail streets, Larimer Street. It would serve them well to have at least a few spots for retail fronting Larimer…but who knows, maybe the spaces on that side have a flexible design that could be live-work, or eventually all-work if the market demands it.
good stuff..and a whole block at once!
This is going to be one extremely nice-looking development for Ballpark, no doubt about it. Great brickwork, love the varied color scheme! I agree with most of the others that retail is no big deal for this development. If anything, the lack of retail here might just make it easier for other vacant spaces in nearby complexes to finally become full!
Any news or speculation on the big eyesore of a vacant lot in northeast LODO, along Blake Street between 20th and 21st, across from the ballpark ? Next to the block-long notorious stabbing lot between 18th and 19th on the west side of Market, this is the lot with greatest need of getting developed as soon as possible. What are your top 20 lots that need to be developed in the downtown area posthaste ?
Actually, I may have something for you on that quite soon…
Hey Ken, to what are you referring from Jack’s post above? A potential proposal at 20th and Blake, a potential proposal at 18th & Market, or a blog post about the 20 lots that are most in need of development?
WAHOO!! I noticed this fenced off the other day and now the lot is all starting to get broken up. They sure moved on this lot QUICK from the sounds of it! Love to hear that my neighborhood is going to be adding an additional 476 units between this project and the one on Blake next to Coors field.
The one thing I refuse to believe, however, is that there aren’t enough people already in the neighboorhood (let alone after these projects are finished) to support a grocery store the size that Dean’s Urban Market was. I blame that on BAD management/advertising. If people on an urban site like this didn’t even realize that there was a grocery store in this area (a food desert, no less) than no wonder they were failing as a business. Not to mention, they were extremely “smart” in spending 6 months to rennovate the space only to close up shop 6 months later right as baseball season started. Baseball is the LIFEBLOOD of the local economy and they were smart enough to decide that 40k people walking around 81 days a year wasn’t what they were looking for to help support their business. Smart. Oh well.
I wish it was a whole foods instead. This area really needs more than just rentals
This is great development. I use to park in the lot until the owner decided to raise prices just for the baseball season. Mind you, I love baseball, but a hiking proces from two dollars a day to twenty just to profit from baseball is insane. Having moved here from Chicago, I’m happy to see Downtown Denver finally getting it. BTW, the purposed Safeway at 20th & Chestnut will be a huge plus for those area. With Deans missing the boat by a year or so, a large chain grocer will be welcomes.