Page 8B—
COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL
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June 1-June 14, 2016
Downtown Denver Partnership
D
owntown Denver
is known for a
high quality of life,
diverse outdoor activities,
and a highly educated and
active community. A mile-long
pedestrian promenade serves
as the heart of Downtown
and is lined with outdoor
cafes and stores that serve a
downtown workforce of more
than 123,000. After enjoying
a meal or happy hour special,
downtown workers, residents
and visitors can walk to a game
at one of three professional
sports stadiums, stroll through
a restored historic Lower
Downtown (LoDo) district,
visit a collections of museums,
or shop in one of Downtown’s
shopping districts.
Downtown Denver
Development
Over the past 20 years,
there has been an incredible
amount of investment in
downtown. Catalytic projects
include the construction
of Coors Field and Pepsi
Center, two expansions of
the Colorado Convention
Center, the completion of the
1,100-room Hyatt Regency
Convention Center hotel, the
renovation and expansion
of the Denver Art Museum,
and the completion of the
Museum of Contemporary
Art Denver and the Clyfford
Still Museum. Going forward,
the redevelopment of Denver
Union Station will serve as an
anchor and complement an
increasingly more pedestrian-
friendly environment that
will infuse Downtown with
continued public and private
investment.
Downtown is currently
experiencing a development
boom with more than 2.7
million square feet of office
space and several residential
projects planned or under
construction. Various
developments include
1144 Fifteenth Street, The
Confluence, 1401 Lawrence
and SkyHouse Denver.
Downtown’s multifamily
residential market is also
booming with 1,900 units
completed in 2015 and another
4,500 under construction
or planned. Several projects
throughout downtown’s city-
center neighborhoods are in
varying stages of development
that will continue its evolution
into a vibrant 24/7 community.
Denver is ranked as the
No. 1 place to live in the
country with its amenities,
highly educated population,
transportation options and
attractive urban center.
Colorado ranks as the seventh-
most educated metro area in
the country with its percentage
of the population that have a
bachelor’s degree or higher.
In the midst of downtown lies
the Auraria Higher Education
Center, home to the University
of Colorado at Denver,
Metropolitan State University
and Community College of
Denver, with a combined
enrollment of more than
54,000 students.
Downtown Denver Tourism
In addition to the increasing
number of residents, office
workers, and students, tourism
is bringing an increasing
number of visitors to the
Downtown area with over
15 million people traveling
to Downtown each year.
Those visitors ranked the
16th Street Mall as the No. 1
tourist destination in Denver.
Denver continues to gain in
popularity as a convention
and meeting destination.
Tourism and convention
activity is expected to continue
increasing and is significantly
bolstered by conventions such
as the SnowSports Industries
America (SIA) Snow Show,
which recently signed an
11-year commitment, the largest
convention booking in Denver’s
history, bringing 19,000
attendees to downtown Denver
each year over the next decade.
Downtown Denver as a
Model for Transit
In 2004, voters approved
FasTracks, a multibillion-
dollar comprehensive transit
expansion plan to build 122
miles of new commuter rail
and light rail, 18 miles of bus
rapid transit service, 21,000
new parking spaces at light-rail
and bus stations, and enhance
bus service for easy, convenient
bus/rail connections across
the Rocky Mountain region.
The hub for this multimodal
system is the redeveloped
Denver Union Station, which
opened to the public in 2015.
The first component of the
plan, the 12.1-mile West
Line, opened in 2013. The
University of Colorado A Line
opened in April and provides
a commuter rail connection to
Denver International Airport.
Three more line will open in
2016, enhancing connections
to surrounding communities.
Currently more than 32,000
people get on and off at
downtown light-rail stations
each weekday and total weekday
ridership on the entire light-
rail system is averaging 68,000
passenger trips per weekday.
A Look Ahead
Currently, Downtown has a
population of 75,972 residents
that live throughout its 15
city-center neighborhoods. By
the year 2021, it is projected
that the residential population
will grow by 13 percent and
increase to 83,817. By 2027, the
workforce is projected to add
an additional 35,000 jobs. The
Downtown Denver Partnership
is dedicated to telling the
story of downtown Denver’s
growth and development and
to ensuring that this vitality and
vibrancy continues for years to
come. For more information on
Downtown Denver, please visit
Brian Phetteplace
Senior Manager of Economic
Development, Downtown Denver
Partnership
