New Stapleton Development

This consists of 322 new homes on 101 acres south of east 26th Avenue, and 754 acres north of I-70.

This is the most interesting factoid to me:  "Among the infrastructure improvements to be made is extending Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard — a main east-west arterial at Stapleton — to Fitzsimons Parkway, which runs along the northern border of the medical campus."

Porteos Colorado

Source: http://www.porteoscolorado.com/site-plan.html

Porteos is a mixed use "retail, restaurant, hotel, office/flex, industrial & aviation" project sitting on about 1,000 acres just south of DIA.  I'm not really excited about it because it seems like more urban sprawl.  But it is something to be aware of, since I am posting information about other proposed mega-projects.

Victory Crossing in Commerce City

Commerce City could be getting a step closer to developing a nearly 1,000 acre tract of land that was once part of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal chemical weapons manufacturing operation for homes, offices and retail stores. The city has already dubbed the planned development Victory Crossing. Plans envision a mix of housing, commercial and retail uses on the land, which is north of the Northfield Stapleton area and just west of the Dick's Sporting Goods stadium. According to the city’s website, “The city believes the success of the Victory Crossing development could be strengthened with multifamily housing (owner-occupied and rental) and ground floor retail that provides a sense of place and highlights (the wildlife refuge’s) assets.”
--http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2016/05/25/colorado-lawmakers-want-development-restrictions.html

See also VictoryCrossing.

Gaylord Rockies Hotel

 See www.GaylordRockies.com

Family Dollar under construction at 1395 N Peoria

At 1395 N Peoria St, right across the street from the ugly blue future marijuana building at 1401 N Peoria, and within a block of the abandoned Safeway, a new construction project is underway.  It will be a new Family Dollar.  The contractor is Stafford Construction.  It will probably open this fall.

There is already an existing Family Dollar only a mile away at 6th & Peoria, so that one will probably close.

Mega Master-Planned Developments

"Now urban life is creeping up on him as plans for an expansive 9,000-home community, dubbed Prosper, take shape on more than 5,100 acres of farmland surrounding his house [in Watkins].

The $600 million mixed-use project, which got preliminary approval from Arapahoe County last month, is just one of several giant residential communities poised to rise from the ashes of one of the worst housing implosions in generations.

It joins 12,000-home Sterling Ranch, the first phase of which was approved by Douglas County in January, and 10,000-home Green Valley Ranch East in Adams County as the latest mega master-planned developments to put outward pressure on metro Denver’s footprint."

--http://www.denverpost.com/2015/03/07/new-wave-of-development-poised-to-roll-across-denvers-suburban-fringe/

Alternate future

Source: http://www.rnldesign.com/markets/urban-design/north-america/nine-mile-tod/

Another beautiful drawing of a plan that is completely different from the previous plan.

Progress at blighted shopping center

Regatta Plaza Fiasco

Near the intersection of Parker Rd & I-225, two of the busiest highways in Colorado, and very close to a busy light-rail station, sits an abandoned shopping center called Regatta Plaza.  It started going downhill in 2001.  It was formally declared blighted in 2013.  But still the slumlords, a local man named John Buckley and another guy named Romesh Sharma, didn't do anything.  They also refused to sell the property.

So the city of Aurora decided to take the property via eminent domain.  Problem solved?  Hahaha.  The incompetent bureaucrats at Aurora City Hall keep changing their minds as to what to do.  First they created an urban renewal district and use tax-increment financing (TIF) to fund it.  Then they hire a master plan developer, Mile High Koelbel (MHK) to draw up some pretty plans.  Then they fire MHK and hire a new architect, RNL.  Then they decide, no they want FOUR separate urban renewal districts. But then  Arapahoe County objects because they will lose out on the tax dollars, and they wonder why can't the project be financed privately.

Meanwhile, there is a big chain link fence around the whole area, and most of the units are either boarded up or have broken glass.  There it sits, until it will be demolished.

An Aurora city council member is so frustrated that he posts hilarious weekly updates:
"Week of May 9-13, 2016 UPDATE
You may have noticed that we moved the fence to the rear of the haunted house. We will begin asbestos abatement on the exterior of the building next week.” --http://charlierichardsonward4.com/regatta-plaza-update-may-11th-2016/

Luckily there are lots of pretty futuristic drawing to assure us that something is being done.  But they are all completely different, proving that the design has not been selected yet.  I'm not going to post them all right now, but here is one:

Source:  https://www.auroragov.org/cs/groups/public/documents/document/024727.pdf

=======================================
Update:  I have been way too harsh on developer John Buckley.  It appears that it is the city's fault for being unreasonable.

"In April [2014], the city adopted its urban renewal plan for Nine Mile Station and Regatta Plaza. The purpose of the plan is to create public finance options to help fund the transformation of the outdated, largely vacant shopping center into an "urban village" — characterized in the plan by more than 500 units of high-end apartments and townhomes serviced with elevators and attached parking structures.

"The city's plans for high-density apartments are not grounded in financial reality," Buckley said. "Higher density means a different level of construction and construction costs, and the lease rates in that area do not support that plan."

In 2011, Buckley presented a redevelopment plan to the city that included about 430 units of three-story, walkup garden apartments and parking lots as well as about 30,000 square feet of retail space. The city rejected those plans on the grounds that they did not create the desired gateway to Aurora."
--http://www.denverpost.com/aurora/ci_25753945/regatta-plaza-redevelopment-spurred-after-aurora-urban-renewal

Mt Nebo Fly By

This was done in 2011 so I am sure it is dead.  But cool video.  See http://parikhstevens.com/portfolio/planning for more drawings on the old Mt Nebo project.

Mt Nebo Mixed Use

There is a project called "Mount Nebo Mixed Use" that will have 970 residential units and 800,000 sq ft of commercial space at build out on 19 acres of land.  I'm confused because it says "The first phase of multifamily rental is complete and fully leased", but it looks to me like the land is completely vacant, although there is a fence around it and earth movers on the property.  This is just south of the marijuana shop I just mentioned at 14th & Peoria.

It looks like this is the same land that the Ability Connection Colorado school is being built on.  So I'm not sure if the school is part of the Mount Nebo plan or if it replaces it.

Update: The "first phase of multifamily rental" appears to be the building known as Edge Point Apartments located at 12005 E 13th Ave.

New Holiday Inn Express at 14200 E Colfax

This is at the site of the former RV and boat shop between the RTD maintenance garage and Davidsons Motors.  The red roof building on it now will be demolished.  A 5 story tall Holiday Inn Express & Suites is planned to be built there.  It is a very good location, and within easy walking distance of the light rail stop.

See https://apps2.auroragov.org/developmentplanreviewpub/MyProjects/Detail.aspx?frsn=VqUe/CFmMFo=

Here is a bit of trivia.  There used to be a Holiday Inn at 13800 E Colfax, which would be about where the southwest on-ramp to I-225 is now.  See Colfax Avenue Motels.  It would have been demolished in I-225 was constructed about 1965.  So the new Holiday Inn Express will be only 4 blocks from where the old one was.

11479 E Colfax Ave

On the northwest corner of Moline & East Colfax was a tiny building formerly occupied by a beauty salon.  It has now been torn down and the surrounding pavement dug up with a backhoe.  It is the future site of a Risas Dental clinic.  The opening is set for fall of 2016.

See:  http://www.risasdental.com/locations/individual-location-pages/aurora-north-co/

Aurora Mindful at Fitzsimons

At 1401 N Peoria St, there is an ugly blue building that is being remodeled or demolished.  The project is called "Aurora Mindful at Fitzsimons".   The contractor is "Constructive Engineering Solutions LLC".   The project owner is 3LP LLC dba Mindful Marijuana Retail Sales.

Massive Rockies Inn fire on April 1

This is out of the scope of my blog because it happened in Denver.  And it isn't current news as it happened over a month ago.  However, this is the first I have seen news coverage of it.  And I am curious about this troubled abandoned motel.  The location is at Evans and I-25 in Denver.

 

I wonder what will happen to the property.

Ability Connection Colorado

Caption: Ability Connection Colorado will build its new school at 13th Avenue and Peoria Street in Aurora.
Source:  http://www.businessden.com/2015/11/17/nonprofit-school-to-begin-new-chapter-in-aurora/

"The new 8,995-square-foot building at the southwest corner of East 13th Avenue and North Peoria Street in Aurora will have room for six classrooms. The opening date depends on how quickly the group can hire teachers and other personnel, Lennon said, but the plan is to have it open in time for the 2016-2017 school year."

Brent's Place Too

Source:  http://www.jns.design/portfolio/brents-place/

"This is a pro-bono work for the Brent Eley Foundation providing furnished “safe clean” apartments and programs to encourage healing for patients and their families post bone marrow or stem cell transplantation."

This is the project I previously referred to as Brent's Place Park, because I didn't know the name of it.