Abandoned Stanley aviation factory taking flight as Aurora biz hub

AURORA | For more than 50 years, the titanic Stanley Aviation facility in the northwest corner of Aurora stood as a bulwark of invention and innovation. Now, the factory that seemed to have closed its doors on Aurora forever is harnessing those same ideals and embarking on the newest chapter in its long and storied existence.

The Stanley building will be getting a major facelift over the next 12 months as it is converted into Stanley Marketplace, a mixed-use urban market slated to house over three dozen vendors that range from specialty retail shops to fitness centers.

“We have a really diverse merchandising plan, so there’s real versatility and flexibility, with a combination of restaurants, retailers, fitness components and a lot of kids programming coming in, so it’s a nice balance,” Mark Shaker, one of the founding partners of Flightline Ventures, the development team spearheading the project said. “We’re working to put together a group of like-minded businesses that share values and principles but then also can drive activity here 18 hours a day so there’s a constant flow and a reason to be here in the morning, afternoon and the evening.”

Gerald Gould (left) and Mike Riendeau (right) compare floor plans from different decades to determine where to take samples from in order to move forward with construction Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The 100,000 square footage will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

Gerald Gould compares the blueprints from different decades to what is currently built to determine where to take samples from in order to move forward with construction Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The 100,000 square footage will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

Gerald Gould (left) and Mike Riendeau (right) compare floor plans from different decades to determine where to take samples from in order to move forward with construction Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The 100,000 square footage will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

Floor plans from different decades are used to determine where to take samples from in order to move forward with construction Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The 100,000 square footage will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

Mike Riendeau (left) and Gerald Gould (right) compare floor plans from different decades to determine where to take samples from in order to move forward with construction Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The 100,000 square footage will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

Red tape marks traffic lanes at the empty warehouse Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The building will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

Mike Riendeau (left) and Gerald Gould (right) compare floor plans from different decades to determine where to take samples from in order to move forward with construction Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The 100,000 square footage will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

A welcome desk collects dust and caution tape Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The building will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

A welcome desk collects dust and caution tape Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The building will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

A weathered sign marks its territory Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The 100,000 square footage will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

A pile of dummy M16s used for weekly cross fit classes sit in one of many corners in the 100,000 square foot building Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The building will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

A broken broom head lays on the floor of where airplane ejector seats were once manufactured Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Stanley Aviation was built in 1954 and after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The 100,000 square footage will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

Caution tape is strewn across patches of the 100,00 square foot building Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The building will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

A variety of valves and piping make up just a portion of the 100,000 square foot building Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The building will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

New floor plans for a marketplace sit in a portion of the 100,000 square foot building Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The building will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

Mike Riendeau (left) and Gerald Gould (right) compare floor plans from different decades to determine where to take samples from in order to move forward with construction Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The 100,000 square footage will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

A variety of valves and piping make up just a portion of the 100,000 square foot building Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The building will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

An old maintenance room still shows tracings of tools Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The building will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

An old maintenance room still shows tracings of tools Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The building will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

An old maintenance room still shows tracings of tools Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The building will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

An old maintenance room still shows tracings of tools Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The building will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

Flight Line Ventures’ partners Lorin Ting (left) and Mark Shaker (right) stand in front of the 100,000 square foot warehouse hangar doors Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. The two bought the space in order to transfer it to a new marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

Flight Line Ventures’ partners Lorin Ting (left) and Mark Shaker (right) stand in front of the 100,000 square foot warehouse hangar doors Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. The two bought the space in order to transfer it to a new marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

A weathered sign marks its territory Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The 100,000 square footage will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

An old lift controller hangs in solitude Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The 100,000 square footage will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

An old lift controller hangs in solitude Sept. 22 at Stanley Aviation. Built in 1954, Stanley Aviation manufactured airplane ejector seats but after years of being abandoned the building will be getting a facelift. The 100,000 square footage will be transformed into a marketplace that will house a restaurant, beer garden, community park, office spaces and a variety of dining, shopping and recreational options. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

Shaker and his co-partners Lorin Ting and Megan Vonn Wald are submitting their final site plan to the city in the first week of October and hope to break ground on exterior renovations in January 2015. The team is investing approximately $25 million to convert the 130,000 sq. ft. facility into a commercial center, one that could have a major economic impact on a portion of the city that has grown inert in recent years.

“It’s going to be a sales stimulus for the northwestern part of the city and it’s going to bring tenants who have never been here before,” Tim Gonerka, retail specialist for the city, said. “I think that’s going to spread out into the arts district, and when you tie that, Fitzsimons and the Havana area all together you have a new influx of young professionals and folks that haven’t considered living in Aurora before. It’s going to be hip and fun, and something Aurora hasn’t seen in the past.”

Over 40 tenants have already signed letters of intent to step into a space in the facility that is expected to open for business late next year. The current blueprint allots dozens of 300-800 sq. ft. spaces for smaller tenants, several 4,000 – 5,000 sq. ft. spots for restaurants and an 8,000 sq. ft. footprint for a grocer. With the addition of mezzanine and lofted areas, the final development plan outlines a total 140,000 sq. ft. of usable space, though only about 100,000 sq. ft. is expected to be leased out, according to Shaker.

One of the most titillating prospective tenants is renowned Denver chef and restaurateur Kevin Taylor, who will be operating a casual restaurant and beer garden as well as an event space within the cavernous building. Shaker was to able to meet with Taylor through a connection with one of his former sous chef’s, something that proved essential for breathing life into the project.

“We asked Kevin to be a consultant, and he said that he was looking to pivot in a different direction and actually wanted to partner with us,” Shaker said. “So that immediately made our project viable, having him onboard from the beginning, lending his name to it and all of the back-end stuff he’s shown us.”

Taylor said that the opportunity appeals to him because it allows for him to try something outside the small downtown Denver area where he has traditionally focused his business.

“With the exception of a few projects, I’ve spent the majority of my career within three blocks,” Taylor said. “We want to go where there’s a need, where there’s not just restaurant after restaurant, but something that can really further our reach, serve the community and be something that is really fun.”

Having worked in Denver for so many years, Taylor said he was impressed with Aurora’s efforts to get the project off the ground.

“Aurora has been so open-armed and so willing to get this thing going,” he said. “What would have taken two years in Denver, happened in four or five months in Aurora, and I’m really excited to be in a community like that.”

The city has been heavily involved with revitalizing Stanley since the facility shut down in 2007. City officials contacted Flightline about 18 months ago, with the hopes of having them advance the goals of Aurora’s long-standing Westerly Creek Redevelopment Plan.

While city officials and the development team are excited to provide Aurora with a one-of-a-kind facility, both are cognizant of the area’s demographics and hesitant to create a space that may be
underutilized.

“This is Aurora and this is Stapleton, so this has to fit for those communities,” Shaker said. “You can’t drop The Source in here, it would be different. You need to say, ‘How do we work with these communities, what works here, how can we provided value for you?’ This has to fit for these communities otherwise it would just be dormant.”