Grand Park Development plans to break ground today on a $270 million town center in Fraser.
The Village at Grand Park will include 230 residential units, 208,000 square feet of commercial space and a 60,000-square-foot recreation center. The village will be on the west side of U.S. 40, just north of Winter Park.
“One of the very few things this particular major resort market is missing is a pedestrian-friendly shopping-type environment,” said Clark Lipscomb, who has teamed up with Tom McCloskey on the project. “Highway 40 has not been developed in a way that’s appealing to second-home owners, primary residents and resort-oriented people. It’s very vehicular-oriented, and I’m very lifestyle- and pedestrian-oriented.”
The project, across U.S. 40 from Koelbel and Co.’s Rendezvous residential development, will include 10 city blocks over about 30 acres surrounding a preserved meadow. The plan will include high-end lofts, condos, lodging, restaurants, retail and office space and entertainment venues. Lipscomb and McCloskey split from the Rendezvous project in 2004.
The design for the buildings focuses on traditional architecture reminiscent of Colorado mountain towns in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Construction is expected to take five years to complete.
The village is part of a larger project encompassing 1,330 acres, which will offer a variety of residences, including single-family homes, condominiums, townhomes, lofts and penthouses. Grand Park introduced its first neighborhood, Cozens Meadow, in early 2006.
Winter Park Mayor Nick Teverbaugh said the combination of IntraWest building a new base village and the Rendezvous and Grand Park projects has spurred more development activity in the area.
For example, the Winter Park Group is developing Winter Park Square on the site of the old Shed restaurant at U.S. 40 and Miller Road. The project will include residences, shops and a restaurant.
Over the last few years, the town of Winter Park has made a few improvements along U.S. 40, including adding parking and installing medians. It now has funding approved to do the engineering to bury utilities, Teverbaugh said.
The town also is making improvements to Hideaway Park to create a better venue for Winter Park’s blues and jazz festivals.
Margaret Jackson: 303-954-1473 or mjackson@denverpost.com
