Folks keep talking about the great changes that are happening downtown. New restaurants, entertainment venues, and businesses are opening every day and there are more choices than ever for our future SPIRE residents to enjoy. It’s no accident. A great deal of planning and design is underway to enhance the heart of our downtown. One of those efforts is moving from the planning stage to the action stage this summer as construction begins on the 14th street initiative plan.

The 14th Street Initiative is part of the $14 million large scale improvement project surrounding SPIRE’s great location in the already bustling Theater District. How are things getting even better? Here are some highlights..

…sidewalks will be expanded, encouraging outdoor seating and ground floor shopping and dining uses that will bolster the experience one has when walking down the street. Key elements include the addition of about 200 trees, as well as new flower planters, better “wayfinding” signage, crosswalk bulb-outs, improved pedestrian lighting, decorative street corner monuments, bike racks and enhanced maintenance. A dedicated bicycle lane will be added in the street and on-street parking will be retained.

14th Street is becoming known as the “Ambassador Street” due to the diversity of visitor-oriented uses found along this corridor, including the Colorado Convention Center, the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the Hyatt Regency at Colorado Convention Center, and four other new or recently-constructed hotels. Altogether, $1.5 billion in public and private investments have been made along the corridor since 2002. The new streetscaping project will build on these investments to strengthen this new identity. The district covers the entire the 12 block length between Market Street and Colfax Avenue and extends approximately one-half block on either side of 14th Street.

Watching the design and plan for these improvements was wonderful, but the real excitement is in knowing it will become a reality with construction starting this summer. Those outdoor seating venues and streetscape changes are part of creating an incredible pedestrian experience and providing space for restaurants and other venues to create more places for downtown residents to enjoy meals, conversation and laughter. These are gathering places that provide the life and energy of a city and we are honored to have this project right outside SPIRE’s front door.

If you would like to learn more about what is happening in the heart of Downtown Denver and with SPIRE residences please contact our Sales Center at 720-457-7550 or schedule your own private tour of our 41 story addition to Denver’s skyline.  

 www.spiredenver.com