The Parade of Homes draws the consummate looky-loos, from ambitious do-it-yourselfers prowling for hot products and decorating ideas to wanna-be designers eager to nitpick every detail of these multimillion-dollar houses.
This year the crowd is being lured to Reunion, a 2,500-acre master-planned community with a Commerce City ZIP code.That location – in a city long considered a working- class, agricultural and industrial stronghold – may cause some initial head-scratching.
Yet it is clear that Commerce City is ready to bulldoze any remnants of a gritty reputation.
The city is one of several high-profile sponsors of the Parade of Homes this year. (That list also includes the Denver Newspaper Agency.)
Shea Homes, the developer behind Reunion, plans to build 12,000 houses alongside retail and restaurant outlets, parks, trails and open space.
Reunion is one of several new mixed-use developments popping up in Commerce City. All of them are banking on city- touted amenities like Buffalo Run Golf Course, the Rocky Mountain National Wildlife Preserve, the planned, $170 million dollar Prairie Gateway municipal, commercial and cultural center going in near the intersection of I-70 and Quebec Street, and easy access to DIA.
“The future may bring many more world-class entertainment facilities to Commerce City,” Mayor Sean Ford writes in a Parade of Homes welcome letter.
But just how important is the Parade of Homes?
“It showcases what’s new and exciting in (the home) industry,” says Vicki Pelletier, vice president of operations for the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver.
“These homes have the most innovative products on the market,” she says. “The Parade educates consumers on what to look for (and) it gives them a sense of style.”
Pelletier says selecting the Parade of Homes location is serious business, so much so that locations already have been selected for the next two showcases.
“What we have in our industry right now is a call for new and exciting areas to live in,” she says. “Right now, Commerce City is an up-and-coming, evolving community.”
– Elana Ashanti Jefferson
2006 Parade of Homes
Where: Reunion at East 104th Avenue, just west of Tower Road in Commerce City
When: Saturday through Labor Day. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Tickets: $8-$12. On site or discounted at King Soopers.
Web: ParadeOfHomesDenver.com.
