Developers planning food hall, coworking space in Lincoln Park

Colorado-based property developers Thrive Development Co. submitted plans early this month to the city to convert two existing buildings into a food hall and coworking concept.

The project, on the corner of Shoshone Street and West 13th Avenue, will be around 29,000 square feet across the two buildings and will include a newly created outdoor space along with designated parking, according to city records.

“This project has the potential to energize and revitalize the Lincoln Park community, creating a dynamic and inviting hub that benefits both the neighborhood and its residents. Our vision is to develop a unique destination that becomes a cherished local landmark for years to come,” said Thrive Development Co. in a project vision document shared with The Post.

According to the document, the east building is planned to be a food hall, featuring a self-serve beer hall and a cocktail bar. The plan includes space for four food vendors inside, with one additional outdoor BBQ vendor planned. Food vendors have not been selected yet.

But why a food hall? The company said they like to refer to the area as a “food desert.”

“There are few dining options in the area despite the significant number of new and planned residential developments near the Metro campus, Sun Valley just down 13th Street and several new developments on Santa Fe,” the company said.

“This food hall is intended to meet the needs of this growing community, offering a vibrant culinary destination to support the area’s expansion in Sun Valley just down 13th. We wanted to provide something that would support that growth.”

In addition to the food hall, the west building will be transformed into a coworking space, designed to foster collaboration and creativity. The workspace will be a two-story building, including an office patio and bike racks with 16 spaces near it, based on concept plans submitted to the city.

“We’re kind of picturing somewhat of an industrial-like office building,” said Jeff Ayres, who is vice president of Development at Thrive Development Co. With features like woodwork and concrete floors, Ayres said they want to maintain some of the building’s existing character.

According to Ayres, the space will also include conference rooms, a kitchen area, 80-square-feet office spaces and four-person office suites.

The project vision document stated that Thrive hopes the space will also serve as a green oasis in the city, featuring a beer garden and outdoor entertainment area in between the two buildings.

The project team consists of a design team with extensive food hall experience, led by Meridian 105 Architecture and Heltshe Design. Thrive has hired Brightlighter Engineering for civil engineering and Katz Company for kitchen design.

Meridian has also selected RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture, Fortis Structural LLC, RJA Engineering for MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) engineering and Group14 Engineering as the energy consultant.

Thrive is in talks with a few contractors who have experience in food hall projects but have not yet selected a final general contractor.