Outstanding Retail Project

Gold:
University Village ColoradoSubmitted by Matrix Design Group Inc.
When developers Kevin Kratt with Kratt Commercial and Tom Cone with Olive Real Estate Group first conceived University Village Colorado, they saw many challenges: utility conflicts, bonding agencies, tight schedules, significant site grading and a sinking economy.

Photo By Forest Rose Productions

University Village Colorado

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To complete the project, the two formed a partnership with the Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, the project’s neighbor. The University Village Colorado retail development began as a collection of shabby motels, a trailer park and other small businesses. The improvements made by the public-private partnership between the developer, the urban renewal authority and UCCS converted this blighted urban renewal area into a viable retail center.

The project site was cluttered with an uncommonly high amount of live and abandoned utilities that were not easily located. The most significant of these was the Qwest fiber-optic trunk located directly in the path of the pedestrian bridge scheduled for construction. The project window did not align with Qwest’s schedule, causing the contractor to approach the bridge construction at-grade.

In addition to Qwest, the contractors had to work in close coordination with crews from Colorado Springs Utilities as they realigned water and electrical distribution facilities.

Colorado Springs

$50 million
Owner: Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority
Contractor: American Civil Constructors Inc.
Architect: RTA Architects
Engineers: Matrix Design Group Inc., Colorado Springs Utilities
Among the Subcontractors: Higher Ground Design, V3 Cos., HCDA, Terracon Consultants Inc., Eng3 Group, Obering Wurth & Associates, Tapis Associates, EDAW/AECOM, M-E Engineers
Start: July 2008 Finish: Oct. 2009