DENVER -- Three months after the University of Colorado Hospital moved to its new site, nearby businesses are struggling, but builders are excited about the future.

The hospital moved to the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora in June and many buildings are now empty.

One campus worker still at the complex told 7NEWS it now looks like a "ghost town."

Others are much more optimistic.

Denver City Council member Marcia Johnson said the site will be a "vibrant" part of the Denver economy, and neighbors will have a big say in what will happen.

The new site would include condominiums, retail shops, a hotel, and possibly a movie theater. It's being built on a 32-acre site in East Denver near the intersection of East Ninth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.

The city of Denver must still approve a zoning plan for the project, which is being built by Shea Properties. Davis Partnership is the lead architect.

In the meantime, some local businesses are struggling to stay afloat, and owners fear it might get worse before it gets better.

Friday was the last day for Laurel's Uniforms, which has supplied clothing to nurses and students for 46 years.

The city of Denver hasn't signed off on a new zoning plan yet, and the developer is still looking at how much cleanup needs to be done before work can start.

Shea Properties has agreed to incorporate many of the older buildings in the new design.

Nursing School administrator Laura Lee Lamonthe was pleased by the news. She said the campus has many great memories for staffers. She hopes to take some of the bricks from the old campus and use them for a fundraising project at the Anschutz Medical Campus.