David Weekley Homes at S. Saulsbury and W. Alaska in Belmar

David Weekley Homes is full steam ahead with their third Belmar location, this time at the corner or S. Saulsbury and W. Alaska. This was the temporary location of the Belmar bocci courts before their relocation to Belmar Square, and had originally been slated for condo construction before the Great Recession.

Townhome Construction Set to Start: Bocce Courts Relocating to Belmar Square

A fence is up around the parking lot and bocce courts at the corner of S. Saulsbury and W. Alaska Drive, which suggests that construction will be beginning shortly on the next set of David Weekley townhomes in downtown Lakewood. Sales have been lively, and I've noticed that pricing, which started last year at $380K, has now jumped to almost $450K!

Belmar has previously said they wanted to keep the bocce courts, and a notice on the fencing promises relocation to Belmar Square, the large, grassy park at the south end of Teller Street. Construction of the new courts, the sign notes, will begin in August and be completed for this year's Festival Italiano.

Townhouses Coming to Block 15 (aka the Belmar Bocce Courts)

David Weekley Homes has filed papers with the city of Lakewood to build nine more townhouses in Belmar-- this time on Block 15 at the corner of Alaska and Saulsbury-- a space currently home to the Belmar Bocce courts.

Long time Belmar residents know that this lot was originally proposed for market-rate condos (the Alaska Flats). With the market for multi-unit condominiums crushed by the Great Recession, the temporary bocce court on Block 15 has been with us for a long, long time-- almost ten years, in fact.

Townhouses make a lot more economic sense right now, and won't compromise the quality of the urban environment (unlike the disappointing designs of the Belmar Chick-fil-A and Best Buy buildings).

The construction will at long last complete the corner's built environment, and will hide the surface parking belonging to the Gallery Apartments that is currently visible from the intersection. It will provide more for more owner occupied housing in Belmar, and brings us that much closer to seeing Belmar built out. It seems like a win to me.

Facade Design of David Weekley Town Homes Revealed

The Abo Group, an architecture firm located in here in Lakewood and headed by Ronald Abo and Peter Einsle, has been tapped by David Weekley Homes to design their new town homes in Belmar.

The town homes-- as seen in this rendering-- will be a three story, contemporary design with private balconies and an optional fourth floor.

It's a fantastic look, and I can't wait to see these go up.

David Weekley Townhomes Planned for Belmar Block 10

It looks like the surveying equipment seen recently on Block 10 was a sign of good things to come.

According to Denver Cityscape, David Weekley Homes will be putting 22 town homes on the site. This is the perfect development for Block 10, which sits between Belmar Square Park and the KB Home development.

And it really is perfect. Why?

Well, although I was really impressed by the layout of KB Home's "paired homes" (a.k.a. duplexes), I feel the higher density of town homes is better for Belmar's urban aspirations. Without gaps between each individual unit, town homes create a more defined and aesthetically pleasing street space. It's solid, not jumbled. The higher roofline adds to this as well. When you walk down a street lined with 3 and 4 story buildings, you have a sense that you are in an urban room, with the sky above you as ceiling. It looks like the David Weekley development will add to this effect, which is especially important given it's location next to Belmar Square.

One of the great pleasures in life is walking the streets of a dense city center and then suddenly coming upon a plaza or town square. One moment you're on a narrow, urban street, and then-- bam!-- you turn the corner and the sky opens up, the sun shines down, and a bench or fountain beckons. It's the sudden contrast that makes these spaces so memorable. You can't see the openness until you're standing right in the middle of it. Hidden from view, surrounded on all sides by taller buildings, a plaza or park feels elegant and jewel box-like.

I've always felt that Belmar Square has the potential to be a little like, but only if the blocks around it were developed with sufficient density. The Lofts at Belmar Square, immediately to the south of the square, are 5 stories high, and already hint at how great a park space Belmar Square could be. It just needs the other three sides.

So the good news is that the David Weekley development on Block 10-- at 3 and 4 stories--  appears to fit nicely with this vision.