Based on a reader’s comment last month, USA will henceforth attempt to provide a schedule of upcoming (next 30 days) public meetings that have relevance to the Union Station project. In that light, the next DUSPA meeting is scheduled for July 8, 2010 and the next Planning Board meeting is July 7, 2010. The unresolved issues related to the pedestrian bridge from the North side of the Wynkoop Plaza to Wewatta Street will be address at this next Planning Board meeting.
June 10, 2010 DUSPA Report
Reports from DUSPA meetings are included in DUS Construction Reports in the official DUSPA communiqués, which for this and future USA News Summaries will be shown at the end of our monthly News Summaries. If USA makes public comments at future meetings, we will report on the DUSPA Board responses in the next monthly USA News Summary.
June 16, 2010 Planning Board Report
The meeting addressed two issues related to the Denver Union Station project - the connecting canopy and the pedestrian bridge. The connecting canopy and encroachment into the view corridor were approved by LPC and Planning Board on May 5. The pedestrian bridge was split into two parts. The LPC will review the stair as part of the final review of the North Wing Building, expected late this year. The bridge itself was assigned to the Planning Board. Ellen Ittelson of Denver’s Community Planning and Development had submitted in May several reservations related to the bridge. These items have been continued several times and was continued again to July 7. Link to Planning Board meetings: http://www.denvergov.org/PlanningBoard/tabid/431851/Default.aspx
June 17, 2010 “Social Life of Small Urban Spaces” Movie Event
On June 17th USA is co-hosted a film event with the American Society of Landscape Architects and the American Planning Association. It was an ideal time for USA members to learn more the social uses of public spaces and, in particular, the proposed public spaces at DUS. The following are the questions (Q), answers (A), and comments (C) made during the discussion that followed the film:
17th Street Promenade:
Q: Does the structure for the bus box allow for adequate fill for plantings? A: Yes, there is approximately 4 ½’ of fill.
Q: Where are the air vents: A: At the light rail plaza
C: Not sure what is going to compel (pull) people into the garden rooms from the wide sidewalk.
C: The linear gardens don’t read so much as rooms as corridors. Perhaps they should be broken up more and made bigger or even create notched areas that make them feel and read more like rooms.
C: Perhaps there should be mountable curbs rather than hard edge curbs and it would be great if the road surface either matched the sidewalk material to create a wall to wall feel. And if that is impossible, than something nicer than asphalt.
C: The movie showed how corners and steps really made great seating areas. Shouldn’t these be incorporated into the plan?
C: Have you considered getting Denver Urban Gardens involved? Perhaps one of the garden rooms could be an urban farming/community garden area. You could lease the space to residents, or create a program that would hire the homeless to maintain it.
C: Will the rooms be flexible, i.e. reconfigurable?
C: Can artwork be placed in the rooms and that may be a reason why they should be reconfigurable.
C: Children’s areas should be considered like permanent hopscotch or a chess board. Something like the Cherry Creek Mall children’s play area.
C: The rigid configuration does not allow for playful meandering throughout the gardens. It would also be fun to peer into the bus box below through the skylight and see the activity. Something like the church window in the film.
C: The rhythm of the linear gardens needs to be broken up by creating something in the center.
C: Need more seating at the edges.
C: Need a zone(s) where people can sit and see each other that encourages interaction.
C: The whole design needs more surprise and engagement rather than being so rigid.
Q: Can there be a water feature? A: No, the structure below does not allow for it.
C: Another idea instead of water is lighting that is reactive to people. Like the ground plane bubble game at the Art Museum.
C: The landscape palette should be designed to offer year round interest.
C: The design is too regimented. Maybe it should be more organic with curves.
Wynkoop Plaza:
C: Ground floor retail needs to be something interactive, not like a bank lobby.
Q: Have sustainable strategies been considered in the design, like water reuse? A: Yes, the fountain recirculates the water.
Q: What about solar power? A: Don’t know about what has been decided on that.
Q: What is the height of the south wing building because perhaps the landscaped side and the plaza side should be reversed: A: 65’ and the south side is the sunniest based on extensive sun and shade pattern study.
C: Perhaps there should be a pathway through the fountain to allow for traffic flow even when it’s on.
Q: Can some evergreens be integrated into the landscape palette. A: No, there are some evergreens on the 17th Street Promenade, but they want the Wynkoop Plaza to be sunny in the winter.
C: There should be good advance planning on the public art component and not just end up with “plop” art at the end of the day. And it should be kid playable.
C: Concern expressed about the sense of arrival and integration of the design and paving materials especially into the context of the site, including the buildings on the other side of Wynkoop.
C: The paving needs to be of the highest quality, not just concrete.
C: The film illustrated that people like to be near the edges and not in the middle, so why put permanent benches in the bosque of trees. They only create barriers.
C: There needs to be more porosity in general.
C: If the fountain is turned off in the winter, there will be nothing in that space. A: The designers are working to make the fountain work year round.
C: The two lines of trees at the plaza edge next to the street will block the view between the street and station building. A: The trees will be spaced widely enough with some gaps to allow for views.
C: The worst experience on the site is the travel path down the stairs. Need to improve that.
C: Carry the paving materials of the plaza onto the crosswalks on the street and on street in front of entrance to station building.
Q: What will be the format/timing for on-going discussion? A: Not sure, but it needs to happen. In particular need feedback on plant selection. DUSPA responsible for public outreach. Space at 30% design. City has yet to approve.
Q: When is Hargreaves back in town to present next revision? Thought it was supposed to be in June. A: Good question and don’t know.
Q: Isn’t there suppose to be a local L.A. on board to help with the plant selection? A: Yes, but there is not one selected at this time.
C: Hargreaves has actually done quite a bit of work in Denver and probably knows about plants that do well in this climate.
Q: How does the public space design integrate with Fastracks? A: The public realm is actually primarily the pedestrian circulation space on the site to facilitate the transit function of the site. But it is also an amenity for the public.
June 22, 2010: Report from USA’s Roving Reporter in the Field
First the good news. The photo below compared to the photo in the May 2010 News Summary shows that much has been accomplished in the past month. Excavation has been completed for the first phase of the bus box hole. The 25-foot-deep hole has been dug from the center of Wewatta Street to within 50 feet of the Consolidated Main Line (freight tracks). In this month’s photo, you can see a semi-paved material staging area and a roadway into and along the side of the bus box hole. The roadway will be used as a pathway for the giant crane that it sitting in the staging area. The crane will lift materials from the staging area into the hole to build the structure of the bus terminal.
The retaining walls for the new light rail station have been completed, and foundation work is in progress for the station and light rail tracks.
Work continues on the temporary Amtrak terminal, tracks, and passenger platform at Wewatta and 21st streets. Partitions are being built and utilities are being upgraded inside the terminal. Foundations have been put in place near the tracks, probably for the platform.
Now for the bad news. The dewatering system, which pumps out ground water, cleans it, and dumps it in the river, was overwhelmed by the high iron content of the water. As a result, Kiewit has installed a far larger system and has applied for a permit to use it. While the state ponders the application, work on the project was mostly suspended in early June.
Concrete forms were recently delivered so the four-foot-thick bus terminal floor will probably be built as soon as the dewatering system is fired up, the hole is drained, and work resumes.
Please remember, you can get updates on the project multiple times a week at the DenverInfill Blog.
June 2010 Official Denver Union Station Project Update (from DUSPA)
CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES IN FULL SWING
Construction activities for the Denver Union Station transit Improvements started in earnest in mid-February 2010, with utility relocations and establishment of a long-term traffic shift on Wewatta Street between 20th Street and 16th Street. Design and engineering for the project has been ongoing since May 2009.
Construction elements include:
- Underground Regional Bus Facility - 1,100 feet long, 22 bus bays
- Relocated light rail - Three sets of track, two platforms with canopies
- New relocated 16th St. Mall Shuttle turn around
- Commuter Rail Train Hall - eight sets of tracks, five platforms, 44,000 sq. ft.
- PTFE membrane canopy (similar to DIA roof)
- Public plazas and pavilions
- Street improvements
The construction boundaries are from 19th Street on the north to 16th Street on the south and from Union Station on the east to the consolidated mainline freight tracks on the west. Construction will be done in phases due to requirements to maintain street access, utilities, light rail service and 16th Street Mall Shuttle service. The phase in process now includes construction of the light rail tracks and platform at the west end of the project adjacent to the freight tracks, construction of the underground bus facility from the new LRT platform to Wewatta, and the construction of the temporary Amtrak Station. (Amtrak will operate out of a temporary facility on 20th and Wewatta from the autumn of 2010 until project completion.)
What has happened so far...
- Excavated 150,000 cubic yards of dirt for the underground bus facility.
- 65,000 cubic yards of dirt piled 45 feet high to be used to backfill around the bus facility when the structure is complete.
- At the deepest point, the hole is 26 feet deep.
- Support walls have been built at the west and east ends of the excavation to provide support. The north and south sides will be sloped back at a ratio of 2:1.
- Began dewatering of the construction area. In order to dig an excavation 26 feet deep, ground water must be pumped out so that the work area will be dry. Once the structure is complete and backfilled with dirt, the pumps will no longer be needed.
- Two 300-foot long retaining walls for the light rail tracks and platform have been built. The ground level for the LRT platform will be six feet higher than what is there currently and these walls will support the LRT and the new grade level.
- Eight different utility lines have been moved or installed. With any construction project, many water, sewer, electrical and communication utilities must be removed, installed or improved to current codes. This process will be ongoing.
- 7,700 feet of unused track and 4,000 ties have been removed.
- Remodeling of the building at corner of 21st and Wewatta for use as temporary Amtrak Station has started.
UPCOMING CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES
During the month of June, the excavation of the current phase of construction of the underground bus facility will be completed and the conveyor system will be demobilized. The soil stock piles will be sprayed with "DirtGlue," a tackafier to keep the dirt from blowing or eroding away.
Construction of the bus facility structure will begin. Crews are building a "laydown" yard using crushed rock and fabric to store equipment and materials as well as building a "road" for the cranes that recently arrived on site. The cranes will be used for moving rebar and forms, placing girders and pre-cast beams. By the end of June, underslab structures (lift stations and sand oil separator) will be complete and the mud slab will have started.
DUSPA NEWS
The Denver Union Station Project Authority (DUSPA), comprised of eleven voting members and two non-voting members, continues to manage all finance, design and construction activities of the Denver Union Station redevelopment project. Recent progress includes:
- DUSPA executed a PRNS (Projects of Regional and National Significance) Agreement with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).
- The accounting firm BKD completed the 2009 audit and presented its report to the DUSPA Board of Directors on May 13th.
- The RTD Board of Directors approved an additional loan to DUSPA that will provide a local match for a state SB-1 grant awarded to the DUS Project. Between the RTD loan and the State grant about $8 million will become available and will allow DUS construction to advance through June while the project awaits receipt of the federal loans.
The next meeting of the DUSPA Board of Directors is Thursday, June 10, 2010, at 1:30 P.M. Meetings are held at the offices of Hogan Lovells, 1200 17th Street, Suite 1500.
PROJECT ASPIRES FOR LEED CERTIFICATION
With the concern in our society about "green" buildings and construction methods, the Denver Union Station Transit Improvement Project is working to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification. LEED is a third-party certification program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
Certification levels are determined by a point system for specific criteria:
- Sustainable Sites (SS)
- Water Efficiency (WE)
- Energy and Atmosphere (EA)
- Materials and Resources (MR)
- Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ)
- Innovation and Design (ID)
- Regional Priority
The DUS project is one of the only multi-modal transit construction projects in the country seeking LEED certification.
One element for consideration is "Construction Waste Management." Instead of throwing all construction waste on-site into a single "Trash" dumpster, the debris is sorted by material type and placed in labeled bins that will be taken to local recycling facilities for re-use. To date, the project team has diverted 5,000 tons of construction waste from local landfills.
INTERESTED IN A DUS PRESENTATION? CALL THE PI TEAM.
Curious about the big hole being dug behind Union Station? Interested in learning about future transit improvements coming to LoDo? Wondering what the future Union Station Neighborhood will look like? Fear not, the DUS Public Information Team is available to make presentations or to facilitate "Learn at Lunch" brown-bag discussions. Please contact us at 303-592-5465 to schedule a presentation or if you have questions about the project.
NEED MORE INFORMATION?
One of the best ways to get the latest information on the Denver Union Station redevelopment is to ensure we have your current email address. Our periodic e-updates will provide you with the latest information about the project. As full construction continues for the next four years, you will be able to stay on top of this exciting redevelopment project.
Website:
www.denverunionstation.org.
Email:
info@denverunionstation.org
Phone:
Construction information: Hunter Sydnor, 303-209-9822
General information: Roger Sherman, 303-592-5465
Membership Renewal Time!
For those of you that joined Union Station Advocates in early 2009, it is now time to renew your membership! Your continued support is much appreciated. Please keep an eye out for an email concerning your membership renewal or you can go to the USA membership webpage and renew today: http://www.unionstationadvocates.org/membership.html
Thank you for your continued support!
Union Station Advocates Roundtable
The Roundtables continue to be an effective and engaging meeting allowing our members to have informal discussions on important issues of the Union Station project. Led by USA board member and architect Levi Reeves, each Roundtable meeting provides the opportunity for attendees to discuss in-depth a topic associated with the Union Station project. A few days before each Roundtable, all USA members will receive an invitation via email for the upcoming meeting with an opportunity to RSVP.
Union Station Advocates Is Now On Facebook!
Are you a USA member or just excited about our historic Union Station and its big transformation? Join us on Facebook by being a fan of Union Station Advocates! Here’s a link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Union-Station-Advocates/43803914945?ref=ts
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