CREJ - page 20

Page 20
— Retail Properties Quarterly — May 2016
J
im Hartman and Joe Vostrejs
knew their Hangar 2 develop-
ment would be a bit out of
the box. There were no local
precedents and the barri-
ers they would face seemed almost
insurmountable. But that’s the kind
of project the co-owner of Boulder-
based Hartman Ely Investments and
the chief operating officer and part-
ner of Denver-based Larimer Associ-
ates seek out.
“If it’s not challenging, I’m not
interested,” said Hartman, an archi-
tect by training. “We like to do stuff
that’s hard … unique projects that
provide a huge amount of value to
the community … labors of love.”
The challenge: Turning a massive
100,000-square-foot airplane hangar
the size of two football fields (and
its adjacent site) into a human scale,
approachable and inviting epicenter
for the quiet Lowry neighborhood
surrounding it.
By 2008, at the height of the reces-
sion, the landmark had become
a genuine eyesore. The declining
1940s-era building – now located in
the middle of the Lowry neighbor-
hood – attracted Hartman’s attention
as he worked on various projects
nearby. Hangar 2’s unique place in
Denver history, as the first structure
built at Lowry Air Force Base, ulti-
mately moved the team to save and
repurpose it into a new gathering
place for the community.
Vostrejs, who lives in Lowry, was
immediately intrigued by Hartman’s
vision, but the property still had
to be purchased from the Wings
Museum. In 2009, after extensive
negotiations, it finally was under
contract, opening the door to inter-
view design teams.
Semple Brown was
chosen as master
planner, signaling
the beginning of
an eight-year saga
that continues
today as the project
perpetually evolves
and improves.
“We were looking
for a design team
that could under-
stand our vision
for what we were
trying to accomplish,” said Vostrejs.
“We were also worried about how to
blend a monstrous airplane hangar
with something we were calling the
Lowry Dining District.”
The design firm needed to know
how to create restaurant spaces
within stand-alone structures that
look like they naturally belonged, he
said. “The last thing we wanted at
that site was generic retail, some-
thing phony like miniature hangars,
or a traditional retail strip mall. We
also needed the architecture to inte-
grate with a heavy industrial look.”
The Vision
The vision may sound simple,
but its execution was anything but.
Turning this odd, one-off site into
something that carves new ground,
while meeting the needs of Lowry’s
modern lifestyle, meant creating a
mixed-use space with a diversity of
uses compatible with the area’s cul-
ture. Most importantly, they wanted
it to be something special, with
amenities the community desired
– a “third place” beyond home and
work.
Extensive input from residents
indicated that a strong restaurant
component, private “incubator”
office space, health club and Mon-
tessori School were at the top of the
community’s list.
But, before the master plan could
come to fruition, a number of barri-
ers needed to be overcome. Funding
the project during a severe reces-
sion, getting the repurposing plan
approved by the Denver Landmark
Commission, securing the Lowry
Redevelopment Authority’s blessing,
finding a mix of uses that required
limited parking and code issues
were all front and center as the
team began the exploratory process.
The multitude of required permits
and approvals required consent from
eight different community groups
and governmental agencies.
“The financial issue was also
huge,” said Hartman. “Our initial
financing was done through equity.
After we determined that the mas-
Cynthia Kemper
Principal,
Marketekture,
Denver
Development Spotlight
Image courtesy Wings Over the Rockies Museum
Image of Hangars 1 and 2 with surrounding Lowry Air Force Base taken in 1962.
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