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Page 24 — Retail Properties Quarterly — November 2017
not even realize that a 20-minute drive
from downtown Denver can place
them in the heart of that farmland,
and that most of the “local” food they
see in their grocery stores are grown
in Brighton, said Lauren Simmons, a
senior planner with the city of Brigh-
ton.
“The idea of local food is not really
a trend here; it’s a way of life, and we
definitely embrace that culture – not
only our past and our present, but also
it’s what we want to build our future
on,” said Simmons. “We really see that
as our opportunity to distinguish our-
selves from the rest of the metro area,
and it’s very authentic to Brighton. If
somebody wants to eat local, they can
truly eat local here every day.”
A new marketing campaign, “It all
grows in Brighton,” recently launched
to raise awareness to the food produc-
tion that happens right outside Denver.
And a District Plan developed through
a partnership with Adams County and
the city of Brighton was created to pre-
serve valuable farmland and stimulate
innovative growth opportunities in the
south Brighton area.
While the District Plan calls for the
preservation of the best agricultural
land along the South Platte River, it
still is encouraging opportunities for
commercial development, especially
projects that are compatible with
agriculture, local food and agrotour-
ism, said Anneli Berube, agriculture
innovation specialist with Adams
County.
“We think the plan does preserve
opportunities for real estate – retail
and other commercial development
– because there is a trend for local
food, buying local items and being
part of a community as it relates to
your retail habits,” said Simmons.
“I think, in general, consumers are
more conscientious of what they’re
buying and where it comes from.”
Mixed-use developments that can
support these local businesses and
that offer residents access to local food
and experiences are in high demand
as well as anything that caters to tour-
ists and encourages people to visit and
learn about the area. These types of
projects can include farm-to-table res-
taurants, breweries, value-added busi-
nesses, and food halls and markets,
said Berube.
While downtown Brighton has
enjoyed several long-time staples,
including La Estrellita Mexican Res-
taurant, which uses local produce in
its salsa that is then bottled and sold
throughout the region, the number of
retailers who use local crops is mul-
tiplying. For example, two breweries
opened in the past year – including Big
Choice Brewing locating in a redevel-
oped Buddhist temple – and another
brewery and a spirits distillery are in
the works, all of which use or will use
local produce in their blends. And Lazy
Bee Ranch Honey, through the Bromley
Local Food Campus, is widening its dis-
tribution circuit.
The District Plan wants to preserve
development opportunities for tradi-
tional developers, while also encour-
aging innovative development, said
Simmons. For example, Adams Cross-
ing, while not technically within the
district, shares the spirit of the plan,
she said.
The master development project
will include “farm kits,” by Agriburbia,
as well as single-family attached and
detached homes, a multifamily parcel
and a farmers’ market area. A second
phase will focus on more retail space
as well as office and hotel space.
“I think what’s really unique about
the Adams Crossing project is that the
food and farm piece of it is not novel
or an amenity,” Simmons said. The
farming component is a part of the
infrastructure of the master develop-
ment. “It will have significant agri-
cultural land integrated in the com-
munity, and those little farms that are
part of the project will actually be able
to produce value-added products that
will make them viable businesses.”
Adams Crossing plans to open six
farm kits in the first phase, and scale
up to 14 by the time the project is fin-
ished. A farm kit is essentially a small
(2- to 10-acre) farm that is profes-
sionally engineered and geared for a
specific type of cultivation and value-
add product. This means each farm is
geared to grow for a specific use, said
Beckner. The farms then act as the
incubators or producers for the local
retail food centers.
Agriburbia has designed farm kits
for a number of projects around the
country and engineered for myriad
purposes. For example, some farms are
designed to grow food for particular
diets, such as for individuals suffering
from certain autoimmune deficien-
cies. There’s also a number that are
engineered to support the creation of
value-add foods, such as the fixings
needed to make Bloody Mary mixes,
herbs for meat rubs, berry patches for
jamming and canning, orchards for
cideries, beers and craft wine, produce
for pickled or fermented foods, and
even ingredients for dog food. Other
projects were engineered for owners to
produce nonfood goods, such as soaps
and essential oils, or mint to be used in
toothpaste.
“It’s all in what you want to gear your
farm kit for, and then we engineer it
for that type of production,” said Beck-
ner. “It almost becomes a retail farm
itself.”
And while not planned yet for
Adams Crossing, Agriburbia hopes to
pioneer a center or market area close
Retail Trends
COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL
4643 South Ulster Street | Suite 1000 | Denver, CO 80237
P: 303 745 5800 | F: 303 745 5888
This document has been prepared by Colliers International Denver for advertising purposes only. The
information contained herein has been obtained from sources we deem reliable. While we have no
reason to doubt its accuracy, no warranty or representation is made of the foregoing information.
Terms of sale or lease and availability are subject to change or withdrawal without notice.
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Proposed Redevelopment
Jay Weise Photography
Bromley Farm features seasonal activities to encourage tourism.