April 1, 2021 Economic Development

Never Standing Still: Development Continues in Downtown Denver

Over the past year, many of us have felt like life was put on hold. We’ve all missed out on big and little celebrations, special vacations, and thousands of everyday social interactions. Without these milestones, we are all having trouble keeping track of time. Was 2020 three years ago or yesterday? What month is it?

The DDP Economic Development team invites you to ground yourself in the concrete reality of new construction and development in downtown at our annual Development Forum next week on April 7 (side note – its April already?). At this event, we will take you on a virtual tour of the many impactful projects that have been recently completed or are coming soon. You will experience a combination of presentations, video tours, panel discussions, and more – this will not be your typical Zoom session.

The Development Forum will get you up to speed with everything new in our center city so you can plan your spring and summer urban adventures. If you have not spent as much time as usual in our downtown over the past year, seeing the substantial development progress will be even more exciting. With transformative projects like Market Station, Block 162, and McGregor Square all completing this spring, there is no shortage of new places to explore in Downtown Denver. For some inspiration, here is my 2-year-old son exploring the about-to-open McGregor square over the weekend!

Adding up new developments completed since 2018 and currently under construction in downtown yields impressive numbers – 45 total projects will add 1,794 hotel rooms, 6,765 residential units, and 2.9 million square feet of office space to our center city. You can learn more about each of these projects through the Partnership’s first ever interactive Development Map, which will be released at the Development Forum next week. Downtown Denver continues to be an attractive location for development and investment with strong population and economic growth. The foundation of Denver’s economic success over the past decade is that this is place where people want to live and do business. Looking forward, we must work to reduce and remove barriers to development to ensure we can be an affordable option for tomorrow’s new residents and businesses.

We have much to celebrate together as snowy March turns to sunny April, vaccinations are available to all, and Downtown Denver continues to evolve and grow. The Development Forum is always one of our most popular events of the year at DDP, and this year it carries more meaning than ever. Click here to see the 2021 Development Map. See you at our new downtown spaces over the next few months. ­­­

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Emily-Brett

Emily Brett

Director, Economic Development

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