Real estate Archives - Colorado Community Media https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/category/business/real-estate/ Thu, 12 Jun 2025 19:46:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/cropped-Square-drafts-32x32.jpg Real estate Archives - Colorado Community Media https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/category/business/real-estate/ 32 32 223860106 Five major parcels for sale on Morrison’s main street https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2025/06/12/five-major-parcels-for-sale-on-morrisons-main-street/ https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2025/06/12/five-major-parcels-for-sale-on-morrisons-main-street/#respond Thu, 12 Jun 2025 19:23:52 +0000 https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/?p=572930 map

Morrison’s main street may be perched on the precipice of major change.  At least five large Bear Creek Avenue properties or businesses are currently listed for sale, and two other currently shuttered buildings are planned for major renovations. Those potential changes are in addition to construction of the Red Hotel, which is just beginning, and […]

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Morrison’s main street may be perched on the precipice of major change. 

At least five large Bear Creek Avenue properties or businesses are currently listed for sale, and two other currently shuttered buildings are planned for major renovations. Those potential changes are in addition to construction of the Red Hotel, which is just beginning, and required the demolition of two older buildings.

All of this is underway in a town that’s seen minimal commercial development for six decades.

The properties include not only Dave Killingsworth’s Holiday Bar and the adjoining properties, but the parcel just west of Killingsworth’s that had housed Morrison Liquor, a retail parcel at 120 Bear Creek Avenue home to The Moxi Poppy and formerly Meadowsweet Gifts & Wellness, the building that houses Sundance Sensations, and the Morrison Inn restaurant.

Credit: Colorado Trust for Local News

Additionally, while the owners of the former Morrison post office and Morrison Carworks aren’t selling, they have plans to remodel those main street properties into new businesses.

“It’s like the whole town’s for sale,” said commercial broker John Becker, whose Fuller Real Estate company has listed three of the properties. “It’s all based on the recent sale of the Red Hotel site. That’s what most properties are using as a sales comp.”

Exciting time for Morrison

Two lots formerly home to Blend and Morrison Glass sold for $1.15 million to the Red Hotel Fund in August 2024. That equates to nearly $180 a square foot in land value, which Becker said other property owners are using as a guideline in setting their prices.

“It’s a very exciting time for Morrison,” said architect Chad Wallace, a partner in the Red Hotel Fund and COO of hotel builder Root Architecture.

The hotel underwent a period of 15 months of scrutiny, contentious public debate and a significant redesign to gain the town’s approval.

That process revealed inconsistencies in the town’s code. After the hotel’s approval, the board and its attorney revised the codes to further guard historic areas and “protect the scale and character of existing development from the encroachment of incompatible uses.”

building with 'for sale' sign
The building that houses The Moxi Poppy and formerly Meadowsweet Gifts & Wellness on Morrison’s east side is among the properties for sale. Credit: Jane Reuter

It also dissolved its planning commission, something trustees said would streamline the approval process.

“With the planning commission out of the way, and I feel like some more progressive people on the board, I’m excited about what could be coming,” Wallace said.

He believes the flurry of sales activity is “probably tied to the fact that something actually got done, less than what we paid for the property.”

“Ultimately, had the town of Morrison not approved a progressive project (the hotel), I don’t believe property values would be where they are today,” Wallace said. “I think the more development that happens in Morrison, the better it is for everybody.”

While the listed properties may sell, not all the uses would necessarily change, or change quickly. Sundance Sensations is leased through February 2027, and The Moxi Poppy through June 2026. Meadowsweet Gifts & Wellness recently closed, and owner Talia Franz said she is moving the business to Golden later this year, leaving a vacant space on the town’s east end.

Does not have to be seasonal

While Red Rocks brings people to town during concert season, the town is quiet during the winter.

“It doesn’t have to be that way,” Wallace said, noting that neighboring Golden is busy year-round. “What Morrison needs are better offerings so people are coming all year round.”

Wallace said the continued build-out of adjacent Red Rocks Ranch, at C470 and Morrison Road, and the town’s development of 16 mixed-use acres on the former Bandimere Speedway property, will bring more traffic and prospective customers to the area.

“There are exciting times ahead for all of us,” he said.

Becker agrees.

“As they build a boutique hotel in town, that’ll get people to stay and spend the night and do things in Morrison after the show,” he said. “I think some of the uses might change, but if they can keep the small-town charm and have people there in the evenings, I think that’ll be a very good influence on it.” 

 The town’s response

Town Trustee Paul Sutton said the number of for-sale commercial properties “is surprising.”

“Let’s face it, it’s guaranteed income,” said Sutton, who has criticized some of the town’s restaurants for food he describes as poor quality. “You get so much traffic from Red Rocks. A lot of people in town would be happy to eat in the restaurants if they were affordable and provided decent food.

“We need to have a regenerative society. The turnover of those properties is not necessarily bad; it could be awesome. The Morrison inn might get a Casa Bonita makeover.”

construction site
Construction of the Red Hotel is just getting under way in downtown Morrison. Credit: Jane Reuter

Town Manager Mallory Nassau, in an emailed response, offered a similar view.

“It is an interesting time for the town, and there is potential for a great deal of change for downtown Morrison,” she wrote. “There is no doubt that the departure of downtown businesses will be impactful, as many of the businesses have become a part of Morrison’s identity.

“That being said, recognize that change is inevitable. We will embrace new businesses and opportunities for Morrison, while balancing ‘keeping Morrison, Morrison.'” 

An irksome business partner

Property owners gave different reasons for their decisions to sell. None mention the Red Hotel specifically, but some cite declining revenue linked to a town reputation they see as tarnished by parking and historic speed citations. At least two said it’s time to retire, and others point to the town government as an irksome business partner.

“Sales have dropped off pretty considerably the last couple years,” said Morrison Inn owner Butch Luedtke, who’s run the business for 31 years. “Most businesses here feel it’s a real fight against the town. There’s a general feeling that they’d just as soon not have the businesses.”

Morrison’s speed camera, which automatically issued speeding tickets for six months in 2024, was vandalized and removed from the town shortly before the board voted to disband its police department. The town still contracts with Interstate Parking for its paid parking program, which some have criticized for issuing an abundance of parking violations.

“Once you create damage, it takes a considerable amount of time to reverse it,” Luedtke said. “Some of those people that had a bad feeling about coming into town, who knows when they’re going to come back.”

But Luedtke has other reasons for listing the business.

The corner of Dave Hollingsworth’s block of for-sale properties.

“Some of the business owners in town, including myself, are getting older,” he said. “I’ll be 70. It’s tough running up and down the stairs 100 times a day.

“All of our costs have risen considerably over the last few years. It’s harder to make a dollar now than it used to be.”

Luedtke said he’s gotten “a number of offers” for the inn, but has declined them so far.

“I would certainly give it consideration, but I’m just concentrating on the summer,” he said, adding that despite all the obstacles, he loves Morrison. “It’s just the greatest town. People just rant and rave about how wonderful it is. We don’t realize how fortunate we are to be here.”

Tony Rigatoni’s and Rooftop Tavern owner Reza Ardelahi, a 36-year Morrison business owner, said he is also considering selling.

“I am actively looking at putting our place up for sale because you cannot live in a community that does not understand the give and take of a civic relationship,” he said. “They take our money, but ignore the parking problem and do not do any street scaping or anything other than increasing the water and sewer bill. This board is the worst I have seen in 35 years in terms of reciprocity.

“They do not care about us. They do not care about the downtown at all.”

 Ardelahi and Killingsworth are among several business owners who have repeatedly asked the board for changes to parking regulations and additional parking. While the board has discussed solutions, it has not yet voted on any of them.

“They have completely stopped talking about it,” he said. “This indecision is so unprofessional. That’s how you burn out goodwill.”

New blood welcome

Ardelahi welcomed the owners of a new upscale Italian restaurant, La Rocca Rossa, that will soon open in the former Café Prague site.  

“The community needs to embrace talent, new ideas, forward movement,” he said. “But this total silence, absolute ignoring … it’s resignation by exhaustion. If their ultimate goal was to drive us all out, to turn this into a sleepy Ken-Caryl-behind-the-hogback community, they are more than halfway there.”

man standing at podium at town meeting
Tony Rigatoni’s and Rooftop Tavern owner Reza Ardehali address the Morrison Town Board Jan. 21, calling for action against Trustee Paul Sutton for comments critical of his restaurant and others. He has also repeatedly asked the board for help with parking issues. Credit: Jane Reuter

Bear Creek Development President Jeff Bradley, whose company owns the former Morrison Carworks and former post office (more recently home to Red Rocks Cyclery), said he has plans to develop and reopen both buildings.

He’d like to upgrade but preserve most of the historic Carworks buildings, and make it a retail shop with paid public parking. He expects to submit those plans to the town in a couple of months.

Bradley envisions the former post office as a grab-and-go sandwich shop.

“We’ve offered it to someone for that use,” he said. “We don’t know if they’re going to take it.”

He, too, says working with the town “has been challenging.”

In late 2024, Morrison settled a nearly year-long lawsuit with Bear Creek Development surrounding the redevelopment of the former Morrison post office. The settlement allowed Bear Creek to move forward with changes to the building after fulfilling several requirements, including paying a tap fee and address any asbestos issues.

Time is the issue at hand

All that aside, Bradley sees the changes coming to Morrison as inevitable.

“The tenants are getting old,” he said. “The owners are getting old. The buildings are getting old. It’s just going to change. Are we going make it look special or like every other street corner in America? That’s the issue at hand.”

Selling and redevelopment is likely on the minds of other Morrison business owners, too. Before she was elected to the board, Morrison Mercantile owner Krista Nash said the Red Hotel’s approval would likely trigger a change in her neighboring business.

“The natural overflow of these decisions is a change that’s going to make the town very, very different,” she said. “I’ll probably tear down the store and build something else.”

Nash did not return calls requesting comment.

Killingsworth, who led the sales flurry with the listing of his block of properties, said the sale of the Red Hotel property played a major role in that decision. But it isn’t the only reason. Killingsworth has been the loudest and most persistent voice among the town’s business owners, repeatedly speaking about the lack of parking at town board meetings.

He says the board’s focus is anywhere but on its current businesses, with much of it turning to the development of the 16 acres of vacant property at C470 and Morrison Road.

“They don’t care about the downtown business base,” he said. “They are a water and sewer company with a tiny HOA attached to it, and soon to be landlords.”

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Bill Dale seeking someone to take his building, and his mantle https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2025/04/28/fort-lupton-pharmacist-moves-on/ https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2025/04/28/fort-lupton-pharmacist-moves-on/#respond Mon, 28 Apr 2025 13:36:00 +0000 https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/?p=566098

A historic Denver Avenue retail space that’s been a pharmacy for 43 years is looking for a new business to call it home. Pharmacist Bill Dale, retired since 2008, is looking for someone to take over his 237 Denver Ave. Dales Pharmacy space.  “I still own the building,” Dale said. “My wife Irene and I […]

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A historic Denver Avenue retail space that’s been a pharmacy for 43 years is looking for a new business to call it home.

Pharmacist Bill Dale, retired since 2008, is looking for someone to take over his 237 Denver Ave. Dales Pharmacy space.

 “I still own the building,” Dale said. “My wife Irene and I moved from the area in 2017. We have had a couple of failed lease attempts.  It is currently vacant and ready for a new chapter. We are hopeful to find a tenant with an existing business that will enhance the community and bring back a gathering place for local people.”

Dale learned of a great opportunity to start his own pharmacy when a former classmate was contacted by a group of businessmen from Fort Lupton looking for someone to open a new pharmacy to bring a more competitive environment. 

Dale and his wife Marlene graduated from the University of Colorado School of Pharmacy in 1982, working as pharmacists while they raised two children. 

“He passed on the opportunity and gave me the contact number of the person with the Fort Lupton Development Corporation and left it up to me to pursue.”

Replacing La Copita

The building with the HARDWARE sign at 237 Denver Ave. The building was named The McEver’s building when it was built in 1928. Credit: Irene Rivera Dale

Dale said he contacted Sam Funakoshi, who showed him an empty building at 417 Denver Ave and suggested that it would be a great space to open a pharmacy. It wasn’t ready to open, but he was able to visualize what it could be.

“When I saw it the first time, the front of the building was gone, the floor had been stripped down to the joists, and across the back wall there was a mural of a huge Caballero with a mustache that stretched the entire width of the building. It had previously been La Copita, a local ‘watering hole,’” Dale said. 

Dale said he agreed and opened Dale Professional Pharmacy in May 1982, selling their first prescription. 

“We stayed there until January 1988, when we moved to 421 Denver Ave. – the former home of Lenzi’s Sporting Goods and a much larger space,” Dale said. 

Dale said that while he was getting established, Bob Easterday was running a competing pharmacy at 237 Denver Ave.
 
“I developed a good working relationship and a good personal friendship as well with Bob Easterday, we attended the same church, Bob and I sang bass in the choir,” Dale said. “I found my pharmacy, a short distance from Easterday’s Pharmacy, did not have any detrimental effect on his business, and we worked well together as separate businesses to serve the needs of Fort Lupton.”

Fort Lupton Press articles about Bill Dale in 1988 and 1982, opening and operating Dale’s Pharmacy. Credit: Irene Rivera Dale

Transitions

It was a comfortable status quo until the mid-1990s. Marlene was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer in the summer of 1995.

“She passed away on January 2, 1996, and I carried on the best I could,” Dale said. 

Later that year, Easterday told him he was ready to retire and asked Dale if he was interested. He was, purchasing the business, including the building, and moved to 237 Denver Ave. 

The picture with the five people inside the pharmacy is of a long-time employee and two previous owners. The Deasons and the Easterdays. From Left to Right: Robert Ceretto, a long-time employee who worked for the Deasons, the Easterday’s and the Dales. Alice Easterday, Nelle Deason, Bob Easterday, and Bill Deason are behind the counter.
Credit: Irene Rivera Dale

“I kept on all of the former Easterday employees and brought one of my own. Over time, I ended up with about 12 employees in all, and business was good,” Dale said.

Dale said Easterday had an old-fashioned soda fountain and a coffee bar.  Every morning, a group of men from in town would stop by and have coffee.  

“There were usually four of them, sometimes five, so we kept an extra chair nearby just in case. These men would sit and drink coffee for usually 30 minutes or so and talk about world affairs, the high school football game last night, or the price of wheat,” Dale said. “I always thought that if we could get our government to listen to these wise men, we could solve the nation’s problems in very short order.”

Retiring

Dale said he made several changes, however, and remodeled the building over the years. But finally, at his 25th anniversary running his pharmacy, and he decided to sell out if he could find someone who was interested. 

“Almost exactly a year later, a young pharmacist who had been working in pharmacies in the Brighton area and I had an opportunity to talk,” Dale said. “We talked about the advantages of owning a pharmacy and discussed the relative benefits of buying an existing pharmacy or starting from scratch like I did. Well, it turned out he was interested in buying and I was interested in selling.”

After the closing in 2008, Dale said Huy Duong R.Ph. corporation, called Caring Hands Pharmacy, Inc., took ownership of the Dale Pharmacy business and name while Dale kept the building.

“He asked if he could use the name Dale Pharmacy since it already had a loyal clientele,” Dale said. 

Dale and he and his family moved from the area in 2017.  Huy stayed there for the next 13 years, but decided to expand to larger place of his own, keeping the Dales Pharmacy name. 

“He purchased a piece of land across the street from Safeway and built a new building, then moved the pharmacy operation,” Dale said. “His building also houses a coffee shop and has attracted several other businesses to that area.”

Now Dale said he’s looking for someone to take over his Fort Lupton building. The commercial space is unique, featuring 3,324 square-feet of wide-open retail area situated above a substantial 3,324 square foot basement for storage space, he said.

“This building is also eligible for grant money for renovations through the Fort Lupton Urban Renewal Authority, which is the City of Fort Lupton’s redevelopment agency,” Dale said. “We are hopeful to find a tenant with an existing business that will enhance the community and bring back a gathering place for local people.”

If interested in the property, contact Bill Dale at 720-490-5800 or email at thedalebuilding@gmail.com 720-490-5800.

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Tree removals for Costco in Littleton spark concern https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2025/02/07/tree-removals-for-costco-on-west-mineral-in-littleton-spark-concern/ https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2025/02/07/tree-removals-for-costco-on-west-mineral-in-littleton-spark-concern/#respond Fri, 07 Feb 2025 18:00:00 +0000 https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/?p=555357 a tree stump next to a fence near a construction site

At a site on the south side of West Mineral Avenue in Littleton, excavators and other machines are surrounded by piles of dirt and building materials. The site — which formerly housed an office and call center for Lumen Technologies — is on its way to becoming a mixed-use property called Mineral Place. The property […]

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a tree stump next to a fence near a construction site

At a site on the south side of West Mineral Avenue in Littleton, excavators and other machines are surrounded by piles of dirt and building materials.

The site — which formerly housed an office and call center for Lumen Technologies — is on its way to becoming a mixed-use property called Mineral Place. The property will include a 370-unit multifamily residential complex, a Costco Wholesale store and fuel facility and a handful of other retail sites that are yet to be determined, according to the city’s website.

The commercial developer, Republic Investment Group (RIG) Mineral LLC, has begun site demolition to prepare the land for the new development.

This process has caused a stir from residents, who have expressed anger and sadness about the removal of approximately 41 mature trees from the site.

“You cut down every tree,” community member Greg Sullivan said during a Jan. 7 Littleton City Council meeting. “You clear-cut every tree on the swale.”

A swale is a depression, similar to a ditch, that conveys stormwater, said Jerad Chipman, the city’s planning manager. The trees the developer removed from the commercial site were mostly located on the higher banks of the swale so as to not impede stormwater flows, Chipman said.

He said the developer’s plans include a new stormwater management system that will use a pipe instead of the swale for drainage.

According to the city’s website, the additional transportation infrastructure required by the project — such as turn lanes, buffered bike lanes and wider sidewalks — encroached on the location of the existing trees.

Sullivan, who has spoken repeatedly about the trees at city council meetings since August, asked the city council to intervene to make the developers keep the trees for their environmental benefits and preserve the swales as green space.

He said the trees being removed “just reinforces the need to bring awareness to the citizens of Littleton that trees are important, and they can serve an important function to mitigate (carbon dioxide).”

In his efforts to “save the swale,” Sullivan said he placed nearly 2,000 flyers at homes in the area and gathered about 200 signatures from people who want “a change in the environmental direction of Mineral Place.”

According to the city’s website, “the buyer has the right to develop the property as they wish as long as the development meets the requirements of the city’s Unified Land Use Code.”

Chipman said nearly all the trees removed as part of the development were on the developer’s private property. A small number were in the city’s right-of-way and will be replaced by new trees as the right-of-way is reconfigured, Chipman said.

“The City of Littleton’s Unified Land Use Code requires ‘tree mitigation’ for large developments, meaning the developer must pay a fee earmarked for future tree planting elsewhere in the city,” Chipman added. “Plans for the site also include more than 950 trees, resulting in a net tree gain of 670, even with the removal of the existing trees.”

a warning sign at a construction site
A warning sign is on display at the entrance to the construction site at 700 W. Mineral Ave., where a mixed-use development called Mineral Place will be built. Photo by Nina Joss.

Chipman added that many of the trees that were removed were ash trees, which are “highly susceptible to the emerald ash borer invasive species.”

“The newly-planted trees will be less vulnerable to specific diseases and more appropriate for urban environments,” he said.

During a December city council meeting, Sullivan said he is concerned that the extra trees planted will still not make up for the amount of pollution that will be caused by cars visiting Mineral Place. He also told the Littleton Independent that he is concerned because the new, smaller trees will not mitigate as much carbon dioxide as the mature trees that were removed.

According to the project description, the developers plan to “conserve energy and other natural resources” on the property by using native species vegetation and drip irrigation systems to reduce potable water consumption, recycling construction waste when possible and taking other steps.

Sullivan said he is also concerned about the green space the developer is eliminating to build parking spots and gas pumps.

Sullivan said he believed the city should have had a say in what the developer did with the trees and the green space because of the city’s relationship with the developer through an economic partnership incentive agreement. This means the city will share back 50% of the sales tax collected at the entire retail portion of the site, up to a total reimbursement of $29.5 million or until 10 years have passed, whichever occurs first.

According to the city’s website, city staff and its consultant determined that “the developer’s request for share-back funds was justified because of the high land acquisition costs — about five times greater per square-foot than other similar Costco-anchored developments in the state — and sitework costs for the project.”

City Manager Jim Becklenberg said the city is “very limited in its authority to legally impose design requirements beyond those which are required in the municipal code for all projects.”

In January, after the trees were cut down, Sullivan suggested the city start a “Littleton tree trust” with money from the site’s sales tax revenue to go towards more trees on the property and across the city. He also urged the city to take other measures to hold the developer to higher environmental standards and to not award exceptions to green space and setback requirements.

Becklenberg said funding for cultivation and maintenance of the city’s tree canopy and ecology are important, and the city has grown its forestry and tree planting maintenance budget about tenfold over the last four years.

“I believe it will continue to grow thanks to the revenue generated by the Mineral Place retail center,” he said.

The 370-unit multi-family residential development, which is being developed by Embrey Partners LLC, has been approved, Chipman said, and building permits are under review.

As for other retailers, a pre-application meeting was held for Portillo’s Hot Dogs LLC, but a complete application had not yet been filed with the city as of Feb. 6. The restaurant would be a drive-thru and in-store location offering Italian beef, hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, pasta, pizza, shakes and more, according to city documents.

The agreement between the city and the commercial developer estimates that Costco will be ready to open in 2026, according to the city’s website.

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National fitness supplier stretches out in Westminster https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2025/02/05/rep-fitness-expands-its-presence-at-walnut-creek-business-park/ https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2025/02/05/rep-fitness-expands-its-presence-at-walnut-creek-business-park/#respond Wed, 05 Feb 2025 21:54:10 +0000 https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/?p=555165

A Westminster company that sells barbells, benches and other conditioning equipment throughout the world is expanding its base in one of the city’s business parks. REP Fitness, a fitness equipment company which manufactures and distributes a premium line of products for home and corporate gyms, recently signed a lease with St. John Properties, Inc. for […]

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A Westminster company that sells barbells, benches and other conditioning equipment throughout the world is expanding its base in one of the city’s business parks.

REP Fitness, a fitness equipment company which manufactures and distributes a premium line of products for home and corporate gyms, recently signed a lease with St. John Properties, Inc. for 6,000 square feet of space at Westminster’s Walnut Creek Business Park.  

The lease at 10855 Dover Street adds the 39,600 square feet of space to the the nearly 205,000 square foot business community, according to a company news release.

 REP Fitness has occupied 33,600 square feet of space at 11059 Dover Street since 2022. Vince Furfaro of St. John Properties represented the landlord in the transaction.

The brothers Ryan and Shane McGrotty founded the business in 2011 in a 1,200 square foot garage in Longmont, according to the news release. The company now employs more than 200 people, maintains showrooms in California and Pennsylvania, and sells products on four continents.

In addition to its line of fitness equipment – which includes racks, benches, barbells and functional training and other conditioning equipment – REP Fitness recently launched a new product line of protein bars and powders, according to the company.

REP Fitness intends to utilize the new space at 10855 Dover Road for engineering, research and development activities. The company expects to hire an additional 10 employees over the next 12 months to work in the facility, which will also include a testing lab, the news release states.

“Leasing additional space at Walnut Creek Business Park provides tremendous synergies for our company given our current operations within the business community,” said Jon Little, Chief Operating Officer for REP Fitness, in the news release. “The flexible configuration of 10855 Dover Street enables us to house production and manufacturing equipment, store products, and utilize a portion of the space for administrative purposes. A location two miles from the airport, nearby restaurants, and other amenities were significant draws.”

REP Fitness states it recently launched its “Pursue Your Strength” corporate branding campaign, highlighting the workout movements possible with REP’s home gym equipment with narratives that depicts the rewards of a personal fitness journey. The McGrotty brothers founded the company with a mission to start an innovative fitness equipment company that offered “superior customer service and innovative equipment at a great value,” the news release states.

With roadside visibility and frontage along Colorado Route 121 (Wadsworth Parkway), Walnut Creek Business Park features five flex/R&D buildings ranging from approximately 31,000 up to 55,000 square feet, the news release states.

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Auto auction company that bought Bandimere Speedway purchases site near Englewood https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2025/01/30/auto-auction-company-copart-purchases-site-near-englewood/ https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2025/01/30/auto-auction-company-copart-purchases-site-near-englewood/#respond Thu, 30 Jan 2025 23:14:19 +0000 https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/?p=554378

A site that formerly provided RV storage near Englewood is on track to become an automobile auction storage site, after recently being purchased by the group that previously bought the Bandimere Speedway property in Morrison. The automobile auction company Copart bought the site, which sits at 4400 S. Clay St., in January. The company purchased […]

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A site that formerly provided RV storage near Englewood is on track to become an automobile auction storage site, after recently being purchased by the group that previously bought the Bandimere Speedway property in Morrison.

The automobile auction company Copart bought the site, which sits at 4400 S. Clay St., in January. The company purchased the property from 4400 Clay Fund III LLC, a company run by Ryan Good of Good Investment Partners and Andrew Klein, according to Arapahoe County documents.

As reported by BusinessDen, Copart bought the roughly 40-acre site for $32 million. The land is in unincorporated Arapahoe County east of Federal Boulevard and south of Oxford Avenue, bordering Centennial Park in Englewood.

County documents show an application on behalf of 4400 Clay Fund III LLC in July to “change the use of the property from recreational vehicle storage to automobile storage for online auction purposes.” The application states that there are no requests for zoning changes and that there are no plans to regrade, build new structures or disturb the existing conditions of the land.

As reported by BusinessDen, Copart operates four other facilities in the state, with three in the metro area and one in Colorado Springs. The company is also planning to put a vehicle auction center on the former Bandimere Speedway property in Morrison. BusinessDen reported that Copart bought the property for $51 million in October.

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Meadowood Village residents purchase their mobile home park in Littleton, locking in affordable housing for decades to come https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2025/01/23/meadowood-village-residents-purchase-their-mobile-home-park/ https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2025/01/23/meadowood-village-residents-purchase-their-mobile-home-park/#respond Thu, 23 Jan 2025 20:38:30 +0000 https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/?p=553354 a person walks a dog in a mobile home park neighborhood

After almost a year of paperwork, grant applications and meetings, the residents of a mobile home park in Littleton are now the proud owners of the land beneath their homes. In purchasing the park, the residents of Meadowood Village have gained control of the property and have locked in affordable housing for at least 30 […]

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a person walks a dog in a mobile home park neighborhood

After almost a year of paperwork, grant applications and meetings, the residents of a mobile home park in Littleton are now the proud owners of the land beneath their homes.

In purchasing the park, the residents of Meadowood Village have gained control of the property and have locked in affordable housing for at least 30 years, based on the terms of their loan agreements.

Last spring, the residents received notice of a corporation’s intent to buy the park, which is located on the west side of Santa Fe Drive, just north of Breckenridge Brewery. Since then, the residents, who are mostly over the age of 55, have worked together to achieve ownership of their mobile home park.

Because a Colorado law offers mobile home park residents 120 days after notice of a potential sale to make their own offer, the residents of Meadowood Village worked to become a cooperative. They made an offer on the park, secured financing, conducted inspections and, on Jan. 10, officially became the owners of the land beneath their homes.

“It’s ours now,” Meadowood Cooperative President Sandy Cook said. “That’s the important part. That’s what our goal has been for the last year, is to make the park ours.”

When notice of the corporate intent to purchase came in, Cook and her neighbors were concerned that the potential new corporate owners would have raised rents on the land beneath their homes. They feared this would lead to the displacement of many residents who relied on their mobile homes as a form of affordable housing in an expensive market.

With housing that’s affordable hard to come by throughout the metro area, including Littleton, mobile homes are often a catch-all for those who otherwise have few alternatives to be homeowners. Also known as manufactured homes, these structures are often considered the largest source of unsubsidized housing that is affordable in the nation.

On average, a manufactured home in the U.S. costs approximately $124,000, whereas a site-built home costs about $410,000, according to the Manufactured Housing Institute, a national trade organization.

Cook said owning the park brings comfort to the residents and makes it possible for everyone to stay in the community.

a woman speaks at a podium
Sandy Cook, a board member of Meadowood Cooperative, speaks at a Littleton city council meeting on April 16 to ask for financial support. Photo by Nina Joss.

“(We are) relieved that we know that we won’t have to move if a big corporation comes in and raises the rent to a point that we could not afford it,” she said. “It gives us comfort … to know that we’re going to be able to stay in the homes that we had planned on staying in.”

The cooperative did have to increase some land rents to have enough revenue to pay off interest from its loans, said David Stouder, who serves as the board’s operation manager. Land rents, which formerly ranged somewhere between $780 and $995 per month, will now be $960 per month for all residents, he said.

Despite the increase in some rents, Cook said the community reached its main goal — making it possible for all of its  community members to be able to afford to stay in Meadowood Village.

“Going way back in the very beginning, our one goal (was) not only to keep our rent affordable, but it was not to lose one person in our park,” Cook said. “As of right now, every single person that is in this park is going to be able to stay, which was our goal.”

One of the stipulations in Meadowood Cooperative’s loan agreement with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) is that the cooperative cannot sell the park for 30 years, and rents must stay affordable based on state definitions, Cook said.

“That just means that our goal of making sure we keep low-income people housed — which was certainly a large part of it … is mandatory,” Cook said. “We are always going to have that restriction for 30 years, so that assures that everybody in the park is going to be able to afford their rent.”

For a few residents who have lower incomes and may struggle to pay their rent, Cook said the community has started a fund for the other community members to donate money to support those who may need assistance. They have also started a food bank to help neighbors who are in need.

“We’ve done just about everything that we can think of to make sure that everybody is taken care of,” Cook said.

Finding funding

With a purchase price of about $18 million, the Meadowood Cooperative board spent months requesting support from local governmental bodies and working to secure loans to make the purchase possible. They worked with Thistle, a Boulder-based nonprofit that supports mobile home parks in becoming resident-owned communities, to form their cooperative and secure financing for the purchase.

The Meadowood Cooperative received funds from the City of Littleton, Arapahoe County and DOLA  to support the purchase. Littleton contributed a $200,000 refundable grant for earnest money and partnered with Arapahoe County to contribute a combined $75,000 for inspection and legal expenses, according to a press release from Thistle.

“It is great to see a community gain control of its future like Meadowood has,” Littleton City Manager Jim Becklenberg said. “I am very pleased that the city was able to help the residents persevere through the process in a very modest way that resulted in more protected and affordable housing for the community.”

Arapahoe County also supported the residents by advocating for DOLA funds for the purchase and by encouraging Thistle to get involved in the project, Arapahoe County Commissioner Chair Carrie Warren-Gully said.

“What the residents of (Meadowood Village) have accomplished is truly incredible and (the) Arapahoe County commissioners were honored to play a key role in helping the community become a resident-owned community,” she said. “Without this historic purchase, residents would be subject to rent hikes and eviction and would lose control over key decisions that affect their lives.”

In loans, Meadowood Cooperative’s biggest supporters were ROC USA Capital, Impact Development Fund, DOLA and CHAI Debt Capital. Arapahoe County also contributed a $750,000 grant from American Rescue Plan Act funding to support the purchase to preserve affordable housing for vulnerable populations. The Telluray Foundation also contributed a $50,000 grant to the purchase, according to Thistle.

To support the cooperative with legal services, Denver-based attorney Hillary Ellis provided pro bono services to the cooperative.

Tim Townsend, the resident-owned communities program director at Thistle, said the Meadowood Village purchase had the highest price tag of all of the successful resident cooperative purchases the organization has supported. Most of the resident-owned community purchases they have been involved with have ranged between one to nine million dollars in purchase price, he said.

David Stouder, a board member of Meadowood Cooperative, speaks at a Littleton City Council meeting on April 26 to ask for financial support. Photo by Nina Joss.

Stouder said closing on such a significant sale left him and the other board members in awe.

“It was nearly impossible to do what we did,” he said.

Justin Holman, a senior manager in the resident-owned communities branch of Thistle, celebrated the community’s efforts to achieve such a significant success.

“I think it’s incredible — I tip my hat at the community, and the board specifically, (for) working through this,” he said. “They are resilient and really wanted to get this done, and I am really excited for the future of them.”

The ins and outs of cooperative ownership

Beyond affordability and stability, Townsend said a benefit of being a resident-owned community is that the community has power over the decisions about their park.

“They have a say in all their rules and bylaws,” he said. “If they want to make a policy about parking, they as a group get to make that policy — not just have an owner come in and say, ‘Hey, this is a new rule you have to follow.’ They all have a say in it — they have to vote it in and approve it.”

The cooperative adopted bylaws, hired a property management company and hired other contractors to assist with maintenance and management of the park, Cook said.

Because all of the cooperative members are part of the business, they can also access information and have a say in the park’s financial decisions, such as annual budgets, Townsend said.

Cook said all but a couple of the 139 park residents are members of the cooperative.

Since the purchase, she said residents have already joined committees to help with the operation of the park and have begun cleaning and decorating common spaces. They are also discussing other projects they may choose to do in the park, like improving irrigation and adding a dog park or other amenities, such as cornhole or horseshoe game areas.

“Everybody is getting involved, and that’s really good to see because they realize that they have a say in what they want to do,” Cook said.

people raise their hands in a large meeting room
At a Littleton city council meeting in April, the majority of the meeting attendees put their hands in the air when a public commenter asked how many came to the meeting from Meadowood Village. Photo by Nina Joss.

Looking forward, Cook said she knows there will still be challenges to overcome. For example, the DOLA funding will not be available until later this year, she said, so the cooperative had to secure a high-interest loan to fill the gap in the meantime. This will mean something between $200,000 to $400,000 in interest to pay off this year, and they are seeking ways to fund these payments, she said.

Cook said the community was successful because they came together, even through the months of challenging negotiations.

“There were a lot of people, a lot of entities, that did not think we would make it,” Cook said. “There were certainly a lot of times that we didn’t know whether or not we would make it … But I guess what I’ve learned is, never give up, have faith in the people … Every person in this park had such confidence in us – it was almost a matter of, we couldn’t fail.”

Despite the challenges ahead, and with their future in their hands, the residents are full of relief, hope and determination.

“Now that we’ve bought the park, there’s still a commitment here,” Cook said. “You have to continue what you’ve started, and to make sure that it works for everybody, and it will. That’s the one thing I can say with all honesty — this park will make it.”

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Apartment complex at West Dry Creek Circle in Littleton is a go https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2024/12/05/apartment-complex-at-west-dry-creek-circle-in-littleton-is-a-go/ https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2024/12/05/apartment-complex-at-west-dry-creek-circle-in-littleton-is-a-go/#respond Thu, 05 Dec 2024 20:00:00 +0000 https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/?p=506673 an aerial rendering of three apartment buildings

Littleton City Council approved a change to its future land use and character map, a decision that means a 173-unit apartment complex on West Dry Creek Circle will go forward. In a 6-1 vote, the council approved a motion to change the future land use and character map to allow “suburban residential multifamily” uses instead […]

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an aerial rendering of three apartment buildings

Littleton City Council approved a change to its future land use and character map, a decision that means a 173-unit apartment complex on West Dry Creek Circle will go forward.

In a 6-1 vote, the council approved a motion to change the future land use and character map to allow “suburban residential multifamily” uses instead of “suburban commercial” uses on the site. In approving the change, the city council set the planning commission’s recent approval of the development — which was conditional on the future land use and character map change — into effect.

More than a dozen people attended the meeting to share their opinions on the proposed complex, with many residents opposing the new development.

“I think the developer tried with this, but unfortunately, their plan is simply unmitigable,” said resident Pam Chadbourne. “It is too aggressive, too large to be mitigated.”

Other residents spoke in support of the development, citing the need for more housing stock in Littleton.

“As somebody whose friends — and myself — can struggle to afford housing, I urge you to please allow this,” said resident Keely Quinn. “Housing prices will never stop skyrocketing if we don’t start building houses.”

The development, proposed by Vista Residential Partners, will sit on a 5.6-acre site at 16 W. Dry Creek Circle, which is located south of West Fremont Avenue, east of the High Line Canal and west of South Broadway.

The apartment buildings will be four to five stories tall, with a maximum height of 60 feet, according to a presentation at the November planning commission meeting.

Neighbors who live near the site said they are concerned about the height of the buildings, which they fear would block sunlight and views. They also expressed concern about the complex’s proximity to their properties, added traffic and drainage.

The developers expect the complex to offer a mix of studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom units across three buildings. Nine of the units will be affordable based on area median income data, as required by the city’s inclusionary housing ordinance.

Besides the units designated as affordable, the average monthly rent for an apartment in the complex is expected to be about $2,300, a representative from Vista Residential Partners said. This is a combined average including studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, so the real rental costs will vary based on apartment type and other factors. The development representative said this number is subject to change with economic conditions.

a rendering of a building
A rendering of the conceptual design of “Building C” of the approved multifamily residential development that will be located at 16 W. Dry Creek Circle in Littleton. Image courtesy of the City of Littleton.

In addition to the apartments, the site will include a landscaped courtyard, an amenity space with a pool, an additional landscaped residential lot to the north for utility and pedestrian access to the neighborhood, a 221-space surface parking lot and 37 tuck-under private garages, according to city documents.

At-Large Councilmember Pam Grove voted against the future land use and character map change.

“I think to say that putting in (173) units is not going to impact traffic, is not going to impact our quality of life, is being extremely naive,” she said.

She said Littleton has more than 300 new units coming into the pipeline, and this new complex is not necessary to help with the housing crisis.

“To say that we are not worried about housing, that we have not had more development in our community — it’s naive to think that we need more, and more, and more and more,” she said. “I know we have a housing shortage. I know the population is growing, but this is not part of our affordable housing at $2,000 a pop.”

Mayor Kyle Schlachter said the task in front of council was to make a decision about land use, not the specific site plan.

“Our purpose tonight is not to figure out the specifics of retaining walls, or ingress, egress, or height or shadows or things like that,” he said. “We’re just basically trying to say, ‘does multifamily residential make sense there? Does it meet the criteria?”

The city council considered criteria of compatibility, impact mitigation, alignment with the city’s comprehensive plan and consideration of changing conditions.

District 2 Councilmember Robert Reichardt said he was concerned about having a tall complex adjacent to single-family homes. Despite this concern, he voted in favor of the land use map change because he believed it met the criteria the council members were required to consider.

Mayor Pro Tem Stephen Barr said the council was not comparing the proposed development to the currently undeveloped site. Instead, they were tasked with comparing a potential suburban residential multifamily development to a potential suburban commercial development.

“Quite frankly, this is unfair to any property owner that we (would) restrict their ability to do something that is compatible, that is low-impact and that follows our comprehensive plan,” he said.

With the conceptual plan approved, the developers will move to the next step of the process, which is creating a detailed site plan to submit for administrative approval by city staff.

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Golden buying six apartments on Ford Street to preserve as affordable housing https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2024/11/21/golden-buying-six-apartments-on-ford-street-to-preserve-as-affordable-housing/ https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2024/11/21/golden-buying-six-apartments-on-ford-street-to-preserve-as-affordable-housing/#respond Thu, 21 Nov 2024 17:32:33 +0000 https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/?p=503561 The City of Golden is planning to buy six apartments across two buildings at 1501 Ford St., both seen here from the north on Nov. 19, for $1.3 million

To preserve naturally occurring affordable housing units and allow several Goldenites to stay in their homes, the City of Golden is buying six apartment units at 1501 Ford St. During its Nov. 12 meeting, the City Council approved buying four two-bedroom units and two one-bedroom units for $1,350,000 total, or $225,000 per unit, which staff […]

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The City of Golden is planning to buy six apartments across two buildings at 1501 Ford St., both seen here from the north on Nov. 19, for $1.3 million

To preserve naturally occurring affordable housing units and allow several Goldenites to stay in their homes, the City of Golden is buying six apartment units at 1501 Ford St.

During its Nov. 12 meeting, the City Council approved buying four two-bedroom units and two one-bedroom units for $1,350,000 total, or $225,000 per unit, which staff members said is in line with local market prices.

The city will use American Rescue Plan Act funds it received during the COVID-19 pandemic to buy the units, and staff has recommended setting aside an additional $500,000 in ARPA funds to do future property improvements.

The property owners were scheduled to complete some improvements to the property by Dec. 1, and the closing date was slated for Dec. 18.

Steve Glueck, assistant to the city manager, said the current tenants all live on month-to-month leases and are anxious to stay in their homes. He told the councilors these six households would otherwise be displaced if the city didn’t buy the property, and the current owners wanted to work with the city to ensure the current tenants could stay.

While the city has focused before on building affordable housing and/or workforce housing units, Glueck said preserving existing units is a worthwhile goal that can be equally difficult to achieve.

The City of Golden is planning to buy six apartments at 1501 Ford St., seen here from the west on Nov. 19, for $1.3 million.
The City of Golden is planning to buy six apartments at 1501 Ford St., seen here from the west on Nov. 19, for $1.3 million. The city plans to close on the purchase Dec. 18. Credit: Corinne Westeman

“One of the problems we face … is that once things go on the market, things go very quickly, and oftentimes it’s difficult to compete,” he said. “In this case, the property owners were committed to trying to work with us.”

He later explained how this purchase represents a first for Golden, as the city has never bought existing affordable housing units before.

The city owns two single-family homes at 230 Depot St. and 1020 Archer St., both of which it purchased in 2021 as inholdings from Molson Coors related to the forthcoming Heart of Golden project. Glueck stated he expected the homes would eventually “be replaced by other uses.”

Golden also owns the land under the Canyon Gate affordable senior housing project along Eighth Street, however Foothills Regional Housing owns and operates the building, he said.

Foothills Regional Housing also manages the 230 Depot St. and 1020 Archer St. properties on the city’s behalf and will do the same for the 1501 Ford St. units.

Glueck confirmed that the current tenants’ monthly rents vary from $900 to $1,500 based on unit size and tenure.

The City of Golden is planning to buy six apartments, four of which are seen here from the north on Nov. 19, for $1.3 million.
The City of Golden is planning to buy six apartments at 1501 Ford St., four of which are seen here from the north on Nov. 19, for $1.3 million. This marks the first time Golden has bought existing units to preserve them as affordable housing. Credit: Corinne Westeman

Once the current tenants transition to new leases with the city and Foothills Regional Housing, Glueck said total rent from the Ford Street units should be about $7,300 a month. The city’s property management agreement states Foothills Regional Housing receives 8% of rental revenue and reimbursement for any direct repair or improvement costs.

Glueck told the councilors rental revenue will go into the city’s Housing Trust Fund.

The councilors believed it was crucial to preserve the city’s existing affordable housing units, while also partnering with developers to ensure new units are built. They voted 6-0 to authorize the purchase, with Mayor Laura Weinberg being absent.

Mayor Pro Tem Rob Reed, who led the meeting in Weinberg’s absence, felt it was a win-win-win, as buying 1501 Ford St. would preserve the existing structure, allow Goldenites to stay in their homes, and protect the neighborhood by ensuring a developer didn’t buy the property.

Councilor Paul Haseman added: “Additional housing of any kind is good, but this preserves some that is already (affordable). I’m very pleased that we can allow people that work in Golden to live in Golden. … It’s good for sustainability, and it’s good for Golden.”

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Dry Creek Circle apartment complex a step closer to development https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2024/11/14/dry-creek-circle-apartment-complex-a-step-closer-to-development/ https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2024/11/14/dry-creek-circle-apartment-complex-a-step-closer-to-development/#respond Thu, 14 Nov 2024 21:00:00 +0000 https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/?p=502605 a rendering of an apartment building

A proposed 173-unit apartment complex in southeast Littleton is receiving pushback from neighbors who are concerned the development would cause traffic problems, drainage challenges and unwanted shade in their neighborhood. The potential development, proposed by Vista Residential Partners, would sit on a 5.6-acre site at 16 W. Dry Creek Circle, which is located south of […]

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a rendering of an apartment building

A proposed 173-unit apartment complex in southeast Littleton is receiving pushback from neighbors who are concerned the development would cause traffic problems, drainage challenges and unwanted shade in their neighborhood.

The potential development, proposed by Vista Residential Partners, would sit on a 5.6-acre site at 16 W. Dry Creek Circle, which is located south of West Fremont Avenue, east of the High Line Canal and west of South Broadway.

During a meeting on Nov. 18, the city’s planning commission brought the development one step closer to reality by recommending a change to the site’s land use designation. In a 5-2 vote, the commission stated that the site, which is currently designated for suburban commercial uses, would be better suited for suburban residential uses.

“Suburban commercial … is an area of land use that has been less viable since COVID,” Littleton senior planner Teri Whitmore said. “The housing need in the community is at a high level, especially providing a mix of affordability, different income levels (and) different densities for persons that are at different stages of their life.”

The planning commission also approved the conceptual master development plan with a 5-2 vote. If the land use change is approved by the city council, the developers will move to the next step of the development process, which is creating a detailed site plan to submit for administrative approval by city staff.

Currently, the site is mostly vacant with two single-family homes that would be razed to develop the new complex, city staff said.

The developers have proposed buildings that are four to five stories tall, with a maximum height of 60 feet, according to a presentation at the planning commission meeting.

The complex would offer a variety of apartment unit types across three buildings. Nine of the units would be affordable based on area median income data, as required by the city’s inclusionary housing ordinance.

In addition to the apartments, the site would include a landscaped courtyard, an amenity space with a pool, an additional landscaped residential lot to the north for utility and pedestrian access to the neighborhood, a 221-space surface parking lot and 37 tuck-under private garages, according to city documents.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, many neighbors expressed concern about the height of the buildings.

“Four- and five-story buildings are not compatible with the heights and scales of the existing one- and two-story buildings, especially since the parcel is elevated from the street,” said resident Lynn Christensen.

an aerial shot of an empty site
An aerial image of the site, which is currently mostly vacant, located south of West Fremont Avenue and west of South Broadway. Image courtesy of the City of Littleton.

Some residents just north of the site, with backyards backing up to it, say there is a significant elevation difference between their homes and the land where the property would be built. They are worried the buildings will feel taller than they actually are once that difference is taken into account.

“The skyline will disappear, shade will come,” one neighbor said.

Traffic concerns

Residents also said they are worried about more traffic coming to the area. Many of them said there are already traffic problems at the intersection of West Fremont Avenue and South Broadway.

“I’m concerned about the increased day-to-day vehicle traffic on Broadway,” said George Kern, who lives southwest of the site. “We’re already experiencing times of backed-up southbound traffic on Broadway at the Fremont-Broadway intersection during evening rush hour, and I’m concerned that 173 units will have a significant negative impact on the daily traffic flows.”

Ben Leech, a traffic engineer on the project, said his team’s evaluation showed that there would not be a “decrease in the level of service” in the area from the addition of traffic from the apartment site.

According to city documents, there would be a “minimal impact on the adjacent roadway network,” with the traffic evaluation from the developer’s engineer showing a total of 63 vehicular trips in the morning peak hour and 67 vehicular trips in the evening peak hour.

Leech said the evaluation showed that some lane groups are already operating with poor levels of service, largely due to the “extremely high volumes on Broadway.”

“Looking at the signal timings is something that the city can potentially look into to either add more time for those side streets, Fremont and Dry Creek, and potentially take away from Broadway,” he said.

Littleton development engineering manager Jessica Stemley said developers are not expected to do mitigation for problems that their development does not trigger.

“The level of service hasn’t changed with their added traffic, so that’s a very hard thing for staff to tell them they have to do when their development is not contributing to the issue that’s already an issue,” she said. “If it’s a traffic signal timing issue, that’s something that our public works transportation group would address — not the developer.”

an aerial rendering of three buildings
An aerial rendering of the conceptual design of the three buildings that would make up the proposed multifamily residential development located at 16 W. Dry Creek Circle in Littleton. Image courtesy of the City of Littleton.

Some residents said they disagree with how the traffic evaluation was conducted and doubt its results.

Other neighbors said they fear that potential drainage issues and electrical issues could be worsened by the development. The development team said they would work with city engineering staff to ensure the property does not add to these issues.

Support for more housing

Neighbor Matt Duff, unlike many of his neighbors who spoke at the meeting, is supportive of the development. He lives just west of the site.

“There’s potentially 250 (or) 300 people that could be living at this apartment complex, and none of them have a voice here in this meeting right now,” he said. “I support these apartments going in. It may slow down my exit from the neighborhood a bit, but I think that’s a reasonable trade-off to provide more people housing in a very fast-growing metro area.”

While some residents argued that commercial space on the site would better serve the community, Tanner Fanello, a real estate advisor whose client is selling the property, said he has never had an office park developer contact him with interest in buying the property.

However, he said many interested buyers have contacted him with hopes of building multifamily and similar-density residential products.

“I’m sure a lot of these neighbors here enjoy having a vacant lot behind the property,” he said. “It is an office park, though … As we all know, the state of the economy, the state of development, and who’s building what — it’s not a lot of office.”

Planning commission member Erin Roethlisberger said there is a demand for more housing in Littleton.

“People who are working here are looking to live here,” she said, “It’s not that people who live here need to find jobs. It’s the opposite.”

Other planning commission members noted the site’s location, saying it is a great spot for more housing.

“The addition of housing units at this site provides an opportunity to (access) some of the best that Littleton has to offer, with the High Line Canal and connections to other trails,” said planning commission member Tim Neeley. “I think that level of density and proximity to Broadway provides (an) opportunity for activation and access to the healthcare jobs immediately to the south, as well as to AdventHealth (Littleton).”

Diana Rael from the development team said the developer adjusted its plans after feedback from neighborhood meetings by increasing the setback of the buildings, reducing the heights of two buildings, adding more parking spaces and adjusting drainage plans.

The city council will vote on the land use change for the site at its meeting on Dec. 3 and there will be an opportunity for public comment. If the city council does not approve the land use change, the development plan will be halted, City Attorney Reid Betzing said.

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New homes are going up in Brighton https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2024/10/29/new-homes-are-going-up-in-brighton/ https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2024/10/29/new-homes-are-going-up-in-brighton/#respond Tue, 29 Oct 2024 20:17:44 +0000 https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/?p=499583

Work on 77 single and two-story homes in Brighton’s northeast corner kicked off Oct. 25 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The New Home Company celebrated the beginning of the construction of new homes at Ridgeline Vista in one of Brighton’s fastest-growing communities. Jeff McGovern, area president of the New Home Company, said New Home Company started […]

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Work on 77 single and two-story homes in Brighton’s northeast corner kicked off Oct. 25 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The New Home Company celebrated the beginning of the construction of new homes at Ridgeline Vista in one of Brighton’s fastest-growing communities.

Jeff McGovern, area president of the New Home Company, said New Home Company started in 2022 and is a smaller home-building company that is growing.

“I love that Brighton is a smaller city and growing, and it makes a lot of sense,” McGovern said. “The other thing we know about Brighton, with myself being in Colorado for as long as I have been here, is Brighton has a good sense of community, and people are close here, and they stick together.”

“It’s sort of how the New Home Company is. We’ve got a great group of people that want to deliver awesome homes to people. We picked Brighton because we just feel like it also matches our sense of community.”

These homes feature the Cottage Collection and are being pre-sold in the Ridgeline Vista. The sales office and show home is located at 513 Lost Lake St.

The development is northeast of Brighton’s downtown and due north of Prairie Center, giving it good proximity to local retailers and restaurants. The prices start in the high $400,000s for single-story and two-story homes with five-floor plans to choose from, ranging from 1,350 to 2,200 square feet. Finished homes will have between two and four bedrooms and a garage.

The model living room with natural light. Credit: Belen Ward

Each home will have natural light, community amenities, and an Insignia Design program to choose an interior scheme that fits your decor and vision. EVO Tech smart home technologies will be integrated into your new home. The homes also offer a backyard package option installed before the homeowner closes.

Brighton Mayor Greg Mills said it was a strong move to improve the real estate economy.

“It’s good to increase the housing inventory because low housing inventory leads to higher prices. And as you’re growing your housing inventory, you’re going help a better housing market and not be so high,” Mills said. “That’s why we should always support these kinds of projects. And these are good builders coming in; they’re not just low-quality builders.”

Brighton Chamber of Commerce CEO Stephanie Macklin – who also serves as Vice President of the Chamber board – said she supports a new housing development.

“They are beautiful homes in a great price range and are needed everywhere,” Macklin said.

For more information on the New Home Company and other community builds, visit https://www.newhomeco.com/neighborhoods/ridgeline-vista.

The model kitchen with an island. Credit: Belen Ward

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