What's happening with the Eastbridge Town Center?
Sunday, January 20, 2013
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By guest contributor Juli Pearson
So what's happening with the Eastbridge Town Center?
Forest City had plans for a 30,000 sq ft. town center. They had tried to get a smaller grocer to be the main retailer in the center and then some small restaurants/ shops. Because they haven’t had a grocer commit (when approaching them some time ago), they are thinking of scaling back and only developing ½ as commercial and then adding another group of condos.
Forest City hasn’t been able to get a grocer to commit: evidently the grocers didn’t think our community could support it in volume (given our surrounding community). Living here, I disagree!
Have our communities grocery shopping needs been underestimated?
When King Soopers built they expected only $400,000 revenue a month and they regularly exceed $1,000,000 a month- that’s a powerful statistic!
Then there was a survey about a year ago that showed a large number of us drive across town to have an alternative grocer. Living here, many of us know that we need, and can support, another grocer option.
Can we as a community affect the Eastbridge Town Center?
Recently, in Louisville, CO there was a similar dilemma. They had an abandoned strip mall that the developer couldn’t lease because ‘no grocer had thought Louisville could support this market.’ (Louisville already had 3 natural grocers, 2 smaller organic markets, and larger chain grocers as well.) The community led effort included a letter writing campaign and working with the developer and city to help with a business incentive plan. Alfalfas Market and Café is now on schedule to revitalize this abandoned strip mall in addition to many other shops and restaurants. The space they will fill is right around 30,000sq feet (the same amount of space as our town center). Louisville has a population of 18,000 -- Stapleton is close to 15,000- and growing! Their city estimates that having this small grocer will generate $3 million in sales tax revenues for Louisville over a decade and employ 100 full-time and part-time employees.
What could a smaller natural grocer do for our tax revenue, not to mention our quality of life, authenticity and property values in Stapleton?
We have shown how as a neighborhood we can come together and make change.
What are our demographics?
- Stapleton has 4,600 households south of I-70 and 14,000 residents.
- Eastbridge has 500 homes. Bluff Lake will have 600 homes when completed. That’s 1,100 households - approximately 3,000 people within walking distance to Eastbridge Town Center!
- Bluff Lake Elementary School (600 students) breaks ground this fall.
- A bus line that serves MLK was added to RTD in Jan 2013- not to mention the light rail.
- 30,000 people work at and visit the Fitzsimmons Campus and this campus is growing tremendously (soon to be 45,000 employees), many of whom commute through Stapleton.
- Our average house price is $404,000
Why this is important to ALL of us - not just Eastbridge residents:
- Forest City has proposed scaling down the “town center” from 30,000sq ft of commercial to be: 15,000 sq ft of condos and 15,000 sq ft to include: another dry cleaner, another liquor store and “typical” mainstays. Do you really want more of those businesses?
- Do you want to voice your support for locally owned options (natural grocery store, sit-down restaurants, brewery, running store)?
- The money we spend in our community directly impacts our schools, parks and public resources.
What you can do:
- Join the Facebook group "Eastbridge Town Center at Bluff Lake Retail Development" and share your ideas and resources.
- Considering joining with us as we work toward finding investors, and working with Forest City to develop a business incentive plan to help support a smaller natural grocer here in Stapleton.
- Share this with your friends and help us spread the word.
- Once we solidify a market of interest (we have a few potentials) we’ll coordinate a petition to show our communities support.
Respectfully,
Juli Pearson
Resident of Stapleton who feels passionate about Stapleton being a being a place I love to call home.
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We are moving over to bluff lake- we're currently right by bill roberts. I would *LOVE* to have a Sprouts nearby-- local restaurants, and a brewery. I don't want a dry-cleaner, liquor store, or cash checking place..... How do I get my voice heard?? The link in the posting doesn't seem to work (for the facebook page).
The link you posted for the Eastbridge facebook group is not working... can you post a corrected link to this group?