Reimagining City Life, One Redevelopment at a Time

Large developments are popping up across the country, transforming underused urban areas into concepts like “15-minute communities” where locals can live, work and play in one convenient location with access to outdoor amenities and public transportation. These projects are attractive to developers and investors alike. According to research from JLL, office rents tend to be priced an average 24.7% higher in mixed-use developments than those in the surrounding submarket — allowing developers to see a higher return on their investment. Although this concept is gaining more popularity nationwide, it isn’t new to the Denver Metro area.

In the early 2000s, Saunders partnered with a local developer on our first redevelopment project — the CityCenter in Englewood, Colo. — embracing an urban design concept to revitalize the abandoned Cinderella City shopping center into a community with residential, retail, civic and office spaces centered around Englewood’s single Light Rail station. Since then, Saunders has completed over 2,000 acres of redevelopment projects transforming communities around the Denver Metro area. Most notably, Saunders played an integral role in 9+CO Redevelopment, Dairy Block, The Streets at SouthGlenn, Belmar and Union Station. Developers seek a construction partner with a full-service portfolio and local roots — and Saunders has just that.

Speed to market is a top priority for our clients to begin generating revenue. With a strong local presence, Saunders is uniquely positioned to leverage our industry relationships and knowledge of local market conditions to implement cost mitigation strategies for our clients. Our expertise also guides our approach to project phasing plans before vertical construction begins. Leveraging internal resources like our preconstruction department, Integrated Technologies Group (ITG) and self-perform concrete services allow us to streamline processes to ensure a viable project and maximize the speed to market for our clients.

Urban redevelopments frequently have heightened community interest and concern for the impacts that come with active construction. Saunders works diligently to actively listen to concerns and partner with community organizations, neighborhoods, other general contractors and trade partners to develop construction plans that minimize concerns and keep all phases of construction moving efficiently.

These vibrant communities don’t pop up overnight — they take years of hard work and dedication to complete the planning, design and construction to bring the project to the finish line. As a full service, local construction partner, Saunders goes the extra mile to build what matters with exceptional skill — creating better communities, exceptional client experiences and a culture of care for all.