Imagine the hip urban culture of downtown Denver right in the heart of the suburbs. The new RidgeGate development, just a few exits north on I-25 is creating just that. The RidgeGate development lies south of the Lincoln Exit and North of the Surrey Ridge community. When complete, the development will extend out east and west of the interstate.
The entire development is expected to take 40-50 years to complete and is an extension of the City of Lone Tree. The first stages of the development are currently visible. Sky Ridge Hospital opened its doors in August 2003 on a 57 acre campus nestled along the bluffs. Further west of the hospital is the Lone Tree’s Recreation Center that many CPN residents utilize as a non-resident. Super Target also recently opened, along with the first housing developments in the new upscale neighborhood.
Travelers on I-25 may have also noticed the tracks for the future light rail being laid. The RidgeGate development is being planned as the final stop on the light rail line and will include a 2,000-space parking facility. Click here for more details on the mass transit system in the south metro area.
The entire RidgeGate plan is based on the New Urbanism movement. New Urbanism is considered the most important planning movement to sweep not only large cities in the United States, but across the world. The intent is to create a place of high-density living that provides walkability, connectivity and diversity in a traditional neighborhood structure. Attention to architectural design and beauty as well as environmentally friendly technologies play an important role in this movement.
The developers of RidgeGate, Coventry Development Corporation, and their planners kept in mind the neighborhoods of Boulder, Cherry Creek North and some of Denver’s historic neighborhoods in the downtown area while developing their idea of a new urban neighborhood.
RidgeGate will fill 3,500 acres of land surrounding the Lincoln exit off of I-25. When complete there will be 23 million square feet of retail sites and office space intermixed with 12,000 homes. Housing will include apartments, town homes, condominiums, patio homes, mansion homes, and single-family homes.
Nearly 1,000 acres of land, 30 percent of the entire development, will be developed into integrated parks, trails, preserved and enhanced habitat and open space. Eventually, trails will link with the East West Regional Trail and connect to the Chatfield Reservoir and the Cherry Creek trail system and reservoir.
In comparison to RidgeGate, CPN covers 2,200 acres with less than 3,000 homes. CPN also has 800 acres (over 35 percent of the entire community) dedicated to open space. With nearly 600 of these acres containing hiking and biking trails as well as public parks.
The development is divided into two portions. RidgeGate’s West Village, the portion directly west of I-25 has already broken ground. The first residential neighborhoods are currently under construction, including brownstone-style homes and single-family detached homes. Over the next several years, 2,500 homes are expected to be built. The entire West Village portion of RidgeGate is planned to take 10-15 years for completion.
West Village will also include commercial development. Southeast of the Lincoln and Yosemite intersection, Super Target, the anchor store for the Lincoln Commons opened in October 2005. When complete the Lincoln Commons will be a mixed-use shopping district. Shoppers can expect a wide-range of businesses to inhabit the shopping center.
The Lincoln Commons is the first implementation for the ideal behind the development. When complete, RidgeGate residents will walk or take public transportation to one central location grab a coffee, drop off dry cleaning, pick up a few essentials at Super Target and stop for lunch.
“Our goal is to create a hip, lively retail district with a unique collection of boutique shops, restaurants, and other convenient services,” says Keith Simon, vice president and development director for RidgeGate.
Today, RidgeGate east of I-25 is pasture land for grazing cattle on
Schweiger Ranch. The original Master Plan shows this portion of RidgeGate incorporating an extensive public transit system with three future light rail stops expected to completed in 2016. Included in these early proposals is a plan for a high density Town Center. Developers haven’t announced any detailed plans or time frame for this section of RidgeGate.
A community park is planned to run through the center of the development providing access to all residents. The park will be built in phases. Within the coming year, a trail from Lincoln Avenue to the top of the bluffs is in the works, as well as a trail connection to the Bluffs Regional Park. There will also be a 10 acre community park including ball fields to the west of the Lone Tree Recreation Center embed this link in the words lone tree recreation center.
The RidgeGate development is within the boundaries of the City of Lone Tree and all approvals for development will be decided through the City of Lone Tree.
Questions regarding the planning process can be directed to the City of Lone Tree website at www.information@thecityoflonetree.com. To find out more about the RidgeGate Development visit their website at www.ridgegatecolorado.com.
