The RidgeGate community in Lone Tree continues to see significant forward momentum despite the many challenges faced this year due to the pandemic and economic conditions. Thanks to a growing appreciation for many of its core community foundations established as part of the master plan more than 20 years ago, RidgeGate is flourishing on both the east and west sides of the community—with new infrastructure, public transportation, extensive parks and open space, retail, commercial and residential offerings underway to create a complete community where people can live, work and play.
“RidgeGate was designed with the goal of helping people thrive, and its numerous amenities, connection to work and nature, and diverse residential offerings combine to make life more expansive, abundant, and enjoyable,” said Keith Simon, executive vice president and director of development for Coventry Development Corporation, the master developer for RidgeGate. “Simple solutions like a reduced dependence on the car and the 5-gig fiber optic internet network make life a bit simpler during an otherwise challenging time.”
On the west side of RidgeGate numerous large-scale projects are continuing to take shape. RidgeGate is a prime example of a mixed-used community that has been successfully attracting large corporate campuses looking to be embedded in a desirable walkable and diverse community in order to enhance their employee retention and recruitment. Charles Schwab’s mixed -use retail, conference center and parking building is now complete and Kiewit’s New Regional Campus will open mid-2021. Additionally, the 240-unit Sky Ridge Station Apartments are expected to begin construction before the end of 2020.
“Our new regional headquarters in RidgeGate offers an ideal environment for our employees to live and work,” said Alan Lincoln, director of real estate for Kiewit. “With access to housing, restaurants, light rail transportation and green space, it has all of the amenities that contribute to a good, healthy quality of life.”
On the east side of the community three residential projects are under contract and proceeding through design and entitlements leading to construction starts in early 2021 and over 2500 new homes upon completion. RidgeGate continued the construction of over $40 million in public infrastructure work during the pandemic, keeping workers employed and staying on track with pre-development infrastructure. RidgeGate is also in the process of selecting a provider to build out a state-of-the-art fiberoptic and 5G wireless network on the east side to support residents and businesses who, now more than ever, need best-in-class Internet connectivity.
Additional updates include:
- Shea Homes recently submitted their Preliminary Plan to Lone Tree, which lays out their 1,900-home village near the RTD RidgeGate Station and will welcome new residents beginning in 2022. These homes are expected to include many new design features that are becoming more important to residents given the changes caused by the pandemic including more enhanced working from home spaces and indoor air-quality features.
- Regency Residential recently submitted their Site Improvement Plan to Lone Tree, which describes the design of their 540-unit market rate apartment and mixed-use project located right at the RTD RidgeGate Station and, subject to approval, will welcome new residents in 2022 or 2023.
- Koelbel & Company recently received a highly competitive CHFA financing award for RidgeGate’s first Affordable Housing project (67 units) to be located right at the RTD RidgeGate Station and, subject to city approval, which will welcome residents in 2022 or 2023.
- Schweiger Ranch is continuing with 2020 programming to allow area residents to enjoy outdoor activities on the ranch and continue with its educational/cultural mission. In addition, Tall Tales Ranch, which will be located on Schweiger Ranch Property, just received its City of Lone Tree approval and will soon begin fundraising for their residential community supporting young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
- Later this year, the last four mile stretch of the East/West (E/W) Regional Trail will be completed and will become the longest trail in the Metro area spanning 26 miles from the Highline Canal in Highlands Ranch to the Cherry Creek Regional Trail system in Parker.
“RidgeGate is a community designed and built for vitality and resiliency. Everyone who works, plays, and lives here has easy access to nature which inspires healthy living,” said Simon. “From the beginning, RidgeGate has made access to the outdoors a cornerstone of the community’s mission and it has made all the difference in our success over the last 10 years.”