Community Planning and Development

		The Arapahoe Square Charrette was a focused effort to establish a detailed design vision for Arapahoe Square as part of the larger Northeast Downtown Neighborhoods Plan, adopted by City Council 5/23/2011

According to National Charrette Institute (NCI) and The Charrette Handbook by Bill Lennertz and Aarin Lutzenhiser, a charrette is a collaborative design and planning workshop that occurs over several consecutive days.  It is held on-site or near the study area and is an inclusive process that incorporates input from affected stakeholders at critical decision-making points. 

An NCI charrette is:	An NCI charrette is not:
Usually more, but no less than four consecutive days An open process that includes all interested parties A collaborative process involving all disciplines in a series of short feedback loops A process that produces a feasible plan A generalist, holistic approach Phase two of the three-phase dynamic planning process	A one-day workshop A Multi-day marathon meeting involving everyone all the time A plan authored by a select few that will affect many A "brainstorming session" that produces a plan but stops short of feasibility testing

Located southeast of Ballpark and just north of the Commercial Core, Arapahoe Square is one of the most underutilized areas of Downtown. In turn, it perhaps has the most potential for redevelopment and revitalization in the coming years. 

Arapahoe Square is situated between the high-rise development of the Commercial Core and the lower density neighborhoods of Curtis Park and Five Points.  The southwestern edge of the district is 20th Street, which is heavily traveled by automobiles going towards I-25 and Coors Field.  The northern edge of the district is Park Avenue.  It transitions to Ballpark to the west and East Village and Uptown to the south.  Broadway bisects the district creating the triangular building sites where the two grids intersect. 

In the 1970s and 80s, much of Arapahoe Square was cleared to serve as a parking reservoir for the Commercial Core, specifically between Park Avenue, Welton Street and Broadway.  It is still dominated by surface parking lots and some vacant parcels.  The remaining buildings are both economically and architecturally diverse, combining urban lofts and low-rise neighborhood commercial with warehouses, transportation facilities and light industry.  Many social service providers are located in Arapahoe Square.