New Plan

The JBC agreed to let DPA switch $1.3 million in capital construction money from plans for a new office building to plans for the overall Capitol Complex. That plan, the Capital Complex Master Plan, will eventually layout thousands of square feet of office space in downtown Denver. .

A year ago we appropriated $1.7 million for a new mixed-use office building. The building was going to have stores on the first floor, state offices above and an attached parking garage.

It was supposed to go on an L-shaped site that stretches between Lincoln and Sherman, between Colfax and 16th. Right now there's a parking lot on the Lincoln side and an empty lot where a parking garage used to be on Sherman (the garage is still standing in the image from Google maps).

The state would issue COPs to pay for the project. The money was for planning and design, COPs were going to pay for construction. Rent from the store fronts and parking fees were going to help pay off the COPs.

DPA spent a little over $300,000 planning the project when a bigger issue came up.

Problems with the state courts building sparked the issue. That's the upside-down-U-shaped building on 14th Street between Lincoln and Broadway. It may have been a sleek design when it was built, but it's not very practical today. For one thing, the bulk of the books and files in the building have to be kept at the ends because the unsupported middle can't support the weight. The design of the overall site makes security difficult.

The odd design also leaves a lot of unused space on the lot. That's becoming a bigger problem as the courts expand and have to lease space in other buildings. The other end of the lot is home to the Colorado History Museum. The museum has its own problems. The sloped shape of the building limits the useable space. A lot of the space that is available is underground and subject to water leaks. It's also getting cramped; as the state's history grows, artifacts accumulate.

The Judicial Dept. hired the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to recommend a new design for the site. The ULI suggested moving the museum somewhere else and putting up a new 660,000 sq. ft. building for the Judicial Department. The Judicial Dept. can pay for the new building from court fees; it can even help pay to move the museum. The problem is finding a new place to put the museum. That's a separate story.

This little subplot plays out within the bigger story of the state's use of land in downtown Denver. We lease space all over -- more than half a million square feet. We pay a wide range of rents. Departments have to grab additional space when it's available, then let it sit empty until they need it. Sometimes, when they need more room they can't find it near their existing offices.

With the new administration, there's a new spirit of cooperation among the state departments. That's opening up opportunities for a more efficient and better designed Capitol Complex. The Capitol Complex Master Plan will examine the needs of all departments, find the most efficient way of grouping them, then build to meet their needs.

The reason for the rush is the growing need to plan the way we use space in the Capitol Complex. Departments are outgrowing their office space, lease rates are going up and state-owned buildings are getting run down. We've seen how things work out when we push ahead without a plan.

DPA estimates it will take a year or so to finish the plan, but that it will have enough information to make a progress report during the 2009 legislative session.