First residents move into 205-unit Block 32 apartments in RiNo

Residents have moved into the first phase of the 205-unit Block 32 building in RiNo.

The first two tenants were an FBI agent and a policeman, followed closely by dozens of single women, says Jim Johnson, founding principal of JG Johnson Architects, which designed the building. The team initially thought single men would lease the units.

“We’re running out of one-bedrooms,” Johnson says. “We’re pushing the contractor to develop the next phase.”

Developed by Scott McFadden of Prospect LLC, rental rates in Block 32 are $1,050 to $1,200 a month for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,350 to $1,600 for a two-bedroom. The complex is designed to meet Enterprise Green Community standards. It has energy-efficient lighting systems, increased thermal insulation and enhanced water quality and detention design features.

The River North area was designated as an “area of change” under the city’s 2002 Blueprint Denver land-use plan.

Though it’s not the first major project in the area -- that credit goes to Mickey Zeppelin's Taxi development -- it will rejuvenate a corridor that serves as the gateway to downtown Denver.

“It’s a transformational project for Brighton Boulevard,” Johnson says.  “Mickey planted the seed, but other people are harvesting the idea.”

The River North plan covers an area bounded by Park Avenue West to the southwest, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks to the northwest, Interstate 70 on the north and York Street and the Union Pacific tracks on the northeast.