5 questions for Tracy Huggins

By John Rebchook, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published June 17, 2008 at 9:05 p.m.

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Linda Mcconnell / Special To The Rocky

Tracy Huggins

* Denver Urban Renewal Authority, which celebrated its golden anniversary Tuesday, has had only four directors since it was created in 1958. Huggins is the current director.

The Denver Urban Renewal Authority, which celebrated its golden anniversary Tuesday, has provided more than $649 million in tax increment financing for more than 75 projects valued at more than $7.1 billion.

It helped jump-start such high-profile projects as the former Adam's Mark Hotel (now Sheraton Denver), Denver Dry Building, Denver Pavilions, Elitch Gardens, Highlands' Garden Village, the Lowenstein Theatre, Lowry and Stapleton.

The four directors at agency, which was created to combat urban blight, are J. Robert Cameron, Susan Powers, Bruce Alexander and Tracy Huggins.

"I would especially like to recognize the contributions of Sue Powers," said Huggins, noting that Powers was the catalyst for a major change downtown from 1987 to 1998, starting with breathing life into the Denver Dry, which Huggins said led to a flurry of historic redevelopments in the central business district.

Huggins sat down Tuesday with Rocky reporter John Rebchook to discuss DURA and its role in the city.

1. When you are eating at a restaurant at Denver Pavilions or buying a book at the Tattered Cover in Mercantile Square, or visiting any of the other DURA projects, do you think that if not for DURA this wouldn't be here?

I really do. I take a great sense of pride to know we really have had an impact on Denver. Sometimes our efforts have been warmly embraced, sometimes they have been tolerated, and sometimes they have been criticized. But if you look at the body of work as a whole, it is really quite remarkable.

2. What has been the most controversial project you have seen since you joined DURA in 1992 and what has been embraced?

I would say (the most controversial) was the Adam's Mark Hotel (now Sheraton Denver).

The DURA board was divided on whether they should tear down that hyperbolic paraboloid (the I.M. Pei- designed building on the 16th Street Mall that was replaced with an "elegant box").

As far as what was most warmly received, I was going to say the REI building, but I think it would be a tie with the Lowenstein.

3. Do you think most people know what DURA has accomplished or even what it is?

No. I think people have a natural tendency to not remember things in the past. I've said many times, both in formal talks and informally, that many people have forgotten, or didn't know, that where the Denver Pavilions is today, there used to be two large surface parking lots. And it wasn't that long ago.

4. Speaking of the past, do you think that DURA was misguided in the 1960s and 1970s, when urban renewal largely consisted of tearing down historic buildings, instead of saving them?

If the effort was misguided, I don't know how big of a role DURA played. If it is anything like it is today, it collaborated with the city and the community.

And a lot of what happened in the '70s was because that's where federal funds were available for a different kind of vision. Looking back, people might say we could have, should have, done things differently.

5. Given Denver's efforts on being green and all the focus on conserving energy, do you think that energy-efficient construction would be a prerequisite for future tax-increment financing projects?

I think certainly that could be the case. Right now, for example, the Denver Water Board has donated low-flow toilets to us to help families in the most need.

I think, overall, there's a high likelihood that will be required for future projects, as Denver and developers look more toward sustainability.

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