denver city council to decide fate of senior living project site

Members of the Denver City Council may make a decision next week regarding the status of a property that has been selected by the Hines Real Estate Group for construction of a five-story boutique senior living facility.

As earlier announced, the project will go on the less than an acre site of the Carmen Court Condominiums at 900 E. 1st Street, and will see the construction of a glass-walled U-shape building surrounding a tree-filled courtyard space.

Owners of the six condos at the site earlier agreed to sell the property to the Houston, Texas-based Hines, which specializes in development and real estate investment and is under contract to purchase the property, as well as several small adjacent parcels.

But the project has faced a roadblock due to the opposition of area residents and preservationists who contend that Carmen Court, which was built in 1925 and designed in the Pueblo Spanish Revival style, is a historic property that should be kept intact.

The Hines company subsequently hired the Portland, Oregon-based Heritage Consulting Group, which later called into question the historical significance of the condominiums.

Despite that opinion, opponents of the project presented their arguments to Denver’s Landmark Preservation Commission in the hope of having the property designated as a landmark.

If the condominiums are so declared, it would almost certainly prevent their demolition.

In a unanimous decision, the commission voted to forward the landmark application to the Denver City Council, which will now have the final say in the matter.
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Last summer Hines announced it was entering into a partnership with Sentio Investments of Orlando, Florida, in a move to increase its senior living real estate assets.

By Garry Boulard

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