Plans are pretty much in the bag for a five-story office building to replace the Natural Grocers near Platte and 15th streets.
Construction on the Platte Fifteen project is expected to start in August after Natural Grocers finds its new home in RiNo, said Kelly Greene, urban legend president at Legend Partners. The Denver-based leasing firm is looking to bring a clothing store or other "soft goods" retailer and a "cool" restaurant to the ground floor of the office.
Greene wasn't quite ready Wednesday to unveil any of the companies thinking about locating in Platte Fifteen. There is 14,200 square feet set aside on the ground level for retail, 123,000 square feet for offices on levels two through five and 5,800 square feet for a rooftop patio.
Legend Partners is working with the Texas-based real estate firm Crescent on the project. The building is scheduled to open before the end of next year.
Greene said there are about 700,000 square feet of offices going in on Platte Street from 15th to 17th streets. He expects the area to be a draw due to its proximity to Highland, Denver Union Station, Interstate 25 and Lower Downtown Denver.
"Jack Kerouac used to hang out on Platte Street, so it's got some character," he said. "And yet there's also brand new construction going on, so you have the best of both worlds."
Natural Grocers is expected to leave its corner at Platte and 15th streets just ahead of opening its new store at 3757 N. Brighton Blvd. in July. The new RiNo store will be near a food desert where a large number of low-income residents are at least a mile away from a supermarket. “A big surprise" is planned for the new location, according to the grocer.
What that means is anyone's guess.
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Business & data reporter Adrian D. Garcia can be reached via email at [email protected] or@adriandgarcia on Twitter.
