You may not know the name Ken Wolf, but you know his work. He’s the developer behind much of what you see in Denver’s RiNo Art District. Denver Central Market, Il Posto, Little Bijou’s, Sushi Rama, Park Burger … all are in buildings developed by the controversial developer. And all are part of the revitalization of the RiNo area.
The rise of Ken Wolf’s developments in the RiNo neighborhood parallel the rise in property values in that area. Some love him for this. Others hate him. (For those feeling the displacement and other effects of gentrification, Wolf is enemy No. 1.) Whether his projects are pushing the property value increases or he’s just good at spotting where the next hot spot will be, he’s worth paying attention to.
Which is why, after he sold much of his RiNo holdings in 2018, Denver home buyers and real estate investors should watch Ken Wolf’s next move into the Clayton neighborhood.
The neighborhood about a half mile north of City Park and one mile east of RiNo has a rich history of single-family homes but hasn’t exploded quite as much as the neighborhoods to the west and south.
That appears to be changing. In 2013, Wolfe and his partner bought three 45,000-square-foot buildings near 38th and Steele for $2 million. In 2017, they bought another 200,000 square feet of warehouse space across the street for $11 million. And in 2018, they bought the last pieces of the industrial park for an additional $10 million.
Flash forward to today, and a photography studio and coffee shop have opened in his refurbished spaces. A high-end furniture designer has opened up as well. This all begs the question of whether we’re about to see the same type of changes in Clayton as we did in RiNo. And that’s something Denver homebuyers and investors should be asking as well.