Plans Unveiled for $98-Million Mixed-Use Development Near Denver Union Station
Denver-based developer Continuum Partners, one of the master developers of Union Station, is planning a high-profile, mixed-use development that will be a key piece of Denver’s new Union Station neighborhood.
The project, located at 16th and Wewatta streets, will include a boutique Kimpton Hotel, an office building with retail and a 100-space underground public parking complex. The $98-million project is anticipated to break ground in June and be complete in November 2015.
“We are thrilled to announce plans for this project. Its location places it in the epicenter of activity, just steps from the Union Station train platform. It will be the first thing visitors see when they step off the train in Denver,” said Mark Falcone, CEO and founder of Continuum Partners. “This is part of our continuing effort as the master developers of Union Station, and we are eager to bring it to life.”
Next door to the office building will be a 12-story, 150,000-sq-ft boutique hotel, operated by Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant Group. The 12-story hotel will have 200 rooms and 8,300 sq ft of meeting space and will feature both a street-level outdoor patio and a rooftop patio as well as two restaurants with podium-level outdoor space. Views from the hotel will look out over downtown Denver and the new Union Station canopy.
The project’s office building, located at 1881 16th St., will be a five-story building of about 53,000 sq ft with three retail spaces (17,000 sq ft) on the ground floor. Continuum Partners plans to relocate its offices to one floor of the building. The other floors have 12,000-sq-ft floor plates, making the layout ideal for smaller, boutique users interested in occupying an entire floor with many offices. Continuum is actively leasing the new building now.
Continuum has selected Denver’s Semple Brown Design and Dallas-based BOKA Powell as architect-of-record. The project expects to earn LEED-Gold certification.
“The opportunity to develop a fresh, new brand for Continuum Partners and the Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant Group—with rooms that will overlook Denver Union Station Transit Center’s commuter rail transit platform canopy directly below—has made this mixed-use project one of the most exciting in years,” said Sarah Semple Brown, co-founder and principal of Denver-based Semple Brown Design. “As the lead designers (working in association with BOKA Powell), our task is to realize our client’s vision and deliver a unique, urban oasis to the Union Station neighborhood development—a destination for world travelers and locals alike."
“This will be a unique office building in a neighborhood that is being completely transformed,” said Falcone. “With a 16th Street address and a direct connection to the airport with the completion of the FasTracks [airport line] in 2016, you really couldn’t ask for a better location.”
Underneath the office building and hotel, Continuum Partners will be working with Denver Urban Renewal Authority to fulfill a significant need for downtown public parking with a 100-space parking structure.
