Lance Maggart / lmaggart@skyhinews.com
A new mixed-use development will soon be coming to downtown
Granby and the project’s developer hopes the new addition will add a little bit
of character to the town’s highway corridor.
Called Granby Station the new construction project is being
undertaken by Royal Oak, a firm that specializes in higher end and luxury
residential construction. Steve and Helen Wilkie own Royal Oak and the company
already has history in Grand County with their recent work on the Eagle Ridge
development near Granby’s City Market store.
This summer Royal Oak is digging into a new construction
project with Granby Station in the location previously occupied by Mad Munchies.
Once completed Granby Station will broadly be broken down into two separate
areas: a series of townhouses and a separate building butting up against US
Highway 40 and Agate Avenue.
Wilkie said one of the main features of the project would be
a very clearly defined pathway leading from the Granby railroad train station
up to the Granby Station facility.
“We wanted to give a sense of arrival in Granby, either by
train or driving,” Wilkie said, noting that Granby Station is thematically
designed with traditional train stations in mind. “We are working with the town
to create something really nice.”
Courtesy of Royal Oak
The project will see the construction of 12 separate three
story luxury townhouses that will be constructed in sets of three on two tiers
on the hillside above Railroad Avenue. Each luxury unit will include a private
garage and a rooftop deck.
Additionally Royal Oak is planning to build a mixed use
building right on Agate Avenue in front of the townhouse. The mixed use
building will be three stories with half the building dedicated to an English
style pub and the other half open for other uses including retail space, office
space and luxury condos. A centerpiece for the entire development, and an
homage to its thematic basis, will be a large clock tower that will be visible
from all sides.
Wilkie said he anticipates selling the townhouse units for a
price in the upper $400,000 range. Wilkie said he did not yet know what price
the luxury condo units on the third floor of the building on Agate Avenue would
sale for and said it would depend on whether or not they are constructed as
four separate units, two larger units, or some combination thereof. Wilkie said
he has no plans to offer any of the units for rent but noted owners of units
will not be restricted from offering the units as rentals.
Physical work on the project got underway last week as work
crews began demolishing the building where Mad Munchies was previously located.
Wilkie said demolition work will continue this week as crews remove the old
motel that sits on the property and other necessary infrastructure. Wilkie said
construction will progress from Railroad Avenue north towards Agate Avenue and
that the building containing the pub and other commercial and retail space
would come after construction of the 12 townhouses.
Courtesy of Royal Oak
Wilkie was cautious to note that he has not obtained formal
approval on the design and planning elements of his project, which he will
still need to obtain from Granby before his project can be completed. Wilkie
said he has found town staff to be supportive so far and believes he will be
able to address any potential concerns that may arise during the planning
process.
“We anticipate going before the town within the next 60
days,” he said. “Pending town approval, we would start building the residential
townhomes later this year.”
Wilkie said he would plan to begin building “literally
within days of approval”.
Wilkie hopes to have units available for sale by spring or
summer next year with construction on the pub building and remainder of the
development to begin in 2020.
“Our tagline is ‘luxury comes standard’,” Wilkie said. “We
feel this is going to be something that the town can be proud of for many years
to come.”