Yesterday, we announced that a flagship Whole Foods was coming to Union Station on the ground floor of 17W, a new development by Holland Partner Group. To continue on the good news trend, we have an updated rendering of 17W, courtesy of Inside Real Estate News.
The design of 17W is now sleek and glassy! We, here at DenverInfill, are very excited for this project to break ground!
Much better… even by such a slight level of adjustment.
Holy crap! That’s beautiful.
as usual, no mention of the architect. Who is it? Nice building. Denver could use more like this.
I believe the architect is Davis Partnership.
No, not “as usual.” We give credit to the architect every single time if we know it. That’s our policy. In this case, Ryan obtained the rendering from InsideRealEstateNews.com and they don’t mention the architect in the article nor do they credit the image. We’ve since learned it is Davis Partnership and we’re in contact with them to obtain additional renderings.
I’m happy to vouch for this as I am likely to click on the architect’s link that’s provided. They might not be repeated in all the updates but typically the updates refer back to the into link which includes the renderings and architectural info. I know because I use this stuff.
Seems unlikely that pool area will get many hours of direct sunlight.
At least it is facing southwest rather than the north.
Did they add a floor also?
Now I don’t like it. Too much glass in that area already, plus I had loved the corner balconies.
A very nice addition to the Union Station neighborhood. But I agree with MichEl, the corner balconies were better, bring them back!
Unfortunately can’t bring the corner balconies back, there is a view corridor along 17th Street that doesn’t allow anything to protrude into the right-away above a certain height.
This is a great project, more people in the area, fills in part of the pedestrian experience between the Prospect neighborhood and the Union Station neighborhood and you top it off with a Whole Foods grocer. I do wish that they would differentiate the architecture on the three towers so it seems less like a super block complex and more a series of buildings in a neighborhood. Maybe this will play out in their design refinement or from different design perspectives.
couldn’t agree more.
I agree. Or at least a little variance in height would help. (Although I assume it is being built to the maximum allowable height.)
It’s amazing that the neighborhood will see such a huge influx of residences/people from one development. This is exactly what this location needs!
Love to see Denver add so many residential units downtown, but any idea how many of them are affordable, low-income, deed-restricted, etc.? I’m just curious how active Denver is making downtown living possible for various income groups.
Of all the residential developments surrounding Union Station, only one has an affordable housing component. So, probably < 5% (maybe 60 units) of the residences that have gone in the area are for people in the bottom four quintiles. That might change once some for-sale housing starts going up, but it's not going to improve dramatically.
Downtown certainly isn't for everyone.
Paul… I would agree but our “DC contributor” would suggest that as the decades pass some of the now, new residential housing will become more affordable.
It’s also fair to point out that DHA with cooperation from others has done a rally nice job with the redevelopment of the old Village East area into affordable housing as well as the ongoing Mariposa/South Lincoln redevelopment. Always need moar money for more affordable housing though.
Affordable housing is a travesty. It burdens all homebuyers with higher prices to offset subsidies. It creates permanent blight because there is no reason in the future for a resident or homeowner to re-invest in their property since cannot enjoy appreciation. It’s very often mismanaged to the point where units sit unoccupied or goes to someone who doesn’t need (i.e. a retiree with assets but no income).
Jason, you are, I believe, commenting on how affordable housing is being put into practice. Yes, there are are problems, such as you cite, but these problems, then, need to be fixed. What remains, however, is a need for affordable housing. What is a travesty is poor housing and homelessness. These are problems of society, and they require attention and support from all of society.
There’s nothing like a grocery store to bring pedestrians. This project will mean that the 17th Street Promenade will be busy with people from early in the morning until late at night (I would expect the store hours to be 7:00 to 11:00, given the location–they close earlier in the suburbs). Add outside tables and chairs, and this will be a lively plaza indeed.
Beautiful building and a dramatic improvement on the balconies being in the center and nestled into the building. These are the kinds of balconies that get used. Not the ones that project out from the buildings.
…that is assuming that the balconies are deep enough.
“honey, let’s not use the balcony….it projects out from the building”…huh?
The problem that I have observed with the projecting balconies is that most people do not feel comfortable on them because they are open on three sides. If you observe the behavior of most people in open or public spaces, they tend to like to sit in corners or on the edges of the spaces. Subconsciously, they want to feel protected. They also don’t necessarily want to sit on their balcony and look at their neighbor, they wan’t privacy. That is why when you look at the open balconies they rarely have a lived in look. They are frequently empty and / or used for bike storage. However, when you look at enclosed balconies, they always seemed to be lived in.
I think it looks good. One of the few that can compete with Cherry Creek North. I too wish that the three separate towers would have each their own look. Overall, I think the design is a step up from the previous renderings.
Glad to see a grocery store going in. With the few remaining parcels in Union Station, does anyone agree that a theatre is needed?!
Art films.
A movie theatre? The pavillions is just down the street. I’ve never seen a movie theatre integrated into a residential development. It takes up a ton space for one, and it attracts teens loitering and being obnoxious (I dont say that in a mean way-it’s the perception even though its not always the truth) which is probably not conducive to renting high end apartments. If it was a standalone, it wouldn’t be a dense enough use of that very expensive dirt.
The theatre complex is awesome and also close by too for live theatre and I think Denver has done an excellent job with that district.
Dear God we need an update on something!! 😉