Heart of Denver Properties

Brighton Blvd

The Brighton neighborhood incorporates one to two blocks on either side of Brighton Boulevard from downtown to Interstate 70. A mixture of housing, retail services and office development is ideally suited for redeveloping this neighborhood. This also will entail converting this industrial street to a mixed-use area with both new residential construction as well as some retail and some industrial use. The proximity of the Platte River greenway to the Brighton sub-area will provide opportunities to enhance the greenway edges, locate development along it, and use it as a major bicycle and pedestrian connection to downtown.

An area that has been historically industrial, it also has the advantage of being a gateway to LoDo and downtown. Look for the beginning of loft construction, as well as price inflation in this area!

The article below describes well the changes happening in Denver’s inner city. Brighton Boulevard is an area in the midst of change…for the better. Zeppelin targets Brighton Boulevard area The Denver Business Journal - January 31, 2003

by Erin Johansen
Denver Business Journal

Pioneering developer Mickey Zeppelin is moving ahead with plans for a development that will include housing, office, studio and retail space and target artists and other creative types in what some consider a "fringe" neighborhood off Brighton Boulevard northeast of downtown Denver.

Zeppelin, who was among the first to develop in lower downtown and the Golden Triangle, prides himself on identifying areas before they become hot.

Zeppelin bought a building in LoDo and opened City Spirit Café — an artsy hangout — in 1984, years before Coors Field changed the neighborhood. The company's offices were there until they sold the building in 2001.

Cadillac Lofts, which Zeppelin built in 1994, was the first new residential building in that neighborhood in 50 years.

And as he plans his latest project on nine acres in a largely industrial area, Zeppelin hopes he still has the magic touch.

When a city or developers seek to reshape a neighborhood, artists are often the first group encouraged to move into the area. The city of Aurora is now employing this tactic along Colfax Avenue in "original Aurora," where it has established an art district and loan fund for art-related businesses. While artists are often the first in a revived fringe area, they also may be among the first pushed out when the neighborhood "catches on" and prices rise. Some would argue this was true of LoDo, where high-end lofts and upscale art galleries have become the norm. The first part of the "Taxi" project is the redevelopment of Yellow Cab's headquarters building at 3455 Ringsby Court. Zeppelin has turned that 29,000-square-foot building into offices and studio space for artists and other "creative people."

The tenant mix in the Taxi project includes an ad agency, a graphic-design firm, photographers and a software development company among others. Zeppelin's own development company also has offices in the building, which is a stone's throw from the Platte River.

The first lease was signed in July and now more than half the building is rented.

"The area has a grittiness that's creative," Zeppelin said.

The building itself was added onto at least three times by Yellow Cab.

Its neighbors include an RTD bus headquarters and Federal Express. The first Taxi building also includes the Taxi café, complete with booths and other memorabilia from Zeppelin's City Spirit Café, which was near 14th and Blake streets for many years.

Zeppelin hopes his tenants, artists and others will host events and gather at the café.

There is also a "main street" in the building — a wide, decorated hallway that resembles a streetscape — that's actually where cabs used to drive through.

Artist Susan Wick helped decorate the Taxi project, the City Spirit Café and other Zeppelin developments including his Greenhouse condos at Colorado Boulevard and Alameda Avenue.

In addition to the studio/office building, Zeppelin is working on plans to develop rental housing, live-work and retail space on the nine-acre site. While the details are still being hammered out, Zeppelin is planning to build 200 to 400 rental units that are more affordable than those in other new downtown projects.

"Right now we're working with some architects on housing which will probably be more what I call downtown workforce housing. It will be in an affordable range and certainly architecturally different than we've seen," Zeppelin said.

"Simultaneously, we're exploring some live/work opportunities which might be for-sale or rental."

Useful Stats

One-Year Appreciation Rate¹: %

Crime Rating²:

Please Note: The information on this page is believed to be accurate, however consult directly with your Heart of Denver Properties Realtor or other professional to ensure that you have access to current and accurate data.

1. Source: Zillow. Neighborhoods represented by more than one zip code reflect the average of all zip codes.

2. The crime index suggests the risk of certain types of crime occuring in this community as compared to the national average. The national average for each type of crime equals a score of 100, so a score of 200 would represent twice the risk as the national average, and a score of 50 would represent half the risk of the naitonal average. Neighborhoods represented by more than one zip code reflect the average of all zip codes.

Neighborhood Schools

Please Note: The information on this page is beleived to be accurate, however consult directly with your Heart of Denver Properties Realtor or other professional to ensure that you have access to current and accurate data.