Getting your player ready...
When Brad Arnold headed up the re-introduction of the Four Seasons project in Lower Downtown in 2012, he could see what was coming: An iconic building in a great location had been yanked from the market during the 2009-10 recession, and was about to experience a remarkable comeback (he and his team roared through 85 percent of remaining units in 12 months). Fast-forward to 2014 and Arnold heads up East West Partners’ reintroduction of The Landmark, the eye-catching luxury residences that tower over 171,000-square-feet of dining and retail in the Denver Tech Center – and you can be part of that, tomorrow.
If anybody doubted that a reintroduced Four Seasons would sell well, it’s harder still to be a skeptic about Landmark. The project’s first tower was a runaway hit when it came on the market in 2007, units literally flying off the shelf. “When sales on the second tower halted after the downturn, numbers of buyers went ahead and closed anyway,” says Amy Cara, partner with East West, who joined Arnold for a briefing on tomorrow’s scheduled launch of sales. Meanwhile all of the other attractions at Landmark – the upscale-concept theaters, Comedy Club, Pizza Republica, Hapa Sushi, Yanni’s, Ted’s, Jing, Slattery’s – moved past the dip and seem to be thriving now, setting off a buzz about new restaurants that want to be here. Having restaurants within a short walk loomed large for buyers that scarfed up the first tower’s 130 units – many of them, Cara says, coming from large homes in surrounding Greenwood Village and Cherry Hills; wanting to get rid of the upkeep, but staying near everything else. Five years later and virtually nothing has changed for most buyers in that situation: few luxury low-maintenance projects to be had along the Southeast corridor, particularly with single-level living. Arnold says one objection that people tend to have to condo ownership – HOA fees – look minuscule to this buyer. “I’ve got this big house with a pool, yard, mechanical systems and a roof to take care of, and this is a deal by comparison,” one potential purchaser told him during a preview. “You can’t put a value on time, which ultimately is what you get by moving here,” Arnold added. In the meantime the market has become even more attractive to a second buyer – younger types who never wanted the big house, but who do want to be close to their jobs, or Light Rail, or dining-entertainment. “A lot of people here travel, and the lock-n-leave aspects are a huge factor for them,” Cara added, over lunch downstairs at Pizza Republica. Tomorrow and Sunday, Arnold and Karen Klein (she was also part of the Four Seasons success) will let you be among the first to tour four Classic model homes showcasing 14 Landmark residences being released for sale – two bedrooms, some two-plus-study, along with 3-bedroom and 3-plus-study. They start at $350,000 (there really are a few at that price point, notes Arnold); topping off at $1.7 million for a premium unit with spectacular views. You’ll also see design finish selections for a second release of ‘Signature Residences’ that East West inherited as white boxes, now being designed and built nearly from scratch. All homes are being updated with new paint and other detail finish items; while Landmark’s concierge services are being enhanced by East West Urban Management. East West, which became receiver for the project last November, took its time getting ready for the debut you’ll see tomorrow, carrying out extensive interviews with existing residents, business owners and others close to the community to find out what they liked about the services and what should be tweaked.Sun Noon-4
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