Property Update - Phase I

Re:Vision is incredibly excited to say that Phase I of the property development is just weeks away from breaking ground. Evan though the name Phase I implies not much has happened on the property yet, check out our last blog post about everything they've already accomplished. 

As many of you know the small building on the property has already been transformed by Westwood Unidos, Westwood Healthy Places, and Re:Vision, into La Casita - a community-driven education & fitness center. The space is a magnet for community members - offering classes of all sorts 6 days a week. For more information and a class schedule, click here. 

So, what Re:Vision is calling Phase I refers to a half million dollar investment from Denver's Office of Economic Development in the improvement of the outdoor space on the property, an urban farm & greenhouse, and sorely needed pedestrian and right-of-way improvements. At the heart of property will be a plaza - designed to be a gathering space for community members, pop-up events, or dance, music or art demonstrations. Surrounding the plaza will be demonstration gardens showcasing Colorado-appropriate plants, gardening techniques, as well as some more traditional herbs, trees and shrubs.

As you turn South you'll walk across a new parking lot which will be closed regularly for farmers markets, pop-up events, and community gatherings. On the other side, you'll walk along a sidewalk alongside the urban farm beds planted with several crops destined for community consumption until you get to a large (existing) concrete slab - even more space for community gatherings, but also home to a public restroom and farm stand, in addition to a 3,000 square foot greenhouse. 

Finally, you'll be able to stroll along the sidewalk on W. Custer Place and S. Meade Street without fear of the current 8' tall chain link fence falling down on you! The sidewalk will be wider, with a retaining wall and lower fence transforming this right-of-way from an eye sore and barrier to walking into a beautiful, inviting property frontage. 

Stay tuned for more updates!

Property Development Update - Intro

We're starting a series of short blogs about the development of our property in the heart of Westwood on Morrison Rd. As you may already know, Re:Vision is the owner and 'developer' of the property, which will be transformed, through various phases of construction and improvements, into a vibrant, multi-functional, community hub. 

This is the property when we bought it - partially collapsed warehouse, overgrown with weed trees, dilapidated mobile home and semi trailers, and countless piles of trash and debris.

Since purchasing and taking control of the 1.7 acre junkyard property in early 2015, Re:Vision has been hard at work cleaning it up - abating asbestos, demolishing unsafe buildings, and hauling away trash and recycling. The property has come a long way and now has an active community education and fitness center, the beginnings of a 1-acre urban farm, and buildings we can 'use' for special events, gatherings, and meetings.

This is more or less where we're at today! A clean blank slate - and you can see the beginnings of an urban farm too. 

The process of coming to a final Master Site Plan is still evolving - we know the overall components like Re:Vision's offices, a community courtyard and plaza, urban farm and greenhouse, a full-service grocery store run by the Westwood Food Cooperative, etc. However what has been evolving as more information comes to light is the best configuration and scale of these components on the property. 

We've finally come to rest on a Phased approach to the build-out of the property. While many details are still in the works and final timelines, budgets, and partners are not finalized, we are more confident than ever this is the best path forward.

These phases will be shared over the next few weeks - so check back frequently!