Downtown Westminster Seeing Major Development
By Jeff Todd
WESTMINSTER, Colo. (CBS4) - The first housing units for a much-anticipated redevelopment are finally underway in Downtown Westminster.
The city has been eyeing redevelopment near the Highway 36 and Sheridan Boulevard interchange since the late 1990s, but now big steps forward are propelling the 100 acre site.
"The great thing about it and the way we're approaching it is that it's going to evolve over time and that's how we're setting it up," said Sarah Nurmela with Westminster Economic Development.
Two mixed-use complexes are being built around the existing JC Penny just off of West 88th Avenue. One complex's housing is dedicated to affordable housing.
"It establishes the level of inclusivity. We believe everybody should be able to live and access our citywide downtown," Nurmela said. "This being one of our first projects it shows where the city's values are."
A total of 20 percent of Downtown Westminster is earmarked for workforce housing.
In 2019, construction will start on a boutique hotel and movie theater. At least 250 market-rate apartments are expected to be available by the end of 2019.
"Having people living on the site so that they are frequenting the businesses that are there, that's really important," Nurmela said. "They start to create a community in the downtown and that's what the most important thing for us."
Jeff Todd joined the CBS4 team in 2011 covering the Western Slope in the Mountain Newsroom. Since 2015 he's been working across the Front Range in the Denver Headquarters. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Jeff.