Westminster Parking Garage

​Situated on the busy U.S. Highway 36 corridor between Denver and Boulder, the City of Westminster is transforming its downtown into the next urban center on Colorado's Front Range. Surrounded by impressive mountain views, engaging shopping districts and historic landmarks, downtown Westminster is on the fast track to becoming a prominent community and regional destination. With a focus on green and sustainable building, the city's plan includes high-density, urban-scale, mixed-use developments offering residents and visitors a vibrant and active street-level experience.

Ample space for parking is fundamental to the city's success, so the first ground-up construction project was a parking garage designed and built by Opus. Since timeliness and efficiency were top concerns for the city, using the design-build delivery model for the parking garage was preferred. They chose Opus for its deep design-build experience and the design team's ability to re-envision the site as part of the larger vision for the downtown area. 

This is not your average parking garage. Slated for Parksmart certification, it's the country's first publically-owned green garage. Parksmart is a green building certification program for high-performing, sustainable garages that reduce environmental impact, increase energy efficiency, offer better lighting and ventilation and promote alternative transportation. 

With space for 880 vehicles, the six-level, 268,000-square-foot parking garage features a skybridge connection to JC Penney and a five-story, mixed-use development wrap. It features electric vehicle charging stations, bicycle parking that exceeds LEED requirements, LED lighting with dimmers and occupancy sensors, low-VOC coatings and recycled building products. The garage has no access controls, so vehicles will not idle while waiting to enter or leave, and the open style eliminates the need for ventilation systems. 

Opus brought in an exceptional team that has been forward thinking and identifying issues before they arise. This design-build process is really indicative of our overall vision for the new downtown – thoughtful and deliberate, with our eye always on sustainability. They have truly taken ownership of the project and are on track with budget and schedule…

John Burke, P.E.
Downtown Westminster Development & Construction Manager

The downtown Westminster Parking Garage was completed in the summer of 2017.