CREJ - Building Dialogue - March 2015

Sages and Stars

by Joy Spatz, AIA

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For the Sages and Stars lineup this month, we chose to tap into the creative workplace vibe/movement in Denver. Denver led the U.S. post-recession adult (ages 25 to 34) migration, and some of the reasons are consistent with insights our Sages and Stars shared with us recently

RiNo Resurgence

Mickey Zeppelin and Kyle Zeppelin of Zeppelin Development. Longstanding urban developers who are considered igniters of the RiNo resurgence.

Looking back before you made a commitment to RiNo: What did you see that inspired you to place a “flag” at Taxi?

We were fueled by our experience in LoDo and the Golden Triangle.

Fifteen years ago, RiNo was just what we were looking for. It had good bones. It was gritty, industrial and had great access to transportation arteries. It had a strong arts scene with a studio community already committed.

We felt RiNo had a great future with untapped potential given the great connection to the urban center and LoDo via the Millenium Bridge, a special amenity opportunity with its river frontage and the recreation potential that this area could cultivate.

You started a movement: Did you know you were breaking trail and setting a new profile for work-live culture?

Not really. Our interests are small and urban, but also we recognize that what we have to offer is unique and, especially at that time, it was an untapped market. Our focus on the character of a neighborhood and the quality of architecture is our long-term focus. What’s here maters!

What were the conditions that you felt were right about Denver or RiNo in particular?

RiNo had a strong community, which most people might not have recognized. We started with the community first, then the city.

This took 15 years to create, and we felt it was the right time with the right vision that enabled the RiNo area to take off. The projects in RiNo are catalytic and create opportunities not just for us, but also for others in the neighborhood and new investors in the area.

What opportunities do you see in the future?

There are lots of opportunities still in RiNo. Though there are new developments coming out of the ground or “on the boards,” there are still a lot of empty lots. The river and recreation potential along with a walkable, bikable community are still opportunities that propel the neighborhood.

We have hopes of improving the community and getting deeper into the sustainability of neighborhoods, the schools, recreation, etc. It’s a question for the broader population, not just a single neighborhood or city. This is an opportunity for communities around the world.

Entrepreneurial Culture

Justin Martinezco-chair of the design committee for Denver Startup Week. Denver Start-Up Week is but one example of spirited, vibe-driving components of Denver’s entrepreneurial culture.

How did Denver Startup Week come about?

It started in 2012 as a forum for entrepreneurs and job seekers in the software development space and tech start-ups focusing on developing apps. The creative conditions combined with the Denver culture enabled new businesses to flourish.

Denver Startup Week is about connections, learning and engaging people on a different level.

We bring in a broad population of business creators from around the U.S. and beyond to speak and ignite dialog among the attendees.

From your vantage point, what’s driving Denver’s start-up climate?

It’s a place people want to live. It’s also the attitude and the ease of creating a business here. You can do what you want to do in Denver. Denver Startup Week enables new businesses and those thinking about new ideas to connect and build a network.

Can you help our readers understand the spectrum of companies that comprise Denver’s start-up community?

There’s a range of companies and individuals in design, graphics, arts, software development - risk-takers and lunatics. We also have good access to capital and investment both from banks, individuals and incubators. Go Fund Me, Indiegogo and Kickstarter are among the new funding opportunities.

When you are an entrepreneur, you have to be scrappy to survive sometimes.

Are there certain industries, demographics or conditions that contribute to Denver as a petri dish?

One of the strongest contributors is the Downtown Denver Partnership. They are big supporters of the kinds of efforts that fuel start-ups. They are creating opportunities in downtown for a variety of expressions, like Denver’s Create Week.

If DDP wasn’t behind this kind of thing, it would have never happened.

Denver is authentic and intellectual.

I also think Denver’s diversity plays a role. There’s no secret club and it’s about ideas and sharing your voice.

Shared Workspace

Ellen Winkler, co-founder of Battery 621 and Industry, where tenants enjoy edgy and creative workspaces, setting the stage businesses to flourish.

Can you speak to the genesis of the Industry concept?

What intentions fueled the project? Four and a half years ago, we could tell Denver was ready to explode. We looked for office space and nothing spoke to who we are.

We wanted to skateboard, we wanted to bring our dog, we wanted the workplace to speak to the lifestyle we lived.

It was just magical. We were new to Denver. All of a sudden, we had a family and friends. People who were like-minded.

Each one of our projects has a theme centered around the tenant profile. While Battery was based on lifestyle, Industry is based on technology and creativity.

What we are doing now in the movement of office space is making ecosystems – a trend happening throughout the world: the experiential environment.

You are working in several markets in the U.S. What is special about Denver that enables this urban vibe to flourish?

As far as doing real estate development, we chose Denver. We looked at Salt Lake City, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle. But we chose Denver.

Denver has that entrepreneurial spirit that you don’t see in most cities. It is open and honest. Denver is called the “give-get” city. Partnering with people was easy.

Looking ahead, what opportunities do you see on the horizon for innovative urban projects?

The next project we are doing is taking the Industry concept and moving it into a new genre: digital health, which includes app development, wearables (i.e., Fitbit) and large enterprise platforms (i.e., electronic health record companies). Employees in this field, be it coders or “creatives,” do not want to be in a traditional office setting or away from downtown. They want to be in a hip, cool, urban setting.

We’re also starting construction on an 80,000-sf building at 38th and Walnut that will be open first-quarter 2016.

And while Industry led with 160,000 sf of space, and four restaurants, plans are in the works to add 250 units of forrent housing and 61 brownstones on the river.

Now the strategy is to take the Industry concept to secondary cities around the country.