Arapahoe Plaza retail center brings local businesses to Centennial

Benjamin Cruz, right, uses a trowel to load a brick with cement March 7 as construction crews continue work at Arapahoe Plaza in Centennial. The development, at the corner of Quebec Street and Arapahoe Road, will feature a Boyer's Coffee and MAD Greens. (Seth McConnell, YourHub)

The owner of a new shopping center in Centennial is hoping it has the potential to revitalize the area and spur more development.

The Arapahoe Plaza retail center, at the southeast corner of Quebec Street and Arapahoe Road, is under construction and slated to open in mid- to late April. The center will feature five stores, including a MAD Greens, Boyer's Coffee and Supercuts.

The property, which will entail about 8,400 square feet of retail, is owned by Peter Niederman and his family. Niederman is CEO of locally owned Kentwood Real Estate, and his family has owned the property since 1981. It had previously been an office space from 1981 to about 1998. A few years ago when he was doing estate planning, he decided rather than keep it office space he would turn it into retail. He has hired Drake Asset Management, and Waner Construction Company is building the center.

"It's not my primary role to play developer, but it's something that we knew we wanted to own and build, and it's gotten a lot of attention," Niederman said.

The redevelopment is part of the Arapahoe Urban Center subplan, initiated by Centennial City Council in 2009. It was a way to designate and prepare the area for development opportunities.

"Along Arapahoe Road we wanted to increase the opportunities for retail ... so we created this plan that if someone wants to come forward and introduce a redevelopment that would be consistent with the goals of the plan, that the city should support that plan," said Wayne Reed, Centennial deputy city manager.

Niederman said the project has received a lot of attention, in part, because about 62,000 cars pass through the intersection of Quebec Street and Arapahoe Road every day.

"It's an amenity for the neighborhood. When you look at the rooftops to the south, directly west and northwest, there's a lot of rooftops that touch this corner," he said.

He held a few neighborhood meetings last year and didn't hear one voice of dissent. People said they were excited for the new shops, especially a new coffee shop.

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Arapahoe Plaza retail center brings local businesses to Centennial