303 16th St
303 16th St is a 5-story building in Greater Downtown Denver with 90% of its floor area within daylight reach of a facade. This screen estimates 57 homes and scores it 80 out of 100 for office-to-residential conversion suitability.
CO-1 · Screened 2026-09-19 · Strong candidate
Where 303 16th St is
Its block in Greater Downtown Denver, drawn from Denver's own building outlines and street centerlines.
- Already housing
- Not screened
- 303 16th St
This building does not pencil at default assumptions, even with a modeled RESIDE Act grant.
Across its 4 residential floors this building carries 6,244 sq ft of windowless core — area that must be gutted, re-plumbed and sprinklered but can never be rented as an apartment.
Modeled conversion metrics for 303 16th St, 2026-09-19.
| Suitability scoreStrong candidate | 80 / 100 |
|---|---|
| Storiesfrom 60 ft aerial-survey height ÷ 12 ft floor-to-floor | 5 |
| Height bandsfloor plate by floor range, from the city's roof outlines | Floors 1–2: 17,312 sq ft · Floor 3: 15,209 sq ft · Floors 4–5: 13,746 sq ft |
| Floor platetypical floor, from the city outlines | 13,746 sq ft |
| Daylight efficiencyshare within 35 ft of a facade | 90% |
| Deepest interior pointviability threshold is 80 ft | 48 ft |
| Windowless coretypical floor; the building-wide total is in the text above | 1,557 sq ft |
| Estimated homesat 750 sq ft average | 57 |
| Conversion cost$360/sq ft all-in on 60,012 sq ft | $21.6M |
| Gap before grantshortfall against completed value | $8.2M |
| Modeled RESIDE grantbelow the statutory cap | $3.4M |
| BuiltDenver does not publish a construction year with this data | — |
| ZoningCBD | D-C |
| Opportunity Zonenot in a 2018 designated tract | No |
The plan: window line, shape and floor rhythm
40 ft of exterior wall for each home the screen estimates — enough for two- and three-bedroom homes across the plan.
The typical floor has 521 ft of exterior wall, and across 4 residential floors the building carries 2,288 ft of it in total, divided among the 57 homes this screen estimates.
Its plate is moderately compact at 0.64: a squarish plan, with enough perimeter for a conventional double-loaded corridor. How window line and plate shape are measured.
At the model’s 750 sq ft average, the plan works out at about 14.3 homes per floor, repeated on every residential floor, since this building's outline does not change as it rises.
Why 303 16th St scores 80 out of 100
Daylight efficiency 99, Interior depth 80, Scale 38, Finance 63 — each out of 100, then weighted.
Score components for 303 16th St. Points are the subscore times its weight.
| Component | Subscore | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight efficiency90% of the floor area within 35 ft of a facade, scored from 40% up to 90% | 99 | 45% | 44.6 |
| Interior depthdeepest interior point 48 ft from a facade, scored from 80 ft down to 40 ft | 80 | 25% | 19.9 |
| Scale57 estimated homes, scored from 0 up to 150 | 38 | 15% | 5.7 |
| Financeremaining gap is 22% of conversion cost, scored from 60% down to 0% | 63 | 15% | 9.5 |
Most of what it earns comes from daylight efficiency, and what holds it back most is scale, at 38 out of 100: 57 estimated homes, scored from 0 up to 150.
What the conversion would cost
$360 per square foot all-in across 60,012 sq ft of converted floor, or $21.6M in total — about $379K for each of the 57 homes.
All-in cost per square foot for 303 16th St: base cost plus the code work a change of use triggers.
| Base conversion cost | $260/sq ft |
|---|---|
| Plumbing risers to every unit | $40/sq ft |
| Operable windows and glazing | $30/sq ft |
| Additional egress stair | $18/sq ft |
| Fire sprinklers (NFPA 13R) | $12/sq ft |
| All-in | $360/sq ft |
That cost is charged across every converted square foot, including the 6,244 sq ft of windowless core, which has to be gutted, re-plumbed and sprinklered like the rest of the building and then earns nothing. Against it the model sets a completed value of $236K a home, which for 57 homes is $13.5M.
What would have to be true
A $8.2M gap before any grant, $4.7M after the modeled one. The smallest single change that would close it: average unit size 21% down.
The shortfall before any grant is $8.2M. Closing it from the value side means each of the 57 homes finishing at $379K rather than the $236K the model assumes — 61% more. Closing it from the cost side means getting all-in cost down from $360 to $224 per square foot.
A modeled RESIDE grant of $3.4M moves that threshold to $319K a home. That is still above the $236K assumed, leaving $4.7M uncovered, which is why the grant does not unlock this one.
Nor do all four levers have to move. For 303 16th St, one alone would close the gap at:
Single-assumption flip points for 303 16th St, each holding the other three at their defaults.
| Average unit sizethe binding constraint — the least this building would need | 21% downto 589 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Conversion cost per square foot | 30% downto $181/sq ft |
| Completed value per home | 35% upto $319K |
All four are sliders in the survey, where 303 16th St re-scores against your own numbers.
How it compares in Greater Downtown Denver
303 16th St ranks 78th of the 214 buildings screened here, against a median score of 72.
Its floor plate is better lit than 72% of them, and shallower than 70% of them at its deepest interior point. On size it is the 197th largest by estimated homes. The full survey of all 214 buildings ranks and maps every one of them, and the list by address links each to its own page.
Within CBD and the D-C zone
26th of 75 in CBD, 26th of 72 zoned D-C — the comparison that shares its rules, rents and streets.
Denver places 75 of the screened buildings in CBD. 303 16th St ranks 26th of them against a median score of 71. 40 score 70 or more, their median deepest interior point is 56 ft from a facade against this building’s 48 ft, and together they would hold an estimated 33,698 homes. The group’s top scorer is 918 17th St, at 97.
72 of the screened buildings are zoned D-C. 303 16th St ranks 26th of them against a median score of 73. 39 score 70 or more, their median deepest interior point is 57 ft from a facade against this building’s 48 ft, and together they would hold an estimated 32,881 homes. The group’s top scorer is 721 19th St, at 95.
Its nearest match in size: 144 W Colfax Ave
The screened building closest to 303 16th St in converted floor area is 144 W Colfax Ave: 56,160 sq ft over 5 stories, against 60,012 sq ft over 5 here.
303 16th St scores 80 to its 85, and with the size held roughly equal most of that shortfall comes from interior depth: 80 out of 100 here, 92 there (deepest interior point 43 ft from a facade, scored from 80 ft down to 40 ft). On the money they sit in the same place: each falls short even with the modeled grant. The two stand about 1,200 ft apart.
Would it qualify for a RESIDE Act grant?
The model awards 303 16th St $3.4M, on the assumption it qualifies. Whether it does, no published dataset can say.
That figure assumes the building meets the Act’s vacant-and-abandoned test, which turns on code-enforcement and receivership records no city publishes.
It does not sit in a 2018 designated Opportunity Zone, so it would not draw that Section 201 priority.
Other buildings screened near 303 16th St
The 4 closest the screen also covers, from 170 ft away. They are the colored outlines on the plan at the top of this page.
- 1625 Court Pl5 stories · 92% daylit · 43 estimated homes · scores 80/100 (Strong candidate)about 170 ft away
- 370 17th St60 stories · 71% daylit · 1,140 estimated homes · scores 57/100 (Worth a feasibility study)about 220 ft away
- 1675 N Broadway30 stories · 80% daylit · 333 estimated homes · scores 68/100 (Worth a feasibility study)about 260 ft away
- 1625 N Broadway32 stories · 80% daylit · 358 estimated homes · scores 69/100 (Worth a feasibility study)about 350 ft away
A screen, not a feasibility study, from outlines and heights rather than plans: the method and how to correct a figure. If you know this building’s interior, you know what this model cannot see.