Redevelopment at the increasingly rundown Regatta Plaza in southwest Aurora has been pushed back again.
One of the real estate and development companies chosen to submit a site design to the city, McWhinney, dropped out of the proposal process last month.
The firm’s withdrawal effectively stalled the city’s developer selection in order to give the next company in line a chance to create a site plan.
Officials with Denver-based McWhinney said the decision to withdraw was made because the company is swamped with other projects right now.
Aurora narrowed its prospective developer pool down to three of the strongest applicants after an . The other two developers, whose proposals are due mid-January, are Catalyst Urban Development from Dallas and Mile High Development in Denver.
The original plan was to have a preferred developer on deck by the end of December or January. That has been moved to April to give the Aurora Urban Renewal Authority a chance to look over and score all of the proposals by the time the newest developer to the group, Nine Mile Village TOD Partners, submits its plan.
“To maintain a fair and competitive (Request for Proposals) process, the new team will be afforded the same time opportunity as the other two candidates to prepare a submittal; therefore, this applicant’s submittal deadline will be extended to Feb. 19,” Aurora spokesperson Julie Patterson said. “All proposals will be reviewed following this final submittal.”
Regatta Plaza is next to Interstate 225 at Parker Road, directly across the street from the existing Nine Mile light-rail station. Last April, for Nine Mile Station and Regatta Plaza, which is the basis for the working design that each applicant must submit.
According to that plan, the city is looking to create an “urban village,” of residential development and a pedestrian-friendly environment where residents live, shop and be entertained in their own neighborhood.
There are about 4,000 Aurora people who live within a half-mile of Regatta Plaza.
Megan Mitchell: 303-954-2650, mmitchell@denverpost.com or twitter.com/Mmitchelldp
