Stapleton opens town center

The first town center in Denver’s 4,700-acre Stapleton development has opened on East 29th Avenue, with tenants that include a 58,000 sq. ft. King Soopers grocery store, a series of small shops and restaurants, and 34,000 square feet of offices. The developer, Forest City Stapleton Inc., says the Eastº29th Avenue Town Center is the only development in Denver that meets the national definition of a town center: a mixed-use place where homes, shops, offices, and open space blend in a pedestrian-friendly environment. The retail, service, and office components are largely complete, with a drug store, bank, animal hospital, florist, fitness center, dental office, supermarket, coffee shop, and other businesses already settled near the 2.5-acre Founders’ Green. With shade trees, walking paths, benches, and an amphitheater for outdoor concerts and films, Founders’ Green is envisioned as the crossroads for Stapleton’s neighborhoods. Other businesses in the town center, including a dry cleaner, another bank, and real estate offices, are expected to open soon. Completed housing includes Crescent Flats, composed of l66 one- and two-bedroom rental apartments above ground-floor shops, and Clyburn at Stapleton, which offers 200 affordable apartments for seniors plus a computer/community room, lounge/library, and garden courtyard. This summer residents will begin occupying Botanica on the Green, a collection of 232 one-, two- and three-bedroom rental flats, townhouses, and live/work lofts with attached garages. Fullerton Lofts, a 37-unit loft apartment project, is expected to be ready for occupancy early next spring. u