DIA officials aren’t simply focusing on retail inside the airport. Earlier this year, they approved the development of 17 acres north of Peña Boulevard and southeast of the airport’s large Conoco station.
Called The Landings at DIA, the project is intended to serve as a model for additional development on airport property.
“DIA is a trendsetter in outside-the-airport retail,” said Jeff Willis, chairman of the DIA Partnership. “More and more airports are realizing the opportunities.”
Airport officials say the project has a built-in customer base, with the 30,000 workers employed at DIA and some 85,000 cars driving past each day. The site will incorporate the airport’s 45-minute waiting area.
Current project plans call for a 150- to 200-room select-service hotel, 60,000 square feet of in-line retail and five to eight retail pad sites, said Marcus Phillips, a principal with Redwood Real Estate Partners LLC, which is part of the development team.
The company is in talks with a variety of potential tenants, including a high-end wine cafe, quick-service restaurants, ice-cream shops, day care and packing and shipping stores.
The company hopes to start doing ground leases next year and would begin construction after that. The first tenants could move in as soon as fall 2007, Phillips said.
The project is not expected to compete with some DIA concessionaires. In fact, some have approached the developer to inquire about expanding their operations to The Landings project, Phillips said.
Staff writer Kristi Arellano can be reached at 303-954-1902 or karellano@denverpost.com.
