Alterra’s Denver headquarters plan reaches a 64,654-square-foot lease filing

Alterra Mountain Company’s proposed headquarters move to the former Denver Post building has reached a specific city lease filing. A Denver file created September 8 calls for Alterra to lease approximately 64,654 square feet at city-owned 101 W. Colfax Ave. As of a September 24 review, the docket listed it as a committee action item, without final approval.

For Alterra employees, the filing identifies a possible new workplace rather than a completed move. For residents, it puts a specific public building at the center of a proposed office deal. The filing does not establish that staff have moved in, how many would work there or the terms of an executed lease.

The loan authorization came first

In its account of a July 22 decision, the Downtown Denver Partnership said the Downtown Denver Development Authority authorized up to $7 million in loan funding for Alterra, conditional on the company selecting a location within the authority’s boundaries. That authorization preceded the city filing that named 101 W. Colfax. It did not, by itself, approve a lease for the building.

The $7 million is a ceiling on potential loan funding, not a grant or evidence that Alterra borrowed or received that amount. The Partnership also projected that the move would bring 400 jobs downtown. That figure describes prospective jobs in the district; it is neither a count of newly created positions nor a measured headcount at the building.

The lease still needs a decision

The official minutes of the September 15 committee meeting record no action on lease file 26-1337. The city docket showed no final action as of September 24. It displays October 20 in an “On agenda” field, but that entry is not evidence of a vote or an approved agreement.

Alterra’s September 9 company release still published 3501 Wazee St. as its Denver contact address. A published contact address does not establish where every employee works or when another office might open. The records reviewed here provide no confirmed move-in date, loan disbursement or hiring attributable to the proposal.

The consequential next step is a documented city decision on the lease. Until then, the proposed address and floor area describe a potential tenancy, while the loan figure describes available financing rather than money spent.