I reported last year that Qdoba had proposed free-standing restaurant on a pad site in the Best Buy/ Nordstrom's Rack parking lot on the corner of Wadsworth and Alameda.
Well, the plan is apparently dead, killed by Target. The retailer, I've been told, exercised a contractual veto right it holds over any development on the parking lot in question.
If the story I've heard is true, it's really disappointing. As I've said before, there is no shortage of parking in Belmar, and even on weekends when the Target parking lot is full, there's always parking to be had across the street in the covered garage under Whole Foods, or in the multi-story parking garage across from Nordstrom's Rack.
I do know that Target expressed concerns over the construction of the Hyatt House Hotel as well, for the same reason, but was told by the City of Lakewood that building on that surface lot was going forward regardless.
What this tells us is that Target corporate just doesn't get Belmar or New Urbanism.
Any idea why Target would be given a say over a parking lot that is not attached to them? Concerns over line of sight from Wads/Alameda intersection? I was thinking nixing had more to do with Qdoba on Alameda and Union getting remodeled into the "new Qdoba" format and not wanting to cannibalize traffic, or with Qdoba corporate moving out... Strange.
ReplyDeleteI don't know anything beyond what I heard, which was that Target blocked the Qdoba plan. My source on this isn't someone with intimate knowledge of the contacts themselves. I'm also not sure of the timing, so this could have happened before construction of the Alameda and Union location. As far as Target being opposed to the construction of the Hyatt House, my source there was involved more directly in the negotiations, and the next time I run into that person, I'll ask.
ReplyDeleteIchy, I read your blog to keep up to date on things around the Downtown Lakewood area as you do a great job of keeping a beat on things. I actually own a retail business in the area (would like to remain anonymous using this forum). I would like to get your personal assessment of the area and how it is keeping up with other areas of the Denver Metro area. I am a little bit disappointed with the slowing pace of development (especially regarding the pause in development of the office building and additional retail developments in Belmar) in the area and hope things don't "stall out" in the near future. Any thoughts of yours or foresight you can give as to the direction of the area as a whole would be great.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm bullish on the concept of downtown Lakewood. The population of Colorado is expected to grow by something like 2 million people in the next ten years, and I think downtown Lakewood is well placed to capture its share of that growth in a way that benefits the community but minimizes impact to existing neighborhoods.
DeleteMany of us would like to see the development of Belmar and the rest of downtown Lakewood happen on an accelerated timeline, but I think market forces are the limiting factor. The recession starting in 2008 slowed things down, and now Starwood appears to be going slow to make sure their investment pays off. I don't know much about Starwood's management, but many commercial developers dislike risk and prefer the status quo, which is why most commercial developments look the same. Belmar is different, and difference involves risk. That said, Starwood does own other new urbanist developments, and CEO Scott Holstein said all the right things when Starwood took over. And lease rates are good in Belmar-- as of last October, the Lakewood Sentinel reported it was 96% for retail, 100% for office space, and 97% for residential. So it's likely just a temporary slowdown.
Ichy, thank you for your thoughts. I grew up in Lakewood and would love to see the area continue to prosper and develop much like many of the neighborhoods closer to downtown Denver. I know there were challenges for a long time regarding the neighborhoods west of Federal and south of Colfax. In my relatively uninformed opinion I believe these neighborhoods have dampened the "spread" of Belmar outside of its current boundaries; but it does seems like the home values in these neighborhoods are increasing and the percentage of renter occupied single family homes is getting lower as the percentage of owner occupied single family homes increases. I keep my hopes up that the cities west of Denver (Lakewood, Arvada, Wheatridge) see their day in the sun with regards to big reinvestment and development. I think in order for Downtown Lakewood to really lift off the ground the older/smaller commercial properties in the city (the ones that are more parking lot than building) need to redevelop and incorporate the same "new urbanism" concepts as Belmar. As a resident and business owner of this city I certainly hope this happens and Lakewood continues to push this agenda. It is amazing how many of the depressed neighborhoods around Denver have become so vibrant and fun - much like Belmar. I think the next step for Lakewood and Belmar is for the areas near Sheridan and Colfax to undergo a transformation. Thanks for the work you do on this blog!
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