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DENVER -- The boom continues in Colorado.
A new development is now slated for RiNo, which would completely transform the area between Brighton Boulevard and the South Platte River along Chestnut Place.
The Chestnut Place plans call for a hotel, condos and an outdoor entertainment space designed to compliment the City of Denver’s plans for a park and promenade along the South Platte.
It’s an area that is already seeing a huge transformation.
Ironton Distillery and Drafthouse just opened its doors in late August, and Bluemoon Brewery is becoming a hot spot on the corner of Chestnut and 38th Ave.
The man behind the Chestnut development is Bernard Hurley. Hurley has been gobbling up property in the area for 20 years.
“I just believed in Denver,” Hurley said. “And I believed that people were going to want to live here.”
Hurley’s bold vision for a huge open lot in between Chestnut and the river includes keeping it open, true to the neighborhood, and local.
“The retail space will be Colorado, homegrown-type retail,” Hurley said. “Hand-selected. We're going to be celebrating music. We've got a large plaza with a stage backing up to the river.”
Hurley estimates full build-out will take about five years.