WESTMINSTER, Colo. – Construction on the new Downtown Westminster area started off slowly, but developers told Denver7 that progress is going as planned.
In just a few years, the view along U.S. 36 will change. The 105-acre lot that once was the location for the Westminster Mall will hold the planned Downtown Westminster.
Developers already have the infrastructure in place -- utilities, streets, and pedestrian and bike paths to the site.
Developers said the location between Denver and Boulder will make access favorable for visitors.
Most of the mall was demolished in 2011 to make room for the project. Some residents told us development is crawling. Developers said they ran into issues early, after hiring a master developer.
“Ultimately, we went through four of those to no success. We kind of failed in that perspective,” said construction and development manager John Burke.
He said both city council and those living in Westminster knew the vision they wanted to have, and the vision the master developers provided didn’t match up.
According to Burke, as a city, it was more tenacious to take development block by block, than hire a master developer who would come and get the job done quickly.
He added, “We know we’re going to be here for the long-haul. We want to create a community that really, our citizens want to see.”
Burke admits the project will take quite a while, but residents, businesses and visitors should be able to access Downtown Westminster by late 2017, or early 2018.
The downtown site won’t be completely unfamiliar. The state’s most profitable JCPenney is still located on the property, as well as an Olive Garden restaurant.
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