CREJ - Building Dialogue - September 2016
With $300 million of new development currently in the pipeline, the redevelopment of the old St. Anthony Hospital campus – just across 17th Avenue from Sloan’s Lake Park in West Denver – is not only taking shape, it’s become one of Denver’s most prominent areas for reinvestment. The first three projects are nearing completion in the burgeoning West Colfax neighborhood, and construction is underway on several new ones. Project developers and new businesses also have joined forces to create a single unifying brand and identity for the community: Sloans. All of the recent activity, along with the multimillion dollar residential, office and retail developments on the near horizon, has turned Sloans into the next central Denver “hot spot” for people who want a great urban address to live, work and play. Not long ago, Sloans was largely overlooked as a place for reinvestment and cultural activity, but it has turned the corner and today is a neighborhood filled with promise and potential. The projects that are forming the new landscape at Sloans are: Alexan. Developed by Trammell Crow Residential, the Alexan is a 369-unit apartment complex located at 1550 Raleigh St. and is in the midst of residential lease-up. The complex, which includes ground floor retail space, will welcome its first retail tenant, a second location for Highland Tap & Burger, later this year. Perry Row. Construction is underway on 64 row homes at Conejos and Perry Streets, within walking distance of the Perry Street light-rail station. The contemporary three- and four-story units, each with its own rooftop deck, range from the mid-$400,000 to the mid-$700,000. LakeHouse. NAVA Development is preparing to start construction on an eight-story tower and a 12-story tower that will be home to 193 for-sale condos, as well as 13 street-level row homes, and ground-floor retail. An on-site sales center is open for business on at 17th Avenue and Stuart (overlooking Sloan’s Lake). Among LakeHouse’s many amenities will be its WELL certification, a third-party building standard that focuses on health and well-being. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Construction is underway on the eight screen movie complex, which will sit on West Colfax Avenue at Stuart Street and could open by late first quarter 2017. Bar Fly, the in-house bar, will incorporate metal screens from the old hospital building. Office and retail. LCP Development and Weston Capital recently completed construction on two buildings at the intersection of West Colfax and Raleigh Street. The project included the renovation of a five-story, 50,000-square foot office building with ground-floor retail, as well as new ground-up construction of a 6,000-square-foot retail building. Starbucks has signed a lease, as has a landscape architecture firm. Negotiations also are underway with a national retailer and regional restaurant for the balance of the building. Apartments by Hines. Approximately 250 apartments and 7,000 square feet of retail is planned at 17th Avenue and Raleigh. The seven-story apartment community is being developed by Hines. On the top floor, residents will have access to a 2,000- to 3,000-square-foot “sky lounge.” Vida Senior Living. Approximately 170 affordable senior apartments are planned at Perry Street and West Colfax. The four- and seven-story complex is a collaboration between EnvirFinance Group and the Denver Housing Authority and an additional 20,000 square feet of commercial space. The project will be anchored by a 12,000-square-foot neighborhood health clinic and includes a 5,000-square-foot senior activity center, and rooftop gardening among other amenities. Sloans has come a long way since 1861, when Thomas M. Sloan, a farmer working the land, dug a well and woke up the next morning to find – to his dismay – a growing lake. With one strike of his shovel, Mr. Sloan formed Denver’s largest lake, and today it is becoming one of the city’s most desirable places to reside, especially considering the quality development that is taking place here.