CityCenter Redevelopment

A New Vision for CityCenter: Reimagining the Heart of Englewood

More than 25 years ago, Englewood made history by launching CityCenter, Colorado’s first Transit Oriented Development. The transformation of the former Cinderella City Mall into a thriving mixed-use district brought new life and innovation to our community.

Today, CityCenter is ready for its next chapter. While it once served as a model for urban redevelopment, much of the area now sits underused, with aging infrastructure and vacant storefronts. The City of Englewood and our partners are reimagining CityCenter to meet the needs of today’s residents and economy.

Why CityCenter Must Evolve

When CityCenter opened, retail was the focus. But times have changed. Online shopping, delivery services, and lifestyle shifts have reshaped how people live, work, and shop. Successful destinations now offer experiences, places where people can dine, attend events, exercise, and connect. For CityCenter to thrive, it must become a place people want to gather, not just shop.

What’s Next

At the City Council Regular Meeting on Monday, October 6, city council passed CB 52 on second reading. This a key step forward in the redevelopment process, transferring land ownership to the city and developers to allow planning to move ahead. Englewood now owns the former 24-Hour Fitness building and plaza retail space and holds an option to purchase the Tokyo Joe’s property.

The Civic Center building (city offices and Englewood Public Library) is NOT INCLUDED in this redevelopment project.

While no formal redevelopment proposal is yet under review, City Council has expressed support for a CityCenter that could include:

• New housing to support local businesses and increase vibrancy
• Restaurants, shops, and community-focused retail
• Civic facilities, potentially including relocated city offices
• Office space for new employers
• A potential hotel and gathering spaces for visitors
• Public plazas and event areas that bring people together

CityCenter’s future will reflect Englewood’s character: walkable, connected, and community-driven, not another regional shopping district.

A Connected Core for the Future

CityCenter will be part of a larger “CityCore” vision linking Downtown Englewood and the Wellness District into one vibrant, walkable destination. This effort focuses on people, creating spaces where residents can connect, experience culture, and feel part of something uniquely Englewood.

Join the Conversation

Redevelopment will take time, and community input will be central at every step. Watch for upcoming meetings, surveys, and opportunities to share your ideas. Together, we will shape the next generation of CityCenter, one that honors our past and looks boldly to the future. Sign Up for Email Notifications Here

Meeting Materials

The Englewood City Council, Englewood Downtown Development Authority Board Members, and LNR Partners Representatives held a joint planning session on February 11, 2023.

Staff Memo

PowerPoint Presentation

The City of Englewood has announced that SKB and Tryba Architects have withdrawn from the CityCenter redevelopment project, and the city is working with its development partner, the Englewood Downtown Development Authority, to pursue new opportunities with other developers. It is not uncommon for a city to negotiate with more than one developer on a complex public/private partnership project before identifying the best fit for both parties.

“Downtown Englewood is experiencing a renaissance with hundreds of new residential units under construction and new businesses popping up throughout the district,” said City Manager Shawn Lewis. “We will use this opportunity to better define the community’s vision for CityCenter in order to create jobs, attract new residents, and enhance cultural attractions that everyone can enjoy.”

Initial plans for the $600 million joint venture located immediately adjacent to Englewood’s light rail station included 1,070 residential units, retail and office space, a new city hall, a hotel and public gathering spaces.

In withdrawing from the joint venture, SKB/Tryba cited uncertainty about escalating construction costs, rising interest rates and bonding costs, and concern regarding the cost of investment capital and construction debt.

The city and SKB/Tryba had been in discussion about the redevelopment project for the last few years, including throughout the COVID pandemic. During those years, the community formed the Englewood Downtown Development Authority, authorized up to $70 million in tax increment financing for this and other downtown projects, rezoned the area for higher density and worked with SKB/Tryba to lay out initial development plans at one of the largest redevelopment sites along the Regional Transportation District’s D Line.

Englewood City Council has requested a joint session in January with the Englewood Downtown Development Authority to plan next steps and better define the community’s shared vision for the area.

Community Development Director Brad Power said that although SKB/Tryba Architects’ decision to withdraw from the project was disappointing, it will “create a timely reset opportunity” that will allow the Englewood residents, city council, the EDDA Board and other stakeholders to provide additional input into the future of the area.

Press Release

The success of Englewood CityCenter's redevelopment will depend on the revitalized area's ability to reflect the goals, objectives and character of the Englewood community. There is still a lot of work ahead to complete the planning and to secure all of the agreements that will enable the area to be redeveloped. Additional community participation in the effort will be planned in the near future. In the meantime, we would like to hear your ideas and comments. Please use the links below to share a comment, concern or idea and to stay informed about the project.

Provide us your comments HERE.

Register for project updates HERE.

The Englewood Downtown Development Authority (EDDA) was created by voters within the EDDA district through an election on November 3, 2020. The EDDA is a quasi-governmental entity with the mission of serving as the champion of downtown Englewood through its coordination and investment in marketing, promotion, programming and other key functions. On November 2, 2021, the district's voters approved a $70 million debt authorization, which enabled the EDDA to invest in the area over the course of its 30-year lifespan. A significant portion of this public financing capacity is expected to be combined with other public investments to facilitate the redevelopment of the CityCenter core area.

The EDDA boundary and sub-areas shown below show CityCenter's relationship to the South Broadway and the Wellness District sub-areas. The redevelopment of CityCenter will enhance the opportunity to connect and integrate these three downtown sub-areas as a vibrant and financially sustainable downtown Englewood.

As the redevelopment of CityCenter continues to be planned and implemented, the EDDA will play an important role in integrating this transit-oriented development into the revitalized fabric of downtown. More information on the EDDA can be found HERE.

Redevelopment of the CityCenter core area as an updated transit village will achieve the following objectives:

• Reverse the continuing decline of CityCenter and create a more active, sustainable, and financially secure mixed-use, walkable CityCenter core that is complementary to and helps revitalize the entire downtown area.
• Add a hotel, additional residential, new restaurants and retail, civic and office uses to an under-developed and underutilized area to recapture its appeal and sense of place which reflects Englewood's uniqueness as a community.
• In partnership with the Englewood Downtown Development Authority (EDDA) leverage a re-energized CityCenter to retain and attract new employers, retailers and residents to downtown Englewood.
• Stabilize and increase the city's and EDDA's property tax and sales tax revenues, use and lodger's taxes and other revenue generated within CityCenter and from the adjacent areas. A fiscal impact study will be posted soon.
• Leverage the investment interest in metro Denver TOD locations from investors, developers, and employers.

Englewood CityCenter opened in 2000, replacing the former Cinderella City shopping center, which opened in 1965. Cinderella City was once the premier shopping mall in the south Denver region and one of the largest malls in the country. As newer regional malls opened in growing suburban areas in the 1980's and 1990's, the City of Englewood proactively planned for a new transit-oriented and mixed-use development and Englewood CityCenter was created, A mall department store building (built in the 1980's) was re-purposed as the Civic Center Building and apartment, retail, and office uses were developed around it. Discover more about the History of the Cinderella City Mall.

In order to avoid the consequences of a continuing decline and to prepare for the next evolution of Englewood CityCenter, the city's comprehensive plan (adopted in 2017) and the Englewood Downtown Plan (adopted in 2021) support substantial redevelopment in and around Englewood CityCenter. The foreclosure in 2018 provided the opportunity and motivation for the city to plan for CityCenter's next generation.

Englewood CityCenter is a 55-acre, mixed use district within the City of Englewood, Colorado. It is located between Santa Fe Drive (US 85) on the west, Elati Street on the east, Hampden Avenue (US 285) on the south, and Floyd Avenue on the north.

It is west of the evolving South Broadway area and proximate to the growing Wellness District further to the east, home to Swedish Medical Center and Craig Hospital. The three areas comprise Englewood's downtown.

Englewood CityCenter currently includes two apartment buildings, retailers, small offices and the Englewood Civic Center building, which includes the city's administrative offices, courts and library. Englewood's direct connection to the extensive regional transit system provided by the Regional Transportation District (RTD) is located on the western edge of the district at the Englewood Station multi-modal hub where light rail, bus lines, and the Englewood Trolley converge. The trolley is a scheduled transportation service that traverses the downtown area.

Englewood CityCenter was developed 22 years ago to replace the Cinderella City regional mall and it was the first transit-oriented development (TOD) project in the Front Range region. Following awards and national notoriety in the real estate industry, CityCenter eventually struggled to function as the vibrant commercial center of the community due to additional regional TOD developments and the evolution of retail trends away from so-called "big-box" retail centers. In August of 2018, the property was foreclosed on (depicted in red on the site plan below). LNR Partners (LNR), a company known as a special servicer, now represents the foreclosing bondholders.

Following the foreclosure, the City of Englewood issued a Request for Proposals in 2019 for a Master Developer to form a public/private partnership with the city to redevelop key portions of Englewood CityCenter still directly owned or controlled by the city, depicted in blue below on the site plan.