A 22-acre eyesore of a shopping center in Aurora is about to get bulldozed.
Fencing now lines the outside of the Regatta Plaza off Parker Road and Peoria Street.
"I couldn't believe they were actually doing something," said Dorie Valleen, who has lived near the blighted shopping center for years.
Big plans have been in the works on the site since 2006. It was declared blighted in 2013. Only a few businesses survived, including a King Soopers on one end of the strip mall.
The master planner -- Mile High Development -- is ready to start the process of demolishing a cluster of empty buildings that make up most of the property. They've sat empty for a while now.
"Those buildings can go as fast as they can," said neighbor Mike Hillyard. "I don't care about the dust and the debris ... just get them out of there."
The future looks bright for Regatta Plaza. A beautiful mixed use development is in the works with everything from residential to retail.
The quicker the better for a shopping center that has pretty much sat empty for too long.
Mile High Development tells Denver7 there is no set completion date for the big time makeover. Neighbors are just happy to actually see some progress.
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