The developer of Cherry Creek West, a nearly 13-acre property at 2500 E. 1st Ave., has detailed in city filings what's planned in early construction.
What is now a parking lot and four mostly vacant buildings at the southeast corner of University Boulevard and 1st Avenue may become a large mixed-use development if the city approves recently submitted plans to redevelop the area.
East West Partners recently submitted a concept plan and a project master plan to Denver for a portion of the redevelopment project, dubbed Cherry Creek West, at 2500 E. 1st Ave. The submissions reveal some new details about how the project will proceed.
The Cherry Creek West redevelopment project was first announced in 2021. The Denver City Council voted to rezone the nearly 13-acre property and approved a development agreement for the project in September.
Submitting concept plans and a project master plan puts East West Partners one step closer to redeveloping the area.
The new plans show the project being built in phases, with the first phase estimated to begin on April 1, 2026. However, demolition work on the property will start this fall, said Amy Cara, managing partner at East West Partners in Denver.
The first phase of development will add about 2% more retail space and about 6.5% more residential units to the area compared, according to the plans and a 2023-2024 development report from the Cherry Creek Alliance, an association that supports businesses in the area.
The first structures to be built for Cherry Creek West will be an eight-story office building and two 13-story multifamily buildings. Each building will have ground-level retail, according to the plans.
The office tower, which will sit along 1st Avenue, will include approximately 13,000 square feet of retail space.
“We’re starting to have conversations on the office space upstairs, but I’ve really been holding up on the retail component,” Cara said, adding that there’s been a lot of interest but that she wants to wait to see how the first-floor retail space and open public spaces fit together.
One of the two multifamily towers will feature 192 units and nearly 10,000 square feet of retail space. The other residential building will offer 224 units and about 20,000 square feet of ground-level and second-level retail space, records show.
Cherry Creek West will have about 10% affordable housing for those making 60% of the area’s median income, Cara told the Denver Business Journal.
Phase 1 will also include two levels of underground parking totaling about 1,086 parking spaces, according to plans submitted to the city.
In addition to office, retail and residential spaces, 41% of the buildable area at Cherry Creek West will include open spaces, according to East West Partners. Publicly accessible open space will also be part of phase 1, plans show.
Phase 1 of the property is roughly 3 acres and previously housed the steakhouse Elway’s, which closed its Cherry Creek location in August, and a running store that has since moved into the mall. The property remains home to a parking lot and gym Zone Athletic Clubs.
Once the concept plan and master plan are approved by various city departments, construction will begin.
Asbestos abatement is underway in one of the buildings on the property, and that work will continue into the summer, Cara said.
Work building the underground parking lot is expected to begin in summer 2026, she added.
The project’s first buildings are slated to be completed in 2029, Cara said, a year later than anticipated. In July, Cara said the first buildings would be complete in 2028.
Denver-Area Commercial Real Estate Developers
Total square feet developed in the Denver area in 2023
Rank | Prior Rank | Business name |
---|
1 | 1 | Hyde Development |
2 | 2 | McWhinney |
3 | 3 | SunCap Property Group |
View this list