By Lisa Crockett

Plans for a new Walgreens store in Castle Pines North (CPN) are slowly moving forward. Several different aspects of the project, which will be located on the north side of Castle Pines Parkway at Lagae Road, are now underway, including obtaining approval and comments from various county and community agencies.

The parcel was originally slated to contain five sites for free-standing businesses, but that number has been reduced to four. Now receiving comments from various agencies, the developer, Anxon, Inc., a Minneapolis-based company, is working out details regarding drainage, maintenance, and the enlargement of detention ponds on the property. Also under review is an internal access road, tentatively called Max Drive, and whether or not this road would connect to other roads in the area.

Sale of the sites is being handled by brokerage firm Markey Ledger Retail Group, a division of CB Richard Ellis. As of press time, no tenants other than Walgreens were signed for the property. However, Grease Monkey, an automotive maintenance company, is in negotiations with Markey to develop a store at the site which would include a car wash called “Monkey Shine.”

“We have also had interest from two fast food restaurants, a national bank, and a daycare provider,” said broker Mike Lindemann, the Markey Ledger representative on the project.

Preparation of the site for construction will entail leveling the land; no small task given the natural features of the area.

Walgreens spokesperson Carol Hively said the store opening is slated for early 2008, though the developer is aiming to be ready for an earlier date. The store will include a drive-thru pharmacy window, although it will not be a 24-hour location. It is estimated the store will be open from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily.

“We’re ready to move forward,” said Jeff Fischer, a local representative for Anxon. “We’re moving through the process and hope to get things going soon.”

The architecture of the development will be composed of brick masonry and contain “a similar mix of materials and scale” to that of the King Soopers Center and the Safeway Center, according to documents filed with the County. The CPN Design Review Committee is working with Walgreens and other concerned parties to make sure the structures are in keeping with CPN’s distinctive architectural style.

“Rather than plain brick facing like you’d see on any typical Walgreens, we worked with the company to get stone facing on the building, so that it will match other buildings in the area,” said Harley Rinerson, a member of the CPN Master Association’s Design Review Committee. The committee has asked that issues regarding signage, lighting, and landscaping be considered by the builder. They have requested that lights be angled away from surrounding neighborhoods and turned off when the store is closed.

Also at issue is the sidewalk, which will be poured adjacent to Castle Pines Parkway.

“Right now the plans call for the sidewalk to be right next to the street. We’re asking for some trees between the street and the sidewalk, which would create a buffer. Since the sidewalk leads right to the Montessori school and children could possibly use the sidewalk to get to school, we feel the trees would provide an important safety barrier,” said Rinerson.

The requests for alterations in the sidewalk, as well as other changes, are under review.

Construction of a new store in CPN is part of a rapid-growth strategy employed by Walgreens. “An aging population means more use of prescription medication, and a greater use of pharmacies,” said Hively. “We open a new Walgreens store an average of every 18 hours. The baby boomers are aging, and more and more people are living into their 90s. We’re working to stay ahead of the curve.”