One huge success of Denver’s express-train housing market in recent years has been Toll Brothers’ large ranches at age-55-plus Anthem Ranch in Broomfield, which arrived in 2013 while the market was slow, sold amazingly well, then gained even more momentum as the market came back. Now, Toll Brothers is down to the final 40 sites for those in Anthem Ranch, many of them backing to view-swept Boulder County open space. Next Saturday, Oct. 7, Toll Brothers wants to give you a look, as part of a fall festival with craft beer, barbecue and live bluegrass.
But you may not want to wait until next week’s “Bluegrass and Brews” to come see these homesites, according Toll Brothers’ Melanie McKenna.
“Itap hard to believe, but we’re finally at the end,” says McKenna, who along with Leslie Reed and Dez Kolar can show you Toll Brothers’ model homes and those 40 homesites. Over that period, prices jumped as buyers watched Anthem Ranch’s lifestyle take shape, and as Anthem’s prime setting midway between Denver and Boulder took on added value. Right now, you’ll still find ranches from the $500s — but some recent buyers are pushing past a million dollars now for homes with special finishes and premium views.
Next Saturday’s festival runs noon to 3 p.m., featuring folk-country band Matt Rouch and the Noise Upstairs, nominated for three IMEA Awards, including Folk Artist of the Year; along with award-winning barbecue by Jim n’ Nick’s and their Mighty BBQ Rig; and local craft beers. But the real attraction, says Reed, are the 40 homesites themselves.
They are designed for Toll Brothers’ luxurious Boulder Collection ranches, priced from the $600s, the ones with the largest size and the nicest features. Along with the views available — from Mt. Evans north to the peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park on some — most sites offer an opportunity to match a luxury ranch to a day-lit walkout level basement.
“A walkout ranch has always been a Colorado favorite,” notes Reed. “It gives you the opportunity to add guest suites and entertaining area on a lower level that will always be attractive, naturally lighted space with patio doors to your backyard. And it creates the opportunity to do a large deck off the main level that becomes an outdoor living/dining area.”
McKenna, Kolar and Reed expect those sites to disappear rapidly this fall and winter, fueled in part by their impending scarcity. “We’ve been seeing many individual buyers who have regularly returned to visit us year after year, wanting to be part of Anthem Ranch, never knowing when to pull the switch,” McKenna adds. “Now they’re up against a real deadline.”
When you tour, you’ll get a picture of Anthem’s impressive amenities — 22 parks and 48 miles of trails with views of the Indian Peaks behind Boulder, along with Aspen Lodge, Anthem Ranch’s own 32,000-square-foot rec center. Behind the scenes are community events and some 50 clubs that have grown around Aspen Lodge and residentap own interests — from high-tech, to yoga, to Pilates, to encaustic arts, to hiking and cycling, to show cars.
Next Saturday during the festival (noon to 3 p.m.), or this weekend, you can see a few homes ready for quick delivery, and you’ll have a chance to meet real Anthem Ranch neighbors for their accounts of that lifestyle. Toll Brothers’ models are south of Highway 7 on Lowell Boulevard. Take I-25 north past 470 to Hwy. 7, turn west three miles to Lowell, then south. Or from Broomfield, head north on Lowell past 144th. From Boulder County, head east on Baseline Road past County Line Road (becomes Highway 7).
The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this postap preparation.