CRL Case Studies

FasTracks YES!

Directed the passage of a .04 cent sales tax increase to finance 119 miles of light rail in the eight-county Denver metro region—the nation’s largest effort to expand mass transit.

With a budget of $3.5 million, CRL successfully managed the regional campaign in the face of opposition from Colorado Governor Bill Owens, the Rocky Mountain News and the influential Independence Institute.
CRL spent the better part of 18 months on the entire effort, gradually positioning the FasTracks program, educating the public, raising money and growing grassroots support.
The measure passed with 57% voting YES—making this the first time since 1973 that the Regional Transportation District (RTD) was successful in passing a tax increase.

Denver Union Station Environmental Impact Study

CRL is the strategic lead for an ownership group including the City and County of Denver, RTD, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG).

Union Station’s master plan for transforming the historic train station into a regional hub for light rail, commuter rail, bus and shuttle is the subject of an environmental impact statement (EIS). Because of our unique understanding of the EIS process, CRL has positioned the project from the beginning with the ownership group, stakeholders, the public and the media.
CRL directed the successful effort to rezone the site to make the project possible.
CRL also managed the effort to form an advisory committee from 31 separate stakeholder groups and continues to oversee the group’s meetings and agendas.

Redevelopment of the former Stapleton International Airport site

Assisted our client, Forest City, through a very competitive RFP process for the largest infill site in the nation.

Once Forest City was selected as the master developer, CRL advised the company during a complicated and unprecedented tax increment finance (TIF) program, drawing on a variety of talent in both the public and private sectors.
CRL also managed a 40-person team of city senior policy officials through various deadlines in a limited timeframe. CRL help secure additional entitlements and public investment after zoning had begun for this project.

Redevelopment of the former Gates Rubber Factory

CRL represents Cherokee Investment Partners’ proposed transformation of a former industrial site into a transit-oriented development featuring elements of retail, residential, office and transit.

We are managing all aspects of Cherokee’s efforts to weave the environmentally-impacted site back into Denver’s neighborhoods, overseeing rezoning efforts, development approvals, public and media relations as well as outreach to local officials and city approval staff.
CRL successfully coordinated the complex TIF program for the site’s roads, parks and other infrastructure.

Kroenke Sports Enterprises

Since 1995—and through three changes in ownership—CRL has provided government consulting services to the Pepsi Center.

We recently positioned the arena’s surrounding property for the next decade of development via zoning approval for an auto race, amphitheater and public transit.
CRL oversaw the formation of the Pepsi Center Advisory Committee (PCAC), which provides a forum for neighbors, vendors and Pepsi Center officials to update one another on areas of concern.

Metropolitan Football Stadium District (MFSD)

CRL provided government relations, community outreach and assistance with the negotiation of project terms and zoning for the new Denver Broncos Stadium.

CRL helped negotiate project terms and zoning for Invesco Field at Mile High.
We coordinated the Stadium Advisory Committee (SAC), a group of concerned citizens who represent the neighbors surrounding Invesco Field.
The SAC set a new standard for accountability and communication between the City of Denver and the neighborhoods surrounding the project.

Belmar

CRL introduced real estate developer Continuum to the former Villa Italia Mall site in the City of Lakewood. The project centered around the redevelopment of the former Villa Italia Mall, a 100-acre site, into the city's first mixed-use, state-of-the-art, green-built urban renewal redevelopment.

CRL successfully participated in the federal lobbying effort to ensure that our client was eligible for low-interest government bonds.
The redevelopment of Belmar is an example of how CRL matches its clients with appropriate projects, represents them through the entitlement process and assists with the public financing of large, high-profile redevelopments.

Colorado Convention Center

The Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau hired CRL in 1999 to determine the feasibility of expanding the Colorado Convention Center. CRL added value to this new effort as a result of its involvement in the first expansion of the facility in 1983.

For this new expansion project, CRL gauged the interest of key elected officials and subsequently helped create a citywide task force process to examine the various components related to the expansion.
Through monitoring this task force, we created the necessary relationships and identified key leaders to help promote the project at the city level and to obtain state funds.
CRL began meeting with elected officials at the beginning of the process to educate them on the benefits of the expansion.
Once the task force recommended the expansion of the center, CRL began lobbying elected and appointed officials to place the bond issue on the November 1999 ballot.
Because we were involved from the very beginning, CRL was hired to run the successful $268 million expansion campaign in 1999.