Colorado Real Estate Journal - February 4, 2015
A New Orleans-based transitoriented development group has teamed up with a Denver company to advance development of a 21-acre TOD site on the Gold Line. Located at the Clear CreekFederal Station, the Clear Creek Transit Village is one of the larger TOD sites on the Gold Line and in metro Denver. Scheduled to open in 2016, the Gold Line will connect Wheat Ridge, Arvada and northwest Denver to Denver Union Station. The TOD Group LLC purchased the site, located just north of Interstate 76 in Adams County, in 2009 and completed rezoning in 2012 for up to 1,125 residential units and 250,000 square feet of commercial development. It recently entered an agreement with Denver-based Trailbreak Partners to finalize site and infrastructure plans and identify builders to position the first phase to break ground in 2016. Plans will put into play best practices from TOD sites throughout the U.S. and Australia, where The TOD Group’s Dr. John Renne has studied, consulted and written about transitoriented development. “We envision it to be a resortlike community, one that will be the best of both worlds. You can jump on the train and be downtown in less than 10 minutes, and when you come home, you can hop on your bike and bike along the Clear Creek bike path,” said Renne, director of the transportation institute and associate provost of urban initiatives at the University of New Orleans. “Clear Creek Transit Village is a tremendous opportunity to connect downtown with a vibrant mixed-use community in an emerging part of the region,” Doug Elenowitz, principal of Trailbreak Parners, said in a statement. “Bordered by Clear Creek and the bike path, with views of Lake Sangraco and the Rocky Mountains, this site is really unique.” Dana Crawford of Urban Neighborhoods Inc. has worked with The TOD Group on the project and said the site will be “one of metro Denver’s most distinctive destinations.” It’s also a “cornerstone” in Adams County’s efforts to revitalize Federal Boulevard, according to County Commissioner Eric Hansen. The first phase of development will focus on residential development, including townhomes and, possibly, condos – depending on what happens at the Statehouse with regard to construction defects legislation. The TOD Group said it is in discussions with leading green builders about joining the team to implement a sustainable, high-amenity TOD at the site.