Southern Land Company (SLC) has broken ground on Westerly, a new 400-acre master-planned community in Erie, a first in Colorado. Located at the intersection of Erie Parkway and County Road 5, SLC will invest more than $140 million in infrastructure improvements into the Town of Erie with the project that will ultimately be valued in excess of $750 million.
Once completed, Westerly will consist of approximately 1,200 residential homes consisting of single-family and multifamily in a traditional neighborhood setting. The master-planned community was designed by SLC. Denver-based PCS Group Inc. is the land planner and landscape architect for the project, and Matrix Design Group is the engineer of record.
The community will include a variety of greenways for residents to enjoy, as well as expansive views of Longs Peak and the entire Front Range. More than 100 acres of Westerly will be undeveloped open spaces. A 35,000-square-foot town center is planned, which is expected to include a mixture of restaurants, shops and services. In addition, residents living in Westerly will have access to gathering areas for fitness and outdoor recreation, including a swimming pool, great lawn, and various play areas. There will also be a 5,000-square-foot indoor space for community gathering and indoor fitness.
The design for Westerly was inspired by SLC’s award-winning Westhaven community in Franklin, Tenn. Westhaven features unique traditional architecture, green spaces, social gathering spaces, a vibrant town center, and a traditional neighborhood design, just as Westerly will.
“Erie is known as an excellent place to raise a family and offers great quality of life, and Westerly is designed to be a complementary addition to this,” said Heidi Majerik, vice president and general manager of Westerly. “We are committed to creating an intentional, beautiful place that encourages togetherness and active lifestyles. We are confident that Westerly will be a community of which homeowners and Erie as a whole can be proud.”
SLC purchased the land for Westerly in 2017. Since then, SLC has worked closely with the Town of Erie to plan and bring the development to life.
“We have appreciated the partnership of the Town of Erie throughout each step of the planning and development process thus far,” said Majerik. “The town has provided thoughtful input on this project already, and we look forward to continuing working together.”
In addition to creating a new residential community, SLC will make significant investments to benefit the entire Erie community. SLC has plans in place to improve County Road 5 and Erie Parkway and to fund improvements to County Road 7. Additionally, SLC will provide 10 acres and $3 million to the Town of Erie for the creation of a new neighborhood park and will donate 15 acres to St. Vrain Valley School District for a planned middle school. Additional plans to benefit the community are in development.
In January, SLC opened a new luxury apartment home community in Denver, Bespoke Uptown. In February, SLC sold the multifamily and retail components of its mixed-use development Rêve Boulder (which also includes office space) in Boulder. SLC previously developed, owned and sold the multifamily project Centric LoHi in Denver. SLC has maintained a Denver office since 2017 and is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn.
“We intentionally search the country for markets that demonstrate a commitment to good planning, prioritization of active lifestyles, and an appreciation for great aesthetics, and Denver easily fits the bill,” said Brian Sewell, president and COO of Southern Land Company. “We are not in the business of delivering a commodity. We hold ourselves and our communities to high standards, and the Denver market has proven to be discerning about who they welcome into the area for growth. We are grateful to be able to provide unique housing solutions and beautiful communities to the Denver market.”
Photo courtesy of SLC
