The Colorado Community College System is seeking a master developer for the Lowry Campus, a 145-acre property divided between Aurora and Denver. The site contains 117 acres in Aurora and 28 acres in Denver, and CCCS issued its request for proposals through BidNet Direct on Sept. 10, 2026. Proposals are due Nov. 16, according to The Denver Post and JLL.
What will be available
CCCS expects to move or consolidate its campus activities by the end of 2028. That would leave about 136 acres open for redevelopment or reuse while roughly nine acres continue to support CCCS operations, The Denver Post and JLL reported. The property has 18 primary buildings totaling approximately 566,000 square feet; some could be candidates for adaptive reuse rather than removal.
The campus is overseen by the State Board of Community Colleges and Occupational Education. It was formerly part of the Lowry Air Force Base, a site that has since been redeveloped as a broader mixed-use community, according to the Denver Urban Renewal Authority. A separate January 2026 solicitation sought consulting services to prepare the campus-development RFP, according to HigherGov.
Requirements facing bidders
Any selected developer will need to address aging public infrastructure. The campus’s water, wastewater and stormwater systems date to the 1940s and require upgrades. The developer is also expected to handle utility connections and roadway reconstruction. Tax-increment financing and metropolitan districts are among the tools that could help cover those costs, according to The Denver Post.
The property’s location across two city jurisdictions adds another layer to the project. JLL is serving as CCCS’s exclusive real estate adviser and is managing the solicitation and negotiations, according to the firm’s announcement. The site is near the Fitzsimons Medical Campus and Stanley Marketplace, The Denver Post reported.
CCCS Chancellor Marielena DeSanctis has described the redevelopment as the next stage for the Lowry property. The selection process will determine which developer or development team can create a plan for the buildings, infrastructure and land that CCCS expects to release as its campus uses are consolidated.
