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.
Site History
CREATING LOTS
The University platted the first 4,992 lots.
GRAND OPENING
After starting construction in 1882, Westminster University opens in 1907.
RAISING FUNDS
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.
APPROVING LOTS
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.
WORLD WAR I
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.
ON THE MARKET
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.
BELLEVIEW
By 1926, the school was accredited as Belleview Schools. Belleview Christian Schools still reside on the Westminster University campus.
HOUSING BOOM
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.
ROAD BLOCK
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.
HOUSING CRISIS
Both renters and owners lost purchasing power in Westminster – sales prices and rental costs increased faster than owner and renter incomes.
A NEW PLAN
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.
HOUSING NEEDS
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.
OUTREACH
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.
APPROVALS
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.
SITE PREP
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.