Gated community planned for vacant church site at edge of Denver’s Hilltop neighborhood

After years of speech astir redevelopment, a vacant religion astatine the borderline of Hilltop and Cherry Creek is not agelong for this world.

The boarded-up operation astatine 50 S. Colorado Blvd. was sold earlier this period to Denver-based First Stone Development.

“As soon arsenic I person the permits, I’ll demolish it,” First Stone President Lenny Taub said, calling the spot “a blighted site.”

First Stone paid $3.75 cardinal for the erstwhile religion and its parking to the northbound — astir 1 acre successful all, helium said.

Taub said helium plans to physique a gated assemblage of 20 homes, immoderate of which volition apt database for much than $2 million. And parking for the task — dubbed Hilltop West — volition beryllium wholly underground, meaning the crushed level won’t beryllium dominated by garages.

“The houses volition fundamentally look each other, with a walkway that runs down the middle,” Taub said.

The 20 units volition beryllium dispersed crossed 10 structures, each with 2 units. The 10 units connected the eastbound broadside of the batch volition beryllium astir 3,400 quadrate feet. The 10 connected the westbound broadside of the lot, backing up to Colorado Boulevard, volition beryllium somewhat smaller — astir 2,700 quadrate feet.

Each portion volition person an elevator and 3 bedrooms, Taub said. The crushed level volition person the room and different surviving space. The bedrooms volition beryllium connected the 2nd floor. And the 3rd level volition person a “bonus room” that opens onto a rooftop deck.

“You tin usage that arsenic an office, a enactment room, adjacent an further bedroom,” Taub said

The parking concern is “very unique,” Taub said. He said zoning limits the tract to 3 stories, and helium astir backed retired of his declaration to bargain it erstwhile helium realized that a rooftop platform level would number arsenic one.

But Taub said helium had already been trying to fig retired a mode to person the room and surviving country connected the crushed level, arsenic opposed to supra the store similar successful galore townhome projects. So helium decided to dig.

Now, the program is that drivers accessing the tract from the broadside streets — determination won’t beryllium an entranceway disconnected engaged Colorado Boulevard — volition thrust down into the parking level, past ascend into the location and the neighborhood, which volition beryllium a small car-free pocket.

“It’s costing a batch much wealth doing it this way, but we are getting the payment of gathering the extortion deck,” Taub said.

Taub has submitted a conception program for the task to the city. While immoderate details could change, helium said that, based connected the feedback he’s received from the metropolis truthful far, he’s assured his wide imaginativeness volition get the greenish light.

The existing religion gathering dates to 1961, according to spot records. The tract hasn’t been owned by a spiritual enactment since 2006, erstwhile Kingdom of Faith Kingdom Center Inc. sold some parcels to Folsom Ventures LLC for $1.15 million, records indicate.

First Stone bought the spot from an entity affiliated with McKinnon & Associates, led by Doug McKinnon. He purchased the spot for $1.8 cardinal successful 2014, records show. McKinnon besides owns respective largely-unused sites connected the different broadside of Colorado Boulevard, which the metropolis rezoned past year.

One section vicinity group, the Cranmer Park/Hilltop Civic Association, has been posting updates connected its website for years astir efforts “to determination this from eyesore to a improvement the vicinity tin beryllium comfy with.” An serviceman of the enactment was quoted successful Denverite saying it’s “been a agelong process” — and that communicative was published successful 2017.

While Taub said he’ll demolish the religion arsenic soon arsenic helium can, determination volition apt beryllium a intermission betwixt past and the commencement of operation connected Hilltop West. He’s hopeful helium volition beryllium capable to interruption crushed successful 12 to 14 months.

Taub said he’s reasoning the larger units could database for $2.1 million, and the smaller ones for $1.8 million, though that could alteration fixed marketplace conditions astatine the time.

“Right present successful Hilltop, I don’t deliberation there’s immoderate caller operation you tin bargain for that price,” helium said.

Taub developed successful the New York City country for years earlier moving to Denver astir six-and-a-half years agone and shifting his absorption here. He’s completed galore townhomes successful the Berkeley area.

In June, Taub broke crushed connected a five-story, 123-unit condominium gathering successful the 600 artifact of Santa Fe Drive successful Lincoln Park, which could beryllium finished successful astir 18 months, helium said. He’ll commencement selling those units successful the archetypal quarter, apt asking an mean terms of $580 a quadrate foot.

Taub is besides readying a 34-unit flat gathering successful the 4300 artifact of Tennyson Street and helium already purchased the land. He besides hopes to commencement operation successful April connected a 140-unit townhome task successful Winter Park. The two-bedroom units, astir 1,200 to 1,300 quadrate feet including garage, volition apt commencement astir $630,000, helium said.

“There’s a immense demand,” helium said of the upland town. “It’s underbuilt.”