LAKEWOOD —Visitors to the can soon get around a bit easier after two years of navigating roped-off areas and traffic detours.
Work on a $4.9 million renovation project at 480 S. Allison Parkway is slated to be finished around the third week of August with a grand opening Aug. 27. The two-phase project creates a more open area for resident use between the Cultural Center and City Hall, including a revamped drive-lane and a 30,000-square-foot plaza and courtyard.
Sections of the buildings and outdoor areas were built in the mid- 1990s on top of an underground garage, which became an issue because it wasn’t waterproofed, said Kyle Beck, city project manager.
Phase one fixed the problem of water runoff making its way underground and
“Under the new system, the whole decking is waterproof,” Beck said. “No water goes underground.”
The project also makes improvements to the drive lane that runs along the south side of the buildings. Previous weight limits meant schoolbuses couldn’t use the lane, but structural improvements will accommodate them now.
“People don’t think of government buildings as having a lot of activity, but the whole purpose of them is for public use,” said city public information officer Stacie Oulton.
Justin Rickett of Newstrom Davis Construction Co. — the general contractor for the project — said the underground heating system in the improved drive lane and plaza area means sand and magnesium chloride for snow and ice removal will no longer be necessary, saving the city money and helping the environment.
“I’d have to do some more research, but from what I’ve heard and seen, this is the largest underground system of its kind in Colorado,” Rickett said.
The centerpiece of the project will be the plaza and courtyard built between the Cultural Center and City Hall. The 30,000-square-foot courtyard is covered in stone pavers and boasts a handful of public art displays. A dozen or so stone benches are near an amphitheater, something Kit Newland, director of the community resources department, said could be used before events at the Cultural Center.
“We want to activate the space for public engagement,” Newland said. “This is a public space, so we want to create a setting that is active and engaging and open to the public.”
Planters have also been installed along with a fountain, new lighting and a grass area.
Both Beck and Rickett said the project took longer than usual because most of the area was above the parking garage, meaning heavy equipment couldn’t be driven on-site. Instead, workers had to move material by hand or use small loaders. There were also noise limits, visitor safety and other factors that lengthened the project timeline.
All told, three contractors dropped out of the project before Newstrom Davis Construction came on board last fall.
“It was a very tedious project, but unique and challenging at the same time,” Rickett said.
The plaza courtyard also opens into a section of the Lakewood Commons shopping area. Carolyn Martinez, a real estate agent representing Lakewood Commons property owners, said the area has traditionally been underutilized and hopes completion of the project will draw more visitors to the cluster of stores behind the plaza.
“In the past, (the courtyard) has been underutilized,” Martinez said. “It’s a unique area that I would hope begins drawing more people into using the plaza.”
Austin Briggs: 303-954-1729, abriggs@denverpost.com or twitter.com/abriggs
Civic center plaza grand opening
What: Music, food, art, prizes
When: 5-7:30 p.m. Aug. 27
Where: 480 S. Allison Parkway
Info: 303-987-7845
