The Denver Post\u2019s business team has spent the past three months talking to city officials \u2014 present and past \u2014 Chamber and tourism executives, business owners, CEOs, analysts, bankers and economists, all to get a big-picture perspective on Denver\u2019s Downtown.<\/p>\n
Reporter Aldo Svaldi did an indepth analysis on downtown\u2019s office towers, and a reckoning is coming as scores of loan payments become due. Reporters Judith Kohler and Jessica Alvarado Gamez explored a host of issues, including why businesses have chosen to stay downtown, how downtown compares to other business districts in Denver such as Cherry Creek and LoDo, and how the area\u2019s national reputation has taken a hit.<\/p>\n
This four-part special report shows how downtown came to be at his crossroads, five years after the COVID shutdown, and explores the many opinions about how it moves on from here.<\/p>\n
In a post-pandemic world, is it still important or necessary for major metro areas to have a vibrant downtown at their core? Denver\u2019s leaders say \u201cYes\u201d but revitalizing downtown faces hurdles like crime, zoning, permitting and remote work.<\/p>\n
The COVID-19 pandemic turned Downtown Denver from the place to be to a place to flee, derailing two decades of momentum overnight. Five years later, downtown\u2019s recovery continues to lag behind most other cities, and the delay is costing Denver and the region.<\/p>\n
Unable to find enough tenants to support debt payments, about three in 10 commercial mortgages tied to office buildings in metro Denver are delinquent, the third-worst showing in the country out of 50 metros, according to a report from Trepp last summer.<\/p>\n
In the battle for Downtown Denver\u2019s future, victory or defeat could hinge on convincing people it is safe to visit, work and live in the area, and key to that will be restoring the vibrancy of 16th Street (\u201cmall\u201d was recently dropped from its name), which is wrapping up a three-year renovation.<\/p>\n
Downtown\u2019s most distressed office buildings are also some of the region\u2019s largest. Use this interactive map to explore downtown\u2019s office towers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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