Colorado Real Estate Journal - March 5, 2014
Urban Inc., which has successfully developed and operated numerous assisted living projects in the Denver metro area, found an ideal site near deKoevend Park and adjoining the Goodson Recreation Center. The 4.35-acre site comes with a 19,276-squarefoot church plus a 17,963- sf finished basement area. The price of $2.8 million equates to $14.78 per sf. While the property has been under contract for more than 1½ years, floodplain issues nearly defeated the transaction. Half of the property was in the floodplain, and the remedy was not simple. The buyer’s solution was to remove a portion of the east knoll in the park and transport the soil and use it to build up the site where the new improvements will be constructed. Of course, there is cost of removal of the church. The church was constructed in 1975 and was used by the Highline Community Church since February 2005. The sanctuary had more than 400 seats with a professional sound system, and the church had access to 230 spaces with a cross easement for another 120 spaces from the Goodson Recreation Center. The site is irregular in shape, and some parking spaces may be lost as the new zoning is BP, city of Littleton. The access is a single shared traffic light on the west side of South University Boulevard. During church services, egress and ingress to the site was difficult as there may have been 300 to 400 cars for Sunday services and patrons of the Goodson Recreation Center. With the assisted-living use, the traffic flow will be considerably easier. Amenities of the site include the Highline Canal, which extends over 20 miles going both directions, coupled with the deKoevend Park. The number of assisted-living units planned was not available at press time. The following map shows the 4.35-acre site, located north of the intersection of East Arapahoe Road and South University. The property has good access to shopping, just south of the new Trader Joe’s, and adjoins deKoevend Park and the Highline Canal. The church, which was home to Highland Community Church and St. Andrew Methodist Church prior to January 2005, will be torn down and site work will be completed to take the property out of the floodplain district. The seller now shares the church facility at 3651 S. Colorado Blvd.