This project looks a little more normal.
The development team behind One River North at 3930 Blake St. in Denver — arguably the most unusual building currently being constructed in the region — broke ground on a second project last month, this one in Aurora.
The Broadleaf is a 370-unit apartment complex going up at 1380 Uvalda St. in Fitzsimons Village across from the Anschutz Medical Campus.
It’s being developed by Uplands Real Estate Partners, The Max Collaborative and Wynne Yasmer Real Estate.
The first two companies were formed by members of the founding families of Forest City Realty Trust, which was acquired by Brookfield Asset Management in 2018. Forest City led the redevelopment of the former Stapleton International Airport site in Denver.
Denver-based Wynne Yasmer, meanwhile, was founded in 2019 by Brian Wynne and K.C. Yasmer, who both previously worked for Forest City.
BusinessDen file
A rendering of the One River North building going up at 3930 Blake St. in Denver.
The three companies broke ground in August on the 16-story One River North apartment building, which is set to feature a haphazard-looking gash on one side filled with greenery.
The design of The Broadleaf is more mainstream, although Uplands Principal Josh Hoffman said it will be different from most apartment complexes in the area. That’s because it will be built with light-gauge steel.
“Everything else within the Fitzsimons area vis built out of wood, it’s all wood-frame,” Hoffman said.
Light-gauge steel “affords certain design elements that might not be available otherwise,” Hoffman said. It means the building can support a pool on its rooftop. And it addresses the most common tenant complaint, which is how much noise residents hear from other nearby units.
“There’s far better acoustics with a light-gauge steel building,” Hoffman said.
The building is being developed on an approximately three-acre site, Hoffman said. The developers paid $9 million for it in June 2020, according to public records.
The Broadleaf will be five to seven stories high. It will also feature a half-acre central courtyard, Hoffman said. The development team expects many residents to work at the hospital across the street and want to build “an escape from that high-stress lifestyle.”
The building will also have about 9,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. It is expected to be completed in early 2024.
Uplands and The Max Collaborative like the Denver market in part because of their familiarity with it due to the years-long airport redevelopment, Hoffman said. They are looking for additional development sites.
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