Downtown Denver’s comeback is taking shape, and five major projects are helping lead the charge.

It starts with The DAVID at 20th and Welton.

Backed by Davita, Continuum Partners, and Goshen Development, this 7-story building will deliver 94 workforce housing units for middle-income earners. It’s a rare private-sector push for housing near jobs, and a model other companies may follow.

At 19th and Arapahoe, the former Greyhound terminal is being transformed into a two-tower complex with 391 apartments, a 170-room hotel, and premium office space.

Developers Golub & Company, along with Rockefeller Group, plan to bridge the towers with a year-round public plaza, aiming to do for upper downtown what McGregor Square did for LoDo.

At 17th and California, Luzzatto Company plans to convert two aging office towers into 700+ apartments with 150,000 square feet of retail and amenities.

Directly across the street, Harbinger Development is planning a 39-story mixed-use tower with 273 hotel rooms and 150 apartments.

Together, these two projects could completely transform the corridor.

Finally, Upton Residences will bring 461 for-sale condos to 18th and Glenarm, downtown’s largest condo project in over a decade.

Though delayed, it’s nearing completion and will inject a new population of long-term residents into the core. That said, getting to the finish line takes time.

Upton is a reminder that delays happen, and even after completion, projects can take years to stabilize.

Most of these are targeting 2026–2028, but 2030+ is likely when their full impact will be felt.

Recent permitting reforms aim to speed things up and are a welcome move. Credit is due to the Downtown Denver Partnership and the 16th Street Mall revitalization for keeping momentum alive.

The city core isn’t just coming back — it’s evolving.