Another Colfax Avenue motel is up for redevelopment.
Denver developer Nathan Beal of Saint Bernard Properties purchased the La Vista Motel at 5500 E. Colfax Ave. this summer and plans to turn it into residential living units. La Vista is Beal’s first motel conversion.
Beal purchased the motel property for $1.82 million in June, according to property records. The last time the motel traded hands was in 2006 for $760,000, according to public records, and Beal said the motel was not operating when he purchased it.
“The neighborhoods on either side are really nice and there’s some nice businesses on that stretch of Colfax,” Beal said.
Built in 1956, the motel features 26 rooms, including the on-site owner’s apartment. Beal plans to expand some rooms on the north side and combine others to create one-bedroom residences, complete with full kitchens and possible European-style washers and dryers, in addition to new plumbing, electrical and HVAC.
There will be 21 residences at the project’s completion.
“We’re in that phase right now with the architect where we’re modeling different scenarios,” Beal said.
In addition, Beal is also proposing a three-story, mixed-use building at the corner of Hudson Street and East Colfax Avenue. He wants the new building to function as an amenity for residents on the site, such as a cafe or coffee shop. He thinks residential units on the second and third floors would work well for that site, depending on what the city will permit.
This new building would complement the existing 1950s and 1960s architecture of La Vista.
Beal’s other projects around the Denver area include Canvas, a development of seven modern homes in the Whittier neighborhood. In the Cole neighborhood, Beal is building new townhomes and also renovating an old Scandinavian church into either a residence or a commercial offering.
Beal also recently completed the renovation of a grocery market in the Whittier neighborhood, gutting and transforming it into 13 residential units. The main building from that building was from the 1880s, according to Beal.
“We wanted to take what we did there and apply that to the motel,” he said.
Another driving factor for Beal picking Colfax Avenue for the redevelopment was Denver’s East Colfax Corridor Bus Rapid Transit project, which will include a stop in front of La Vista, according to the city’s plans.
Beal did not disclose how much he plans to invest in renovations and building costs at the new site. He has hired Sopher Sparn Architects as the designer for the development and has yet to hire a general contractor.
Lately, developers have shown renewed interest in Colfax Avenue’s old motels. The White Swan Motel at 6060 W. Colfax Ave. is under new ownership as a temporary shelter for individuals in need. The new owner, Lauren Coleman, still plans to redevelop the property eventually, according to previous DBJ reporting.
Volunteers of America Colorado has proposed to tear down the Aristocrat Motor Hotel at 4855 W. Colfax Ave. and rebuild a four-story hotel as temporary housing as well, according to plans submitted to the city.
Meanwhile, San Antonio, Texas-based Kairoi Residential has demolished the former Ramada by Wyndham Denver Downtown at 1150 E. Colfax Ave. to make way for 334 new residential units and retail space. Another developer has proposed plans to tear down the Royal Palace Motel 1565 Colorado Blvd. to make way for 161 residential units.