Front and center: First & Main developer's vision thrives, for most part

In the 10 years since it was first developed along Powers Boulevard on Colorado Springs’ northeast side, the First & Main Town Center has grown into a nearly 1.4 million-square-foot retail complex that’s become the city’s largest — bigger than either the Chapel Hills or Citadel malls.

But it’s quality, not size, that’s the shopping center’s selling point, says Nor’wood Development Group, the Springs real estate company that built First & Main. And while First & Main hasn’t become all that Nor’wood envisioned — the company hasn’t been able to attract high-end stores, for example — the shopping center’s emphasis on better design and customer amenities helped it make Powers the city’s dominant retail corridor in recent years, some commercial real estate professionals say.

First & Main’s buildings have brick facades that evoke a downtown look and feel that’s intended to be traditional, not trendy. A 1.5-acre community park was built in the heart of the retail center to provide shoppers and restaurantgoers with a place to relax and enjoy free summer concerts.

Decorative streetlights throughout First & Main have an antique appearance. An internal road system funnels traffic from one end of the 138-acre complex to the other. If you’re looking for a compact parking space for your Prius, don’t bother; all of First & Main’s parking spaces are sized for larger vehicles and double-striped to help motorists avoid car-door dings.

“We looked at the project as a very long-term investment and, therefore, we were and are willing to invest in … things that most people take for granted, but I think which affect consumers,” said Fred Veitch, Nor’wood’s vice president for retail services and First & Main’s point man.

As Powers has evolved into the area’s highest-profile shopping corridor over the past 10 years, First & Main arguably has become its most popular attraction — with a 17-screen Cinemark and IMAX movie theater complex, big-box stores, smaller retailers, and sit-down and fast-food restaurants among its offerings. And while a shopping center won’t replace The Broadmoor hotel or Air Force Academy chapel as places of note in Colorado Springs, a quality retail center has its place among community assets, some real estate experts say.

“If you are, for example, the (Colorado Springs Regional Economic Development Corp.), and you’re trying to attract a manufacturing firm, or someone who is a primary employer from a city that has quality construction, if you’re able to show them that we have quality as well, it’s going to be much more appealing to them,” said Candace Seaton, a commercial broker and retail specialist with Grubb & Ellis

Quantum Commercial Group in Colorado Springs, “The quality of the construction for retail is not the biggest factor, for sure, but it makes us look like we’re a genuine, thriving community.”

Do shoppers care? A few say they’ve noticed the attention to detail.

On a recent summer night, Jeremy Edwards and his 4-year-old son, Matthew, enjoyed ice cream while sitting outside Cold Stone Creamery at First & Main. Edwards said he drives to First & Main from his nearby home, and shops at Dick’s Sporting Goods and Lowe’s. When he parks, he said he appreciates the wider spaces.

Nearby, three friends stood chatting after a movie at the Cinemark complex. While they said they shop and see movies at other places around town, they enjoy some of the amenities when they come to First & Main — including oldies music playing on speakers overhead.

“I do notice the lights,” Alycia Detvay, one of the three friends, said of the First & Main streetlights. “I like that they have a classic look, a warm look.”

Veitch said those are the kind of comments he likes to hear. The name “First & Main” seemingly is out of place in a suburban shopping center, but its combination of upgraded amenities and the variety of retailers is intended to create a “sense of place” for consumers, who can shop, then watch a concert or movie before they head to a restaurant, he said.

Like other shopping centers along Powers, Nor’wood developed First & Main in response to the thousands of homes built in fast-growing Springs subdivisions on the north, northeast and east sides during the 1990s.

“We thought there was demand on the Powers corridor,” Veitch said. “I don’t think any of us knew how much demand there was.”

Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse and a Chilli’s restaurant were First & Main’s initial tenants; the Lowe’s store is one of the chain’s best-performing stores in the nation, Veitch said, although the company routinely declines to discuss sales.

Their success helped Nor’wood attract other retailers, Veitch said. The complex now has about 60 merchants, restaurants and service-oriented businesses, including department store J.C. Penney, Best Buy and Cinemark.

Some First & Main merchants say the thousands of motorists passing by on Powers are a big part of their business, but they also benefit from the mix of stores and restaurants at the complex.

“People going to Jack in the Box, people going to Penney’s, the parking lot is generally full around here,” said Les Molina, manager of MacSuperstore, an Apple-authorized dealer that opened two years ago north of J.C. Penney. “There are cars going by constantly, just in front of us, let alone on Powers … While they’re waiting for a movie or they’re waiting to eat, they’re checking out the store.”

First & Main also has benefited from Powers’ design, Veitch said. Constructed as a north-south highway on the Springs’ east side, motorists can access shopping areas only from signalized intersections. Three intersections funnel traffic into First & Main.

Not everything has gone as planned at First & Main, however.

A decade ago, Veitch said Nor’wood’s goal was to develop First & Main as an upscale shopping center similar to Park Meadows or even Cherry Creek in the Denver area. But upper-end retailers either decided they weren’t ready for Colorado Springs, or chose to build only a single store in the city, Veitch said. The Promenade Shops at Briargate — a “lifestyle center” that targets wealthier consumers — snagged some of those stores, he said.

“We’ve had to modify the concept and adjust it to the market,” Veitch said. “We’ve done that. We’re very pleased with the tenant lineup we have.”

Parking spaces directly in front of some storefronts that were designed for quick in-and-out trips didn’t work because nearby theatergoers and other shoppers parked in the spaces for hours. Parking meters were installed to discourage shoppers from long-term parking in front of those stores. The meters since have been covered, but signs now warn motorists they’ll be towed if they park for longer than 60 minutes in those close-in spaces.

Then there are the roundabouts that are part of First & Main’s road network. In 2005, the Colorado Springs Police Department named one of the roundabouts as the second-most-dangerous traffic spot in the city because of two dozen accidents. Veitch said roundabouts are designed to slow traffic; police have said motorists need to learn to signal properly and yield to traffic as they navigate the roundabouts.

First & Main also hasn’t avoided retail losses. National chain Linens ‘N Things went out of business, which left a prominent empty storefront at First & Main. Recently, Toys R Us filled the Linens ‘N Things space with a seasonal store through the end of the year; Veitch hopes it becomes permanent. A Ruby’s Diner in a free-standing building became Stevie Ray’s Eastside Grill, which then folded.

First & Main has room for an additional 150,000 square feet of retail space, Veitch said. Investors are looking to add a 72-unit hotel at the site, if they obtain financing, Veitch said.

While waiting for the economy to rebound, Nor’wood plans to convert some nondeveloped parcels into temporary park space, and is considering adding public art to an area near the movie theaters, Veitch said.

Even as the economy remains in a funk, this is the time to invest in your property and continue to set yourself apart from your competitors, some of whom are cutting corners on operations and maintenance to save money, he said.

“Things like putting the money into the architecture, the lighting, the double-striping,” Veitch said. “Those things collectively make a difference. It’s all about offering the consumer a better experience.”

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Call the writer at 636-0228.

WHO’S THERE

First & Main’s approximately 60 stores include:

• Big box anchors Super Target, J.C. Penney, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse.

• Electronics stores Best Buy and MacSuperstore.

• Clothiers Men’s Wearhouse and Ross Dress for Less.

• Sit-down and fast-food restaurants Old Chicago, Rock Bottom Brewery, Chili’s, Red Robin, Mimi’s Cafe, Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster and Jack in the Box.

• Entertainment venues iT’Z Family Food & Fun center and a 17-screen Cinemark movie theater complex that includes an IMAX screen.

• Household goods retailers Cost Plus World Market, Pier 1 imports and Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts.

• Grocer Whole Foods.

NOR'WOOD DEVELOPMENT GROUP DETAILS

One of the Springs’ largest real estate companies, Nor’wood also is Powers Boulevard’s biggest player when it comes to retail development. In addition to the First & Main Town Center, Nor’wood developed the Barnes Marketplace on the northeast corner of Powers and Barnes Road; the site of the Costco Wholesale Club southeast of Powers and Barnes; and the Constitution Place shopping center, southeast of Powers and Constitution Avenue. Nor’wood, headed by low-profile developer David Jenkins, acquired much of the land 20 years ago during the nation’s savings and loan crisis.

Among other projects Nor’wood has built or is developing: the 13-story Plaza of the Rockies south office tower in downtown Colorado Springs; the Powers Autopark west of Powers and Woodmen Road; the 138-acre InterQuest Marketplace retail center east of the Air Force Academy; and the 1,600-acre Wolf Ranch residential project northwest of Black Forest and Woodmen roads.