Anchor tenants so far include Foley's, which will be open as a Macy's; J.C. Penney; a 12-screen AMC Theatre that is expandable up to 16 screens; and a Super Target.

Tindall admits that Forest City is not alone in bringing new retail to the northern corridor where much of the Denver-area's growth is expected. Orchard Town Center is located at West 144th Avenue and Interstate 25. "There is a lot of stuff on the boards," Tindall tells GlobeSt.com. "But I think there are a couple of things that set us apart. If you look at the site up the street at local developer Jordon Perlmutter's development, they're a power center and were a town center.

"We are a totally different tenant mix. We're going to have some big-box tenants, but we're going to have some high-fashion anchor stores, too," Tindall says. Although the development is much smaller than the $4 billion Stapleton redevelopment, it ultimately will have many of the same characteristics, he says.