Apartments eyed for site along Speer north of downtown

New residential buildings have become a fixture along Speer Boulevard north of downtown in recent years. An Aspen firm wants to join in on the fun.

Pagewest, a private investment firm, filed plans with the city for the construction of a 293-unit apartment complex between 29th Avenue and Speer Boulevard, just south of North High School where LoHi blends into the Highlands.

The plans call for two seven-story buildings on either side of Bryant Street, connecting 29th and Speer. One would be an 88-unit structure with 90 parking spaces. The other would hold 205 units and 209 parking spaces. Apartments would average 735 square feet, ranging from studios to two bedrooms.

Pagewest did not respond to a request for comment.

The 1.92-acre site is a collection of various properties all owned by the same person, Jan Christensen, who appears to be the widow of the late Robert Christensen, founder of Aspen Gold Realty, which has its offices at 2870 Speer Blvd., part of the proposed development site.

Robert passed away in 2013. His firm is now run by his son, Michael. No one from Gold Realty responded to a BusinessDen request for comment.

The land for the apartment development was assembled over 40 years, with some parcels bought in the 1980s, and others purchased as recently as 2021, public records show.

The stretch of Speer from downtown through the 29th Avenue intersection has generated much interest from developers as of late. Right down the road, just north of the Speer and Zuni Street intersection sits a Residence Inn hotel. San Antonio builder Kairoi Residential proposed a five-story, 465-unit complex on the 4-acre lot last spring.