Vail Resorts Development Co. has completed First Chair, its 124-bed employee housing project  in Lionshead.  

First Chair is within walking distance of the Eagle Bahn Gondola and Chair 8.

The employee-housing project was designed by Oz Architects; Mauriello Planning Group provided land-planning consultation; and R.A. Nelson & Associates served as general contractor.

The four-story, three- and four-bedroom unit building, located on the southern end of the pedestrian bridge that crosses Interstate 70, includes parking and new snow-melted pedestrian walkways along the south and east sides of the project. 

Interested in learning more about the redevelopment of Denver Union Station? Take a free walking tour!

The Denver Union Station Project Authority (DUSPA) will be conducting free walking tours of the Denver Union Station redevelopment site this summer. The tours will be held at 4:30 p.m., starting on Thursday, May 19 and continuing on the first and third Thursdays of the month through September.

The one-hour tour will depart from the main entrance of the historic station on Wynkoop Street.

The walking tour will include information on the storied history of Union Station from the late 1800s to the present day. You will learn about the early station buildings and famous travelers who visited Denver by train, hear about the new Union Station Neighborhood and its transformation of downtown and witness construction of the largest transportation redevelopment project in North America first hand.

Participation is limited to 25 people per tour. To reserve your spot, visit www.denverunionstation.org.

A private investor has paid $42 million for The Views I and II office park in Broomfield.

The Views includes two five-story office buildings totaling 336,761 square feet at 11800 and 11802 Ridge Parkway. The property, built in 2000-01 near the Interlocken Loop was 92 percent leased at the time of the sale.

The investor bought The Views from Equastone Real Estate Investment Advisors, which was represented by Riki Hashimoto and Dan Grooters of Grubb & Ellis Co.

A 50-unit affordable apartment community has opened at 5100 W. Alameda Ave. in Denver.

Los Altos de Alameda, a 56,000-square-foot building developed by St. Charles Town Co. and MGL Partners, is available to families earning between 40 percent and 50 percent of the Denver area median income.

The project was sandwiched between an abandoned liquor store and a bar. During construction, the liquor store became available and St. Charles Town Co. put it under contract. It then sold the property to Volunteers of America Colorado, which is building a Head Start daycare facility on the site.

Opus Design Build LLC has been awarded a contract to build a 140,000-square-foot expansion to the Oneida Cold Storage and Warehouse facility in Henderson.

The expansion, which will bring the facility to 445,000 square feet, is expected to be finished in August.

Fort Collins-based Funding Partners will handle loan origination for the Greeley Area Habitat for Humanity under an agreement announced today.

Funding Partners administers loan underwriting, processing and servicing for 26 affordable housing programs. It has developed programs that address the low-income community’s housing needs and effective ways of fulfilling those needs.

The Greeley-area Habitat works with Weld County families earning 30 percent to 60 percent of area median income to give them the tools they need to become homeowners.

Jim Martinez has been named chairman of the Denver Urban Renewal Authority, becoming the first Latino to fill the position.

Martinez, director of business development at CM Strategy Group, has served on the DURA board since 2002.

Martinez is former regional manager of the U.S. Census Bureau for Colorado and Wyoming and was the deputy director of the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade under former Mayor Wellington Webb.

DURA is a redevelopment agency that engages in neighborhood and downtown revitalization.

Kentwood Real Estate is teaming up with Denver.com to provide neighborhood and community information in the metro area.

The partnership will allow DenverRealEstate.com, Kentwood’s leading web site, to extend its market reach while providing advanced real estate search capabilities on Denver.com.

The partnership gives users a way to explore the city and discover areas that fit their lifestyle preferences.

Thinking of moving from the ‘burbs to the city?

Learn more about making the transition at an event Saturday hosted by real estate brokers and downtown experts Paul Tamburello and Rick Flanagan.

The free event will take place from 10:00 a.m. to noon at 34th and Tejon in Denver’s Highland neighborhood.

Topics to be covered include:

* How to downsize from a large home and live comfortably in a smaller downtown residence.

* How to prepare your family for change and how to begin the process.

* Rightsizing versus downsizing: How to know when it’s time to rightsize.

Following the event, attendees will be directed to some of the fun places and great restaurants to visit in the Highland neighborhood.

A 102.5-acre ranch near Aspen will sell at a live, on-site auction on April 19.

Originally listed for $8.95 million, Cedar Ridge, overlooking Mount Sopris, will be auctioned in two parcels then as a whole. It will sell to the highest collective bid.

Located at 3059 County Road 103, the 8,573-square-foot main residence includes a five-bedroom, 5 1/2-bath custom home by architect Ron Robertson. It features various smart-home amenities and green technology, including geo-thermal heating and cooling, an air-exchanger, sun screens or overhangs, an aluminum roof and eight decks that each have a tile decking system to hold the heat from the sun and melt snow and ice in winter, draining the water away from the home.

A 1,085-square-foot guest house and a 1,976-square-foot caretaker’s duplex provide room for employees and guests.

The property also has a 14,000-square-foot indoor riding arena, 20-stall barn with two outdoor arenas and paddocks.

The property is open for preview daily from 1 to 4 p.m. by appointment. For more details visit CedarRidgeAuction.com or call 877-472-3686.