Union Station, Denver photo © Flickr/drljohnson

Denver Union Station (DUS), and the 20 acres surrounding it, is waiting to be transformed into a multi-modal (meaning including many modes of transportation) transportation hub as part of FasTracks. The redevelopment will maintain the current historic DUS building and add to it a pedestrian and bike-friendly urban center, which includes housing, office space, shops, restaurants, outdoor plazas, and even a hotel. It will be the connecting point for light rail, commuter rail, and intercity rail, as well as for local, regional, and inter-city buses.

The DUS redevelopment is the perfect setting for a model transit-oriented development (TOD) in downtown Denver. TOD is the creation of compact, walkable communities centered around public transit, where residents can meet their daily needs without depending on automobiles. TOD is a key smart growth strategy because it locates people closer to urban centers, in livable communities where they don’t need to drive everywhere they go. This adds up to less greenhouse gas emissions and less air pollution for everyone.

CEC has worked for a couple of years as part of a diverse coalition of conservation, faith-based, labor and community organizations to ensure that the DUS redevelopment project provides benefits to the whole community, since it is being built largely with public money. The coalition has worked to ensure that the redevelopment provides family-supporting jobs with good wages and benefits, affordable housing, environmental sustainability, and opportunities for local businesses. As part of this coalition, CEC has been part of a team negotiating with the private developer and public partners over these issues.

The development team and the coalition have reached agreement on the following issues: small business, environmental sustainability, jobs, and living wages.  The developer has agreed to set aside a number of storefronts for use by small, local businesses. Additionally, the developer has agreed to build new buildings on the site to certified green building standards, as well as developed a "Sustainability Master Plan" to govern construction and operation of the site. This Plan will promote transportation alternatives, sustainable urban design, energy reduction, water conservation, and the use of new technologies. This means the DUS redevelopment will use significantly less resources, both in construction and operation, and provide a healthier environment, both indoors and out.

The prime contractor on the site has agreed to an on the site job training program that will provide training for disadvantaged workers and set up apprenticeship programs. The coalition has also secured a promise that service workers who will be working onsite (such as janitors, parking attendants, window washers and security guards) will be paid prevailing living wages.

The coalition, the development team and the Denver City Council continue to discuss the issue of the provision of affordable housing units among the residential units on the site, as well as what concrete measures the developer will take to ensure that people who use the site are incentivized to use public transit rather than driving their own vehicles.

CEC will continue to be part of these discussions as construction on the site starts. The start of construction is waiting for an important federal grant.

For more information on the Denver Union Station redevelopment project, click here.