Denver Union Station Named Winner of ULI's 2015 Global Awards for Excellence

October 7, 2015 Posted In

DENVER, COLO. – October 7, 2015 – East West Partners, Continuum Partners, Union Station Alliance and Trammell Crow Company announced today that Denver Union Station has been named a winner of the 2015 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Global Awards for Excellence competition. Widely recognized as one of the land use industry’s most prestigious award programs, the ULI Global Awards for Excellence selected 10 global winners from among a broad mix of exemplary projects from around the world, including five in the U.S., three in Europe and two in Asia. A full list of the 2015 award recipients is available here.
“The result of a visionary collaborative effort, Denver Union Station brings an exemplary transformation of downtown through a complex mixed-used project,” said ULI Global Awards for Excellent Jury Chair Michael Covarrubias. “The project not only makes progress ahead of the initial plan but already turns the rail yard into a viable community/work space.”
Now in its 37th year, ULI’s Global Awards for Excellence recognize real estate projects that achieve a high standard of excellent in design, construction, economics, planning and management, and is viewed as the centerpiece of ULI’s efforts to identify and promote best practices in all types of real estate development.
“The ULI Global Award for Excellence is the most prestigious award in our industry and it is an incredible honor to have won for our work on the Union Station Neighborhood,” said Mark Smith, Principal of East West Partners. “This award is in recognition of the extraordinary effort put forth by the entire Union Station team as well as the impact that this project has had on the neighborhood and the entire City of Denver.”
“The Union Station development is one of the most challenging projects we have ever taken on,” said Mark Falcone, Founder and CEO of Continuum Partners. “To create such an ambitious master plan that was built in a single continuous phase with the development activity happening simultaneously and then execute it on time and on budget, despite the Great Recession, took incredible leadership, fortitude and cooperation. To have that effort recognized by the Urban Land Institute is immensely gratifying.”
The 2015 winners were announced at ULI’s Annual Fall Meeting on Tuesday, October 6, in San Francisco. Representatives from Continuum Partners and East West Partners (master developers of the Union Station Transit Hub and Neighborhood); Trammell Crow Company (owner representative for the Denver Union Station Project Authority); and Union Station Alliance (developer of Union Station Historic Building) were recognized with a certificate during the presentation.
“Denver Union Station created a shift in downtown Denver when the heart of the city became the Union Station Neighborhood. The historic building has been restored to its original intentions, serving as a bustling 24 hour community gathering place,” said Walter Isenberg, President and CEO of Sage Hospitality and partner in the Union Station Alliance. “Speaking on behalf of our entire group including Larimer Associates, McWhinney, REGen, LLC, Sage Hospitality and Urban Neighborhoods, the Union Station Alliance is grateful for this global recognition.”
Criteria for the award include leadership, contribution to the community, innovations, public/private partnerships, environmental protection and enhancement, response to societal needs, and financial viability, all of which the Denver Union Station project have met. The 10 winning projects were selected from among 22 finalists by an international jury of ULI members representing a multidisciplinary Cole.Evansction of real estate development expertise, including finance, land planning, development, public affairs, design, and other professional services.
“The challenges presented by redeveloping a rail yard and creating a multi-modal transportation center, all during a recession that required unique financing partnerships were no match for dedicated developers, cooperative jurisdictions at all levels of government, a talented design and construction team, and a committed group of community volunteers that oversaw a unique public-private partnership,” said Bill Mosher, Senior Managing Director of TCC’s Denver office. “Denver has truly re-defined its regional land use patterns with the completion of this innovative project.”
Honors for the Denver Union Station project include East West Partners and Continuum Partners, equal partners in the Union Station Neighborhood Company, the master developers of the project; Union Station Alliance as the developers of the Historic Union Station Terminal Building; Trammell Crow Company as the owner representative for the Denver Union Station Project Authority (DUSPA); and the full integrated design and construction team led by Kiewit, and including AECOM, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and Hargreaves Associates.
“On behalf of the Denver Union Station Project Authority Board of Directors (DUSPA), we are honored to receive this prestigious award from the Urban Land Institute,” said Hon. Elbra M. Wedgeworth, President of the Board of Directors of the Denver Union Station Project Authority. “These civically minded volunteers have dedicated themselves to complete this private/public partnership as a transportation legacy for the people of Denver and Colorado and for future generations. Completing this $500 million project before time and under budget, we are very proud to have accomplished that goal, not many can say that. Denver Union station is a national model for transportation.”