Tenants Moving in Soon at Canyon Gate Plaza

All 28,000-sf of the retail portion already has been leased in the project at the southwest corner of 28th and Canyon streets, in the heart of this university town. "Because of the location - and with it being a 100% corner - the retail space virtually leased itself," says Stephen Tebo of DellaCava/Tebo Development Co. LLC, which developed it. "We had dozens of interested retail candidates that we didn't have room for on the ground level."

The retail leases include:

• A major national retailer that will announce its involvement in Canyon Gate this spring; the 17,300-sf store is scheduled to be open by summer.

• Einstein Bagels.

• Sprint.

• Copy Express.

• Electronics Boutique of America.

• The Mattress Factory.

"The development is in a terrific location - it's accessible, and right there in the heart of town," says Dave Mellin, Sprint spokesman. This will be Sprint's first retail store in Boulder, offering wireless products and services.

Copy Express is a locally owned and operated business - a full-service, digital copy center. Todd Goodman, VP of development for Copy Express, says they're excited that the company's second store will be in Canyon Gate Plaza. "Also, that building is beautiful - the architecture and the way it's designed," he says.

Construction started last July, but it took three years before that for the developers and the city to agree on what co-owner Lou DellaCava calls its "high design, detail and presence."

Hartronft Fauri Architects used large-scale brick elements, pre-cast concrete, exposed structural steel, and glass in the design. "The city had some really specific goals in terms of what it want to do in this area of the city, because it certainly is a kind of gateway, one of the first revitalization projects to come to fruition in that part of 28th Street," says architect Erik Hartronft.

"One of the things that we really strive to do is attention to detail," Hartronft adds. "It has a lot to do with creating space that's interesting and an envelope that's interesting so there's an identity there for the retailers. People will notice the building because of its design and its detailing."

The project started at the request of city officials. "We were responding to a need expressed to us by our city to take a personal financial risk, and make a contribution towards revitalizing the commercial areas," says DellaCava. "The impetus was from the city and it was a cooperative effort. I have to give credit to the city agencies - the Planning Department and the Boulder Urban Renewal Authority - for encouraging us to stick with this."

The approximately 16,000-sf on the second level of Canyon Gate is available for lease to office or retail tenants. These suites offer high visibility and 360-degree views.