For immediate release: May 1, 2003

Congress of New Urbanism honors Design Workshop with Charter Award for Denver project

SAN FRANCISCO – Urban design and landscape architecture firm Design Workshop has been honored as one of 15 recipients of the 2003 Charter Awards from The Congress for New Urbanism (CNU) for a design that is transforming a former Denver rail yard into a mixed-used urban village. Officials will present the awards to this year’s winners, culled from among 180 entries from around the world, on June 21 at ceremonies in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the annual CNU conference.

The Charter Awards acknowledge how the best plans and projects respond to and integrate with their environment and, consequently, how they improve the human experience of blocks, neighborhoods and regions. New Urbanism is a design movement whose goal is to rein in urban sprawl and create walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods. The CNU was founded in 1993 and now has 2,300 members in 20 countries and 49 states.

Design Workshop led the planning and urban design process that envisioned the Riverfront/Commons neighborhood, which is taking the place of Denver’s former rail yard. After the failure of three previous plans for the 65-acre site, Design Workshop was hired in 1995 by the developer of the property, Trillium Corporation, and later by Central Platte Valley Metropolitan District. Design Workshop established a framework to support the vision it shared with the City and County of Denver, managing the entitlements process and zoning to accommodate a new set of uses for a site in need of toxic remediation but in a great position to capitalize on a revitalized downtown.

“This is how cities regenerate,” says lead designer Todd Johnson. “It’s a timeless concept that requires understanding the rhythm of redeveloping the urban core.”
The plan connects the site with the downtown grid and capitalizes on surrounding amenities such as light-rail service and two waterways, as well as proximity to several entertainment venues and a dynamic restaurant district. The firm designed and implemented public spaces and created urban design guidelines and architectural standards that include ground-floor retail and creative parking strategies to insure street vitality. Design Workshop currently chairs the Central Platte Valley Metropolitan District’s Design Review Board and coordinates construction of all public infrastructure.

The project sits at the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River, an important site for both the Ute and the Arapaho and the place the city of Denver was founded after gold was discovered in 1858. The railroad, which had to run along rivers to fuel its steam engines, reached the area in 1870, creating the city’s first boom but also separating it from the river. “This area fueled the downtown economy for decades,” says Jeff McMenimen, project manager for the Commons. “Now it’s fueling it in a new way.”

The scale and complexity of the Riverfront/Commons project required the committed support of city and county officials, an enlightened developer and intensive teamwork. Collaborators and co-consultants on the project are listed below.

Design Workshop is currently at work on two similar transformations of formerly industrial land to mixed-use communities: (1) the conversion of the 65-acre Las Vegas rail yard; and, (2) the redevelopment of the 50-acre former Gates Rubber Factory in Denver. In addition, as part of the firm’s 2003 Summer Internship Program, Design Workshop’s Tempe office will be hosting a 10-day student charrette starting May 28 to tackle the redevelopment challenges of a 200-acre former rail yard in Phoenix, Arizona.

Founded in 1969, Design Workshop practices sustainable design and planning on sites ranging from urban infill, parks and open-space projects to brownfield redevelopment and resorts. The firm, which has offices in Denver, Aspen, Vail, Santa Fe, Phoenix, Tahoe, Jackson Hole, Park City and Asheville, N.C., has received more than 90 awards for design and planning.