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MARCH 2015 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \ 67
R eaching a new destination often requires
new ways of doing things. That was the
case for Depot Square at Boulder Junction, a
$55 million transit-oriented development lo-
cated at the gateway to downtown Boulder.
It wasn’t easy.
“It’s probably the most complex project I’ve ever been
a part of,” said Jeff Pedersen of SEH, who served as the
architect of record for the 400,000-square-foot project,
led by Pedersen Development Group.
Complex is an understatement. The infill develop-
ment includes a diverse mix of office and retail spaces,
a public plaza, LEED Silver-certified affordable housing, a
boutique Hyatt hotel, a fully renovated 125-year-old histor-
ic train depot and an underground bus rapid transit sta-
tion with a 400-car parking structure above it.
Coming together after years of perseverance, and only after the merger
of uncommon partnerships, the timing for a TOD like Depot Square is
just right.
Perfect Timing
Demographics are shifting across America. Many young people are
foregoing the suburban preferences of their parents and choosing to live
and work in cities.
This trend toward urban living, hand in hand with the growth and
popularity of more sustainable public transit, is causing transit-oriented
initiatives and developments to sprout up all over the world.
Not just in major urban areas like New York City, Mexico City or Tokyo,
either. To the list, add Austin, Texas, Oakland, California, Seattle, St. Paul,
Minnesota, and – when construction wraps up in May – Boulder.
In Boulder, drivers along Pearl Street have watched buildings rise up of
out of the ground over the past two years, but the development itself has
been a long time coming.
Developing a Vision
In the mid-1990s, the Regional Transportation District was stuck.
RTD officials needed to increase parking facilities for a Park & Ride. But
at the time, their available option involved constructing an additional
parking structure along U.S. 36, a highway that serves as a major gateway
to the city.
Two parking structures at the entrance to the city? Not an ideal wel-
come statement to visitors entering Boulder. So RTD teamed with the city
of Boulder to find a more suitable location for their Park & Ride – a loca-
tion within the city.
In 2003, RTD and the city of Boulder found what they needed at the
Mike Reisenauer
Marketing
Communi-
cations
Specialist,
SEH