Denver developers East West Partners on Wednesday laid out preliminary development plans for Cherry Creek West, a 12.5-acre mixed used development west of the Cherry Creek Shopping Center.

“We’re putting the creek back in Cherry Creek,” Managing Partner Amy Cara told the 200-plus attendees of the development’s first public meeting via Zoom.

“There’s not a lot of publicly accessible green space in Cherry Creek, and we have an opportunity to create some of that and a great connection,” she said. “In doing so, we’re creating the neighborhood’s new front yard.”

The public meeting was the first of several as part of Denver’s Community Planning and Development’s “large development review application” process, which Denver requires for developments larger than five acres.

Cherry Creek West envisioned as 13-acre, mixed-use development

The land, on the southeast corner of University Boulevard and East First Avenue, is owned by the Buell Foundation, which also owns the land under the shopping center. It’s the site of the former Bed, Bath and Beyond and where John Elway’s restaurant is located.

Plans call for several buildings there, with an average height of 10 stories. The development, which is expected to take a decade to complete, will include office, retail and housing — some of which will be considered affordable housing. 

One of the more striking features unveiled Wednesday is a plan to sink Cherry Creek North Drive — the main traffic thoroughfare from University to the shopping center south of the property — allowing pedestrian traffic to flow directly to Cherry Creek and the bike/pedestrian path there. It’s a similar design to what the Colorado Department of Transportation did for the stretch of Interstate 70 that runs through the Elyria, Swansea and Globeville neighborhoods — but on a much smaller scale.

“We’re proposing to lower this private drive (it’s not a city street) below a flat, almost 200-foot wide landscaped connection from the green to the edge of our property along the Cherry Creek Trail,” said Robb Berg, president of Design Workshop. “Cars can travel below this connection to either enter our garage, or continue through to the parking lot at the shopping center.

“This really allows pedestrians to flow freely and safely without the worry of vehicles.”

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Plans call for two floors of below-grade parking garages, a “public plaza” with green space for concerts and events, a Market Square that could host farmers markets and streets built for pedestrians first.

“The magic of this site is the ability to provide something that currently doesn’t exist in accessible open space for the community,” said Berg. “And when I say accessible, I’m talking about a true, barrier-free connection to Cherry Creek and the Cherry Creek Trail.”

East West is working with Buell — it will ground lease the land — and mall owner Taubman Realty Group Limited Partnership. The company owns luxury malls and shopping centers throughout the U.S.

Other companies on the development team include architect, design and planning firm Gensler and BuildMark of Denver.

East West was the lead developer for the Union Station Neighborhood. Its last project there, The Coloradan condominium building, opened in 2018 and is fully occupied, Cara said. It was the master developer for Denver’s Riverfront Park, a 25-acre mixed-use development in the Central Platte Valley.

“There’s a series of sub districts within the development,” Berg said. “Each of these districts has its own identity and character, but contribute to this great pedestrian-prioritized place.”

The “shared streets” concept means they are meant for pedestrians first, but can be used for emergency vehicle access if needed, or occasional loading and unloading.

The land is likely going to have to be rezoned, so there are many meetings to come in front of the city’s Planning and Zoning commission and City Council.

“We have the opportunity for Cherry Creek to actually be a place where people can live and work and where there’s enough density that can happen,” Cara said of the “15-minute community” plan.

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Cara estimated there would be about three residential buildings, with up to 600 units total. The development is expected to be built in three phases, with the east side to be built first. The earliest they can break ground will be the third quarter of 2024, Cara said, to clear the entitlement and rezoning process.

“I think the first buildings will be occupied five years from today,” she said. “We would hope that within about 10 years, we would have all of this complete and fully realized.”

Officials fielded questions for more than 30 minutes of the 90-minute meeting. Many had to do with the impacts to traffic, noise concerns during construction, cost of the housing units and the height of the buildings along the creek side of the property. They vowed to answer as many of the 65+ questions as possible later on  cherrycreekwest.com, which will also have the recording of the meeting. 

“This isn’t just another infill development, adding a few residential units or office square footage,” said Cara. “We really have an opportunity here to add generational value to this community.”