Edens pumps brakes on big RiNo redevelopment, explores ‘interim’ phase

The site was once home to a nonprofit’s kitchen and food bank. (BusinessDen file)

A line of buildings in RiNo may not meet the wrecking ball as soon as expected.

The retail real estate firm Edens, which previously planned to demolish the buildings between 2612-2634 Larimer St., told Denver last week it may want to repurpose them instead.

In plans submitted to the city, the company indicated the 27,000 square feet of currently vacant space could become home to a dozen shops and restaurants.

That would be a significant shift for Edens, which had proposed redeveloping nearly the entire 2.5-acre block between Larimer, Lawrence, 26th and 27th streets. Under those plans, which called for a mix of retail and residential space, the Volunteers of America office building at 2660 Larimer St. would have been the only structure left standing.

A spokeswoman for Edens said a broader redevelopment is still planned.

“We are exploring an interim phase to introduce retail to the site to bring continued activation into the community,” spokeswoman Sommer Hixson said of the new plans.

A rendering of Edens’ long-term plans for the block. (BusinessDen file)

Edens entered RiNo in 2018 with its $50 million acquisition of the Denver Central Market building and others nearby. Its intentions for the block across the street started to surface in 2019 when the company checked with the city to see if it could demolish a liquor store at 2644 Larimer St. 

Edens’ plans to build 299 apartments, 68,000 retail square feet and hundreds of underground parking spots on the block became public in 2022. By August of that year, the company had bought up the entire block, spending over $20 million, and gotten it rezoned.

Since then, the company has been working on getting its development plans approved by the city. It’s on the fourth round of city comments, records show. City spokeswoman Alexandra Foster said the review of those plans is on pause because of the new submission.

Edens has long said it hoped to bring in a grocery store as part of the larger redevelopment. It appears that may happen even if the company does pursue the interim phase. Edens submitted a separate proposal to the city last week for a 12,500-square-foot store for a “specialty grocer” at the corner of Lawrence and 27th streets, the site of a parking lot. 

The plans also mention extending the parking lot to the south of the grocer and putting a small 1,200-square-foot retail building on the corner of Lawrence and 26th streets. The latter would be another major change. Under Edens’ larger proposal, that land had been designated for an apartment complex.