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Location: Denver, Colorado
Developers: Union Station Neighborhood Company (an equal partnership between East West Partners and Continuum Partners), Trammell Crow Company, and Union Station Alliance
Designers: AECOM; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; and Hargreaves Associates
Since its initial phases opened in 2014, the Union Transit Station project in Denver, Colorado, has succeeded as its stakeholders had envisioned, integrating disparate elements into a cohesive, inviting urban center. Some 19.5 acres (7.9 ha) of new office, retail, and residential development surround the newly renovated Union Station, where multiple modes of transportation converge at new bus, light rail, and passenger rail facilities—all of which are integrated with shops, restaurants, a boutique hotel, and inviting public spaces. By connecting the Denver metropolitan area with Colorado and the rest of the world through multiple modes of transportation, Denver Union Station has transformed a vacant neighborhood and created a global touchstone for large-scale, mixed-use projects.
The Denver Union Station redevelopment project has set new standards for sustainability, realizing the city’s vision for sustainable development via its Greenprint Denver plan. With strategic organization of the site’s multimodal transportation elements, the project provides a fully integrated network of transit connections and public spaces while catalyzing private development. The presence of several new transit modes and a transportation facility with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, along with a future LEED Neighborhood Development designation for the mixed-use neighborhood and individual LEED certifications for privately constructed buildings, creates a commendable sustainable development.