The high-density storefront rezoning along Colfax Avenue in the center of Denver is coming to the west side of town.
The City Council voted Monday to place Colfax under the so-called Main Street zoning from Irving Street to Sheridan Boulevard.
Main Street zoning drew attention last year as the first example of an attempt to rezone the city based on the desired form and feel of an area.
The stretch of Colfax from approximately the Capitol to Colorado Boulevard was changed to Main Street zoning last year in the hope that as the area develops, storefront windows – not parking lots – will line the strip.
Planning director Peter Park and the city are looking to expand the effort along the Colfax corridor from one side of the city to the other. It is part of an emphasis that Denver has placed on revitalizing the area, which is currently lined with fast-food chains and used-car lots as much as coffee shops and boutiques.
“The community response to this has been overwhelmingly positive,” Chris Gleissner of Denver’s planning office told the council.
Councilwoman Jeanne Robb and former Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth spent two years pushing for Main Street zoning in the center of town. The plan has been well-received.
Councilman Rick Garcia, who represents northwest Denver, encouraged his colleagues to vote to approve the zoning, explaining that it would be “a vote to launch a new future” for the area.
Before the meeting, Garcia said the new zoning fits well with plans to redevelop the St. Anthony Central Hospital campus when the hospital moves to Lakewood. “I think it’s a hand-in-glove kind of relationship,” he said.
East Colfax – from Colorado Avenue to the Aurora border – is scheduled to come before the council next month for Main Street zoning.
Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at 303-954-1657 or gmerritt@denverpost.com.
