When buyers arrive to see the new models by four builders at Reunion, the 2,500-acre master-planned community west of DIA, they’ve often been through the hassle of bidding on resale houses, and of losing out. “Itap like last year; bidding wars are all I hear about from buyers,” says Jeff Friant with Reunion’s developer Oakwood Homes.
A half-mile west of Oakwood’s models, past 52-acre Reunion Park and its 21,000-square-foot rec center and resort-styled pool, buyers arrive at Richmond American Homes with the same story: “Omigosh, they tell me, ‘I’m over it; I’ve put in so many offers,” one rep told me.
With prices for new homes that start not in the $400s or $500s, but from the $280s, a trip to Reunion can be a whole new way of looking at the market — no bidding required. Meanwhile, you’ll get a new look at the Northeast metro area, as you pass Commuter Rail trains headed from downtown’s Union Station to DIA; and the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center – the largest hotel project in the nation now.
The $800-million Gaylord Rockies is expected to lure some 450,000 visitors a year when it opens; to feature eight restaurants and bars, plus brewpubs, seven pools including a year-round lazy river, and exhibits themed around Colorado attractions. Itap also anticipated to create 1,500 to 2,500 permanent jobs in the area – part of the reason why Oakwood Homes has taken over as master developer of Reunion.
“The number of jobs being created here allows you to live and work in the same area,” says Oakwood Homes CEO Pat Hamill, adding that Reunion’s proximity to University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is another major draw. Commerce City, Reunion’s hometown, was named by Movoto as the best among Denver’s ten most affordable suburbs; and Oakwood’s planning for Reunion is adding even more to that allure.
You can already see where Oakwood is preparing to open Reunion Coffee House, providing light food and evening beer and wine service overlooking the lake, a short walk from some of Reunion’s newest neighborhoods. You’ll see Reunion Elementary, getting rave reviews from parents, and an award-winning charter school; the huge park where major events include an ‘Ultimate Family Reunion’ set for this summer; and a new King Soopers Marketplace to the west.
And if you’re tired of bidding wars, you’ll find some homes ready soon – including a 3-bedroom design by KB Home, with 2,219 feet, ready now at $416,000; and a 2-bedroom ‘Taylin’ Carriage House by Oakwood Homes, set for April move-in at $309,000. Shea Homes has home sites close to the amenities where you can have a personalized version of its Spaces designs created from the $330s; as does Richmond American from the mid-$400s. To reach Reunion from Peña Boulevard on the way to DIA, exit at Tower Road and head north on Tower to 104th, then west a half mile to Reunion Parkway and turn north. Or from Thornton or Westminster, take E. 104th east to Reunion Parkway and turn north.
The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this postap preparation.