Maycrest Urban Redevelopment Plan Gets Green Light; Johns Manville Plans Relocation to Greenwood Village

By Gabriel Circiog, Associate Editor

The Denver City Council has approved the Marycrest Urban Redevelopment Plan submitted by the Denver Urban Renewal Authority, The Denver Business Journal reports. A tax-increment financing district will be created at the site of Marycrest High School to aid in the funding of the project.

The 20-acre site, located northeast of 52nd Avenue and Federal Boulevard, will be developed by Marycrest Land LLC, a business venture formed by Urban Ventures LLC and Perry-Rose Development Co. Plans for the site include 360 market- and affordable-rate residential units and 50,000 square feet of commercial development. Around 96 of the units will be senior housing complementing the existing Harmony and Serenity Assisted Living facilities currently on the site. In addition, the transitional-housing Warren Village will be preserved, with the Sisters of St. Francis housing and offices also remaining on the site.

Susan Powers, President of Urban Ventures, said the location presents a unique opportunity in Denver to build a new neighborhood so close to downtown.

In other news, The Denver Post reports that Johns Manville plans to relocate its headquarters from downtown to Greenwood Village. The company currently leases 166,000 square feet on seven floors in the Johns Manville Plaza at 717 17th St., as well as research and development space in Ken Caryl Ranch.

The plan calls for a consolidation of its operations in a two-building project on 11.4 acres. Located across from the Landmark luxury condominium project, the 306,000-square-foot facility is expected to open in January 2014. If everything goes according to plan, around 1,400 people will work in the new complex.

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