{"id":349,"date":"2025-05-29T12:00:36","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T12:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/existing-provider.com\/?p=349"},"modified":"2025-05-30T10:28:50","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T10:28:50","slug":"16th-street-safety-is-the-key-to-downtown-denvers-rebound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/existing-provider.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/29\/16th-street-safety-is-the-key-to-downtown-denvers-rebound\/","title":{"rendered":"16th Street safety is the key to downtown Denver\u2019s rebound"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the battle for Downtown Denver’s future, victory or defeat could hinge on convincing people it is safe to visit, work and live in the area, and key to that will be restoring the vibrancy of 16th Street (“mall” was recently dropped from its name), which is wrapping up a three-year renovation.<\/p>\n

Surveys of why people avoid downtown center on a lack of a sense of safety, and city officials and the Downtown Denver Partnership<\/a> have made restoring it a priority.<\/p>\n

READ THE FULL PROJECT:<\/strong> At a crossroads: Downtown Denver is waiting for its rebound<\/a><\/p>\n

“No matter how cheap rent is or how green a building is, it alone won\u2019t drive activity or interest,” said Greg Bante, an executive managing director in Denver for Savills, a London-based commercial real estate brokerage firm.<\/p>\n

Whether a client wants a small or large amount of space, the first word out of their mouths is “safety,” said Bante, who has focused much of his career on downtown since 1995, helping large employers like Encana and Chipotle secure leases.<\/p>\n

A lack of safety turns downtown’s strengths into weaknesses and will derail any recovery. Downtown is the metro region’s transit hub, with transportation connections that should provide a huge competitive advantage. But that advantage is lost if people feel they will be harassed getting to<\/a> or after arriving at Union Station, which transit workers described in 2021 as a “lawless hellhole.<\/a>”<\/p>\n

Likewise, the bars and restaurants won’t be as big a draw if people feel they need to rush to get home while there is still safety in numbers. And an abundance of office space, even if it is discounted, won’t compensate for workers who would prefer the quiet of their home office to having random strangers shout at them, aggressively panhandle for money or try to sell them drugs.<\/p>\n

“The city has a real opportunity right now to get this right,” Bante said, adding that he is encouraged by the steps that Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration is taking, chief among them finding housing for 2,000 people living without shelter. That has nearly eliminated encampments in central Denver. And RTD has made big strides in securing Union Station.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the next important stuff for us is public safety, as there was still a perception that downtown was not safe, and that was critically important. We’ve made some really good progress so far,” Johnston said.<\/p>\n

Drug crimes are down 55%, the murder rate is down 17%, and shootings are down 23%, he said. Although the statistics are moving in the right direction, one high-profile incident can set perceptions back, and that is what happened in January.<\/p>\n

Elijah Caudill, 24, was charged with first-degree murder in a series of random knife attacks<\/a> on 16th Street that killed two people and wounded two over a two-day period. Among the dead — Celinda Levno, a 71-year-old flight attendant with American Airlines and Phoenix resident visiting the mall during a layover and Nicholas Burkett, a 34-year-old who had struggled with drug addiction and a lack of housing.<\/p>\n

In April, Johnston announced the deployment of a dedicated 10-officer unit to patrol 16th Street<\/a> on foot, bicycles and motorcycles. A new DPD Downtown Kiosk at 16th and Arapahoe streets will allow for a quicker response. And a tourist favorite is coming back — the city’s horse-mounted patrol unit.<\/p>\n

\"Mayor
Mayor Mike Johnston speaks during a press conference on 16th Street in Denver on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Additionally, the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District is adding three additional shifts of Park Ranger patrols and the Downtown Development Authority is paying for an additional 10 police officers to patrol during the day. New Denver District Attorney John Walsh has pledged to prioritize safety downtown and apply data-driven crime reduction strategies. The city is upgrading infrastructure, improving cleanliness and adding more trees and greenery throughout to create a more welcoming environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, downtown is the emotional heart, the economic heart, and the cultural heart of a city. It’s what tells the story of who you are,\u201d Johnston said.<\/p>\n

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Click to enlarge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beyond public safety, Johnston moved to lower two obstacles and make real estate investors feel safer taking a risk on revitalization efforts.<\/p>\n

The city has slowed down the implementation of Energize Denver, a plan passed in 2021 to reduce carbon emissions from larger buildings of 50,000 square feet or more. Downtown has the highest concentration of such large buildings in the state. Compliance deadlines have been pushed back<\/a> from 2025 to 2028 and from 2030 to 2032. Fines for non-compliance have been cut in half. Building owners facing financial hardships, as many now do, can request extensions and obtain more time to replace systems.<\/p>\n

“Energize Denver is right-minded, but with bad timing,” said Jeffrey Friedman, a partner in the Denver office of Hall Estill specializing in real estate law.<\/p>\n

Upgrades will benefit the environment, improve the interior air quality and boost the long-term value of buildings, Friedman said. But for an owner who isn’t collecting enough rent to make the mortgage, requiring a new HVAC system is a big ask.<\/p>\n

What is more likely to happen is that the cost of Energize Denver and other city initiatives will get worked into discounts on the final sales price of buildings as they switch ownership.<\/p>\n

Johnston, like mayors before him, wants faster approval times for building permits and site plans, which can take two years or more to clear. Delays add to costs. He is offering a 180-day maximum approval timeline<\/a> when permits and site plans are submitted together, backed up with fee refunds of up to $10,000 if the deadline isn’t met.<\/p>\n

Projects will be assigned “champions” to help navigate the city process and improve the odds of an approval. Faster approvals, while not limited to downtown, should improve the economics of fixing up older buildings or constructing newer ones. The more active downtown buildings become, the more people there will be circulating on the streets.<\/p>\n

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A man panhandles while pedestrians walk on 16th Street in Denver on May 13, 2025. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson\/The Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Denver’s Yellow Brick Road<\/h4>\n

If downtown is the heart of Denver, then 16th Street is the spine of downtown, the corridor on which it either stands tall or slouches over. Since April 2022, that spine has undergone surgery, leaving downtown retailers reeling and visitors hesitant to drop by.<\/p>\n

Completing the $175.4 million renovation can’t come soon enough for those who make a living along the corridor or who simply want to enjoy their time downtown. For downtown to get its flow back, the backhoes and construction equipment need to go, which should happen around Labor Day weekend.<\/p>\n

Architects I.M. Pei, Henry Cobb and Laurie Olin designed the conversion of what had been a car-congested street into one of the country’s longest pedestrian corridors, linking two new transit hubs, the Broadway Station and the Market Street Station.<\/p>\n

The corridor was branded as the 16th Street Mall and designed to compete with suburban development, a place to shop, dine, lounge around or walk to work. It became a place to hang out for locals and a destination for tourists.<\/p>\n

The pavers contained a pattern modeled after the back of a rattlesnake and over time, they came to bite pedestrians. Some of the pavers shifted and turned into tripping hazards. When it rained or snowed, slick surfaces turned them into slipping hazards, especially for anyone wearing dress shoes.<\/p>\n

By 2016, heavy wear and tear had taken its toll, and the pandemic, which cut foot traffic by 90%, left the corridor deserted.<\/p>\n

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For Lease signs can be found throughout the downtown area in Denver, as seen here on May 13, 2025. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson\/The Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the spring of 2022, the city, in partnership with RTD, the Downtown Denver Partnership and the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District, began reconstructing the mall to improve safety and mobility, address deteriorating infrastructure and create more opportunities for residents, workers and visitors.<\/p>\n

The renovation, set to wrap up by late fall, is a year behind schedule and $25 million over budget. Unexpected finds, including a brick tunnel, while digging 20 feet down for utility installations on the western blocks near Market Street caused delays, said Ryan Schmidt, vice president and district manager for PCL Construction\u2019s Denver office.<\/p>\n

Trying to preserve access for retailers along the mall also delayed progress. But a long list of businesses ended up closing their doors anyway. They include Colorado\u2019s only Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo, Panera, Mellow Mushroom, Hard Rock Cafe, Banana Republic, Sephora, McDonald’s, TJ Maxx, Ana’s Norwegian Bakeri, Jason\u2019s Deli, Sofia\u2019s Roman Pizza and more.<\/p>\n