On June 2, 2022, the proposed 36-story, 139-home Bell Tower development received unanimous approval from the Lower Downtown Design Review Commission for Mass, Form, and Context—the first phase in the design review process in the Lower Downtown Denver Historic District. Ryan covered that in his post on June 3 and provided the latest project renderings at that time.

On October 6, 2022, the project will have its second phase review with the LDDRC for Design Details, which includes things such as materials, color, windows, entrances, and other exterior elements. The city planning staff recommendation to the LDDRC for this second phase submittal is “conditional approval” with the condition being that the tower’s lighting details must be provided—a fairly minor issue that is unlikely to jeopardize the 375-foot project from moving forward. While the LDDRC members don’t always vote as recommended by the planning staff, they usually do, so this is a positive sign. The developer is Kairoi Residential, with GDA Architects and Norris Design on the project team.

The designers did make a few tweaks to the tower’s massing conditions since the project’s submittal in June, so here are some fresh renderings taken from the package submitted to the LDDRC for their October 6 meeting:

Even with approval from the LDDRC on October 6, the project still needs Site Development Plan approvals and must complete the Building Permit review and approval stage before construction can begin. Nevertheless, it appears we might be one step closer to eradicating an ugly surface parking lot from a prominent downtown location and replacing it with homes for people.

Project Description Developer Architect Most Recent Activity
36 Stories | 139 apt homes | 197 (v) parking Kairoi Residential GDA Architects Address Assignment (2022-07-19)