Denver council to consider $1.6 million HNTB agreement for Federal Boulevard transit-oriented development
The proposed agreement would run through August 2029, but the public agenda does not identify specific sites, deliverables or resident-engagement requirements.
Denver City Council is scheduled to consider a proposed $1.6 million agreement with HNTB on Aug. 3 for an equitable transit-oriented-development implementation plan along the Federal Boulevard bus rapid transit corridor.
Bill 26-1024 would fund consultant services through Aug. 31, 2029, under project CPLAN-202685028, covering Council Districts 1, 2, 3 and 7, the council agenda says. The Community Planning and Housing Committee approved filing the bill July 14. The agenda does not report a final vote or an executed contract and lists Aug. 17 as the last regularly scheduled meeting in the 30-day review period.
The public record identifies the work as implementation of an existing “Equitable TOD Implementation Plan,” but does not specify the sites, stations, corridor endpoints, milestones or HNTB work products. It also does not state a project-specific public-engagement schedule, language-access requirement, community-partner role or funding source.
Denver’s Southwest Area Plan provides context but not a definitive HNTB site list. It identifies the Little Saigon area of Federal Boulevard, between Alameda and Mississippi avenues, as a transit-oriented-development opportunity and calls for screening potential priority sites, preserving existing affordable housing, adding housing near Federal Boulevard, supporting small and minority-owned businesses, and using affordability and anti-displacement tools in rezonings. Those are adopted-plan goals, not confirmed contract deliverables. The broader Southwest planning area includes Athmar Park, Mar Lee, Overland, Ruby Hill and Westwood, but the available record does not establish that all are within the agreement.
The proposed planning agreement is separate from the Federal Boulevard BRT’s construction and service work. The Denver Regional Council of Governments describes the BRT infrastructure as extending from 120th Avenue to Dartmouth Avenue, with connections toward Wagon Road Park-n-Ride and Englewood Station. CDOT describes design, construction and testing as a separate project, with service expected to begin in 2030.
The council meeting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the City and County Building, 1437 Bannock St. Until the agreement or scope documents are released, the item establishes proposed spending and district coverage but not which parcels will be prioritized or how residents will participate.