As Senior Vice President of Planning and Community Impact at the Downtown Denver Partnership, Andrew Iltis has been instrumental in shaping downtown’s planning work and mobility advocacy efforts over the past seven years. From leading the Partnership’s Adaptive Reuse Task Force in 2023 to now serving as co-principal for the Downtown Area Plan update and joining the Partnership’s governance team, Iltis continues to be a vital voice in influencing the future of downtown while also addressing pressing challenges facing urban centers today.
1. What has been your most significant accomplishment in revitalizing Denver’s urban core, and what was its main focus (i.e. investment attraction, community-focused, accessibility, and neighborhood vitality)?
“Revitalization is a big word that means many things to different people. We all can agree that the current challenges downtown require changes to both how we work to collaborate and what the outcomes of that work are; so, I think the most significant impact I can have is in helping the community be inspired to feel that doing better is possible.
My passion is for cities and urban design so I’ve put a lot of energy here at the Partnership in building programs and places in which people can experience, for themselves, the potential for improving our city. These include programs like the Viva Streets series in 2023 … What I enjoy most about these projects is demonstrating that transformational change is possible through incremental progress…
I remember my own first experiences of being in downtown on the 16th Street Mall as a child, and today, I feel the most rewarded by opportunities to create the same positive impressions of our city for the next generation and generations beyond that.”
2. What are the biggest barriers to successful adaptive reuse projects in downtown Denver, and how can public-private partnerships help overcome these challenges while preserving the character of our neighborhoods and communities?
“Adaptive reuse has become such a hot topic for cities in the wake of the pandemic and the resulting shifts in workplace culture. In 2023, the Partnership led a task force—our task force ultimately confirmed what we often hear anecdotally: that adaptive projects often exacerbate and amplify other development challenges, such as the cost of construction and high interest rates, or local constraints such as limited state and local development subsidies and burdensome city land use policies and processes.
“The encouraging news is that following our task force recommendations, the Downtown Development Authority has made financial subsidies available for projects. Additionally, the city is actively working to reduce other barriers to development through permitting reform and better coordination between city departments.”
3. As someone who leads mobility initiatives for downtown Denver, what role do you see multimodal transit, walkability, and emerging mobility solutions playing in downtown’s future?
“Mobility is the ultimate equalizer in a city. When it works well, it provides freedom, independence, and economic stability for everyone…
Our current system over-allocates to private vehicles, so growing downtown requires improving access and safety for all modes—freight, pedestrians, cyclists, transit, and shared mobility. We’re addressing this through proposed two-way street conversions, better bike infrastructure, clearer parking signage and pricing, and partnerships with RTD to adapt shared transport for our flexible workforce. Multi-modalism is essential for downtown’s economic health—we just need to better demonstrate that potential to the public.”
4. What trends do you see shaping downtown planning in the next 5–10 years?
“The next five to 10 years will bring a real opportunity to shift the way downtown has performed in the past from a central business district toward the community’s vision of a central neighborhood district…
While new mega projects outside of the traditional urban core—such as the proposed sports venues and planned projects at Auraria and Ball Arena—will undoubtedly reshape what ‘downtown’ is in the long term, these new developments will also put new growth pressures on the respective adjacent neighborhoods. I believe that if we can strengthen connections between downtown and our near-in neighborhoods, downtown can serve as a relief valve for some of the near-term pressures.”
5. What does success look like for Downtown Denver in 2030? What catalytic and transformational projects are you most excited about?
“By 2030 a few key projects will be complete and functioning as part of the city, including the first segment of the 5280 Trail in Golden Triangle, a new play fountain and beer garden in the central block of Skyline Park and a mass of new residential units in Upper Downtown…
Beyond specific projects, I think success for downtown in the near-term will be tied to improving project delivery processes and establishing platforms for public-private partnerships…
My favorite outcome of the recent Downtown Area Plan update is the recognition that downtown has a deficit of places to play. By 2030, we will begin to see some of these play elements being deployed and hopefully everyone will be feeling a new level of joy downtown.”
