Denver is getting closer to a final design for the River North Promenade, a mile-long "linear" park along the South Platte River that could include an elevated walkway through the trees.
The promenade, as we reported in October, would run along the river from 29th Street to 38th Street, connecting Globeville Landing Park with the proposed RiNo Park.
In this post, we'll run down the new details we have on the promenade as well as an overview of how this fits into the larger plans for the riverfront.
The new promenade details:
The promenade would run between the river and Arkins Court, stretching anywhere from roughly 40 to 70 feet wide, Wethington said.
Arkins Court would be narrowed at points, and potentially closed to vehicles between 35th Street and 38th Street. Cars would instead be rerouted along Chestnut Place, where property owners are banding together in the hopes of scoring a big redevelopment, according to Denver parks project manager Brian Wethington.
The general idea is to create a series of plazas connected by walking routes. Interesting features could include a steel observation tower that "gets you up off the ground ... so you have some views out over the river and up into the trees," Wethington said.
The project is "really meant to speak to RiNo, specifically, and a lot of what you see in that area is adaptive reuse." In other words, I would expect it to mirror some of the exposed beams and hardwood aesthetic. Judge for yourself!
Cost and execution:
Initial estimates – and these are very rough – are that the project could cost more than $10 million. That money could come from the bonds funding package expected to go before voters this November, but the city council will have to decide whether to include the project.
If that happens, construction could start in 2018, Wethington said.
The next major update should come in March, when the project reaches "30 percent" complete plans. At that point, it will need more money to finish the design process. It so far has had support from area developers, the city and The Greenway Foundation, Wethington said.
The rest of the area:
If it all comes together, this park would be connected to the Taxi development by a bikeway along 35th Street and a pedestrian bridge from 35th over to the Zeppelin family's Taxi development.
This series of images, going from northeast to southwest, might give you a better sense of it.
