A new eight-story, mixed-use office building called the Fitz 500 is planned for development on a vacant lot across from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.
The property is owned by Corporex Companies, a national privately held investment and development firm based in Covington, Ky.
The firm acquired the lot for a little over $4.2 million from Citywide Banks in May 2017, according to a special warranty deed filed with Arapahoe County.
“We’ve always been attracted to Denver, primarily because of the population growth and the progressive nature of the development out there,” said Tom Banta, chief real estate officer for Corporex Companies.
With access to Interstate 225 and located at 13500 E. Colfax Ave., the building will cover approximately 226,000 square feet and is complemented by an adjacent eight-story parking garage with 659 spaces, which was completed in spring 2024.
Floor plans of the property revealed the first floor will be over 19,000 square feet and feature expansive lobbies, a common area, two office areas and 7,000 square feet of retail space, split into two sections.
Floors two through eight will each offer over 25,000 square feet of open and flexible office areas. Other amenities will include open patio space, balconies and conference and training rooms.
Ohio-based Elevar Design Group is performing architectural design for the Fitz 500.
Fitz 500 will be a part of the Fitzsimons Village, a mixed-use community that offers a blend of residential, retail and recreational spaces.
“It was really a unique opportunity to have 32 acres of land undeveloped, directly across the street from the three largest hospitals in the city,” Banta said.
“So, we really wanted to do something of a mixed-use nature that’s kind of a live work and play kind of environment.”
Corporex’s notable developments in the village include the Fitzsimons 100, a six-story, 167,000-square-foot Class A office building featuring covered parking and a pedestrian bridge that links directly to the Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Other projects include two Corporex-owned and developed hotels, the Hyatt Regency Aurora-Denver Conference Center and the Springhill Suites by Marriott at Anschutz Medical Campus.
Banta said it is important to create all-in-one live work spaces because that’s the direction the average American worker is heading, and cities are insisting on it.
“Even pre-COVID, people did not want to spend, you know, over an hour a day commuting back and forth to a workplace. So, the idea is to bring the workplace closer to where people are living and vice versa,” he said.
“They want walkable communities, and they want that street level to feel, you know, welcoming.”
The Fitz 500 is now pre-leasing, with Banta reporting several inquiries from potential tenants in the medical, bioscience and defense sectors.
He said he hopes to begin construction on the building this year, though it will depend entirely on the leasing.
Founded in 1965, Corporex has developed a range of projects, including luxury hotels, Class A office spaces, high-end residential properties and mixed-use developments in more than 22 states.
The company has also not only taken an interest in developing in Aurora, but they are actively building a luxury residential community in Steamboat Springs called Alpine Mountain Ranch & Club.
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