Rendering of the Coloradan as seen from the Union Station train platform provided by East West Partners.

Denver-based East West Partners along with Amstar Advisers have announced plans to development The Coloradan, a 342-unit condo project adjacent to Denver’s Union Station. This will become the first for-sale residential project in the Union Station neighborhood. The one-acre site where The Coloradan will be constructed is 1750 Wewatta Street. Construction is expected to begin on this $200 million project in the summer of 2016 with completion slated for 2018. 

“We are very excited to partner with East West Partners on a luxury condominium development in the heart of downtown Denver. For over 25 years, Amstar and East West have witnessed the growth of this impressive city; that continued growth, coupled with supply-­‐side factors, create an excellent opportunity for condo development,” said Amstar Advisers Managing Director Kim Sperry.

East West Partners has served as the master developer of the Union Station redevelopment. In October, East West Partners announced plans to develop 16 Chestnut, a 250 foot-tall office building to be constructed in Denver’s Union Station neighborhood. The 19-story building will include 420,000 square feet of space.

The Coloradan represents the last property in the Union Station neighborhood to be announced.

“Since opening in 2014, Union Station has quickly become the new heart of downtown Denver, and The Coloradan will be at the heart of Union Station, making it the most exciting new downtown living opportunity in the city,” said Chris Frampton, managing partner of East West Partners. “We are proud of everything we’ve built in Denver and Union Station, but The Coloradan may end up being our crown jewel.”

RTD has recently announced that the University of Colorado A Line that will provide commuter rail service between Denver Union Station and Denver International Airport will begin service on April 22, 2016.

The price of the homes will range between $250,000 to $3 million. The Coloradan will also feature 19,000 square feet of retail space. A parking garage will be incorporated into the property and will total 492 parking spaces. Additional amenities will include a rooftop pool and deck, a fitness room, and a club room.

Ten percent of the condos will be affordable housing units via the the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance of 2014.

“This is a major win for affordable home ownership opportunities right in the heart of Lower Downtown,” said Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock. “The scale and location of The Coloradan is simply amazing, and we commend the development team for choosing to meet their affordability requirements on-­‐site at such a premier location. This helps to shape a stronger Denver, providing our hard-­‐working residents the opportunity to take advantage of all that our urban center has to offer.”

GE Johnson is serving as the general contractor and GBD Architects is the firm that designed the Coloradan.

The gravel lot on the left side of the photos is where The Coloradan will take shape.

The post The Coloradan announced appeared first on Denver Urban Review.

Gensler is the Architecture firm that designed 16 Chestnut.

Rendering of 16 Chestnut courtesy Davita.

Construction of 16 Chestnut will take place adjacent to Denver’s Millennium Bridge at 16th Street and Chestnut Place. The cost of construction for 16 Chestnut is estimated at $190 million.

Davita’s world headquarters are located in Denver across the street from what will become 16 Chestnut at 2000 Chestnut. Davita will remain in its current building and is leasing space at 16 Chestnut to expand its operations in Denver.

“DaVita believed in our vision for the Union Station neighborhood long before it came to fruition. We are honored that they are entrusting us in making a second home for their teammates,” said Chris Frampton, Managing Partner at East West Partners.

Rendering of 16 Chestnut courtesy Davita.

As stated in today’s press release, 16 Chestnut is expected to break ground in July of 2016. The rest of the leasable space in 16 Chestnut will hit the market in January 2016.

Rendering of 16 Chestnut courtesy Davita.

“When we moved to Denver, we knew we would commit to the city, to the state and to the community,” said Kent Thiry, Chairman and CEO of DaVita Healthcare Partners. “Today’s announcement of another DaVita building downtown, developed with East West Partners and Starwood Capital Group, cements that commitment.”

16 Chestnut is aiming for LEED Platinum certification.

“We are excited about the opportunity to continue to invest in Denver and reaffirm our commitment to East West Partners’ vision for the Union Station neighborhood,” said Dan Schwaegler, Senior Vice President in the Asset Management Group at Starwood Capital Group. “This neighborhood has become the destination of choice for Fortune 500 companies in Denver, and our third building in the area will only contribute to this trend.”

The post 16 Chestnut announced with Davita as anchor appeared first on Denver Urban Review.

Rendering of 1709 Chestnut courtesy Shorenstein.

Rendering of 1709 Chestnut courtesy Shorenstein.

Rendering of 1709 Chestnut courtesy Shorenstein.

Shorenstein Company has officially announced plans to move forward with 1709 Chestnut, a development in Denver’s Union Station neighborhood that will feature a 24-story building and a 12-story building. 1709 Chestnut is slated to break ground in 2016.

Between these two structures 500 apartment units and 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space will be constructed. The residences will be offered in one and two bedroom options. Structured parking will be incorporated into 1709 Chestnut totaling 500 spaces.

Shorenstein is a real estate investment company with offices in San Francisco and New York City.

Meg Spriggs, managing director of the Multifamily Investments Group of Shorenstein Properties explains, “We’re excited to move ahead with 1709 Chestnut, which features a design inspired by the look and feel of Denver’s LoDo neighborhood.  The project’s location in one of the most exciting new urban mixed use neighborhoods in the country and its close proximity to numerous public transit options gives us great hope it will be well received when we deliver the completed development in 2018.”

Denver-based Shears Adkins Rockmore is the architecture firm that designed this development.

1709 Chestnut will take shape a block and half from the train platform at Union Station. A commuter rail line is slated to open in 2016 that will provide service between Denver International Airport and Union Station. Currently trains are being tested on the line.  Pivot Denver, a 13-story residential project that will feature a Whole Foods is currently under construction on the lot directly to the southeast of 1709 Chestnut. A King Soopers grocery store opened about a month ago nearby at 19th and Chestnut.

Below is a photo of the 1709 Chestnut site. It is currently an empty lot with a chain link fence surrounding the perimeter.

Site of 1709 Chestnut. DUR 2015.

The post Developer: “excited to move ahead with 1709 Chestnut” appeared first on Denver Urban Review.

Alta City house DUR.

Alta City House, a 280-unit apartment community in Denver’s Union Station neighborhood is now officially complete. The project cost $62 million to develop and took shape at 1801 Chestnut Place. The units are now 78 percent leased.

This project was developed by Wood Partners, LLC., East West Partners, and USAA Real Estate Company. Wood Partners will manage this apartment community.

“Alta City House is a high-profile project just west of Union Station, at the hub of the Denver metro area’s light rail system,” said Tim McEntee, director for Wood Partners’ Rocky Mountains region. “Overall, we’re very pleased with how well it has been received. It’s an exciting, high-profile project, and we really amped up the amenities.”

Alta City House has received a LEED Gold ranking from the U.S. Green Building Council. The five-story structure houses one, two, and three bedroom units that range in size between 645 square feet to over 1,300 square feet for the three bedroom units. Prices range from $1,710 to $3,600 a month. A parking structure was incorporated into this development and creates a ration of 1.4 parking spaces per unit.

This development is located two blocks from the Union Station train platform that will provide connecting rail service to much of the Denver metro area. In 2016 a commuter rail line to Denver International Airport will open.

The community will feature a wine locker, two-story fitness center, and a rooftop deck that will provide views of Coors Field

Paul T. Bergner Associates is the architecture firm that designed Alta City House.

The post Alta City House 78 percent leased appeared first on Denver Urban Review.

In June it was announced that two new tenants in Hogan Lovells LLP and the Colorado Athletic Club would be calling 1601 Wewatta home.

The 1601 Wewatta development was designed by HOK and contains a total of 283,000 square feet of office space and 17,000 square feet of ground floor retail space. Below grade, this development will provide parking for 400 vehicles.  This project was developed as a joint venture between Hines, Jordon Prelmutter & Co., and J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Hines is also developing the 40-story 1144 Fifteenth Street project. 1601 Wewatta is LEED Gold pre-certified.

Below are some photos of this new addition to Denver:

The post A final look at 1601 Wewatta appeared first on Denver Urban Review.

Rendering of Peña Station courtesy DIA.

Denver International Airport (DIA) and the Regional Transportation District (RTD) have announced that a sixth station will be added to RTD’s East Line adjacent to a planned 400-acre transit oriented development.

RTD’s East Line is a 22.8 mile commuter rail line that is slated to open in 2016. This line will connect Denver’s Union Station with DIA. The original plans for the East Line did not include this sixth station that will be located at 61st and Peña Boulevard.

Travel time from Union Station to DIA was originally slated to be 35 minutes. With this station at 61st, the estimated travel time is now 37 minutes. The commuter trains will travel at a top speed of 79 mph.

“This new station provides a convenient access point into RTD’s regional rail system for commuters and other riders from the growing northeast metro area,” said David Genova, RTD’s interim general manager and CEO. “This improvement would not have been possible without our long-term partnership with Denver, its airport team and the landowners, who worked together to create an asset that will significantly benefit the region.”

Exterior view of the RTD Commuter Rail Car at Denver’s Union Station.

The transit oriented development that is planned to be developed adjacent to this new East Line station has been named “Peña Station.” This master planned mixed-use development is slated to include commercial, multi-family residential, hotel, healthcare and retail components.

The first ground-up construction at Peña Station will be the 112,000 square-foot headquarters facility for Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company.

“This rail stop, anchored by the Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company headquarters facility, will create a unique smart sustainable transit-oriented development which will set the stage for the next generation of transit-oriented developments in North America,” said Cal Fulenwider, President of L.C. Fulenwider Inc.

Rendering of Peña Station courtesy RTD.

The planning of new East Line station and Peña Station has been a joint venture between four property owners, including DIA and L.C. Fulenwider, Inc. They also agreed to an overall finance plan to fund all of the initial infrastructure. Fulenwider will serve as lead developer for Peña Station.

“The transit oriented development at Peña Boulevard Station validates the Mayor’s vision of an Aerotropolis: the airport serving as a catalyst for regional economic development around its perimeter,” said airport CEO Kim Day. “Airports around the world are increasingly using development opportunities to enhance the economic benefits to their airports and their communities and while many are ahead of us, we are now well on our way.”

Construction of the Panasonic facility is expected to begin this October and the East Line is slated to begin service in the spring of 2016 with the Peña Boulevard station being operational at that time.

The post New East Line station with transit oriented development appeared first on Denver Urban Review.

Construction has been underway on Pivot Denver for about 5 months now. This development will feature 580 apartment units and a 56,000 square foot Whole Foods Market will occupy the ground floor and will have a second floor balcony that will have a view of Union Station. A celebration of construction was held this afternoon at the Pivot Denver site.

Below is a rendering that shows the new name of this development courtesy Holland Partner Group. Davis Partnership Architects designed this project.

“As new apartment buildings rise throughout the Denver metro area, it’s critical to be able to provide services and amenities that not only accommodate apartment residents, but will also meet the needs of the surrounding community,” said Peter Petricca of Holland Partner Group. “We believe the addition of Whole Foods Market to our development builds upon the quality of life downtown and is a game-changer for the City of Denver. We’re excited by Whole Foods’ commitment to build a store, which mirrors our commitment to build a premier living environment for individuals seeking a dynamic urban lifestyle.”

Pivot Denver July 2015 DUR.

Pivot Denver is slated to be completed in April of 2018. It will include one level of underground parking, three levels of above grade parking, and three 10-story apartment towers that will site above the parking structure. In total this project will have 13 floors that are above grade. An amenity deck with a pool will also sit about atop the parking structure. 100 spaces in the parking structure will be reserved for customers of the Whole Foods Market.

“We’re thrilled to push culinary boundaries with this store,” said Heather Larrabee, executive marketing coordinator, Whole Foods Market Rocky Mountain Region. “We’re excited to become a destination for people to dine and lounge downtown and will offer a beautiful second-floor balcony overlooking Union Station, along with an incredible array of fast-casual breakfast, lunch and dinner options for busy downtown professionals.”

For more additional renderings take a look Denver Urban Review’s first article on this project: click here.

Pivot Denver July 2015 DUR.

The post New name for 17th & Wewatta project: Pivot Denver appeared first on Denver Urban Review.

DUR 2015.

Denver Union Station has won the Best Development in Commercial Property Executives (CPE) 2015 Distinguished Achievement Award. After years of redevelopment efforts, The Great Hall at Union Station is now very active with a mix of restaurants and shops. The upper floors of the historic station now serve as the Crawford Hotel. The hotel is named after well known preservationist Dana Crawford who spearheaded the efforts that saved Larimer Square.

Trammell Crow Company served as the owner’s acting representative in the entity comprised of key public and private stakeholders known as the Denver Union Station Project Authority. 

This award is presented to a project that encompasses good teamwork, innovation, benefits the surrounding community, and illustrates sound business and financial decision making.

“We are thrilled for Denver Union Station to be recognized by fellow industry leaders and peers,” said Trammell Crow Company’s Denver Business Unit Senior Managing Director Bill Mosher. “The project’s success is due to the creation of a design-build team, familiar with working on complex intermodal projects and dedicated to delivering a world-class project to the Denver community. The deal included an adaptive and innovative funding process, sustainable design efforts, and compound partnerships with the City and County of Denver, regional and state transportation, and several private developers.”

In addition to the redevelopment of the historic Great Hall is the creation of a transit hub at DUS. A new train platform has been constructed that will serve Amtrak as well as RTD trains.

Exterior view of the RTD Commuter Rail Car at Denver Union Station DUR. 

Beginning in 2016 RTD’s East Line will open. This commuter rail line will provide access from DUS to Denver International Airport (DIA) on trains that will travel up to 79 miles per hour. Trains will cover the 22.8 mile distance between DUS and DIA in 35 minutes.

Also included in the new transit hub is a 22-gate underground bus concourse. The bus concourse was designed with skylights and bright yellow tile to make the subterranean space more inviting to travelers.

Denver Union Station in 1941. Photograph courtesy Denver Public Library.

Back in Denver’s early days the Transcontinental Railroad bypassed Denver when builders elected to construct the railroad through Wyoming. They felt the smaller mountains would be easier to negotiate than building the railroad over the larger mountains of Colorado. The nearest railroad station was in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Denver’s business leaders recognized that for Denver to grow it was critically important to have a rail connection to the rest of the nation. To that end, Denver’s business leaders raised enough money to build a rail spur from Denver to Cheyenne and in 1881 the Great Hall at DUS opened.

Passenger rail travel dramatically decreased during the second half of the 20th century as air and highway travel became more popular. During that chapter DUS became a quiet place. However, through the tremendous efforts of public and private groups, today Denver Union Station is once again alive and back on track.

The post DUS wins 2015 Distinguished Achievement Award appeared first on Denver Urban Review.

Rendering of the interior of Honor Society Handcrafted Eatery. Courtesy Rowland Broughton.

This morning it was announced that Honor Society Handcrafted Eatery will be opening its first restaurant at 1900 16th Street in Denver’s Union Station Neighborhood. The space leased is 3,300 square feet and Honor Society is set to open this summer.

The interior of the restaurant was designed by Colorado-based Rowland Broughton architecture firm. Rowland Broughton has offices in Denver and Aspen.

Four partners have created this restaurant: Jonas Tempel, Rob Alvarado, Ian Smith and Justin Brunson.

“Honor Society is based on the idea that great food has the power to unite people and provide a path to a healthier lifestyle,” said Temple. “It’s our humble belief that a productive life starts with your food and your food choices.”

The concept of the restaurant is to serve healthy, high-quality food in a fast casual setting. Honor society will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“What excites me most about this project is the brand’s higher purpose of improving lives,” Alvarado said. “For our guests, we have the opportunity to positively affect eating habits by offering high-quality, healthful and craveable food and beverages at a great value. However, our reach will extend well beyond the four walls of the restaurant as we are committed to investing in improving the lives of our co-workers and communities.”

The tallest building (middle) in this photo is 1900 16th St. DUR spring 2015.

1900 16th Street is a 17-story 400,000 square foot office building that stands near Denver’s Millennium Bridge. The building was completed at the height of the recession in 2009. Today, 16,000 square feet of leasable office space is available. It currently stands as the tallest office building in the Central Platte Valley. CBRE has managed the leasing of this building. When 1900 16th Street opened it added 8,700 square feet of leasable ground floor retail space to Denver’s Union Station neighborhood. 

The post New restaurant coming to 1900 16th St. appeared first on Denver Urban Review.

That being said, the first project on our June construction tour is the Country Club Towers. Prep work at this site has been taking place for the last few months, but now construction is taking place in earnest. This project will include two 30-story residential towers. The Broe Group is developing this project just west of Downing Street and on the south side of Speer Boulevard.

The Speer Boulevard Apartments are featured in the below photo at Speer Boulevard and Grant Street. This residential project has one more floor to go before it tops out at 6 stories.

The base for a construction crane has been installed at the site of the 7|S Denver Haus apartments.  Once completed this project will include 115 apartment units.

Also under construction in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood is MOTO apartment project at 8th and Sherman Street.

Pictured above is the 8th Avenue and Broadway apartment project. The exterior finishes are now beginning to be applied.

Below are two pictures of the Joule apartment project that is under construction in Denver’s Golden Triangle neighborhood at Speer Boulevard and Cherokee Street. This development is seeking LEED certification.

As the midday sun was reaching its peak in the sky, the clouds began to thicken. I proceeded north where I snapped a picture of the dual brand Hyatt House/Hyatt Place Hotel. Exterior work on this project is nearing completion. This 21-story hotel is slated to open this fall.

Here is a most exciting addition to the construction update, the 40-story 1144 Fifteen Street skyscraper. Denver Urban Review published the new renderings of this project and to see all 5 renderings, take a look at Friday’s article.

Image courtesy Hines.

The construction fence is now up at the 1144 Fifteenth Street site. Construction will begin in earnest in the coming days.

At Fourteenth and Lawrence of course is the 22-story 1401 Lawrence office project that is under construction in downtown Denver.

Below is a picture of the Denver Chalk Art Festival that was taking place in and around Larimer Square. Not exactly construction related, but for sure one of Denver’s great annual events. Unfortunately just a few minutes after I walked through the festival the weather quickly changed moods and a tropical downpour began. Not sure if the artists use some kind of special chalk, because it looked like the artwork was not ruined from the rain.

Looking down Wewatta towards 16th Street is the Triangle Building where the last phases of construction are taking place.

It was at this point that the downpour began and I scampered to the nearest coffee shop to keep the camera out of the rain. The clouds parted just as fast as they arrived and since I was in the area, I wanted to see how the Platte River and Cherry Creek were looking —I have never seen that much water in Confluence Park before

Anyways, getting back to the construction tour. The next project on our list is the 34-story Confluence luxury apartment project at 15th Street and Little Raven. Excavation work continues on this project.

Over in the Union Station neighborhood is 10-story 1601 Wewatta (above) office building that is being developed by Hines. Last week it was announced that two tenants have signed to lease space at 1601 Wewatta—Hogan Lovells LLP will lease office space and the Colorado Athletic Club will be opening a fitness center in the building.

Seen below is the construction site of the Kimpton Hotel. This project will also include a boutique office space.

Pictured below is the construction site of the 17W mixed use development that will feature a Whole Foods on the ground floor and 600 apartment units. The total height of this project is 13 floors.

Shown above is the Union Tower West construction site. This mixed-used development will showcase a boutique hotel as well as leasable office space contained within a 12-story building. Union Tower West will take shape at 18th and Wewatta.

Work is wrapping up on the Elan Union Station project at 19th Street and Chestnut Place. This project will feature a King Soopers on the Ground floor.

By the time I had made my way to LoDo to take a look at the progress of the Z Block project the clouds had returned. A great deal of excavation work has taken place at the Z block site in the last month. This project will feature a hotel managed by Sage Hospitality and 200,000 square feet of office space. Prologis recently announced that they will be leasing space in this building. Z Block is seeking LEED Gold certification.

Pictured below is the Alexan Uptown residential project at Logan and 19th Avenue. It will feature 372 apartment units in a 12-story building.

The sun came out for the last stop on our Denver construction update. The 26-story SkyHouse project has just begun to go vertical at 18th and Broadway.

I hope everyone has a good week and thank you for stopping by. There really is a ton of construction going on around Denver these days. The next few months will be exciting as several of these projects are moving from “hole in the ground stage” to going vertical.

Cheers,

Justin

P.S. below is a photo of the Denver skyline I captured from Diamond Hill last week when we had the full moon.

Denver Skyline from Diamond Hill. DUR June 2015.

The post Denver construction update: June appeared first on Denver Urban Review.