Demolition at 9th and Colorado project to begin about March 15

About 70 people braved a snowstorm Wednesday evening to hear updates on the 9th and Colorado redevelopment project, including a partial schedule for remediation and demolition of buildings.

During a public meeting of the Colorado Boulevard Healthcare District at Hill Middle School, residents were briefed on progress in redeveloping the old University of Colorado Hospital site.

The 28-acre site originally was to be anchored by a Walmart a decision that rankled neighbors and ultimately led to Walmart's withdrawal from the project last October.

About six weeks later, Fuqua Development began negotiating to have a King Soopers as the new anchor, which met with more neighborhood approval.

"We are continuing very diligently in working on a full design on this site and working closely with King Soopers," said Marcus Pachner, a consultant for Fuqua Development.

Pachner said King Soopers still is working with its architects and engineers to design a store that meets the overall guidelines for the project, which will include an upscale apartment building, senior housing, a hotel and retail stores.

"The moment we have the final package put together," Pachner said, "City Council members and the mayor's office have indicated they want to hold a larger community meeting to talk about both the financial structure of the deal and the overall site plan."

That meeting is expected to be held within three months.

CU already has done asbestos abatement in about 80 percent of the buildings on the site, Pachner said. Remediation will begin on the old power plant on the east side of the site on March 1, and demolition of that structure will start about March 15.

Three other buildings in the area also will be razed a child day-care center, the JFK building and a cooling tower. Precast panels from the day-care center, designed by noted Denver architect Victor Hornbein, will be salvaged.

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Demolition at 9th and Colorado project to begin about March 15