Fourth Sprouts location debuts in revitalized area of Colorado Springs

A fourth Sprouts Farmers Market will debut Friday along South Nevada Avenue in Colorado Springs, expanding the reach of the Arizona-based healthy living grocery and adding another key piece to the yearslong, public-private redevelopment effort along the corridor.

The roughly 23,000-square-foot store will open at 7 a.m. at 1720 S. Nevada Ave., southwest of Nevada and Ramona avenues and south of downtown. Sprouts also has locations southwest of Powers Boulevard and Barnes Road, northwest of Academy and Dublin boulevards and southeast of Voyager Parkway and North Gate Boulevard, all in the Springs.

Sprouts is known for natural and organic food offerings; its stores include fresh produce, meat and seafood, bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, packaged groceries, baked goods, dairy products, frozen foods, natural body care and household items. The chain has more than 390 stores in 23 states, according to a news release.

Friday’s grand opening will stretch through Sunday with music, giveaways, produce tastings, games and face paintings, among other activities, the news release said. The first 200 shoppers on Friday and Saturday will receive a free reusable bag filled with special products and samples.

The newest Sprouts will be part of the Creekwalk shopping center, which is a major element of Nevada Avenue’s makeover.

In 2015, the city designated roughly 100 acres on the east and west sides of Nevada — about 1½ miles south of downtown — as an urban renewal site.

Since then, real estate developers who’ve acquired property in the area have demolished dozens of buildings as they seek to transform South Nevada and nearby South Tejon Street from aging motels, pawn shops and used car lots into new restaurants, stores and other uses. Wider sidewalks, road and traffic signal enhancements and utility upgrades are among public improvements that also are part of the redevelopment project.

A small shopping center that was built southwest of Nevada and Navajo Street now houses Natural Grocers, Chick-fil-A, Five Guys Burgers & Fries and Parry’s Sliceria & Taps, while a multitenant building northwest of Nevada and Ramona is home to Smashburger, Tokyo Joe’s, European Wax Center and an AT&T Store.

The mix of tenants at Creekwalk, a 52,000-square-foot, five-building retail center built northwest of Nevada and Cheyenne Road, includes Fuzzy’s Tacos, Nékter Juice Bar, Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, Crumbl Cookies, Mod Pizza, Just Love Coffee, apparel store Lululemon, Veda Salon & Spa, Orange Theory Fitness, Club Pilates and The Oak Barrel Wine + Spirits store.

The shopping center also features its namesake amenity — a reclaimed portion of Cheyenne Creek that stretches from Cheyenne Road to St. Elmo Avenue.

The creek channel was rebuilt and landscaped with trees, grassy areas and decorative rocks and boulders; a sidewalk allows shoppers and visitors to stroll along the creek and enjoy refurbished kinetic sculptures designed by renowned local artist Starr Kempf.

A rendering shows the proposed Creekwalk Apartments project, which could have up to 400 units within a seven-story building, between East St. Elmo and East Ramona avenues just west of South Nevada Avenue.

Sprouts was built just northeast of Creekwalk. Shopping center developer Danny Mientka of Colorado Springs now plans a 350- to 400-unit apartment building just west of the grocery; the City Council approved the project last week.

“It’s a major milestone to have Sprouts come in and anchor South Nevada,” Mientka said.

The grocery, which had been looking at the trade area for years, took “a leap of faith” that infrastructure and other public improvements that were proposed as part of South Nevada’s redevelopment would come to fruition, Mientka said.

Sprouts’ loyal following will pull shoppers from nearby and surrounding neighborhoods such as Skyway, Gold Hill Mesa and Stratton Meadows, he said.

“We’re excited; it’s really positive for South Nevada and it will encourage other development to follow,” Mientka said. “That’s the name of the game.”

Jariah Walker, the Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority’s executive director, said Sprouts will provide another option for shoppers while it helps draw more residential development to the area.

“Natural Grocers even carries products that you’re not going to find at Sprouts,” Walker said. “Each of those places has a very dedicated clientele or customers that go to them. I think it’s actually going to be better for both Sprouts and Natural Grocers, for them both to be there ... because it just brings more foot traffic and more people into that area.”

Sales of Colorado Springs-area single-family homes totaled 1,119 in July, a major falloff from the same month last year, according to the Pikes Peak Association of Realtors' latest market trends report.

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