The city of Denver is moving forward with a plan to revitalize its urban core.
Voters approved a ballot measure in November that unlocked $570 million to support downtown’s recovery, and the city has now opened a formal application process for potential projects to be awarded a portion of the funds.
The plan expands the Downtown Development Authority’s boundary lines to encompass all of downtown Denver. The DDA is a tool that sets aside a portion of property or sales tax collected within its boundary lines and then reinvests those funds into economic development within that area.
Established in 2008, the DDA is the vehicle that delivered over $400 million in restoration and public transportation projects at Union Station, one of Denver’s most iconic landmarks, located at the northwest end of downtown.
Since the revitalization project was completed in 2014, billions of dollars have been poured into developments surrounding Union Station. The city of Denver hopes to replicate Union Station’s success on a broader scale.
City leaders invited the community to submit ideas and opinions on how to best put the funds to work. Most respondents expressed interest in using the money for private redevelopment and adaptive reuse projects, according to the city. Overall, Denverites submitted a diverse range of projects for consideration, with one idea featuring a gondola system that would run throughout downtown.
A formal application process is now underway with a focus on major projects that would redefine the downtown experience and attract new residents, businesses and visitors.
City officials have zeroed in on a few criteria that will guide the use of this funding. New developments and adaptive reuse projects, primarily office to multifamily conversions, are at the top of the list.
The funding could make some of the conversions a reality. The combination of record-high office vacancies and a lack of affordable housing has made converting underutilized offices into apartments a seemingly obvious choice. However, real estate professionals noted that without a clear path toward economic funds, these projects remain economically unfeasible.
The city is also looking for projects that would create additional parks and public spaces, promote connectivity and mobility, and support long-term job growth.
Apartment rent growth in the Denver area hit a 14-month high to close out the first quarter, though negative annual rent growth and widespread concessions are continuing to weigh on the market.
The average asking rent increased 0.6% in March, according to CoStar data, marking the strongest monthly rent gain since January 2024. The average rent for an apartment in the Denver market hit $1,842 per month in March, up from $1,823 per month at the start of the year.
While the vacancy rate of 11.3% remains near historic highs, vacancy likely peaked in the fourth quarter and is now on a downward swing due to a combination of higher levels of demand and a slowdown in construction. Denver’s apartment market is expected to continue tightening through the spring leasing season.
The first quarter was not all smooth sailing for area landlords, though. Monthly rents fell in February by 0.1%. While the decline was minimal, it marks the first February in more than a decade to see rents pull back.
Concession usage remains widespread across the market. About 41% of properties in the Denver market were offering some form of incentive, such as one month’s free rent, in March. This is down from 50% in February but remains elevated from a year ago when 25% of properties offered incentives.
Industry professionals note that renters are chasing concessions, leading to high tenant turnover. Renters can expect up to 10 weeks of free rent on a one-year lease in new apartment complexes. Concessions have also become increasingly common in well-leased, or stabilized, apartment buildings as property managers focus on shoring up renewals.
Until concession usage abates, landlords will likely continue to face difficulty in pushing rates.
Nearly all areas in Denver are reporting negative annual rent growth. The steepest declines are occurring in construction-heavy areas like Aurora, where rents are down 5.3% from the previous year. Downtown Denver has also reported heavy losses, with annual rents down 3.5%.
Looking ahead, CoStar forecasts that supply and demand will reach equilibrium in 2025. However, vacancies will likely remain high this year, and rents aren’t projected to return to the long-term benchmark until 2026.
Save the date—Sunday, May 11, 2025! Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and we’ve got everything you need to celebrate in Denver. From one-of-a-kind gifts by local Colorado artisans to delightful brunches and elegant teas, our Ultimate Mother’s Day Guide has it all. Don’t miss our annual gift roundup, and keep scrolling for the best Mother’s Day events and brunch spots.
Bonus tip: We’ll be updating this list regularly, so check back often for the latest additions!
For experiential gifts, there’s nothing better than Colorado’s unique wellness getaways, retreats, programs and clubs. A few of our favorites: Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks offers Shinrin Yoku, the Japanese art of forest bathing, a research-based framework for supporting healing and wellness through immersion in forests. The Chipeta Solar Springs Resort, Ridgway – Chipeta Resort Spa offers a serene space with treatments inspired by the southwest and experienced therapists intuitive in the healing arts. Sacred Spaces, Cañon City, an apothecary in Cañon City, provides nourishment and healing through yoga/herbal medicine/gardening classes.
From the chocolate connoisseur to the aspiring chef, the four-cornered state boasts a ton of options for those who want a taste of Colorado from home. Uncorked Kitchen’s fabulous classes have turned virtual with online cooking classes. A unique idea comes from the eastern plains, where Lebanese-owned Scaff Brothers handcrafts a mild salsa with cantaloupe grown from the region. For the passionate carnivore, Sweetwood Smokehouse Jerky produces a slow-smoked, double-wide fatty jerky stick that’s a far cry from those sold in most stores today. Nuance Chocolate is a bean-to-bar chocolatier with a wide range of cocoa-based products made by admittedly certified chocoholics. Those with a sweet tooth will also get a kick out of Enstom’s toffee, which has been handmade with only the finest, freshest ingredients since 1960. The home bartender in your life will surely love The Real Dill’s Bloody Mary Mix, which uses cucumber-infused water—a byproduct of their pickling process—as its star ingredient. And for the home cook who likes to sprinkle in some history, the Anasazi bean is an heirloom-variety legume that comes out of an agricultural plateau in Western Colorado, once home to thousands of Anasazi Indians who cultivated the bean.
Firefly Handmade Spring Market
May 3–4, 2025
Start your shopping list now for inspired, one-of-a-kind gifts for Mother’s Day, graduations, teachers or yourself! The market will feature 80+ creatively curated artisans, including more than 20 incredible new artists, makers and designers. Admission is free and the market will also feature live music and food and drinks from local restaurants and bars.
Baby Goat Yoga
May 10, 2025
Celebrate Mother’s Day weekend with a unique and heartwarming baby goat yoga session. Scheduled for Saturday, May 10, 2025, at Great Divide Barrel Bar, this event is perfect for moms, families, and animal lovers seeking a memorable experience.
The Northfield Street Fairs
May 10, 2025
Kick off Mother’s Day weekend by exploring the Northfield Street Fairs on Saturday, May 10, 2025, from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. This handmade-only art festival showcases local craftsmanship, including art, bath and body products, home décor, toys, and more. Enjoy a variety of food and drinks as you peruse Main Street from 46th to 48th Ave
Artisan Market
May 11, 2025
Denver Yoga Social’s FREE indoor 2-day event features 100+ artisans, makers & creatives each day, beer, food trucks, massages, baby goats, face painting & more.
Denver Mother’s Day 5K
May 11, 2025
Join this family-friendly run/walk at City Park on Sunday, May 11, 2025, starting at 9:00 AM. Participants will enjoy a scenic course, and female finishers receive a rose to celebrate the day. A pancake and sausage breakfast is provided for all registered participants.
Mother’s Day at Comedy Works South
WHEN May 11, 3 p.m.
WHERE: Comedy Works South at Landmark
Tammy Pescatelli’s: Way After School Special is the highly anticipated follow up to Tammy’s award winning special, Finding the Funny. You can find both of these specials on Amazon Prime. The albums of the same name were released and were in the TOP 3 spots on iTunes!
Mother’s Day Buffet Brunch at Denver Art Museum
May 11, 2025
Treat your mom to a delightful buffet brunch at the Denver Art Museum on Sunday, May 11, 2025, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Enjoy an exquisite meal in the elegant surroundings of the museum’s Sturm Grand Pavilion.
Colorado Chocolate Festival
May 9-10
Indulge in sweet treats at the Colorado Chocolate Festival, taking place on Friday and Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend. The festival features chocolates from various vendors, a Mother’s Day cake cutting, and fun contests like the Chocolate Crown Contest. It’s a perfect outing for moms with a sweet tooth.
Denver Potters Association Spring Show and Sale
WHEN: May 8–11, 2025
WHERE: 3250 East Sixth Ave.
This highly anticipated biannual show will feature top local artists selling their work in a variety of mediums including ceramics, jewelry, glass, wood, personal care products and fiber. The show is the perfect place to find your Mother’s Day gifts and buy local!
Wash Park Home Tour & Mother’s Day Market Street Fair
WHEN: May 10, 2025
WHERE: Washington Park
This long-standing community event showcases a unique mix of four distinctive homes in the East Washington Park neighborhood. Attendees can tour the properties at their leisure and enjoy local artisans, vendors and entertainment at the Mother’s Day Market Street Fair, conveniently located in the same area as the tour. This event hosted by Steele Elementary’s PTA raises funds to directly support many programs and services that make Wash Park’s neighborhood DPS elementary school a special place.
Spring Horseshoe Market
May 10, 2025
The day before Mother’s Day, this market is the perfect way to celebrate all the moms in your life with more than 120 local makers, vendors, vintage collectors, culinary artists, food trucks, mobile boutiques, live music and drinks and cocktails! Grab your friends and make a day of fun outdoor shopping in beautiful northwest Denver. Buy mom a gift, buy yourself gifts and shop locally and sustainably from Colorado small business creatives. The market is dog-friendly, family-friendly and free! Where: 50th & Lowell in Northwest Denver at Regis Campus.
Hangin’ N Slangin’ Markets
May 10, 2025
Hangin’ N Slangin’ vintage thrift markets will be in RiNo, in the Lot on Larimer, on the second Saturday (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and last Sunday (12 p.m. to 7 p.m) of every month from March to November right next to the Denver Central Market! Events are always free to attend, and there’s always a great group of vendors, food and music.
Sloan’s Lake Spring Bazaar
WHEN: May 10–11, 2025
WHERE: 1611 Raleigh Street
Spring is in the air and Denver BAZAAR is excited to return to Sloan’s Lake for Spring BAZAAR! This outdoor market will feature 80+ carefully curated vendors (including home goods, jewelry, sweet treats, clothing and self-care products), a live DJ, festive springtime sips and local craft beer, food trucks and street food and more! Admission is free for all ages, or upgrade your shop-and-sip experience with bottomless mimosas or a drink token package!
Second Sundays at Centennial Promenade with Artisan Markets
WHEN: May 11, 2025
WHERE: Centennial Promenade, Centennial
Welcome to Second Sundays at Centennial Promenade! A handmade-only event consisting of 70+ artisans, crafters and food experts from around Colorado. This art festival occurs every Second Sunday of the month, May through October. Bring the whole family to find incredible gifts, clothing and food for everyone to to enjoy! Parking is always free, and Artisan Markets’ events are pup- and kid-friendly.
(Stay tuned; this list will be regularly updated).
An Arizona-based homebuilder has launched two home collections north of Denver, selling over 600 homes to a master-planned community in Thornton.
Taylor Morrison recently debuted its Horizon and Westerly collections at the approximately 800-acre Parterre community that is under development.
“This will really be the first large project coming to Thornton, and probably the only one for the next two to three years of this size,” Ricarda Dietsch, the Denver division president for Taylor Morrison, said.
The Parterre community attracted the homebuilder because of its location near E-470, according to Dietsch, and includes good schools nearby.
“It’s going to be a wonderful community, supporting really homeowners of all ages and stages of life,” Dietsch said.
The company’s Parterre Horizon collection features three- to five-bedroom single-family homes with up to three and a half baths. The collection includes four floor plans that span 1,606 to 2,989 square feet, Taylor Morrison’s website states.
The available townhomes, part of the Parterre Westerly collection, include two to three bedrooms and four choices of floor plans. The two-story townhomes range from 1,248 to 1,611 square feet. They include two-car garages.
The collections are two of five Taylor Morrison plans to launch at Parterre. The Westerly collection includes 387 units, while the Horizon collection includes 238 homes.
The horizontal work is underway for the other three collections, which are anticipated to come online in the spring of 2026. In all, Taylor Morrison anticipates bringing 1,125 homes to the master-planned community.
Parterre will later include pocket parks, trails and a recreation center, according to Hines’s website, the developer of the overall community.
Sales launched on Saturday for Taylor Morrison’s two collections and generated strong interest prior to the opening.
“We started marketing this community about a year ago … and we have over 400 people on our interest list,” said Asa Moncada, Taylor Morrison’s vice president of sales for Denver. “It’s definitely a strong number for when we open that community.”
The price tag of the homes is one of the reasons Moncada and Dietsch believe the collections received such strong initial interest.
The single-family homes in the Horizon collection have a starting price of just under $520,000, while the townhomes in the Westerly collection start at under $434,000.
“This is a much more affordable location, yet your ability to commute to job corridors is pretty amazing,” Dietsch said of the Thornton area.
Taylor Morrison will host a bluegrass festival grand opening event on May 31 for its two collections at 14885 Arbor Blvd. West in Thornton.
Private Exclusive Program
Just like many companies test products with a smaller audience before launch, listing your home as a Keller Williams Private Exclusive allows you to test price, gain critical insights, generate early demand, and extend your marketing runway – all before going public.
The Benefits of Pre-Marketing Your Home As a Keller Williams Private Exclusive
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Make your listing available to a network of thousands of top agents.
05
You can get competitive offers from buyers who are willing to pay a premium for certainty and reduced stress.
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Pre-market your home to buyers before investing time or effort into preparing it for the public.
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Your privacy is valuable. Photos and floorplans of your home are only visible to Compass agents and their serious clients.
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Create early buyer anticipation and interest without accumulating days on market or damaging public price drops.
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Know how buyers are engaging with your listing. These insights, available only before your home goes live on other sites, help you make adjustments to your pricing.
Market Summary
Keller Williams Private Exclusives are properties that are only accessible to Keller Williams agents and their serious buyers. This means you can get a head start marketing your home, without accumulating any public days on market or price drops that could negatively impact its value.
When you work with a Keller Williams agent, listing as a Private Exclusive is the first stage of our 3-Phased Marketing Strategy designed to maximize demand and fine-tune your positioning for the best possible sale outcome.
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