1
11 15
CATALYST FOR CHANGE By J. Patrick O’Leary This spring the first phase of a 300,000 sq. ft. office and retail building will rise in RiNo on Brighton Blvd. between 35th & 36th streets. It will be the core structure of a “collaborative work ecosystem” aiming to make Denver the center of the digital healthcare industry, according to Mike Biselli of Catalyst Health-Tech Innovation. Catalyst is an equity partner in the project along with Koelbel and Company and the Burgess Family; Burgess owns the property, Koelbel is the builder, and Catalyst a tenant. The Beck Group is the architect. Catalyst aims to bring together private enterprise
(startups to Fortune 20 companies), government, academic and nonprofit organizations with healthcare providers and payers to “accelerate innovation and drive real, lasting change” in the healthcare industry, according to its website. The first phase will be 180,000 sq. ft. and include more than 10,000 sq. ft. of retail as well as an events venue. Amenities will include a rooftop deck, a cafe, a fitness center and bike storage. Groundbreaking is set for April 2016, with completion of the first phase targeted in the third quarter of 2017. Biselli said Catalyst hired an “… experiential design team to think about what needs to happen” to achieve the goal of reimagining health care.
The Phase I of Catalyst HTI’s office and retail development will break ground April 2016. The initial 180,000 sq. ft. will be home to digital healthcare providers and their customers. IMAGE COURTESY OF THE BECK GROUP
PROTESTERS’ OUTBURST STUNS DENVER CITY COUNCIL MEETING
By Keith Lewis On October 26, an otherwise routine meeting of the Denver City Council was vocally interrupted by homeless-rights activists who suddenly burst into the room to protest Denver’s urban camping ban. The subject of the protesters’ ire is a 2012 Denver ordinance, which prohibits sleeping in non-permanent structures within the city. Homeless-rights activists view this law as a “War on Homeless” which essentially makes homelessness a crime by criminalizing sleeping in the park. According to protesters, this law forces the homeless to sleep in hidden, but often more dangerous places in the city. The 2012 Denver ordinance banning outdoor sleeping has been controversial since its inception. The ordinance took
“If we are going to fundamentally change the health care system, we must do it together,” he said, explaining that the physical appearance of the building is not the most important feature. “It’s all about what goes on inside… We’re building a building to allow ‘serendipitous collision’ … [tenants] interacting in a daily basis, in real time.” That translates into open, shared, collaborative spaces and open staircases, said Biselli. Although seven stories high, the fourth floor will be the epicenter of activity, home to startups and the co-working area, with mid-size companies on floors two and three, and retail on the ground floor. “Wellness will be a key component in the design of the building with a focus on natural light, clean air, and a layout that encourages activity and interaction amongst the tenants,” he said. Biselli also indicated they are seeking digital healthcare companies, as well as consumers of those technologies, as tenants. “Denver is a top ten digital healthcare cluster,” he explained. “Those organizations with an information technology component… those are the types of companies we’re going after.” Biselli said the spring groundbreaking would take place after the current tenants move, once their leases expire. “We’re being good neighbors about that.” The Burgess Family has owned property in the River North District since 1968, according to a Catalyst press release, and had been “patiently waiting” for an opportunity to create positive change in the city rather than sell. “We believe the office space of the future will be one that provides tenants the privacy they need to manage their core business, while also providing opportunity to collaborate and innovate with their neighbors,” said Carl Koelbel, Koelbel’s Vice-President of Acquisitions and Development. “The focus on healthtech will accelerate that innovation since everybody under the roof will be working together to improve healthcare.” For more information, visit catalysthealthtech.com.
effect on May 30, 2012 after a tense 9-4 Denver City Council vote in favor of its passage before another group of protestors three years ago. The four council members who opposed the ordinance in 2012 – Lopez, Shepherd, Kneich, and Ortega – voiced concerns at the time that the law sought to punish poverty. In 2012, then-councilwoman Susan Shepherd opposed the measure, telling the crowd to “watch them like a hawk,” alluding to the city officials who would be enforcing this ban. Some others on the Denver City Council thought the ban might be acceptable if there were first sufficiently available homeless shelters and services. Despite these concerns, the ordinance continued on page 12