The site of a one-time popular shopping center in Thornton, Colorado may be redeveloped as a mixed-use property that will include both retail and residential space.
That, at least, is the hope of city officials as the site at the northeast corner of East 88th Avenue and Washington Street is being prepared for a new purpose.
The 15.6-acre property was formerly the home of the Thornton Shopping Center, which was opened in 1955 and for decades housed a variety of businesses including a grocery store, bank, laundromat, and U.S. Post Office.
For a variety of reasons, the center was finally closed in 2023. It was acquired by the City of Thornton through the process of eminent domain and taken over by the city’s redevelopment authority.
The shopping center structure itself has since been demolished by the city, which is now also involved in an excavation of the site to remove contaminated soil and asbestos water pipes.
A website maintained by the city notes that remediation work at the site “will require long-term treatment and monitoring.”
A Request for Qualifications may be issued by the city by late spring for ideas on redeveloping the property. Published ideas for that redevelopment include the building of a grocery store and several restaurants.
March 30, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Public Notice courtesy of City of Thornton
