Article Contributed on: 8/27/2008 6:03:13 PM
Officials with a project aimed at redeveloping the Alameda Square shopping center in southwest Denver are seeking feedback from the community on their plans for the site.
Representatives from Brighton Corporation -- the development firm that will oversee the project -- will be on hand at a community meeting scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 10 at Rishel Middle School, 451 S. Tejon St. There will be initial site designs and plans for lighting, landscaping and traffic, according to
Carol Campbell, with the Athmar Park Neighborhood Association.
Brighton Corporation purchased the property in June and plans to locate a Lowe's home improvement store as the anchor tenant. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2009 with a grand opening planned for spring 2010.
The city and the surrounding community have been working for nearly 20 years to get the 20-acre property redeveloped. Community members roundly rejected previous proposals to locate a Denver Department of Social Services office and a Wal-Mart at the shopping center.
Other plans have come and gone. Kroenke Sports Enterprises expressed interest in building an ice rink at the site, but ultimately opted against those plans.
"This is a huge deal for those of us who have been working really hard in the trenches to turn this thing around," Campbell said. "It's really nice to see the renaissance of another old Denver neighborhood."
The shopping center currently is home to a variety of businesses, including several Asian retailers and restaurants. Some of the businesses at the strip mall will be relocated with the assistance of the Denver Urban Renewal Authority, which is contributing $7.3 million in tax increment financing to help jumpstart the project.
King's Land seafood restaurant and Pacific Ocean International Market are two of the businesses that will remain intact. Several buildings, including the Viet Hoa Supermarket, will be razed and may relocate elsewhere or occupy a different space in the shopping center, said
Sverre Jensen, a partner with Brighton Corporation.
Work begins in earnest this fall when a 138,000 square-foot building that used to house the city's social services processing center building will be torn down, Jensen said.
Representatives from Brighton Corporation also will discuss plans for a $70,000 public art component for the site. Community members will be able to join an art selection committee to help guide the selection of the artwork.
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What: Community meeting to discuss plans for the redevelopment of the Alameda Square shopping center
When: 6-8 p.m. Sept. 10
Where: Rishel Middle School, 451 S. Tejon St., Denver