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Auraria plans for future growth
Denver planners, developers seek integration with campus
By Amy Woodward
awoodwa5@mscd.edu

Map courtesy of studioINSITE Modified by Joe Nguyen • nguyejos@mscd.edu Developers use basic planning maps, such as the one pictured above, to determine the feasibility of different growth scenarios. Auraria is shown in blue.

Metro’s Board of Trustees met with various urban planners this past December to discuss the integration of Auraria into the downtown area.

“There is a natural fit with Auraria and downtown,” said John Desmond, the Downtown Denver Partnership’s vice president of urban planning and environment.

The DDP has been working in conjunction with Auraria to merge the campus with the city. The campus is considered part of the Denver Downtown Area Plan produced by the Partnership, which leads the effort to manage and develop downtown Denver.

The plan seeks to strengthen the economic, physical and social ties between Auraria and downtown.

With the recent development of close-proximity student housing, students are spending more time and money downtown. One focus of the plan is to raise awareness about the job opportunities and retail outlets downtown Denver provides.

Jim Kirchheimer, director of economic development for the DDP, said that while internships and jobs after graduation are important, there are many students who are not ready to make that move into a career and are looking for a part-time job to help pay the bills.

“There are so many job opportunities, particularly in the Tabor Center, Denver Pavilions, Larimer Square and Writer Square,” Kirchheimer said. “These employers are always looking for good part-time employees, and we were not even aware of it.”

Improving career centers, open arts programs and additional academic programs is another goal of the Partnership. Kirchheimer said the organization has been working with representatives from UCD to help enhance the university’s career center.

As student housing continues to grow, the DDP would like to introduce information about downtown’s retail community into student orientations at Auraria, Kirchheimer said.

“Besides bars and restaurants, we would like to provide students with information about stores such as Home Depot, stores that students could benefit from to get the supplies they need,” he said.

Providing a streetcar to Auraria that would bridge downtown and campus has been discussed, Desmond said.

“Speer is the physical barrier between Auraria and the city,” he said. “We would like to develop and enhance the landscape of Speer Boulevard.” New developments could include retail shops, restaurants and bookstores. The DDP is also working to improve traffic light timing to make it easier to cross Speer.

Planning has also included a cultural focus on Auraria’s theater productions and the Starz FilmCenter. Desmond called the film center part of the “cultural fermentation” of downtown.

“The dynamic of the campus is going to change significantly in the next three to five years,” Kirchheimer said. “Auraria is the focal point for downtown, it is so important.”