Sloans Lake Block 3
THE ASSIGNMENT
Sloan's Lake Block 3 sits on 2.3 acres across from Sloan's Lake Park — the northeast corner of the former St. Anthony's Hospital campus. The redevelopment plan called for 49 affordable apartments and 25 market-rate townhomes in the adaptively-reused Kuhlman Building, with 7,320 square feet of retail activating the ground floor and a new stand-alone building anchoring the public plaza.
Trailbreak Partners and Koelbel and Company weren't looking for tenants. They were looking for a retail identity for a neighborhood that didn't yet have one — concepts that would draw traffic beyond the immediate residents, complement each other rather than compete, and honor the historic character of a 1940s nurses' quarters that had served the hospital for over a century.
We were engaged to lead the retail leasing strategy. Not as a signage-and-broadcast exercise. As curation.
THE ASSIGNMENT
Sloan's Lake Block 3 sits on 2.3 acres across from Sloan's Lake Park — the northeast corner of the former St. Anthony's Hospital campus. The redevelopment plan called for 49 affordable apartments and 25 market-rate townhomes in the adaptively-reused Kuhlman Building, with 7,320 square feet of retail activating the ground floor and a new stand-alone building anchoring the public plaza.
Trailbreak Partners and Koelbel and Company weren't looking for tenants. They were looking for a retail identity for a neighborhood that didn't yet have one — concepts that would draw traffic beyond the immediate residents, complement each other rather than compete, and honor the historic character of a 1940s nurses' quarters that had served the hospital for over a century.
We were engaged to lead the retail leasing strategy. Not as a signage-and-broadcast exercise. As curation.
THE COMPLICATION
The core difficulty wasn't finding tenants willing to sign a lease. It was finding the right tenants willing to bet on trajectory.
Sloan's Lake had recreation, residents, and momentum — but no proven retail history and no established retail identity. Any operator signing a lease at Block 3 was committing to a market that hadn't yet defined itself, in a building whose historic bones weren't designed for restaurant or brewery use. Tenant uncertainty was real. Infrastructure decisions had to be made without a comp set. And the affordable-housing mission of the broader Sienna redevelopment shaped what could work economically.
The assignment required tenants willing to help define the neighborhood — not just occupy space within i
THE APPROACH
The retail mix ultimately assembled at Block 3 wasn't obvious. Two concepts, each addressing different day-parts and audiences, each requiring a different licensed capacity to bring across the finish line.
Odell Sloan's Lake Brewhouse — Agency Representation
Odell Brewing is one of Colorado's most recognized craft brands. Bringing them to Sloan's Lake meant matching their expansion criteria to a specific site: a repositioned historic auditorium at the north end of Block 3, with room for a 10-barrel pilot brewery, scratch pizza kitchen, and rooftop patio overlooking the lake and Rockies.
On this transaction, we represented Trailbreak Partners and Koelbel and Company in an agency capacity — advocating for ownership's interests through concept validation, deal structure, and negotiations with Odell's own representation. Single-agency representation, single fiduciary duty. That's how the Odell deal was structured.
The Patio at Sloan's Group — Transaction Broker
The second concept didn't exist yet. We identified a local restaurant group with the operational depth to build something purpose-fit for the site: a dual-format concept serving morning coffee and pastries for the Sloan's Lake recreation crowd, then transitioning to a full restaurant and bar with an outdoor plaza in the afternoon and evening. A gap the neighborhood had — daily gathering place — filled by a concept designed specifically for the property.
Because this deal required close collaboration with both the ownership and the tenant group throughout concept development and lease negotiation, we served as Transaction Broker — Colorado's licensed non-agency capacity that permits facilitation of both sides in a transaction without the conflict inherent to dual agency. Colorado brokerage law prohibits dual agency. Transaction Broker was the appropriate license to hold, and it's the license we held
THE JUDGMENT
Different deals require different licensed capacities. Recognizing which capacity applies — and holding it correctly — is how we operate.
"Handling business in a legal and ethical manner isn't a marketing claim. It's how the work gets done, every deal, every time."
The retail curation mattered. So did the license under which each transaction was executed. Sophisticated ownership groups notice both.
THE OUTCOME
The Patio opened fall 2019. Odell Sloan's Lake Brewhouse followed in 2020, occupying the historic Kuhlman Auditorium. Both remain operational, and both continue to serve as anchors of the retail experience at Sienna on Sloan's Lake.
At the project's opening, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock cited the Kuhlman Building redevelopment as a project that preserved the neighborhood's history, character, and sense of community. The retail program contributed to that outcome — not just as leasing, but as intentional placemaking.
Client (Odell Deal): Trailbreak Partners / Koelbel and Company (Agent)
Parties (Patio Deal): Trailbreak Partners / Koelbel and Company; Patio at Sloan's Group (Transaction Broker)
Tenants: Odell Brewing Company, The Patio