WESTMINSTER — The city of Westminster could have an official blueprint by the end of October for redeveloping the old Westminster Mall into a “downtown” city center, the city manager said.
Westminster planners, engineers and economic development officials began the master planning process July 23, the first of three days of intensive meetings with Torti Gallas and Partners, the internationally recognized urban-planning firm hired to help the city create a blueprint for the 105-acre site at U.S. 36 and Sheridan Boulevard.
City manager Brent McFall said the goal of the meetings, a three-day design charrette, was to start brainstorming exactly how the downtown district could look and what land uses belong where.
Once complete, the master plan will include street layout, block sizes and public spaces like plazas, as well as permitted land uses and initial design standards.
“This is really the first stage of the whole process,” McFall said. “You need to get this done first so you know what you’re working with.”
The city of Westminster announced in June that it would not hire a private master developer for the Westminster Mall project, electing instead to take on the planning process itself with the help of Torti Gallas.
McFall said the decision will ultimately allow the city to maintain more control over the project and better achieve its vision for the area, while also working with multiple different developers.
Proposed uses for the mixed-use, high-density project include retail, entertainment, office and residential.
Preliminary concepts devised during the design charrette will be presented to the Westminster City Council in late August, McFall said. Public meetings will begin in September.
“Our plan is to have a master plan, a master official development plan by the end of October,” he said. “Then we hope to start working with some individual developers with specific sites on the project.
“We’ll be working with them as aggressively as we can to get initial phases coming out of the ground.”
The Westminster Economic Development Authority purchased the mall site for roughly $30 million in 2011, with the goal of transforming it into a urban center. Approximately $800,000 has been spent to demolish the mall buildings.
Emilie Rusch: 303-954-2457, erusch@denverpost.com or
