"I think at the end of the day, they thought the Trump name was all that would be necessary," Byron Koste, who has been observing the selection process as head of the University of Colorado Real Estate Center at the Leeds School of Business, tells GlobeSt.com. "This was their chance to let the selection committee know you understand the issues but you can't do that in just a page or two."
Another developer, Timothy O'Brien, whose response was even shorter than Trump's, also was eliminated, leaving nine developers still in the running to become the lead developer on the project. The remaining developers have been asked to submit a detailed description of the group's organizational structure and responsibilities of each partner to the selection committee by March 13. The committee expects to interview the development teams on March 23 and March 24 and narrow down the list by the end of the month.
But Trump's International Hotel & Residences Denver, which teamed up with Bayrock Group and Barry Group Investments to vie for the contract, may not be out of the running just yet. He could still team up with one of the other development groups.
The Union Station project is one of the most ambitious redevelopment efforts undertaken by the city. Once completed, the project, which is expected to cost $1 billion, will serve as a gateway to Denver's downtown and link the Lower Downtown and Central Platte neighborhoods.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.