‘Iconic’ Denver spot will feature World Trade Center, Virgin Hotel atop underground parking

Fox Park is a planned Denver community which will feature the World Trade Center, Virgin Hotel and underground parking.Photo byFox Park Denver website

Imagine a community without parking lots. All parking is underground. Now imagine it sprinkled with interconnected parks and trails. Atop this beautiful land sits 3,400 housing units, a Virgin Hotel, and the Denver World Trade Center.

What makes this neighborhood by a Mexican developer, Vita Fox North LLP, sound even more like a dream is the reality that all of this is occurring atop a former superfund site. Millions was invested to remove half a million cubic yards of contaminated soil.

City officials welcome the investment in the Globeville-Elyria-Swansea neighborhood, which for years has been an industrial wasteland with a freeway running through it. What’s planned for the area now is a radical shift for one of the city’s last remaining working-class neighborhoods.

State, local and federal officials as well as a representative of the developer celebrated the project’s grand opening Friday. They touted collaboration between them and the neighborhood for getting the blighted, contaminated site cleaned up and ready for a world-class development. “It’s a story of historic collaboration at historic speed with historic results,” said Mayor Mike Johnston.

Johnston called the development a bridge from the old west, when the site was used for mining, to the new west, where the industry is mining our brains. He speculated Richard Branson would come to Denver for the grand opening of the hotel.

Denver Post site to sparkle anew

The 41-acre area on Fox Street is commonly known as the Denver Post site, as it is where the printing of the newspaper occurred. But before that the area was mined for gold, copper, oil and gas. It was one of the most polluted sites in Colorado.

The cornerstone of the new Fox Park development will be the World Trade Center and a Virgin hotel.Photo byFox Park Denver website

A fraction of the development will be reserved for “affordable housing.” The project likely will gentrify the neighborhood with its amenities and visual appeal.

The first four buildings will begin to sprout from the site soon, according to the developer. “The state-of-the-art World Trade Center office complex will be a hub for global business and innovation,” according to the Fox Park website. “It will provide a modern workspace that meets the demands of the 21st-century workforce.” The expansive building will encompass 250,000 square feet.

Meanwhile, the 241-room Virgin Hotel “is set to become a luxurious destination for visitors and a landmark within the community,” the website states. “Its unique design and entertainment amenities will contribute to Fox Park's appeal.”

Also, by the end of this year, construction will begin on the first 1100 residential apartment units, according to the website. “Our residential buildings will offer diverse housing options, accommodating a wide range of residents. These units will enhance the sense of community and vitality in Fox Park.”

Officials laud project

City Council President Amanda Sandoval said she recalls working as a City Council aide in District 9 many years ago and talking about visions for the former eyesore. She said she often tells people she grew up just a half mile from three superfund sites. Nowhere else in the country has that dubious distinction, she said.

Jose Carredano, representing the developer, said, “The community supports us and wants to grow with us.” He said they signed a community benefits agreement with the registered neighborhood organizations. He said the development will be "iconic."

Casey Beck from the Environmental Protection Agency said the cleanup of hazardous materials at the site cost $20 million. “It can now return to being a prosperous economic engine for the Globeville community.”