Colorado-based architectural design firm Stantec has showcased renderings and initial timelines alongside preliminary plans to transform the West Parking Lot at 19th and Wazee streets in Denver into a major mixed-use environment spanning an entire city block. Highlighted by a Colorado Rockies Hall of Fame facility and an outdoor gathering plaza, the development also will include hospitality, office, residential, retail, entertainment, and food and beverage spaces.
The Colorado Rockies will serve as project developer for the West Lot transformation. Hensel Phelps will be the general contractor while Denver based RNL, now Stantec, will serve as lead architectural designer, with multiple Stantec offices contributing. The firm’s Boulder-based visioning, brands and experiences group is the lead experience designer, while Stantec’s Chicago-based architecture group will provide the hotel design. The project is entering the entitlements phase with construction slated to begin in 2018.
West Lot Development at a glance
Plans for the multi-use West Lot development are spread across nearly 3 acres that sit adjacent to Wynkoop Plaza, and will feature an outdoor “content plaza,” the first of its kind in Denver. “The plaza is designed as a pre- and post-game gathering place for Rockies fans, complete with unique restaurants and state-of-the-art audio and visual systems,” said Larry Weeks, principal at Stantec. “Beyond baseball, the plaza will serve as Denver’s ‘outdoor room,’ a year-round space that can accommodate neighborhood concerts, festivals and other activities,” said Daniel Aizenman, senior principal at Stantec.
Completing a key piece of Denver’s downtown fabric
One of Denver’s oldest and most historic neighborhoods with more than a century of heritage, Denver’s Lower Downtown has become a socially and economically thriving component of the city’s downtown landscape. The Coors Field-adjacent West Lot represents the last open land parcel connected to the LoDo district, Union Station and RiNo district, making the development a key connection point.
A national trend in urban, stadium-centric renewal
The Rockies’ West Lot effort represents a growing trend in major mixed-use developments surfacing within sport stadium and arena districts across North America. Stantec is currently providing design support on growing stadium districts in several major metropolitan cities, including Denver; Dallas; Tampa, Florida; Chicago; and Edmonton, Alberta, among others.
“We’re incredibly proud to help realize the vision long-held by the Rockies,” said John Yonushewski, Stantec buildings senior principal. “This development will be an urban jewel for downtown Denver and provide a much-needed public amenity for families and the neighborhood. Our team is inspired to design such an epicenter for excitement.”
