Social equity and major mixed-use projects are highlights of ULI Colorado’s 2021 IMPACT Awards

July 6, 2021

A distinguished jury has chosen 15 finalists in five categories in contention for a prestigious IMPACT Award from ULI Colorado. The projects honored range from the mixed-use redevelopment of a former hospital in central Denver to an energy-saving factory that employs 500 in a low-income Adams County neighborhood to supportive housing for homeless youth in Grand Junction.

Since 2013, the IMPACT Awards have highlighted ULI best practices in land use and real estate. Winners will be announced at the fifth ULI Colorado Impact Awards gala on Thursday, September 23 at Seawell Ballroom at Denver Center for the Performing Arts

In addition, the awards will honor two individuals; a Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement and Rising Star for Young Leader 35 and under. Previous Legacy Award winners have included Dana Crawford, John Shaw, Harry Frampton, and Susan Powers.

INNOVATION

A project that exemplifies innovation in land planning, finance, green tech, or another significant area. Sponsored by Redland.

Nominees:

Next to the tracks at Union Station, The Coloradan is a LEED Gold, 334-unit condominium (10 percent reserved as affordable) that features 22,000 square feet of curated retail and a robust civic art component. However its most innovation feature may be a 432-space parking garage that uses occupancy sensors and license plate readers to maintain efficient use of garage space.
Denver Water Operations Complex Redevelopment (OCR) ensures a continuous water supply to 1.5 million customers in Denver and its suburbs. Over nine years, the project team redeveloped a 36-acre site operated by Denver Water for 130+ years with new and rehabbed buildings that feature Net Zero energy performance and innovative water conservation and recycling.
TruStile Doors’ Headquarters and Denver Production Plant combines a 65,000-square-foot corporate headquarters with a 220,000 square-foot modern factory that provides 500 jobs in Adams County. The project remediated a 12.8-acre brownfield while combing solar arrays and a biomass boiler that slashes energy use by about half.

INFLUENCE

A project that has inspired imitation by demonstrating positive community impact and financial success. Sponsored by Brinkmann Constructors.

Nominees:

Laurel House, Grand Junction, provides supportive housing (0-30 percent AMI) with 34 apartments for youth exiting homelessness.
Vida @ Sloan’s Lake consists of a new 26,200 square-foot medical and senior activity center on the ground floor of a seven-story, mixed-use building with 175 homes for very low-income seniors and those with disabilities.
In Denver’s Cole neighborhood, Women’s Village at Clara Brown Commons offers a solution to the 5,800+ unhoused people in Metro Denver, including 940+ living on the streets, by creating the first Tiny Home Village for unhoused women.

INFILL

A project that exemplifies compact, walkable infill. Sponsored by Otten Johnson.

Nominees:

9th & Colorado (9+CO) is a 26-acre urban infill project at the site of the former University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. A highly walkable development, 9+CO complements and connects with surrounding residential neighborhoods, integrating open space and pedestrian amenities with 2 million square feet of mixed uses. 9+CO offers four acres of parks and plazas integrated with public art.
McGregor Square replaced a parking lot with a mixed-use entertainment/hotel/residential district and on one city block next to Coors Field.
Riverwalk Castle Rock. Replacing parking lots and sketchy uses with 230 apartments, 32,000 square feet of office, and 16,000 square feet of retail, Riverwalk has revitalized Castle Rock’s historic downtown that struggled since the recession.

INSPIRE

A horizontal project (e.g., transit, infrastructure, parks, public spaces, that catalyzes ULI best practices in land use and development. Sponsored by Trammell Crow Company.

Nominees:

City Park Golf Course Redesign. To resolve flood issues that damaged neighborhoods, the design-build team excavated and graded 389,000 cubic yards of dirt while rebuilding an updated 18-hole course. In the process the team preserved over 250 trees and planted 750 new trees; built a new LEED-certified clubhouse; and replaced vital 85-year-old underground civil infrastructure.
The Foundry Plaza. The Foundry has transformed Loveland’s historic downtown by revitalizing three city blocks with apartments, retail, dining, a hotel, and movie theater grouped around a dynamic central plaza programmed with free concerts, movie nights and more. The project will house up to 365 new residents downtown and draw up to 240,000 visitors a year.
South Downtown Revitalization, Colorado Springs. This project is transforming 82 blighted acres into a new gateway to downtown. New infrastructure artfully connects the $87 million U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum with America the Beautiful Park, greenways, and an emerging mixed-use neighborhood representing $150 million in investments.

INCLUSIVE

A public or private project that is inclusive of all people and works to provide equal opportunity to the diverse incomes, races, ethnicities, genders, and cultural heritage that abound in Colorado. New category sponsored by Vectra Bank Colorado.

Nominees:

Arroyo Village in Denver’s West Colfax area is the first Colorado project to encompass a continuum of housing for people experiencing housing instability. Under one roof, it includes a homeless shelter, permanent supportive housing, and affordable/workforce housing next to a renovated city park and light-rail station.
Raices Brewery, Denver. Raices is Denver’s first Latino-owned brewery operated out of a remodeled repair shop on a site that celebrates both Hispanic culture and the South Platte waterfront.
Located on historic West Colfax in Lakewood, Indy Street Flats blends old and new buildings to transform a disjointed site into 115 affordable homes for low-income families and seniors.

SELECTION PROCESS

The ULI Colorado awards committee is co-chaired by Tom Kooiman of Brinkmann Constructors and Becky Stone of OZ Architecture. Members are: John Blackshire, Transwestern; Brian Cohen, Taylor Kohrs; Sarah Komppa, Tryba Architects, Mike Pietschmann, Redland, Libby Rivers, and Jackie Sciarra, CreativDesign Studio.

Meet our 2021 jury:

Chris Waggett, D4 Urban (chair)
Nicole Ament, Brownstein Hyatt Farber & Schreck
Jordan Block, HDR, Inc.
Albus Brooks, Milender White
Jeff Handlin, Oread Capital
Virginia McAllister, Iron Horse Architects
Mark Tompkins, Strae Advisory Services

“The Impact Awards showcase the best work of Colorado’s developers, architects, builders and their teams to create great places,” says Ferd Belz, president of Fulenwider and ULI Colorado chair, 2021-23.

Increasingly focused on diverse and equitable outcomes, these examples will inspire others to improve our communities by creating the best possible projects. The nominees also demonstrate our community’s resilience in moving forward with best practices in land use during uncertain times.”

ULI Colorado’s fifth Impact Awards program attracted 33 entries in five categories from across the state. Our jury met in June and July to choose five winners, ranking the finalists and winners using strict scoring guidelines vetted by site visits. The winners will be a closely guarded secret until the awards gala on Thursday, September 23 at Seawell Ballroom, DCPA.