Living City Block LoDo
Our vision for the Wynkoop alley in 2012
The Living City Block pilot project is located entirely within the Lower Downtown Historic District, featuring buildings constructed in the early 20th century and embodying many of the best features of Denver’s historic building stock – heavy masonry walls, deep large windows, high ceilings, and open floor plans. Because the block is located in the Lower Downtown Historic District, we have the opportunity to work with the historic preservation community and Lower Downtown Design Review Board to demonstrate that energy efficiency investments can be compatible with historic building character.
Located between 15th and 16th and Wynkoop and Wazee/Blake alley, this block and a half was chosen because it incorporates a variety of programming including office, retail, restaurant, low-income housing, and high-end housing uses in multiple buildings. Very few other blocks offer the visibility, opportunity, range of ownership types, and uses, all contained in historic buildings at various stages of reinvestment. This situation will allow us to pilot, monitor, and report on multiple approaches to energy and resource efficiency. Participating building owners are providing commitment letters stating that they will indeed invest in deep retrofits of their buildings given the compelling business case that we will prove exists.
Just as Lower Downtown Denver was revitalized twenty some years ago by urban pioneers, LoDo will once again be at the cutting edge of a new urban paradigm. Our team will be driving a regenerative approach to urban redevelopment. Numerous cities across the country have recently reinvested in their downtown districts and the economic impacts are already prevalent. Tax bases increase, occupancy rates go up, and businesses are attracted to downtown – all benefiting the city in compounding fashion. We seek to take it to the next level. Through the intervention of our team, owners will see lower operating costs, higher occupancy rates, and improved valuation of their assets. Tenants will see higher productivity and lower absenteeism. Residents will see lower health care costs, increased property values and reduced operating costs. In short, the overall all economic and human value of the Living City Block community will be substantially increased.
By using the geographic framework of the Living City Block, our team will create mechanisms of scale efficiency and purchasing power, both mitigating risk exposure and increasing profit potentials. We are working with the block’s building owners, tenants, and residents to prioritize, coordinate, and facilitate deep energy efficiency retrofits while exploring all renewable options, from rooftop solar and wind to geo-thermal to be shared by all the buildings on the block. We will also serve as a catalyst, coordinator, designer, and clearinghouse for financing sources and instruments (tax credits, debt/equity, conventional or alternative, etc) that can be used on this project. Over the next several years, our team will also address the additional inputs/outputs of water, waste, food, materials, people and business, as energy efficiency and renewables are just the first piece of the much larger “system” that comprises the Living City Block’s work.
 Our vision for Wazee Street in 2012 |
 Our vision for Wazee Street in 2016 |
 Our vision for Wynkoop Street in 2016 |