Transportation Solutions once again held its Road Ahead seminar at the JW Marriott Hotel in January. This time the topic was "Unlocking the Parking Puzzle" and the primary speaker was Scott Bernstein of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, a leader in the evolution toward transportation oriented development. Many public officials attend this each year and it's only a couple of hours, so if you weren't able to be there, plan to attend next January.

MacKenzie House LLC has scheduled the coming spring for the groundbreaking of a new assisted living center. To be located at East Third Avenue and Logan Street, the 89,000 square foot MorningStar Assisted Living at Cherry Creek center is to provide 89 units for those with assisted-living and memory-care needs.

RREEF America Partners LP purchased the 300-unit Mezzo Apartment complex at 901 Sherman Street in Denver for $33.5 million, or $111,667/unit. The seller was Fairfield Residential LLC.

The owners of the Argonaut Wine & Liquor store in Capitol Hill have announced that a new building is being constructed for the store that is scheduled to open in late 2008. Located at 700 East Colfax Avenue, the new 40,000 square foot store will be almost twice the size of the current store.

The Denver Botanic Gardens officially launched their new capital improvements program. Spurred by the approval of bond funds totaling $18.6 million, the Botanic Gardens is campaigning to raise an additional $14.6 million in private donations, of which $3.3 million has already been met. The Gardens intends to use the bond funds to make improvements such as a new greenhouse complex, irrigation system, and improvements to 1005 York Street to improve safety and accessibility. The funds gained from private donations will fund a new children's garden named after the Mordecai Family, expand the Japanese Garden, construct a new parking structure as well as fund other capital improvements.

A 100 unit senior independent living apartment building is proposed for the site at 11th Avenue/Gaylord/Vine Street. Leisure Care, a Seattle based operator will operate the 7-story building after the developer consults with neighbors about the design of the project.

The Monroe Pointe condominium project in Cherry Creek is on track to welcome buyers in mid-February, according to Monroe Street Development LLC, which is led by Bruce and Stuart Rifkin. Totaling 69 units at 333 South Monroe Street, the units range in size from 895 to 5,380 square feet and in price from the mid- $300,000s to $1.7 million.

Trammell Crow Residential purchased a 5.3-acre site in the Gates Rubber Co. redevelopment on South Broadway from Cherokee Denver LLC for $6 million or $26/SF. The buyer has slated the site for development with apartments.

The Broadway Marketplace at the southeast corner of Alameda/Broadway has begun what appears to be a long process of redevelopment that could result in much higher density and transit oriented development on some 60 acres. The Washington Park Profile reports that the property is under the same ownership as the Denver Design Center to the south, which is working with the City of Denver on a General Development Plan. The plan could increase density significantly in the area with as much as 10 million SF of new construction. The redevelopment could include some 4,000 new residential units, office, retail and hotel uses. The West Washington Park Neighborhood Association has expressed concern about the increased traffic that could result. The approval and development process could take decades.