The public is invited to a neighborhood meeting next week to hear from developers and planners about a proposed redevelopment project at the former Safeway location in Glenwood Springs.
The major site architectural development permit proposal is in the early stages, and the neighborhood meeting is required by the city of Glenwood Springs before developers can submit a formal application. The proposal includes demolition of the current building and redesign of the property to include six new mixed-use buildings.
“This is the public’s first but not only opportunity to give us their feedback,” said Mallory Redmon, a planner with Norris Design. “We’re here to get as much feedback as we can. The goal is to make it a community space, not just for people who live there, but a place for them to live and work and be.”
The Safeway grocery store closed in 2019, and since then, the building at 2001 Grand Ave. has sat vacant. According to a letter that was sent to property owners within 300 feet of the site, a requirement of the pre-application process, the proposed community would include approximately 187 for-rent apartments, 20% of which are required by the city to be deed-restricted for affordability. The rest of the units would be rented at market rate. Preliminary plans also include 15,000 square feet of commercial space across the six buildings, also for rent.
Parking would be provided on the first level of four of the buildings, with additional surface parking included across the site. Sidewalk and roadway improvements, and enhanced landscaping are part of the proposal. Redmon said that the development team also is involved in early conversations with local authorities about emergency and evacuation planning. Aspen-based RGE Group is the developer interested in remodeling the 5.07-acre property.
Redmon said the design team also hopes to include some convenient connections to the Rio Grande walking trails from the project site. Currently, there are no formal walking trails leading from the property to the Rio Grande Trail.
“We’re hoping to develop a pedestrian connection and circulation plan we can show,” Redmon said. “A big point of this project is getting the community engaged. We want to make sure those are activated spaces that anyone from the public could visit, and here’s an easy trail connection.”
Four members of the development team will be present at the neighborhood meeting to interact with community members and share information. The event will have an open-house format, and team members will present a concept plan, renderings, models and a site plan. Redmon said she hopes people who attend the meeting will share ideas of what types of businesses they would like to see in the commercial spaces.
“If they love Chipotle and they want to see a Chipotle there, tell us that,” she said. “Please come to this meeting and tell us what you want to see. Some people will not want to see anything, and that’s valuable feedback as well.”
After the neighborhood meeting, the design team will use feedback collected from the public to revise its application before submitting it to the city. The city could take up to eight weeks after that to review the proposal, and the subsequent public process could take six to nine months. Redmon said there is no construction timeline yet.
In addition to Norris Design, the planner and landscape architect on the project, the development team also includes Sopris Engineering for civil and traffic engineering, and Lipkin Warner is the architect.
The meeting will be held on April 27 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Sopris Rooms at the Glenwood Springs Community Center. The community center is located at 100 Wulfsohn Road in Glenwood.