Denver City Council members cleared the way Tuesday for a 31-story residential tower just south of Lower Downtown along Speer Boulevard.
The move was the last step in a two-year debate over allowing a 400-foot-high building abutting the historic district.
City planners and the developers hope to create a landmark building and park. But many residents in the area are passionately opposed to the plan.
Larimer Place resident Z.L. Pearson called the idea of such a tall building right next to the low-rise Larimer Square wholly repugnant.
And Jack Houser said the changes would be “the beginning of the dismantling of the historic district.”
But the developers said they plan to turn the area into a “gateway” to Lower Downtown and a means of connecting downtown with the Auraria campus.
“This could be a very special place for us all,” said co-developer Richard “Buzz” Geller.
City Planner Peter Park told the council the tower was an opportunity for a city icon – referencing the Eiffel Tower.
The plan has been controversial ever since Geller and David Paderski acquired the property as part of a land swap with the city. Mayor John Hickenlooper’s administration swapped the proposed-development land for land Geller owned at the Justice Center site.
City Councilman Doug Link-hart criticized both the land deal and the planned tower.
“One bad decision that was made two years ago should not lead to another,” he said. “I don’t think it’s good planning. I don’t think it’s good public policy.”
But what won over nearly all the council was the plan for a privately constructed and maintained public park in the area along Cherry Creek.
The developers plan to open up the area along the creek with a greenway.
Councilwoman Jeanne Robb said she was “really struggling” with the plan, but she voted in favor of it.
“What is really important to me & is the value of the open space,” she said.
The developers needed the council to approve two land-use changes to go forward:
City Council members had to amend the Lower Downtown Historic District, creating a Historic Urban Edge District within LoDo’s southern edge. Buildings in the historic district are limited to heights of 85 feet.
Council members also need the customized zoning called a planned-unit development.
The council voted 12-1 on both issues, with Linkhart in dissent each time.
Councilwoman Judy Montero formed a stakeholders group that met for months to negotiate the deal.
Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at 303-954-1657 or gmerritt@denverpost.com.
