A former rail yard located in a historic central Denver corridor may be redeveloped for residential, commercial, and highway expansion purposes.
Located near Interstate 25 and the S. Platte River, the Burnham Yards served as a vital rail yard for Denver and larger Colorado beginning in 1871.
After the Union Pacific Railroad Company closed it facilities at the site in 2016, public officials undertook an effort to find a new use for the 58.5-acre site.
Now, members of the Colorado Economic Development Commission, as well as the Colorado Transportation Commission, have come to an agreement regarding a $50 million purchase of the site.
The purchase of the land is officially being undertaken by a group called the Colorado High Performance Transportation Enterprise.
The HPTE was established as an independent entity within the Colorado Department of Transportation, dedicated to financing and delivering infrastructure projects throughout the state.
While plans regarding the future of the Burnham Yards have been discussed, the preservation group Historic Denver has undertaken a survey of the surviving structures at the site, determining that at least six of the buildings, built between 1901 and 1943, are historically significant.
Exactly what will be built at the site, and when, are two large questions that remain to be answered. The Colorado DOT has also indicated that up to 17 acres of the property will be used for an upcoming I-25 widening project.
It is thought that a re-use of the land could eventually entail more than $400 million in investment.
By Garry Boulard
