The Lambourns’ View House at 5115 W. 29th Ave. was the subject of a preservation hearing Nov. 30 before the Denver City Council. (Photo from Denver Landmark Preservation Commission staff report)
So-called hostile preservation bids — those that the owners oppose — are rare in Denver. And perhaps for good reason, since the Denver City Council has had a hard time backing them lately.
The council on Monday night turned down a neighborhood effort to preserve a West Highland house that’s been eyed for redevelopment, the second such rejection in two weeks.
The council voted 8-4 against the preservation application for the “Lambourns’ View House,” 5115 W. 29th Ave., which had been . The owner, developer Brad Teets, intends to raze the hilltop Denver Square-style house and build apartments, .
Support for landmark designation came from Rafael Espinoza, the neighborhood’s councilman, as well as members Paul Lopez, Robin Kniech and Debbie Ortega.
On Nov. 16, the council voted 7-4 to that a developer plans to replace with townhomes. Espinoza because he was among the applicants before the took office.
The last “hostile” landmark application before that one came a year earlier. It was for Highlands Square’s Beth Eden Baptist Church, which also was targeted for redevelopment. That time, . What’s the difference? For some council members, the owners’ property rights have weighed more heavily in the recent cases since they involved whether to grant historic status for a residence.
