University of Colorado Puts South Denver Facility on the Market

The University of Colorado announced that it is partnering with commercial real estate firm JLL for the sale of the CU South Denver facility in Lone Tree, Colorado. CU South Denver is a three-story, 175,780-square-foot, mixed-use, Class A building that was completed in two phases in 2002 and 2009 and is located a little less than 20 miles south of downtown Denver.

The building features a meeting venue with a capacity of more than 1,000, a two-story atrium with foyer, a theater, commercial kitchen, classrooms, and outdoor space. The site covers 14.4 acres and includes an additional 4.4 acres with the potential for development. A press release emphasizes the opportunity for adaptive reuse as an educational, religious, commercial, or event facility. It also includes parking space for more than 440 vehicles.

CU Denver South facility

“As movement to the suburbs has accelerated, this offering presents a compelling opportunity to enter into the southeastern Denver suburban market, the largest market in the city and one of the top performing,” said JLL Executive Vice President Patrick Bolick. “In its current state, the site provides a unique environment to meet a user’s immediate requirements, boasting high-quality construction, excellent visibility and infrastructure consisting of a cafeteria, auditorium and high-volume multi-purpose space.”

The University of Colorado originally announced the sale of the facility in Sept. 2020, citing a lack of financial viability. “The CU South Denver teams have worked hard to explore new options, creative solutions and have pursued operational efficiencies and consolidations at the facility,” said Todd Saliman, senior vice president for strategy, government relations and CFO, at the time. “Unfortunately, the subsidies the university has provided and would have to continue to provide are unsustainable.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • University of Pennsylvania Releases Design of Future Physical Sciences Building

    The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Penn., recently released renderings of an upcoming 350,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building, according to news release. The facility was designed by CO Architects and will unite the university’s departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, and Earth and Environmental Science.

  • Opportunity by Design Framework

    Opportunity by Design

    Educational improvement efforts often focus on curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional development, and intervention systems while treating the physical school building as background. But school design is not a passive backdrop to learning — it is a structural lever for equity.

  • Minnesota District Opens New PreK–12 School

    Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop Schools in Gibbon, Minn., recently announced that construction is complete on a new, $68.9-million school for students in grades PreK–12, according to a news release.

  • Wyoming District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    Laramie County School District #1 in Cheyenne, Wy., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming Mountain View Elementary School, according to a news release. The facility has an estimated completion date of summer 2028, and it will have the capacity for 650 students in fifth and sixth grade.