The Town of Castle Rock is in the midst of a $60 million Riverwalk development project right in the heart of downtown.
A year from now, all that pesky construction will be worth it when Castle Rock welcomes its newest development -- the mixed-use Riverwalk space consisting of 228 residential apartment units, 14,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, and 34,000 square feet of commercial office space. The project broke ground in June and is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2018.What we’re trying to do is create a vibrancy seven days a week,” said Tony De Simone, principal at Confluence Cos., who's heading up the project. “We want to create some place that is walkable; where people can live, work, and dine all in the same place.”The Riverwalk development will stretch over two blocks of downtown Castle Rock, "bookending both sides of Sellars Gulch along Wilcox Street," according to Confluence's website, and bordering the recently redeveloped $7 million Festival Park. It will replace the Towne Plaza shopping center, which was previously vacant.
The $60 million project will include 323 parking spaces on two different levels and will also provide luxury amenities similar to what's seen in downtown Denver developments.
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“From my perspective, this is exactly the type of project we had hoped to see here in Castle Rock,” Mayor Paul Donahue said last year, shortly after the plans were approved by the Castle Rock Economic Development Council. “One thing we are really looking forward to is having more people actually live in the downtown area. We think living in downtown will allow people to walk to the stores and restaurants and will stimulate the economy for the downtown merchants.”
So if you're a little put out by the construction right now, just hang on tight. All good things take effort and time. Eventually Riverwalk will be a revitalizing, lively spot that redefines the heart of the town. Even the developer's excited, with a personal interest vested in the project.
"I'm very passionate about what we're doing in Castle Rock," De Simone said. "I'm a Castle Rock resident."
What do you think? Are you excited about Castle Rock's growth? What kinds of retailers and restaurants do you hope Riverwalk attracts? Tell us in the comments!