Stapleton’s First Hood North of I-70 – "Conservatory Green"

After 10 years of building South of I-70 in Stapleton it’s time to start building North of the highway.  Forest City has just released information about the first residential neighborhood in that area which they’ve named “Conservatory Green”.  Think North of Northfield and South of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.  I recently had a chance to go to a Realtor preview of the neighborhood and they gave us a lot of good info about what people can expect from this new hood.  It sounds like it’s going to be pretty distinct from the existing Stapleton neighborhoods which will be fun to see as it develops.  I like the sounds of the changes they’ve made and I think it’s smart on their part to make some other changes to give people something to be excited about…otherwise they may have ended up with a “North/South” Stapleton competition and I think people would have preferred South since its more mature at this point.  (relatively mature…I look forward to when the trees are all really mature).  I think the differences will make it an attractive option for new buyers.  So here are some details on what you can expect…..

The Basics:

• They are moving dirt north of the shops at Northfield already and they’re anticipating they will start on the first of the 500 homes coming in the first part of their development as early as November 2012.  (remember it’s construction so delays happen..a lot)
• The density and connectivity will remain similar to existing Stapleton neighborhoods
• They are starting on 45 acres of open space/parks soon which they anticipate will be completed in Spring 2014.
• There will be a town green similar to the one on 29th Ave for events, markets, etc.  It will have Stapleton’s first firepit which will be cool.
• Fall 2015 they are hoping to have the first phase of the high school in place.  (Vote for 3A and 3B in November!)
• Fall 2014 they are hoping to have the first elementary school in the neighborhood open.  (This will happen regardless of 3A and 3B)
• A 180 room hotel is planned for just North of I-70 and Central Park Boulevard
• There is a big push for more office properties N of I-70 near Northfield.  I imagine this will take a while to develop given the state of the economy.
• First dog park will be on the North side of Spruce and 53rd
• First pool will be in 2014 and will be near 47th and Willow

The Differences:

• Whereas the existing Stapleton neighborhoods are largely on a straight forward grid street pattern the new neighborhood will be a more “organic” winding street pattern that fits in with the topography of the land.  This should allow for some really cool views and also make the streets a little more interesting visually.
• There will be an emphasis on gardening in the new neighborhood.  Forest City sees the “slow foods” movement and the demand for gardening and they’re trying to meet that demand by having the builders orient the homes on the lots in a way that will provide more space in addition to offering more community gardens.  I think this is a really cool change and I  hope it gets a lot of traction cause it would be great to have a whole neighborhood of people helping each other eat better foods.  Some builders will even have green houses and chicken coops as options!  (Never thought I’d see a chicken coop option but it’s here..)
• The housing will still be diverse from an architectural standpoint but they are making a push to put more similar styles together rather than always mixing it up so much.  Some of the feedback they were getting was that all the areas in existing Stapleton have so many different styles that it ended up being monotonous in the fact that it was a mix of styles everywhere.  (That sentence is about as clear as the way it was explained..hopefully you know what I’m saying.)
• Architectural styles will include Prairie, Denver Square, Craftsman, Farmhouse and Modern
• Builders will include KB, Wonderland, David Weekley, New Town Builders, Standard Pacific, Infinity, Parkwood and Boulder Creek.  Boulder Creek is new to the area and they’re going to be working on meeting some of the demand for ranch homes (Grandparents!) with low maintenance.
• The colors of the homes will be prarie-inspired.  Overall colors sound like they will be natural and toned down.
• The builders have for the most part all developed new housing product for the new neighborhood.  Keep an eye out for updates on those product lines and some of the innovations they’ve come up with.

So that’s it for now  on Conservatory Green.  If you want to read a little more about the new neighborhood and watch a brief video Forest City put together click here.  I’m excited about the new area.  Demand has been high in Stapleton and home values are up so I think the timing of the new area is good.  If I can answer any questions you have please let me know.  As always, if you know someone interesting in buying or selling in Stapleton please let me know, I’d love to help.