Streets at South Glenn

A lifestyle center replaces an old indoor mall in Centennial

The largest project to be completed this year is also the redevelopment of one of the area’s oldest malls into a multi-use retail and community center.

By Kelly Davidson

After nearly three years of waiting, the city of Centennial is finally getting its mall back. The $310-million Streets at SouthGlenn redevelopment is set to debut later this summer, bringing an open-air retail center to the area.

The redevelopment of the former Southglenn Mall is the latest venture by Denver’s Alberta Development Partners. The project was a collaborative effort, with five architects and six general contractors working on different blocks and various aspects of the project (see project team sidebar).

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“Just a short drive away from some of Denver’s premier neighborhoods, the site had a strong retail node and was prime for redevelopment,” says Bryan McFarland, a project principal with Alberta Development Partners. “The favorable demographics of the surrounding area supported repositioning the retail to include more upscale offerings.”

Built in 1974, the original mall had fallen into disrepair, and the retail selection had grown stale. Sales began declining in 1996 when Park Meadows Shopping Center opened nearby in Littleton, and even after minor interior renovations in 2001, the mall struggled to compete.

In 2005, the property owner, Chicago-based Walton Street Capital, solicited proposals for redeveloping the site. Alberta won the bid with its documented “live work play” approach, already successful at Southlands in Aurora.

Razing the Old, Raising the New In preparation for demolition, all of the mall retailers, as well as the JCPenney and Dillard’s department stores, had to close their doors. In 2006, with the master plan approved, the mall structure between Macy’s and Sears was removed entirely.

The Macy’s and Sears buildings, the only structures that remain from the original mall, set the parameters for the infill project, providing constraints for the street grid system and the alignment of central spaces. Mixed uses were vertically integrated into nine blocks, defining different groups of buildings. The final plan called for more than 22 new buildings featuring ground-floor retail with office and residential space on the upper floors of two buildings, totaling more than 1.7 million sq ft of new construction.

“I was responsible for managing Colorado Mills, Southlands and our Cornerstar project, and none of those compare to The Streets at SouthGlenn development in terms of complexity,” says McFarland. “Coordinating multiple architects and contractors, all on a fast-track basis and within an operating property, has been a challenge for our team.”

(Photo by Fred J. Fuhrmeister, Time Frame Photography)

Spanning 73 acres, the finished redevelopment features one million sq ft of retail, along with 202 luxury apartments, a LEED Silver-certified office tower, a five-level parking structure and a new public library for the city of Centennial.

The open-air village is centered around Commons Park—an urban park with mature landscaping, including transplanted trees from the existing site, and a grand fountain. The two-acre park will host a farmers’ market, a winter ice rink and seasonal entertainment, fully funded by Alberta.

“You won’t likely see retail/mixed-use projects of this scope and scale delivered for some time, anywhere in the country, let alone the Denver market,” McFarland says.

Redevelopment in a Recession About a year into the demolition of the old mall, the project suffered from long periods of inactivity. Initially slated for fall 2008 completion, the project was stalled by the sluggish housing market and imminent recession. Concerns mounted over whether the residential offerings—350 for-sale condominiums, per the original master plan—would fare well.

“We recognized early on that the majority of our investors were institutional buyers and young professionals, and that the residential market was softening, so we made a decision to eliminate the condos and develop 202 luxury apartments instead,” says McFarland.

(Photo by Fred J. Fuhrmeister, Time Frame Photography)

While developers were forced to make some concessions, the project remains largely true to its original master plan.

“Today’s retail environment is based on the experience. Long gone are the days when we’d spend our days trapped inside an interior mall,” says Bruce McLennan, principal with SEM Architects, one of the architects on the project. “The goal of the design was to create a retail experience that consumers actually enjoy and appreciate, and by focusing on the entire experience, we’ve managed to build a new lifestyle center—not just a mall.”

Project Team:

Architects:
SEM Architects, Denver Entitlements (planning) and architect–of-record for Blocks 1, 3, 4, 7A, 7B, 8 and 9, including Barnes & Noble and Whole Foods
CommArts Design, Boulder architecture and public spaces/common areas
Mulhern & Associates, Rhode Island Block 2, multifamily apartment building
CLC Associates, Denver Entitlements (engineering) and engineer-of-record, architect for Blocks 5, 6 and 7C, including 24-Hour Fitness
Russell Davis Associates, Georgia Hollywood Theaters

General Contractors:
Saunders Construction Inc., Centennial Public improvements, including all sitework, parking structure, fountains and amenities
The Weitz Co., Englewood Blocks 1, 3, 4, including Whole Foods, Barnes & Noble, The Centennial Library, and office tower. The owner is seeking LEED-Silver certification for the office building.
Ledcor Blocks 5, 6, 7A, 7B, 8, 9
Colorado First Construction, Lakewood The Portola, multifamily apartment building
Catamount Constructors, Evergreen Verizon, Block 4B, Specialty retail white box
The Beck Group Hollywood Theaters

Master Plan by Blocks:
Block 1 Whole Foods and specialty retail
Block 2 202 luxury apartments, four levels over specialty retail in a five-story building, restaurants
Block 3 South Library over specialty retail in a two-story building
Block 3 North 140,000–sq-ft, five-story office building consisting of four levels over specialty retail, restaurants
Block 4 Barnes & Noble wrapped with specialty retail/restaurants
Block 5 specialty retail and quick-serve restaurants
Block 6 specialty retail
Block 7A Restaurant/bar
Block 7B Specialty retail and quick-serve restaurants
Block 7C 24-Hour Fitness Super Club, upper level and half of lower level, over specialty retail
Block 8 Power center, including Best Buy, Dick’s, Staples, Macy’s Home
Block 9 Four single-level buildings, including a new Wells Fargo branch and three multi-tenant buildings with specialty retail and quick-serve restaurants

Summary of Master Plan:
• 73 acres
• 282,000 sq ft of specialty retail and restaurants
• 121,686 sq ft of junior anchors (Macy’s Home, Staples, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Best Buy)
• 195,627 sq ft of major/anchors (Barnes & Noble, Whole Foods, Hollywood Theaters, 24-Hour Fitness)
• 32,822 sq ft of pad sites
• 140,000 sq ft of office space
• 18,703 sq ft for Centennial Library
• 1,777-stall, five-level parking structure
• 202 luxury apartments
• 1.7 million sq ft of new construction
• 2.1 million sq ft, total project