Baseline will offer a dining, business and retail district. (Rendering courtesy: McWhinney).
Meritage Homes will offer three-story townhomes. (Rendering courtesy: McWhinney).
In a world of plastic and short-term goals, Baseline is permanently and passionately committed to crafting Colorado’s premier sustainable master planned community, a residential and business haven seated at the junction of I-25, Northwest Parkway (E-470) and Baseline Road. With 10-plus years already poured into development and another 20 anticipated for building and creating, the Baseline team remains “dedicated, as we bring our vision to life, to our three pillars of design: environmental stewardship, healthy living and innovation,” explained Kyle Harris, general manager of Baseline.
The crown of the Denver/Boulder triangle, Baseline will be a supremely walkable and exceptionally livable economic center. Exuding an urban-meets-nature vibe from the eco-friendly landscaping design to outdoor agriculture, the 1,100-acre community will include at least 9,205 residences at build-out and whimsically link nature and city with a network of pocket parks, a comprehensive trail system, more than 170 acres of open land, educational opportunities, and a dining, business and retail district. “Imagine a place where you can walk or bike five minutes and get all you need for daily living,” Harris said.
Furthermore, a regional park weaving Baseline’s pollinator district, businesses and homes into a mosaic of sustainable urban living is underway, and the Butterfly Pavilion, currently based in Westminster and the only stand-alone “Association of Zoos and Aquariums”-accredited facility in the world dedicated to invertebrates, plans to relocate to Baseline in the future.
Baseline features a comprehensive trail system and more than 170 acres of open land. (Rendering courtesy: McWhinney).
Model homes open, apartments renting for March
Baseline’s guiding principles (stewardship, healthy living and innovation) have led Harris to branch far out from the average planned community. Instead, Baseline aims to include multiple housing options for a variety of price points, to map the carbon footprint of the project and meticulously steward energy consumption, to champion outdoor and active living and to usher scientific institutions, a medical campus and a STEM school to Baseline.
“We don’t take our statement ‘a home for everybody’ lightly,” Harris said. “The price to pay for the area surrounding us starts at $700,000 to $800,000 and rises to over a million. We’re offering new homes in a thoughtfully planned community, some of which start in the high $300s. It is rare to see new homes at that price point.” Baseline envisions a community of people from diverse backgrounds and ages – “singles, first-time homebuyers, young families with kids, empty nesters – a community for everyone who believes in sustainability and the life Baseline offers,” Harris added.
Brisk sales prove Baseline’s message resonates with Colorado: The first two builders with model homes, KB Home and David Weekley Homes, achieved unprecedented sales in their first weeks after sales began. Baseline’s two newly announced builders, Thrive Home Builders and Meritage Homes, will soon break ground. To view floor plans and model homes, “you can literally shop for homes from home” via the integrated home tours on Baseline’s website or a socially distanced appointment for a model home walk-through, Harris said. “We are coming out of the ground in earnest,” he continued, and initial West Village homeowners are expected to move in before the end of the year. Additionally, PARK40 rental apartments will open in March (see below).
One of a network of Pocket Parks offered at Baseline. (Rendering courtesy: McWhinney).
‘A home for everybody’
Stand-alone homes from David Weekley Home’s Pinnacle and Peaks collections will range from 1,779 to 3,152 square feet and start in the high $400s. KB Home’s paired patio villas will span 1,430 to 1,963 square feet and start in the low $400s.
Rowhomes from Thrive Home Builders will number three stories, 1,100 to 1,619 square feet and two to three bedrooms. Starting in the high $300s, they will all include a one-to-two car garage with a separate first floor flex space, ideal for urban dwellers desiring bike storage or a small home office.
Three-story townhomes from Meritage Homes will offer three to four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a two-car garage and an optional rooftop deck. Coming in at 1,800 to 2,100 square feet, Meritage townhomes will start in the low $400s. “At Baseline, attainability is very real,” Harris noted. “Because we are offering rowhomes, townhomes, urban single-family detached homes, not to mention rental options and rental townhomes, there are a lot of homes from which to choose.”
For those looking to rent, PARK40 apartments in Baseline’s West Village will feature 313 apartment homes, from 568-square-foot studios to 1,434-square-foot three-bedrooms. The high-amenity apartments will include a clubhouse with yoga and fitness studios, a demonstration kitchen and a library. A pool, spa, bark park, parcel pickup and playground round out the life-enriching enclave.
Green homes, infrastructure for green living
Baseline homes will adhere to above-code sustainability guidelines, and drip irrigation and differentiated planting will dramatically conserve water. Harris said, “We’re working on a sustainability program for all our vertical development and are including alternative energy, LED lighting and a whole palate of options to reduce energy consumption and water consumption and to improve air quality.”
An amphitheater, expansive fields and an artful promenade will anchor community gatherings, while “playgrounds and sport courts are planned as a daily invitation to stay active,” Harris said, emphasizing, “Infrastructure is not just about roads and bridges; it’s about how people live.”
Walk-to-work flexibility, schools and science
“We recognize that COVID-19 has changed how we work, learn and play,” Harris said, “and we’re taking that into our design considerations. We also know human beings still want to socialize. This is our hopeful component but also our realistic component.” To that end, the outdoor-focused, pedestrian-friendly Baseline aura will culminate in the Center Street District, composed of local retailers, farm-to-table dining, cafes, beer gardens and frequent events in the public square. Abundant commercial space will ultimately support professional offices and scientific institutions. The K-12 charter school Prospect Ridge Academy is accepting students, and Baseline is in conversation with Adams 12 Five-Star Schools and Broomfield to open a project-based-learning school that will partner with STEM-industry professionals in the classroom.
“This is an exciting time for this location, as Denver is expanding to the north, and Boulder keeps growing to the west,” Harris concluded. “We are at the bullseye of that intersection, close to the airport and the amenities Denver and Boulder have to offer.”
To learn more or experience virtual tours, visit baselinecolorado.com.
