Eric Weins wants to be first.<\/p>\n
The local developer has begun site work at his 0.45-acre property at 1298 S. Santa Fe Drive in Denver ahead of demolition of the existing structures. A year and a half after that, he said, 75 apartments will be standing in their place.<\/p>\n
The residences will be the first in an otherwise industrial part of Denver\u2019s Overland neighborhood, where warehouses and showrooms are common but houses and retail are not.<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to see the blue ocean, I don\u2019t want to be in the water with a lot of other big fish. I just want to be the first, and when everyone comes, I will leave,\u201d Weins said.<\/p>\n
Weins, who founded Weins Development Group, says he sees lots of future development coming to that area of town.<\/p>\n
For starters, a women\u2019s soccer stadium is planned just two blocks to the north, with mixed-use development around it. A block to the west lies the South Platte River. And while you have to cross a busy stretch of Santa Fe to get there from Weins\u2019 land, he thinks the city and state will take notice and make that area more walkable and pedestrian-friendly.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething is going to happen, in my opinion, with Santa Fe, from what I hear,\u201d Weins said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe river is number one,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The plans for his four-story apartment building at a corner of Santa Fe Drive and Louisiana Avenue, are nine years in the making. He bought the site, then home to a burrito joint, in 2016 for $885,000. Weins opened a showroom selling finishes and fixtures in an adjacent unit.<\/p>\n
The burrito joint closed two years ago, and Weins moved his showroom online. That prompted him to rethink what could go there.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like the corner, I like Santa Fe, I like that part of town. And this idea started coming up to my mind about two or three years ago,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Weins first considered condos for the site but ultimately decided \u201cthe market is not there.\u201d Instead, he\u2019s doing the opposite. Between 20% and 30% of his planned units will be leased on a month-to-month basis in a bid to attract younger renters with tighter budgets, Weins said.<\/p>\n
The planned units will be complemented by loft-style apartments on the building\u2019s top floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople look like they really like it, this kind of unit,\u201d Weins said.<\/p>\n
Design Edge, a local firm, is the architect on the project. The units will average between 525 and 600 square feet.<\/p>\n