United Airlines parent UAL Corp. would have several choices for office space if the company were to relocate its headquarters to Denver, local industry experts said Wednesday.
United is reportedly searching for about 150,000 square feet of office space for 350 mid- to senior-level officials.
Here are several possibilities:
The Colorado Tower at 621 17th St. in downtown Denver.
A building at the Denver Tech Center formerly occupied by PeopleSoft.
The Atrium III, at 6162 S. Willow Drive in Greenwood Village.
Few other buildings have enough commercial space to accommodate United.
“For large blocks of space, there’s not much available,” said Tim Callahan, a commercial real estate broker in Denver with Bitzer Real Estate Partners.
Callahan said United likely would pay between $22 million and $25 million a year to lease a suitable building, a figure significantly less than comparable space in Chicago.
A headquarters near Denver International Airport would offer United logistical advantages, said Susan Stanton, vice president of the DIA Partnership, an economic-development group.
The company already occupies office space at DIA and has a training facility in the Stapleton area.
“A location adjacent to the airport would make sense,” Stanton said.
Ample land parcels are available near DIA, but Callahan considers it unlikely that United would want to buy or build its own office building. The carrier emerged from bankruptcy in February but is still struggling to become profitable.
Staff writer Will Shanley can be reached at 303-820-1260 or wshanley@denverpost.com.
