THE PURCHASE
Henry T. Mayham purchased 640 acres of land on Crown Point and convinced the Denver Presbytery that the Westminster University should be built on this land.
Henry T. Mayham purchased 640 acres of land on Crown Point and convinced the Denver Presbytery that the Westminster University should be built on this land.
The University platted the first 4,992 lots.
After starting construction in 1882, Westminster University opens in 1907.
The new University President focused on raising money for the college through real estate development by offering free tuition with the purchase of a plot of land. They sold up to 60 lots a week which pulled the college from the brink of financial ruin.
Originally known as Harris, the city changed its name to Westminster in honor of the university. The University received approval for a second plat filing for an additional 768 lots in Adams County.
Less than 10 years after it opens, Westminster University closes its doors due to the demands of WWI. Once closed, the vacant building and surrounding acres were then leased to a farmer.
The original owners, the Presbyterian Synod, sold the property, the college building, a power plant, a student dormitory and the president’s house in 1920. Later that year, the new owners reopened Westminster University.
By 1926, the school was accredited as Belleview Schools. Belleview Christian Schools still reside on the Westminster University campus.
A twenty-year housing boom led to development of a majority of the land surrounding the property. This included Shaw Heights, which was originally the Lucky Day Ranch and eventually grew to 1,200 homes.
A previous land developer participated in the City of Westminster’s growth management request for proposal and received service commitments for the project, equivalent to 2,406 residential units. The development of the land did not move forward.
Both renters and owners lost purchasing power in Westminster – sales prices and rental costs increased faster than owner and renter incomes.
The Comprehensive Plan formally changed the land use of the largest parcel to “Traditional Mixed-Use Neighborhood Development,” confirming the original vision for the land.
The City of Westminster recognized its growing housing crisis and sponsored a Housing Needs Assessment study. The study concluded that the City of Westminster should increase diversity of housing for purchase and rental. From this the Westminster Forward Comprehensive Plan was created.
The Uplands vision as a sustainable mixed-use community took shape with input from our neighbors that we gathered through a comprehensive outreach program. We hosted hundreds of meetings and conversations and launched a digital feedback platform, all of which led to significant and meaningful changes to our plan.
Throughout 2021 we’re focused on obtaining approvals from the City so we can begin infrastructure work for the first phase. We’ll continue to keep the community updated on construction timelines and announcements as we launch an exciting new chapter that will fulfill the original landholder’s intention and meet the current needs of Westminster.
With construction set to begin on several parcels, Uplands continues its strong community engagement program with community groups and local businesses. Be sure to sign-up for our digital newsletter to get the latest updates.