Big Plans in Store for the Former Westminster Mall

Since its demolition four years ago, the 105-acre Westminster mall site has remained relatively untouched; however, this summer work is set to begin on the new urban retail and residential development.  In early May 2011, the Westminster Economic Development Authority (WEDA) purchased the existing mall for $22 million and demolished the structure with plans to redevelop the site into a centralized residential, commercial, and business hub.

After the mall was purchased in 2011, WEDA entered into negotiations with several development and urban planning firms.  In early 2014, the City chose San Diego-based OliverMcMillian as the master developer for the project. Later that year, Westminster City Council approved preliminary planning and rezoning for the project, breathing new life into the defunct property.  It was recently announced, however, that negotiations with OliverMcMillan had been dissolved and the City would ultimately pursue multiple developers to complete different portions of the development. 

The mall redevelopment has been heralded as a project that will have a long lasting impact on the growth of Westminster, bringing in new business and employment opportunities. The land, roughly the size of the Denver LoDo area , is set to become an urban center for suburban Westminster.  It is slated to have approximately 1,500 residential units, 1 million square feet of office space, and 700,000 square feet of commercial retail and shopping space.  Additionally, the first segment of the Northwest RTD Rail Line is scheduled to reach completion in 2016 and will have a stop on Westminster’s 88th Avenue/Harlan Street adjacent to the mall. Currently, the City of Westminster is in the process of contracting with developers to begin building roadways and utilities on the site, with plans for vertical development to follow.

Source of Image: Denver Urban Review