The 30-acre Champions Park is being steered by DermotDevelopment Co. LLC, an affiliate of Dermot Co. Inc., a Del Mar,CA-based multifamily developer that owns and manages more than1,350 units in CO. The project is situated at the intersection ofW. 104th Ave. and Colorado Boulevard.

"This project is going to do really well," says Jeff Hawks, theapartment specialist with Grubb & Ellis who sold the land toDermot Development. The Denver International Airport, east of thedevelopment site, is an easy 16-mile "straight shot" commute whilethe same holds true for Interlocken Business Park situated 12 milesto the west and Downtown Denver, which lies 10 miles to the south.And perhaps most importantly, Champion Parks' tenants who work atInterlocken-based companies, such as Level 3 and Sun MicrosystemsInc., can commute by bypassing the congested US 36, Hawks says.

"All of this growth is going on up here, from Boulder to DIA,and at the same time, cities are not allowing you to build," saysRandy C. Bryant, Dermot Development president. "All of thecommunities have some kind of restraint on growth--Thornton,Broomfield, Lafayette and Superior. So where are all of thesepeople who are going to work at Level 3 going to live? We think wewill be providing much needed housing." The Champions Parks site isone of the few exemptions from Thornton's Growth Pacing Ordinance,he says.