ARVADA — A group of Arvada city leaders gathered Thursday morning in a parking lot south of Olde Town to break ground on what they say is a game-changer for the city.
The $30.4-million Olde Town Arvada transit hub will be the fifth stop on the .
“It’s an iconic structure that’s going to address both the commuter rail needs of people going to downtown Denver, and also our parking needs for a thriving Olde Town,” said Arvada Mayor Marc Williams. “It’s also an opportunity for visitors and residents of Denver to take the train out, see an authentic Olde Town and experience everything Arvada has to offer.”
The project is referred to as the crown jewel of the Gold Line, and city manager Mark Deven said the site will house a 600-car parking structure, four plaza areas, improved pedestrian connections, bike racks, electric vehicle charging stations and a 36,000-square-foot festival deck for community events.
“We’ll have all the infrastructure that will support a street festival — power, lighting … all that kind of stuff,” Deven said.
The total budget for the Olde Town Arvada station is $30.4 million. Arvada is paying $24.3 million, with $2.6 million from RTD and $3.5 million in grant funding.
Completion is expected in summer of 2016, with the Gold Line opening sometime that fall.
Construction recently began blocks from the station on the . On the other side of Vance Street, a high-density, mixed-use development is envisioned on a 9.5-acre site.
Phil Washington, RTD’s general manager and chief executive officer, said the $7.8 billion FasTracks project has injected $5 billion into the local economy, over twice what was originally predicted.
“We predicted 10 years ago transit-oriented development would pop up all over the place,” Washington said. “Well, guess what? Now I can’t seem to pick up a newspaper without reading about a groundbreaking happening.”
Austin Briggs: 303-954-1729, abriggs@denverpost.com or twitter.com/abriggs
