cdot could be moving from arkansas avenue · cdot’s case and make the nal assessment later this...
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CDOT Could Be Moving From Arkansas Avenue
Home (http://glendalecherrycreek.com) / Featured Articles(http://glendalecherrycreek.com/category/featured-articles/) / General Featured(http://glendalecherrycreek.com/category/featured-articles/general-featured/) / CDOT CouldBe Moving From Arkansas Avenue
Major Change To Virginia Village Neighborhood If Sold
by Megan Carthel
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Some big changes may be on the way for the
intersection at Arkansas and Colorado Boulevard.
Currently, the Denver headquarters for the Colorado
Department of Transportation (CDOT) o�ces are
housed in the residential area. In an old 1955 building
over 500 state employees walk the halls every day.
Spokesperson for CDOT Amy Ford says mice and
asbestos are issues in the current building, along with
toilets �tted for elementary students, not adults.
The carpets are a faded blue and tan and green tiles
lead visitors and sta� through the hallways. Not
everything is outdated though. Computers, large TV
screens and seemingly nice, modern chairs
accommodate employees with their everyday tasks.
However, by as soon as early 2018, these state
employees could have a new o�ce. David Fox,
property management deputy program manager, said
moving locations and building a new o�ce is a good
business decision.
“I think with every business decision, there’s some
idea of ‘let’s get more e�cient,’” Fox said. “We can do a
lot more things with amenity spaces to make things
nicer for employees, but yet get more e�cient with
our building footprint.”
In May 2013, CDOT completed a building evaluation of four campuses, the Denver HQ, Region Four HQ, Region Two
HQ and Old Aurora R1 HQ. The Region Four HQ in Greeley was recently rebuilt and relocated. The $9.9 million o�ces
opened in November 2015.
The plan is to combine both the CDOT headquarters on Arkansas and the Region One o�ce on South Holly. The new
building design has a target of 200 square feet per employee, aimed to house around 700 employees, that’s nearly
100 square feet less per employee than the current situation. While nothing is set in stone yet, the numbers CDOT is
currently working with, estimate the total cost of building a new o�ce space at a di�erent location at over $44
million.
“It is a class B building that we will be doing,” Ford said. “And when I say class B, this is not the Taj Mahal. This is not
designed to be a monument to state employees. This is designed to be a working building where we can most
e�ectively attract and retain our employees and do very good work.”
Ford said the funding for the project comes from a capital budget to maintain assets, which has $20 million annual,
state-wide budget. CDOT would also be issuing bonds against that budget to help pay for the new building.
“This is money that would not go to �xing your pot hole or that kind of thing. This is money that’s already dedicated
to keeping these assets up,” Ford said.
The other option for CDOT is
(http://glendalecherrycreek.com/cdot-hallway-6-16/) to
renovate the existing building. According to a �nancial
comparison analysis conducted by CDOT and Jones
Lang LaSalle in 2014, the total cost for renovation
would be just over $16 million. The same analysis
showed the total net cost over a 20-year period to
renovate and maintain the Arkansas location would
cost around $56 million.
“We strongly believe that, ‘A,’ it’s a good business
decision,” Ford said. “‘B,’ that it bene�ts our capacity to
deliver more for the state.”
Fox and Ford said the ideal location for the new o�ce would be within �ve miles of the State Capitol, visible to the
traveling public and near light rail, bus and bike transportation. According to the analysis done in 2014, some
potential relocation sites include the Federal Center Station, Decatur and Federal Station and I-25 and Broadway.
Ford said the �nal location selection has not been decided, and that CDOT is keeping that information “close to the
chest.”
“We’re not done yet by any stretch,” Ford said. “Nor is it a sure thing we are moving.”
For the new building to be approved, CDOT must present their guaranteed maximum price, what the land can be
sold for and the price estimate to build a new o�ce, to the Transportation Commission. The commission will hear
CDOT’s case and make the �nal assessment later this summer. According to Transportation Commissioner District 1
Representative Shannon Gi�ord CDOT is negotiating with the owners of more than one possible site. The location is
expected to be �nalized in June. Gi�ord seems to be in favor of the relocation project.
“The new building is projected to save CDOT $6 million over a 20-year analysis period when compared with updating
existing buildings that are past their useful life,” Gi�ord said. “The savings are attributable to multiple factors,
including more e�cient plans (reducing the gross square feet per employee); reducing the total number of buildings;
using more e�cient mechanical systems, windows, and insulation; and, selling 20 acres of land while acquiring only
approximately three acres.”
So what would happen to the current site if it’s sold? CDOT is working with Jones Lang LaSalle, a brokerage �rm, to
sell the property estimated at just over $11 million according to the 2014 memorandum. Jones Lang LaSalle had no
comment when the Chronicle reached out to the �rm. Fox, however, said developers were interested in the land
before talks about a relocation began back in 2011.
The Arkansas site is currently zoned as a CMP-EI2, or campus, educational/institutional site. This zoning allows a
maximum height of 150 feet, but any part of the site within 175 feet of a protected area, usually single family homes,
is limited to 75 feet. Residential, educational use and o�ce space are allowed. The 1.16-acre parcel of land closest to
Colorado Boulevard, is zoned as a S-MX-5 area, allowing for mixed use facilities and up to �ve stories. The
communications tower that sits on the property would remain on site as it is owned by the Governor’s O�ce of
Information Technology, and would not be sold as part of the CDOT space.
As for the Region One o�ce site, the location is zoned as a MX-3 site. This allows buildings as high as three stories or
45 feet, and can be used in a variety of ways from single family or multi-unit housing, community centers, daycares,
open space, schools, restaurants and retail, hotels and more. Of course the Denver Planning Board and certain
members of the Denver City Council have proven they are happily willing to rezone properties for powerful
developers with high powered lobbyists.
Paul Kashmann, the City Councilman for District 6 where the present facility is located, said if the properties were
redeveloped, he would like to see the spaces used for residential developments or green space.
“I would love to see a�ordable residential be a part of the package on both sites. The surrounding communities have
not yet gentri�ed, and I’d like whatever comes to support, rather than degrade the a�ordability of the community,”
Kashmann said. “I’d love to see some additional green space. Mainly I’d hope the Arkansas development would not
add big congestion to the already crowded Colorado Boulevard corridor, and I’d love for the South Holly Street site to
complement both South Holly Street’s commercial opportunities as well as East Evans Avenue.”
Some residents near the Arkansas property oppose the redevelopment as worries over tra�c congestion, noise and
construction might disrupt their relatively quiet neighborhood.
Skylar Ocheltree and Kristen Kinnaird live together in a house across the street from the current CDOT headquarters.
While they don’t mind the current building situation, they fear another large building would be put in place, bringing
more tra�c and congestion. Their neighbor a few houses down and closer to the building, Blake Crawford, feels just
about the same, unless something can add property value to his house.
“Any additional [infrastructure], unless it raised the value of my house, is non-bene�cial,” Crawford said.
Kashmann hopes to work with his constituents to determine what could go in the space of the current CDOT
headquarters if the land is sold.
“Mainly folks are anxious to know what will go in on the property and are anxious to have a voice in determining the
impacts on their neighborhood from whatever development does go into these large parcels. I want the community
to have real impact on crafting the eventual outcome,” Kashmann said. “It would be my goal to involve the
community as much as possible in future redevelopment on these sites. Whatever projects end up taking place will
have some degree of impact on the community. Building in an urban environment cannot be hermetically sealed.
But, as we do on a near daily basis, we will work with builders and developers to minimize the impacts as much as
possible.”
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