Featured image: Rendering of Cherry Creek master plan. Credit: City of Denver.
Cherry Creek North is in the midst of a development explosion as a result of new area zoning unanimously approved by the Denver City Council in 2014 that raised building height limits from three stories to 12 stories, outlined a plan to make the area more walkable and bikeable and, overall, shape it into a world-class urban-living neighborhood for its roughly 6,000 residents and countless visitors.
Cherry Creek
The changes can’t be overstated. In the last four years, the area broke ground on high-rise living and hotels in the eight-story, 201-room The Jacquard luxury hotel, the 12-story, high-end condos of Laurel Cherry Creek (71 luxury condos), 155 Steele and the ultraluxury apartment condos of the St. Paul Collection (164 units, some featuring the highest rents in Denver metro, with ground-floor retail). (See a theme in those descriptions?). The area also now has the UC Health Center, giving area residents walkable access to medical care. These projects should all be completed this year.
And there are six cranes in the air as we speak!
The new direction has molded Cherry Creek North into one of the most vibrant, attractive live-work-play areas Denver has to offer. It’s one of the reasons why me and my family chose to live in the area and why I wanted to make it the heart of my business.
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- St. Paul Collection Interior. Credit: St. Paul Collection
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- Rendering of The Jacquard rooftop. Credit: The Jacquard
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- Laurel rendering. Credit: Laurel Cherry Creek
Some controversy
Cherry Creek’s new look hasn’t been without controversy — newer residents and visitors tend to embrace the new look and feel, while some longer-time homeowners dislike the increased density, buzz and traffic that the revamp brings. I touched on this in a recent blog post discussing Cherry Creek uber developer Matt Joblon, CEO of BMC Investments, behind many of the area’s new developments.
Cherry Creek North building height restrictions under the latest 2012 area master plan. Credit: City of Denver
What’s next
The good news is that most area construction will be wrapping this year! And developers and residents alike are discussing how to keep local boutiques as part of the retail mix. This requires planning because, as the area gets more high-end polish, retail rents rise, putting pressure on smaller, local businesses.
Want to learn more about living in or visiting Cherry Creek? Reach out, I’d love to chat — kharris@livsothebysrealty.com or 720.877.1538