Food hall planned as Westminster agrees to sell Shoenberg Farms buildings

A pair of developers who are purchasing historic farm buildings in Westminster from the city want to turn a dairy barn into a food hall.

MJ Developers, a group formed by John Crays and Matthew Lawrence specifically for this project, is set to pay just $10 for 0.81 acres at 7231 Sheridan Blvd. and 5202 W. 73rd Ave. in the suburb north of Denver. The Westminster City Council approved the deal Monday night.

“There’s a need for an area where people can congregate, get together and dine – it’s a crucial part of human interaction – and we’re playing into that need,” Lawrence said.

The site is home to a dairy barn, farmhouse, pump, milk and carriage house and two silos. The structures were once the heart of Shoenberg Farms, which operated for the bulk of the last century.

Westminster bought the buildings in 2008 for $664,182 with the goal of restoring the structures to some degree and selling them to a private buyer. The city solicited multiple bids over the ye...