●E A S T
COLFAX
PLAN
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E A S T
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
●E A S T
COLFAX
CORRIDOR PLAN
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M AY
E A S T
C O L F A X
2004
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A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
City Council
City and County of Denver
Other Agencies
Elbra Wedgeworth, Council President, District 8
Rick Garcia, District 1
Jeanne Faatz, District 2
Rosemary E. Rodriguez, District 3
Peggy Lehmann, District 4
Marcia Johnson, District 5
Charlie Brown, District 6
Kathleen MacKenzie, District 7
Judy Montero, District 9
Jeanne Robb, District 10
Michael B. Hancock, District 11
Carol Boigon, At-Large
Doug Linkhart, At-Large
John H. Hickenlooper, Mayor
Peter Park, Director Community Planning &
Cesar Ochoa, Regional Transportation
Development
Tyler Gibbs, Deputy Director for Planning
Services
Katherine K. Cornwell, Senior City Planner
and Project Manager
Jason Longsdorf, Public Works City Planner
Specialist
Theresa Lucero, Senior City Planner
Matt Seubert, Senior City Planner
Rich Carstens, Urban Design Architect
Eric McClelland, GIS Specialist
Steve Gordon, Development Program
Manager
Steve Turner, Urban Design Architect
Jim Ottenstein, Graphic Design
Dan Michael, Graphic Design
Julie Connor, Graphic Design
Phil Plienis, Senior City Planner
Bill Hoople, Regional Transportation
Planning Board
William H. (Bill) Hornby, Chairman
Jan Marie Belle
Joel Boyd
Frederick Corn, P.E.
Monica Guardiola, Esq.
Daniel R. Guimond,AICP
Mark Johnson, FASLA
Barabara Kelley
Joyce Oberfeld
Bruce O’Donnell
Jim Raughton
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District
District
Kathleen Brooker, Historic Denver
Consultants
Leland Consulting Group, Economic
Analysis
Stakeholders
Anna Jones, Co-Chair
Dave Walstrom, Co-Chair
Andy Baldyga
Josh Brodbeck
Brad Buchanan
Brad Cameron
Margot Crowe
Shayne Brady
Melissa Fehrer-Peiker
Buzz Geller
Jim Hannifin
Michael Henry
Harriet Hogue
Greg Holle
Wayne Jakino
Bret Johnson
Carla Madison
Tom Morris
Jim Peiker
Vicky Portocarrero
Gail Stagner
Ron Vogel
Stacey Williams
D E N V E R
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary
5
Introduction
9
Project Partners & Plan Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Purpose of the Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Relationship to Other Plans & Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
A Short History of a Long Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Population, Housing and Economic Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Assessment of Existing Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Plan Vision
69
Framework Plan
73
Land Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Urban Form and Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Economic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
District Plans
119
Colfax Identity & Geography of the Plan Vision. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Capitol Village District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Midtown Colfax District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Colfax Promenade District. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Transit Oriented Development Districts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
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Implementation Strategy
139
Land Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Urban Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Transportation & Infrastructure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Economic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
District Specific Implementation Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Appendix
157
Guiding Principles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
SWOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Full-Length Vision Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Glossary of Terms and Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Map Appendix
4
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SUMMARY
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“The trouble with land is that they’re not making
it anymore.”
Will Rogers
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5
60 acres of infill and redevelopment
could add to East Colfax:
◗ 2 , 5 0 0, 0 0 0 t o 1 0, 0 0 0, 0 0 0 S F o f m i x e d u s e
development
◗ 2 , 0 0 0 t o 8, 0 0 0 n e w r e s i d e n t i a l u n i t s
◗ 3, 0 0 0 t o 1 2 , 5 0 0 n e w r e s i d e n t s
◗ $ 2 , 1 0 0, 0 0 0 t o $ 8, 5 0 0, 0 0 0 i n a n n u a l
residential property taxes
Forecasts estimate that Denver’s population will grow by 132,000 people, and that the metro-region will
grow by 800,000 people, over the next twenty years. In response to the anticipated growth, Blueprint
Denver, the city’s award winning plan to integrate land use and transportation, identified Areas of Change
where the city should direct growth in order to connect people to jobs, housing and the transportation
system. Blueprint Denver defines an Area of Change as a place where growth and change are either
desirable or underway. The plan identified East Colfax as a priority Area of Change for several reasons
related to latent land development potential, access to and demand for enhanced transportation,
proximity to downtown, opportunity to accommodate more housing (including affordable and lowincome units) and ability to stimulate economic development, as well as reinvestment in significant
historic resources.
Existing zoning along the East Colfax corridor results in a development pattern inconsistent with its
future growth and investment potential. Existing zoning throughout Denver has the capacity to
accommodate 247,000 new jobs, more than twice the forecasted job growth. At the same time, existing
zoning has the capacity for 69,800 new households citywide, just enough to keep pace with forecasted
growth of 60,700 households, according to Blueprint Denver (pgs. 9-14). Without greater potential
through regulatory incentives for housing, demand will exceed the community’s ability to produce
affordable units. The majority of the commercial parcels along Colfax are zoned B-4, one of the city’s
broadest business zone districts. Under the existing zoning, it is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve a
compact, mixed-use development pattern that includes residential units along the corridor. The
permitted building intensity of the B-4 district is nearly unattainable when coupled with parking
requirements and the limited size of the commercial parcels. The path of least resistance under this zone
district is low density commercial such as auto-oriented franchises. Such development does not
maximize the land’s potential to repopulate the parcels adjacent to this significant transit corridor, and
consequently will not support the community’s vision for growth identified in Blueprint Denver. There
are few residential units in developments on the parcels contiguous to the corridor relative to the density
in the Census block groups adjacent to East Colfax (from Broadway to Colorado Blvd). In this area, density
ranges from 60 to 80 people per acre and between 40 and 55 dwelling units per acre. The low-density
scale of the corridor is out of proportion with its urban context. The Census block groups adjacent to
this section of Colfax represent a fraction of a percent of Denver’s land area (0.25%), yet 3% of Denver’s
population resides here.
East Colfax is one of the highest performing transportation corridors in the city, carrying in excess of
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35,000 vehicles per day and 20,000 transit riders per day. Despite the high transit function, land uses are
geared toward low density, auto-oriented commercial development. The transportation and land use
systems along East Colfax do not balance each other. Estimates from 2001, suggest that approximately
62% of the trips in Denver either originated or ended outside of the city limits, according to DRCOG. As
the city’s major cross-town arterial that connects Denver, Aurora and Lakewood, planning for
transportation on Colfax must consider innovative ways to move more people over time through this
corridor. Expanding the number of lanes is not a feasible solution. Increasing the supply of housing
along the corridor is transit-oriented development that brings residents into proximity of transit service.
It is not enough to bring more people to the corridor. Transit must be development oriented and capable
of tapping and supporting increased riders. The street carries a significantly high level of traffic
throughout the day not just in peak traffic demand hours. In the Census block groups adjacent to the
corridor over 40% of commuters use alternative modes of transportation. Consistent traffic and more
non-peak traffic in a corridor with a strong alternative mode split are favorable indicators for enhanced
transit technology.
Potential exists for transit supportive infill and redevelopment of vacant or underutilized parcels along the
corridor on approximately 60 acres of land. Model development at an achieved floor area ratio
(development intensity) of between 2:1 and 4:1 could generate an additional 1,000,000 SF to 2,500,000
SF of retail and 2,500,000 to 10,000,000 SF of residential and/or office space. Model development patterns
include Chamberlin Heights at Colfax and Steele (a 56-unit residential project mixed with 6,000-SF of first
floor commercial uses and 79 structured parking spaces) or Baker Commons on Broadway at 3rd Avenue.
Two and a half million to ten million SF of residential space could generate between 2,000 and 8,500 new
units and house upwards of 3,000 to 12,500 residents (based on an estimated household size of 1.5).
Mixed-use development could bring between 2,000 to 8,000 new market rate units to the corridor and
could generate approximately $2,100,000 to $8, 500,000 annually in property taxes (assuming an average
value of $200,000 per for-sale residential unit). Facilitating high quality development on the corridor with
predictable regulatory tools will stoke Denver’s economic engine, as well as provide more opportunity to
house people and connect them to the transit system. Today, the average sale price of houses within a
1/2 block of the corridor are roughly 70% of the average sale price in the stable, historic neighborhoods
outside of a 1/2 block north and south of the corridor. Reinforcing existing housing stock with new units
in mixed-use developments, especially on parcels where there is an inverse relationship between
improvement value and land value, could upgrade the area and introduce more housing to the corridor.
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East Colfax at Steele - Chamberlain Heights
Broadway at 3rd Ave - Baker Commons
Chamberlain Heights & Baker Commons are
models of mixed-use development projects that
bring new residents and businesses to
transportation corridors.
7
Adaptive reuse of historic resources adds
value and character to the corridor that can
spur economic development.
Historic preservation may also spur investment and economic development in the corridor. A strong
commitment to preservation means creating and tapping economic and regulatory incentives to maintain,
restore and adaptively reuse architectural resources that add value and character to a place. Preservation
need not be at odds with development. Flexible standards that focus on preservation of structures
without prohibiting development in the surrounding area actually reinforces a vibrant, eclectic and
diverse environment appropriate to the health of the urban corridor context. In ecological terms an
“ecotone” describes the zone within which two vastly different ecosystems merge, such as a shoreline.
These areas contain the richest mix of biologically diverse species and habitat due to adaptation over time
to the fluctuating conditions in the ecotone. Applying the same principle to Colfax, preservation and
development define the dynamics of an “urban ecotone” that blends the best of traditional development
with an invigorating mix of new forms.
Over three thousand five hundred hours of community involvement produced the vision for growth,
change and preservation outlined in this plan. Residents, business owners, political leaders,
preservationists, architects and developers contributed to the planning process. This plan refines the
vision for East Colfax developed by the community in Blueprint Denver and lays the foundation for key
implementation actions that will achieve this vision.
The top priorities of the plan are:
◗ Create a new zone district appropriate for East Colfax and similar corridors.
◗ Establish a Colfax historic district that provides preservation incentives without restricting
development on non-historic sites.
◗ Undertake a phase two transportation study that identifies street design standards and transit
alternatives.
◗ Develop key catalyst sites along the corridor.
Implementation of this plan ensures a more functional present and a sustainable future for Denver's
main street.
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●I N T R O D U C T I O N
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“ Yo u g o t t o b e c a r e f u l i f y o u d o n ’ t k n o w w h e r e
you’re going, because you might not get there.”
Yo g i B e r r a
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◗
PROJECT PARTNERS AND PLAN PROCESS
Community Meeting
Project Partners volunteered over 3,500 hours to craft and refine a vision and strategy for revitalization of
Colfax. The East Colfax study area boundaries cross two Council Districts and intersect fifteen
neighborhood historic districts and business association boundaries including Uptown, Uptown on the
Hill, Colfax on the Hill, Colfax Business Improvement District, Capitol Hill, Pennsylvania Street Historic
District, Swallow Hill Historic District, City Park West,Wyman Historic District, City Park Esplanade/East
High School Historic District, South City Park, Congress Park, Cheesman Park, Snell Subdivision (Colfax A
and B) Historic District, and Park Avenue Historic District. With so many interests needing representation
during the planning process, the Planning office assembled a stakeholder committee comprised of
representatives elected from each neighborhood association and business district. Both Council Districts
and each At-Large Council member elected one representative to the committee. The Councilmembers
for District 8 and District 10 actively participated on the committee. Many area organizations, including
the Unsinkables, the City Park Alliance, the Northeast Denver Housing Coalition and the Temple Events
Center, found representation by the various members of the committee. The representatives made
reports to their constituents, and kept the city apprised of business and resident concerns throughout the
process and ensured that the process kept moving forward despite the sensitive nature of the work.
While not official members of the Stakeholder group, numerous residents, business operators, developers
and property owners devoted time and energy to the process, and volunteered opinions, ideas, concerns
and solutions that made this a better and stronger plan. Together the stakeholders represented a wide
variety of perspectives and a broad range of the community participated in the planning process,
providing critical comment and direction.
Several City departments collaborated on the Plan including Community Planning and Development,
Public Works, the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade and the Denver Urban
Renewal Authority. There was also participation from the Regional Transportation District (RTD) and the
Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). The strong interest and participation by city and other
agencies bodes well for implementing the Plan expeditiously. The involvement of property owners,
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neighborhood residents, businesses and developers assures both realism and a bold vision of what the
area can become.
Stakeholders, City staff and the general public participated in the planning process in a variety of ways:
◗ Regular stakeholder committee meetings The stakeholder committee initially met monthly, but
met more regularly (averaging one meeting every two weeks) toward the end of the process. These
meetings were open to the public and public participation was encouraged at each meeting. All of
the stakeholders, neighborhood associations and the Plan’s mailing list (which included all persons
who signed in and provided contact information at the meetings) received notice of the meetings
held primarily in the Webb Municipal Building.
Community meeting
◗ Land Use Scenario Workshops A series of three land use scenario workshops were conducted to
determine the desirable future land use pattern of the corridor. Participants in the workshops
identified important activity centers and variations in character between different segments of the
corridor. These results were incorporated into the Plan maps and recommendations.
◗ Developers Forum In March of 2003, the committee invited local developers to provide feedback
regarding the feasibility of the future land use concepts and to identify challenges to the realization
of the vision. The developers addressed concerns such as the financial feasibility of development,
building height, mixture of uses, floor area ratio and transit. This information was incorporated into
the Plan goals, objectives and recommendations.
◗ Colfax Coalition Enhanced Transit Forum The City brought streetcar and bus rapid transit
experts from Boston, Los Angeles, Portland and Vancouver to Denver to address the opportunities
and challenges of enhanced transit technologies.
◗ Public Outreach In addition, City staff held one on one meetings with stakeholders and community
leaders and topical meetings regarding streetcars and economic development. Staff attended
business association and neighborhood meetings to discuss the plan, as well as facilitated four
public meetings at the end of the process to provide adequate community review and feedback
regarding the plan and its recommendations prior to review by Planning Board and City Council.
“A community is like a ship; everyone ought
to be prepared to take the helm.”
Henrik Ibsen
In addition to the public participation process, the Plan was also shaped through:
◗ Briefings held with City Council members
◗ Community Planning and Development staff review and discussions
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As a part of the City Council’s adoption of the Plan as a supplement to Plan 2000, the Plan document was
further refined through:
◗ Denver’s Interagency Plan Review Committee standards of completeness, presentation and
consistency with Plan 2000 and Blueprint Denver
◗ Denver Planning Board informational session and public hearing.
◗ City Council Committee and final action.
The interaction between multiple city agencies, other public agencies and the general public has been
extensive. Many of the Plan implementation strategies and priorities will require ongoing public
involvement and partnerships between property owners, businesses, neighborhoods, city agencies and
other public agencies and private individuals and organizations.
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Location Map
BL
VD
I-70
H
TO
N
I-25
38TH AVE
BR
IG
Central Business District
PA
R
K
East Colfax Study Area
AV
E
W COLFAX AVE
E COLFAX AVE
MONACO ST
COLORADO BLVD
YORK ST
BROADWAY
So
uth
ALAMEDA AVE
Lightrail Line
Denotes Lightrail Sation
Pl
LE
att
ET
r
UNIVERSITY BLVD
ive
FEDERAL BLVD
eR
ALA
SD
AL
A
MED
ED
R
Ch
err
yC
ree
k
EVANS AVE
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PURPOSE OF THE PLAN
Balancing land uses on East Colfax with the
transportation system and surrounding
neighborhoods is the primary purpose of the
plan.
Blueprint Colfax: East Corridor Plan (hereinafter referred to as the Plan) is the result of direction from two
citywide plans, Comprehensive Plan 2000 (Plan 2000) which creates a vision for Denver’s future and
Blueprint Denver:An Integrated Land Use and Transportation Plan (Blueprint Denver) which creates a
more specific vision to strategically manage growth.
Adopted in March of 2002, Blueprint Denver creates a new direction for long range planning. Blueprint
Denver broadly organizes the City into Areas of Change (AOC) and Areas of Stability (AOS). Within this
framework its strategies channel growth to AOC where there is a strong connection between land use
and transportation. This direction funnels investment and growth to places where existing infrastructure
is underutilized, where increased density and intensity may be appropriate, and where growth and transit
may have a mutually supportive effect. Focusing growth to Areas of Change steers it away from areas
where growth may have a negative impact on existing character and stable development (see Blueprint
Denver Areas of Change map on page 19).
Several geographic terms in this plan describe East Colfax and its environs.
◗ The East Colfax “study area” describes all of the parcels between Grant Street and Colorado
Boulevard from 14th Avenue to 16th Avenue.
◗ The East Colfax “Areas of Change” include all or part of two Areas of Change
(see Blueprint Denver Areas of Change Map):
❚ Downtown
❚ East Colfax (West of Colorado)
◗ In this plan the East Colfax “corridor” is used interchangeably to mean commercial parcels adjacent
to the corridor, as well as the more fluid area of influence beyond these parcels between 14th and
16th Avenues.
◗ Other terms refer to a variety of geographic boundaries such as trade area, districts, node, station
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areas, activity center. Definitions for these concepts should be clear in the narrative text or
accompanying graphics.The glossary in the appendix also defines these terms.
There are several reasons why the Blueprint Colfax: East Corridor Plan should be developed at this time.
(1) Colfax is the premier cross-town arterial that joins three metropolitan jurisdictions (Denver, Lakewood
and Aurora) and connects downtown to many regional destinations. (2) Designated as an “Enhanced
Transportation Corridor” under Blueprint Denver and “Bus Redeployment Corridor” under the Regional
Transportation District (RTD) plan for the build out of the transportation system, Colfax requires land use
and zoning strategies to support the application of a more efficient and effective transit technology. (3)
Colfax is the model for land use and transportation strategies to apply on “Enhanced Transportation
Corridors” citywide. (4) Colfax contains many underutilized and vacant parcels that could benefit from
redevelopment as mixed use projects that capture a greater percent of the trade area’s market share and
contribute more to the city’s economy, provide more housing options for residents (including affordable
and low-income housing), activate the street environment and capitalize on the convenient access to
transit. The future development climate of the corridor should attract investment and uses that support
transit users and residents, and reinforce neighborhood character. (5) The corridor needs elevated
standards for design that respect historic character, reflect diversity and eclecticism, and improve the
area’s overall image. (6) Several private redevelopment investments are in process or completed
including Chamberlin Heights (a 56-unit residential project mixed with 6000-SF of first floor commercial
uses and 79 structured parking spaces), City Park South (a planned 700-unit residential project with 1050
structured parking spaces on the site of the former Mercy Hospital), and potential reinvestment in the
area surrounding East High School including the Lowenstein Theater.
The Blueprint Colfax: East Corridor Plan establishes long-range goals and objectives for the redevelopment
of East Colfax with defined activity centers at major entertainment venues and future village center
locations at the intersection of major transportation routes. The Plan emphasizes design and
development standards to create a stronger pedestrian environment and a street that balances the needs
of multiple transportation modes. It identifies unique districts along the corridor that provide the
foundation for place making and a marketable brand image. It provides a framework and implementation
strategies that will direct future growth and redevelopment in a rational manner. The Plan is primarily a
vision for land use, transportation, economic development, historic preservation and urban design. The
Plan provides a community and city–approved guide to the acceptable future redevelopment in the
corridor. It is intended for use by Community Planning and Development, the Department of Public
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The East Colfax Plan is a guide for future
development
C i t y Pa r k S o u t h i s t h e p l a n n e d r e d e v e l o p m e n t
of the former Mercy Hospital site.
Lowenstein Theater is a potential
redevelopment site across from the
C i t y Pa r k E s p l a n a d e .
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Works, other city agencies, the Denver Planning Board, the Mayor, the City Council, other public agencies
such as the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Regional Transportation District, the Denver
Regional Council of Governments, and quasi-public agencies, neighborhood associations, business people,
property owners, residents, and private organizations concerned with planning, development and
neighborhood improvement.
The Plan is intended to promote patterns of land use, urban form, circulation and services that contribute
to the economic, social and physical health, safety and welfare of the people who live and work in the
area. Corridor plans address issues and opportunities at a scale that is more refined and more responsive
to specific needs than the City’s Comprehensive Plan 2000 (Plan 2000) and Blueprint Denver. This East
Colfax Corridor Plan provides more specific guidance for the allocation of city resources, as well as for
the location and design of private development. This Plan serves as a supplement to Plan 2000.
Since this is a plan for Areas of Change and Stability, as designated in Blueprint Denver (and as shown in
the Blueprint Denver Plan Map excerpt on page 72), it provides adequate direction for potential
developers. It also provides detailed information on existing physical conditions, population and housing
characteristics and a market analysis of the demand for new development. The availability of this
information may foster interest in the area and may expedite redevelopment. Additionally, the Plan
provides guidance to encourage neighborhood stability, preservation and adaptive reuse of historic
structures and compatibility between new and existing architecture and uses.
The Plan is not an official zone map, nor does it create or deny any rights. Zone changes that may be
proposed as part of any development must be initiated under a separate procedure established under the
Revised Municipal Code.
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C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
◗
RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER PLANS
AND STUDIES
This chapter reviews the applicable content of citywide and small area plans that have been adopted by
City Council, as well as other studies (not adopted by City Council) which contain information pertinent
to the future planning and development of East Colfax.This section highlights relevant policies in those
documents for consistency with this plan.Where inconsistencies exist, proceeding chapters describe the
inconsistency and recommend new policy directions.
Plans adopted by City Council
Comprehensive Plan 2000
Many elements of Plan 2000 apply to the planning process for East Colfax, but certain chapters have a
more significant impact. As a unique transit corridor, Colfax has the potential to meet and exceed the
city’s goals and objectives for improved land use, mobility, legacies, housing, economic activity and
neighborhoods.
Plan 2000
Land Use
A number of the objectives under this chapter apply to the corridor plan for East Colfax including:
Objective 3 (and related strategies), pgs. 59-60 — Preserve and enhance the individuality, diversity and
livability of Denver’s neighborhoods and expand the vitality of Denver’s business centers and Objective 4
(and related strategies), pg. 60 — Ensure that Denver’s citywide land use and transportation plan and
regulatory system support the development of a clean, efficient and innovative transportation system that
meets Denver’s future economic and mobility needs.
Mobility
As one of the most significant transportation corridors in the region, all of the mobility objectives apply to
the planning process for East Colfax, except for Objective 10 related to air travel strategies. The mobility
E A S T
C O L F A X
17
objectives stress diverse mobility options, regional transportation, accommodation of new development,
changing travel behavior, public transit, roadways, neighborhood transportation, walking and bicycling and
parking management, pgs.75-81.
Denver’s Legacies
Legacies objectives that apply to Colfax planning include preservation of histoic resources and
neighborhoods, design excellence, new development with traditional character, compact urban
development and strong connections (and where appropriate “green” connections between activity
centers, pgs. 98-101.
Housing
Planning for the unique Colfax setting supports a number of Denver’s housing objectives including
expansion of existing housing options, preferred housing development (mixed-use and mixed-income
along transit lines) and preservation of existing housing stock, pgs. 113-118.
Blueprint Denver
Economic Activity
Plan 2000 identifies Colfax as a top priority for commercial corridor revitalization. Under Objective 4-B
the plan states that Colfax should be strengthened to “enhance existing business centers and establish
new business centers in a manner that offers a variety of high quality uses that support Denver’s business
environment, complements neighboring residential areas, generates public revenue and creates jobs.”
Neighborhoods
Neighborhood health and vitality is a critical element of Plan 2000. Plan 2000 includes objectives to
strengthen the unique identity of Denver’s neighborhoods, encourage public participation and
collaboration in the planning process, promote clean and safe neighborhoods, reinforce the role of
schools as neighborhood activity centers, and manage and maintain community facilities, pgs. 149-156.
Blueprint Denver (2002)
The city’s comprehensive land use and transportation plan organizes Denver around Areas of Change and
Areas of Stability. Directing growth to appropriate locations and preserving the existing character and
land uses in other locations is the foundation of this organization. Areas of Change include places where
land use development may be closely linked to the transportation system (light rail station areas, major
18
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
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P L A N
Blueprint Denver Areas of Change
Jefferson Park/
Highlands
Brighton
Boulevard
North
Industrial
Stapleton
Gateway
Northeast
Downtown
W. 38th Ave.
Downtown
West Colfax/
West Transit
Oriented
Development
East Colfax
(West of Colorado)
East Colfax
(East of Colorado)
Central
Industrial
Lowry
Alameda
Town Center
Morrison
Road
South
Federal
Hampden
South
Broadway
Gates
Transit
Oriented
Development
Cherry
Creek
E A S T
C O L F A X
Southeast
Transit Oriented
Developments
19
corridors like East Colfax), neighborhoods in and around downtown, and new development areas (Lowry,
Stapleton and Gateway). Blueprint Denver creates the overarching vision for the city to encourage a
growth pattern where land use and transportation have a mutually supportive effect.
Areas of Change
The Blueprint Denver map designated three Areas of Change within two parts of the East Colfax study
area. The Areas of Change include:
◗ The commercial part of the East Colfax corridor (predominantly the B-4 zoned parcels) plus the
Mercy Hospital site (East Colfax – West of Colorado Area of Change),
◗ Uptown as far east as Park Avenue (which includes portions of the Downtown and Northeast
Downtown Areas of Change)
Pedestrian Shopping Corridor The land use designation for the commercial part of the corridor is
Pedestrian Shopping Corridor, which is defined by small-scale, street-fronting commercial uses with some
residential. Average FAR is 1:1, although this is higher near downtown (pp. 64-5). Blueprint Denver
further describes this Pedestrian Shopping Corridor, as a redevelopment area with “high-density
residential, an entertainment area with additional parking and restaurants in the vicinity of the Ogden and
Fillmore theaters, and mixed-use development throughout” (p. 139).
Blueprint Denver identified East Colfax as an
Area of Change appropriate for pedestrian
shopping corridor development.
Mixed Use Blueprint Denver designates the R-4-X zoned part of Uptown as Mixed Use. Mixed use areas
are defined by a higher level of intensity than in other residential areas, and the mix may be defined as
vertical with individual buildings containing multiple uses or horizontal where different use types coexist
next to each other or within a definable area/district.
Urban Residential Under Blueprint Denver the vacant Mercy Hospital site and a portion of the Northeast
Downtown Area of Change in the study area were designated Urban Residential. Attributes of urban
residential areas include proximity to downtown, transit corridors or regional centers with FAR ranging
from .75 to over 4 depending on the neighborhood context. Housing densities range between 20 to over
100 dwelling units per acre in a range of housing types including historic single-family houses,
townhouses, small multi-family apartments and sometimes high-rise residential structures. The use mix is
geared primarily to residential with some accessory commercial. These districts generally comprise 200400 acres. These areas have good transit access and significant levels of bicycling and pedestrian activity
along with automobiles.
20
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
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C H A N G E :
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C O L F A X
Areas of Stability
The remainder of the surrounding neighborhoods were designated ‘Areas of Stability,’ with the land use
type ‘urban residential’ or ‘single-family residential.’ In general,‘urban residential’ areas are zoned R-3, R-4,
R-4/OD-1 or R-4/OD-9. The eastern end of the City Park South neighborhood, which is mostly zoned R-2,
was designated ‘single family residential.’ As part of the implementation of Blueprint Denver, some issues
were raised regarding the compatibility of infill and redevelopment projects with existing development in
areas zoned R-3 and R-4. At the time this plan was drafted, a study was underway to identify design and
development standards to improve the compatibility of new construction projects in established areas
zoned for higher intensity residential use. Many of the neighborhoods adjacent to the East Colfax
corridor include areas zoned R-3 and R-4. These areas contain a significant stock of historic resources
(structures built prior to 1940) that contribute to the architectural legacy and neighborhood sense of
place. The Area of Stability designation connotes a desire to retain or reinforce the existing character
through preservation, infrastructure investment and context sensitive design of additions or new
construction on infill sites. Restoration and rehabilitation of existing structures, where feasible, or infill on
vacant or underutilized sites is preferable to demolition and new construction.
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
SIDEWALK
SIDEWALK
TREELAWN
TREELAWN
PARKING
PARKING
TRAVEL
TRAVEL
Main Street
TREE WELLS IN
PARKING LANE
Multi-Modal Streets
Multi-Modal Streets characterize the transportation elements of Blueprint Denver. A series of street types
define the different design elements and amenities that should be included on streets adjacent to different
kinds of land uses. These elements and amenities complement and soften the impact of a street’s
functional classification (characteristics such as traffic volume and speed). Additionally, Blueprint Denver
elevates the important role of alternative modes — pedestrian, bicycle and transit access — within the
transportation system. Under Blueprint Denver, East Colfax is a designated Enhanced Transit Corridor and
Main Street Arterial. Both designations call for an improved orientation of the street to the pedestrian and
transit user.
CURB
EXTENSIONS
SIDEWALK
SIDEWALK
TREELAWN
TREELAWN
PARKING
PARKING
TRAVEL
TRAVEL
TRAVEL
TRAVEL
Mixed-use Street
Blueprint Denver identified a mixed-use, main
street typology with ample pedestrian space
as appropriate for East Colfax.
Guiding Principles
Blueprint Denver includes a set of Guiding Principles for Areas of Stability and Areas of Change that act as
barometers for determining whether certain actions achieve the overall Blueprint Denver vision. Each
principle contains qualifying criteria, pgs. 141-142.
E A S T
C O L F A X
21
B-4 Corridor map
BL
VD
TENNYSON
I-70
DOWNING ST
BR
IG
H
TO
N
I-25
38TH AVE
W
EL
TO
N
ST
SP
EE
R
W COLFAX AVE
K
East Colfax Study Area
AV
E
E COLFAX AVE
LE
Pl
UNIVERSITY BLVD
ive
ALA
SD
AL
ED
R
Ch
err
yC
ree
k
SANTA
FE DR
r
22
eR
EVANS AVE
A
MED
ET
att
RD
FEDERAL BLVD
N
SO
RI
OR
M
B-4 Zoning
MONACO ST
1ST AVE
COLORADO BLVD
YORK ST
uth
BROADWAY
SANTA FE DR
So
ALAMEDA AVE
PA
R
B L U E P R I N T
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Blueprint Denver Enhanced Transportation Corridors
I-25
Washington St.
70
I-2
52nd Ave.
STAPLETON
0
23rd Ave.
6th Ave
Alameda
Broadway
River
la
tte
South
P
San
ta
Fe
Evans
University
Alameda
I-2
5
Federal
Knox Ct.
r
ee
Sp
Monaco Pkwy.
Colfax
I- 7
I-225 Corridor
through Aurora
I-225
West Corridor
to Lakewood
Smith Rd.
LOWRY
ry
da
le
Roadway Corridors for
Capacity Improvement*
Cr
ee
k
Evans
Yale
Hampden
Southwest Corridor
to Littleton
Enhanced Transit
Corridors
Regional Rapid Transit
(Light Rail, Commuter Rail, HighOccupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes, Bus
Rapid Transit (BRT))
RTD Rail Route Under Study
Quincy
I-225
Bike Missing Link
Southeast I-25 Corridor
to Douglas County
C O L F A X
Areas for Capacity
Improvement*
ets
er
US 285
LEGEND
Le
Ch
Havana
B
York
la
ke
/
o
ht
rig
Quebec
W
al
nu
t
n
B
d.
lv
B 40th Ave.
Colorado Blvd.
W. 38th Ave.
E A S T
East Corridor
to DIA
GATEWAY
56th Ave.
I-70
Sheridan
Pena Blvd.
U S 36/North Metro North Metro Corridor
HOV & BRT
to Thornton
U S 36 Corridor to Boulder &
Gold line Corridor to Arvada
*Improvements shown are recommendations
from previously adopted City plans
23
T h e E a s t C o l f a x s t u d y a r e a i n c l u d e s b o t h A r e a s Guiding Principles — Areas of Stability:
o f C h a n g e a n d A r e a s o f S t a b i l i t y.
Respect valued development patterns
◗
◗
◗
◗
◗
◗
Abandoned building in Area of Change
Respect valued attributes of the area
Respect adjoining property
Expand transportation choice
Minimize traffic impacts on neighborhoods
Respect environmental quality
Guiding Principles — Areas of Change:
◗ Contribute to the urban design vision
◗ Respect valued attributes of the area
◗ Contribute to the economic vision
◗ Expand transportation choice
◗ Improve environmental quality
Uptown Neighborhood Plan (and East Colfax Charette) (1986)
Zoning (p. 26)
Recommends retention of the current business zone boundaries. Calls for consideration of the
establishment of a B-4 overlay district which will eliminate provisions incompatible with the character of
the neighborhood, and which will help achieve plan goals. Encourages design review.
Historic houses in Area of Stability
24
Park Avenue and York Street ‘village centers’ (pp. 75-76)
Recommends that land uses be neighborhood-serving, destination oriented and offering regional specialty
uses. Places importance on building location and orientation so that new structures reinforce the existing
pattern of locating buildings along the right-of-way. Recommends that retail uses should face only onto
Colfax, and should not extend around the corner onto the side streets. This plan encourages shared
parking. Buffers and links to residential areas are recommended to screen uses and parking from adjacent
residential areas with landscaping, berms, and fencing and protect residential uses from incompatible
lighting and odors. Auto-oriented commercial uses are recommended to serve as linkages between the
village centers. Appropriate land uses in these stretches include automobile-oriented, drive-through, and
larger scale retail, such as grocery stores, automobile service stations and repair shops, home improvement
centers, large liquor stores (p. 32)
B L U E P R I N T
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Capitol Hill/Cheesman Park Neighborhood Plan (1993)
Zoning
Limit non-neighborhood related office and commercial development to Colfax Avenue (p. 27). Prohibit
new convenience stores, drive-throughs, and drive-ins except where designated for automobile-oriented
uses in the Uptown Plan (p. 41).
Density
FAR should not exceed that of adjacent residential zone districts (which is 3:1 on the south side of
Colfax), with the retail component not exceeding 1:1 FAR (p. 111).
Village Centers
Create village centers at Park Avenue and Esplanade (pp. 156-164)
Land use
Locate major retail and office uses on the corners of the Esplanade (p. 163).
Building location
Locate buildings facing Colfax adjacent to the sidewalk (pgs. 157, 160)
Building height
Height should be limited only by mountain view preservation ordinances. The only limit is approximately
80' for the area north of Colfax and west of Franklin Street at the Park Avenue village center. This is the
City Park View Plane, which extends to properties south of Colfax and west of Lafayette Street as well.
New buildings at Esplanade should be at least two stories (pgs. 158, 163).
Parking
Place parking behind commercial structures and create landscaped buffers adjacent to residential structures.
E A S T
C O L F A X
25
Congress Park Neighborhood Plan (1995)
Zoning
Oppose new commercial and institutional zoning except by Planned Unit Development (PUD) (p. 43).
Preserve current zoning and development scale and require business development to remain within these
boundaries (p. 63). Create and reinforce buffers along the neighborhood borders and between residential
and commercial area. (pg 35);We must address the issue of commercial/residential buffers.We fully
endorse the concept of converting every other side street in to a cul-de-sac to the residential side. (pg 36).
Parking
Encourage shared parking with retail establishments (p. 61). Off-street parking continues to be a major
problem due to …inadequate off-street parking…at the Colfax businesses. (pg 47) Discourage nonresident parking on locale streets (pg 48) Colfax Avenue – Install street lamps, streetscape public right-ofway. Design and implement cul-de-sac parking... Explore the concept of a designated area parking lot to
cut down side street parking and congestion. (pg 52).
Economic Development
Pages 59 through 63 contain a list of Action recommendation for economic development along Colfax.
Colfax Corridor Historical & Transportation Services Joint Study (1997)
This study was a collaborative effort by Denver, Lakewood and Aurora to make corridor wide
recommendations to improve the function and appearance of the corridor; identify significant
characteristics of the corridor and allow preservation; enhancement and interpretation of contributing
resources; make recommendations to strengthen the segments to make a stronger whole; guide future
development and improvement projects; and integrate various Neighborhood and Subdistrict Plans.
Parks and Recreation Game Plan (2002)
The Game Plan provides policy direction for the future growth and integration of Denver’s parks and
recreation system in the community. Three key subject areas apply to the East Colfax study area – facility
planning, green streets and breathing spaces. The Game Plan identifies significant deficiencies in
recreational facilities (particularly playing fields and recreation centers) along East Colfax.The plan
recommends that major capital expansions for recreation centers focus on high demand neighborhoods
that are underserved.The "green streets" concept refers to the creation of a significant landscaped street
26
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
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C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
Recreation Facility Need
Commerce City R ec rea tion Center
DIA
CHAF F E E P AR K
R E G IS
B erkeley
R ecrea tion
Center
Aztla n GL OB E V IL
R ec. C enter
Quigg Newton
S enior Center
BE R K E L E Y
S teel B ra nch B &G
LE
HIGHL A ND
WE S T C OL F AX
R ude
R ecrea tion Center
S UN
V AL L E Y
V IL L A P AR K
B A R NUM
WE S T
GR E E N V A L L E Y R ANC H
E a s t Denv er
YMCA
Hia wa tha Da v is J r
R ec . Center
S KY L AND
NOR TH P A R K HIL L
WHIT TIE R
Pa rk Av enue
R ec. Offic e
S OUTH P AR K HIL L
E AS T
COL F AX
CIV IC
CHE E S MAN
CE NT E R CA P ITOL
P AR K
L a Alma
CONGR E S S
HIL L
R ecrea tion Center
P AR K
HA L E
MONTC L AIR
B oettcher B ra nch B &G
Montcla ir
R ec. C enter
Cope B ra nch B &G
L a F amilia
R ecrea tion Center
B a rnum
R ecrea tion Center
B A R NUM
Centra l
Y MC A
GAT E WA Y
Ma rtin L uther K ing J r
R ec. Center
CL AY TON
CITY P AR K
NOR TH
CA P ITOL CITY P AR K
HIL L
WE S T
CB D
L INC OL N
P ARK
COL E
G lena rm
R ec. C enter
Twentieth S t
J ohnson
B ra nch
B &G
MONTB E L L O
NOR THE AS T P AR K HIL L
F IV E P OINTS
UNION
J E F F E R S ON S TATION R ec. C enter
P AR K
S L OAN L A K E
Montbello
R ec. C enter
S TAP L E TON
E L Y R IA S WANS E A
S t C ha rles
R ecrea tion Center
Ashla nd
R ec. C enter
H ighla nd
S enior Center
S w a nsea
R ec. C enter
G lobev ille
R ec. C enter
S UNNY S IDE
WE S T HIG HL AND
J ohns on
R ec. C enter
S ta pleton
R ec. C enter
SPEER
COUNT R Y
C L UB
CHE R R Y
CR E E K
L owry Y outh
Gy mna sium C enter
HIL L TOP
L OWR Y F IE L D
V AL V E R DE
WAS HINGTON
J ewis h
C ommunity
P ARK
B E L C AR O C e nter
WAS HINGTON Wa s hington P a rk
R ec . Center
P AR K WE S T
B A KE R
WE S T WOOD
Link R ecreation Center
ATHMAR P AR K
Ow en B ra nch B &G
R UB Y HIL L
Athma r
R ec. C enter
MAR L E E
Ha rvey P a rk
R ec. C enter
HA R V E Y P A R K
COL L E GE
V IE W
College V iew
R ec . Center
B E A R V AL L E Y
HA R V E Y P A R K S OUTH
S outhwest Y MC A
F OR T L OGA N
P la tt P ark
S enior Center
COR Y ME R R IL L
P L AT TE
P AR K
OV E R L AND
WAS HING TON
V IR GINIA V AL E
V illage Green R ecrea tion Center
LEGEND
V IR GINIA V IL L AG E
Cook
R ec. C enter
UNIV E R S ITY
UNIV E R S ITY
P AR K
Ha rva rd G ulc h
R ec. C enter
S OUT H
P L AT TE
Aurora Y MCA
WINDS OR
Center falls below 75% of national average
for building square footage, lacks 1-3 core
amenities
GOL DS MIT H
S c hless ma n Y MCA
UNIV E R S ITY
HIL L S
WE L L S HIR E
HA MP DE N
E is enhower
R ec . Center
E nglewood R ec rea tion Center
No existing Recreation Centers
INDIAN
CR E E K
S OUTHMOOR
P AR K
KE NNE DY
HA MP DE N S OUTH
Center exceeds 75% of national average
for building square footage, lacks 1-2 core
amenities
Recreation Center Service Areas
scaled by center size and population
density
Denver Recreation Centers
S outhw est
R ec. C enter
MAR S TON
Adjacent Municipalities' Recreation Centers
Other nonprofit centers (YMCAs, Boys
and Girls Clubs, Jewish Community Centers)
E A S T
C O L F A X
27
network that connects the city’s system of parks, parkways and neighborhoods. Within in the study area,
16th Avenue Promenade, Pearl Street, Franklin Street, Elizabeth Street, Steele Street and Colorado
Boulevard are designated as green streets. The "breathing spaces" concept refers to the integration of
functional open spaces that support gathering, recreation and relaxation within an urban context. Key
features of breathing spaces include: community gardens, public art, neighborhood history or cultural
heritage interpretive elements, seating, landscaping, drinking fountains, plazas, etc.
Bicycle Master Plan (2001)
The Bicycle Master Plan provides information and policy direction to facilitate the use of bicycles for
transportation, as well as recreation. While no policies directly target the study area, there is much helpful
information that can be used to improve the climate for bicycle access to East Colfax.
Within the East Colax study area, 16th
A v e n u e P r o m e n a d e , Pe a r l S t r e e t , Fr a n k l i n
Street, Elizabeth Street, Steele Street and
Colorado Boulevard are designated as
“ g r e e n s t r e e t s ” i n t h e Pa r k s a n d R e c r e a t i o n
Game Plan.
Pedestrian Master Plan Draft (adoption pending at the time this plan was
drafted)
The Pedestrian Master Plan identifies and creates a citywide pedestrian route network, determines
policies for the city to follow as it develops and redevelops, and identifies and prioritizes improvements to
the city’s sidewalk infrastructure and associated pedestrian safety needs and amenities. Building off of key
pedestrian activity generators (schools, transit access, neighborhood destinations, commercial districts,
parks and libraries) the plan distinguishes Pedestrian Focus Areas.Analysis of direct connections between
the pedestrian focus areas identified over one hundred improvement projects.The plan establishes
policies to promote and enhance safety, accessibility, education, connectivity, streetscape, land use and
public health.
Other Plans, Studies, Proposals (not adopted by Planning Board
and City Council)
◗ Colfax Heritage Corridor Study: Denver, Lakewood,Aurora-Clofax Coalition (1998)
This study recommends strategies to improve the corridor image (streetscape master plan,
landscaped parking areas, street trees, pedestrian lighting, pocket parks, regulations to improve
franchise architecture, emphasis on connections to the hospital and parks), strengthen the street
28
B L U E P R I N T
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P L A N
wall (enforce a consistent build to line oriented to Colfax, façade restoration/improvements,
compatible new facades — mass, scale, height), spur economic development (neighborhood and
regional retail infill), reinforce transit access (pedestrian safety, bulbouts, pedestrian signals,
continuous sidewalks, consolidation of curb cuts, bus stop improvements) and preserve historic
resources (identify architectural and cultural resources, install interpretive elements, provide
incentives for preservation, encourage adaptive reuse of historic resources). The study identifies the
following as historic resources: the Bluebird Theater, several “taxpayer strips” (Greek Town/CBID),
The Bank, Sushi Heights building,Abend gallery building, Pete’s Kitchen, Satire Lounge,Vernon
Hotel/Sid King’s Nightclub, Colonnade,Alta Court, 1228-1224 E. Colfax, Smiley’s Laundromat,
Immaculate Conception Basilica. The plan also recommends considering historic district
designation for a portion of East Colfax.
◗ B-4 Rezoning Proposal: Colfax on the Hill (1998)
◗ Report on Private Investment Actions and Problems Needing Government Action on East
Colfax Avenue: Colfax Business Improvement District (1999)
◗ Redeveloping Colfax Avenue: A Proposal to Analyze and Model Movement, Configuration and
Visual Character: Space Analytics, etc. (1999)
◗ Colfax Revitalization Action Plan (1999) and Colfax Avenue Segment Revitalization Plan —
Pearl to Downing: CBID, Colfax on the Hill, Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and district
property owners and developers (2000)
◗ East Colfax Parking Study — Parking Management Case Studies: Denver Community Planning an
Development (2000)
◗ East Colfax Avenue: An Opportunity and a Model for Development Action Denver Foundation
(2001)
◗ City Park Plan: Parks and Recreation (2002)
◗ Urban In-fill Design Guidelines Outline: Buchanan-Yonushewski (2002)
E A S T
C O L F A X
29
D e n v e r w a s b o r n d u r i n g t h e “ P i k e s Pe a k o r
B u s t G o l d R u s h ” o f 1 8 5 8 - 5 9.
◗
A SHORT HISTORY OF A LONG STREET
Denver City was born in the first blush of the “Pikes Peak or Bust Gold Rush” of 1858-59. While traces of
gold were found along the Platte River and Cherry Creek, the real finds were in the foothills and
mountains to the west of the fledgling city. Though the gold found in Denver quickly played, the city
became the gateway to more successful mining communities in the foothills and prospered as the center
of trade and transshipment for Colorado.
An early survey (illustration 1) shows roads established to points east and to developing communities of
Colorado to the south, west and north. One of the roads to Golden generally followed what later became
West Colfax. Branches of three major roads from the east paralleled later East Colfax. These were the
South Platte River, the Smoky Hill and the Cherokee or Old New Mexico Roads.
Stage routes and long distance wagon freighting on these roads were eclipsed in importance in the latter
decades of the nineteenth century by completion of the western railroads. The Union Pacific connection
with the Central Pacific at Promontory Point, Denver to the Union Pacific at Cheyenne, along with Kansas
Pacific rail from Denver to Kansas City, followed quickly in 1870. The Denver and Rio Grande pushed
south toward New Mexico, and the Colorado Central worked into the mining towns of Black Hawk and
Georgetown through Golden.
I n 1 8 6 4, a s e c t i o n a n d a h a l f t o w n p a t e n t ,
To w n s h i p I I I S o u t h , d e f i n e d e a r l y D e n v e r
boundaries. The southern border of this
original town patent later came to be known
as Grand Avenue and present day Colfax
Avenue.
30
Denver was originally platted on a diagonal grid following the banks of the Platte River and Cherry Creek.
This system was altered during the early 1860’s, and when in 1864, the Federal Government formally
established the city with a 1 1/2 square mile grant. The Colorado Territorial Legislature defined Denver
boundaries in 1864 (illustration 2). Within these boundaries were the section and a half town patent
granted by the U.S. Congress in the same year to clarify land ownership in the earliest settled portion of
Denver. The southern border of this original town patent was the southern edge of Township Three
South. The city lines were drawn: Zuni Street on the west, Broadway on the east, 26th Avenue on the
north, and Grand Avenue (Colfax) on the south. The street along this east-west line on the southern edge
of Township Three South was later named Colfax Avenue.
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Territorial Survey - 1861 (Illustration 1)
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The Southern Edge of “Township III South” (1864) became Colfax Avenue (Illustration 2)
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The more commonly accepted north/south east/west grid was established for the rest of the city. Only
the original downtown area remains with its’ diagonal grid. The platted grids of Highland,Auraria and
Denver, the original towns comprising Denver, did not join or relate with another, and were oriented to
the South Platte River or Cherry Creek rather than cardinal directions. The towns came together as
Denver in 1861, but the street grids remained, and were actually extended, especially to the northeast into
the Curtis Park area. These original patterns were broken by developers led by Henry Brown and John
Evans, who preferred the surveyor’s ease of subdivision ordered by section lines. Both men owned land
along Colfax, and persuaded Denver planners to organize Denver’s later growth along streets parallel to
Colfax and Broadway. This dramatic shift is shown in illustration 3. Later developers found the value of
the section line equally attractive in land purchase and subdivision, and few later Denver area streets
strayed from the north-south, east-west configuration.
Colfax Avenue is named for Schuyler Colfax, formidable representative from Indiana, who gave his support
to the unsuccessful attempt at statehood for Colorado in the Congress of 1865. Schuyler Colfax (18231885) was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana in 1855. Serving for 14 years, he
joined the newly formed Republican Party becoming Speaker of the House in 1855. He was inaugurated
as Vice President of the United States in 1869, and served until 1873 during the first term of Ulysses S.
Grant.
As Vice-President, Colfax became embroiled in the Credit Mobilier of America scandal. Many high ranking
government officials were accused of accepting bribes. Credit Mobilier, a joint stock company chartered
in 1859, soon came under control of the owners of the Union Pacific Railroad. Contracts for the
transcontinental railroad were made to construction companies on such terms that the company profits
rose rapidly. Shares were distributed to government officials and members of Congress, often far below
market price. Colfax bowed out of politics, under a cloud of scandal.
Congressman Colfax visited Denver in 1865, to see his half-sister Clare Witter. She and her husband,
Daniel Witter, were early Denver pioneer settlers. The Congressman arrived in the middle of a statewide
effort for statehood. On his return to Washington, a group working toward Colorado statehood led by
former Territorial Governor John Evans, pressured Colfax for assistance. Despite his help, this attempt at
statehood failed like a similar effort in the year prior. However, the group’s gratitude to the former VicePresident was evident in the renaming of Grand Avenue.
E A S T
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S c h u y l e r C o l f a x ( 1 8 2 3 - 1 8 8 5 ) , e l e c t e d Vi c e
President in 1868 under Ulysses S. Grant, and
left office in 1873 under a cloud of scandal.
The split from the original diagonal grid pattern
of Denver streets is attributable to Colfax
property owners, John Evans and Henry Brown,
who persuaded city planners to organize
Denver’s later growth along streets parallel to
Broadway and Colfax.
33
Denver growth was originally platted on a diagonal grid & later along streets parallel to Colfax
and Broadway (Illustration 3)
34
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The name Colfax first appears on Denver maps in 1868, but it is unclear when the name was first given.
In 1874 Colfax is indicated on a drawing of the city, as a street some six blocks long, with only a handful
of houses fronting the street. The development pressures of the city were quickly building, however, and
a primary direction of growth was to the southeast through the intersection of Broadway and Colfax.
The aforementioned railroad expansion efforts spurred Denver’s greatest population boom. In twenty
years, Denver’s population erupted from a meager 4,700 people in 1870 to 106,000 people by 1890. Air
and water pollution were ever-present concerns, always moving residential growth to higher ground.
Fourteenth Avenue, with its elevation on Capitol Hill became one of the finest residential avenues in the
city.
Denver became the Queen City of the Plains. The early development of Capitol Hill and Colfax Avenue in
the 1870’s and 1880’s is a roster of Denver’s famous and influential citizens. John Evans, Henry C. Brown,
George Chilcott,A.C. Hunt, and Daniel Witter dedicated portions of their subdivisions to create the 100
foot wide Colfax Avenue that would become the “finest, grandest residential avenue between St. Louis and
San Francisco.” East Colfax came to be known as Denver’s premier, treelined residential avenue, and
home to leading citizens and pioneer families.
Denver was designated as Colorado’s capital city and Brown’s Bluff was declared the location of the
capitol building. Throughout the Territory there was widespread prejudice against Denver, and strong
efforts were made to establish the seat of government almost anywhere but in Denver. Colorado City,
Golden, and even Leadville were strong contenders. By act of 1867, the territorial legislature voted to
move the capital from Golden to Denver if land was given for the new structure. In 1879, the Legislature
moved to establish the state capitol in Denver. Land donated by HC Brown, at East Colfax and Grant
became the present day grounds for the State Capitol of Colorado. Additional land was given by Mssrs.
Kassler and Cheesman in 1883 to complete the site. Real estate ownership was confirmed in 1885, and
funds were appropriated for construction in 1886. The appointed state building commission selected
architect, E. E. Myers, and ground was finally broken in 1886. The corner stone was laid in 1890, but
delays, lawsuits and controversy plagued construction, and the final completion of the edifice did not
occur until 1908.
Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
Adequate water was necessary to the growth of Capitol Hill (Browns Bluff). In 1864, John Smith began to
dig a 25 mile ditch from the foothills through Denver, providing water to the residential developments
along East Colfax, assuring the success and expansion of the city to the east. Colfax continued to be the
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neighborhood of choice through the 1890’s and into the next century, (with a lull following the Silver
Crash of 1893). However, upscale luxury apartments, terraces, as well as “streetcar retail” construction
began to appear along the street as the wealthy sought out newer neighborhoods, such as Park Hill,
Montclair, and Denver Country Club.
C i v i c C e n t e r Pa r k
Early in the 20th century the city of Denver added to the importance of the Capitol precinct with
planning and construction of Civic Center Park, followed by the construction of the Denver City and
County Building, 1929-1932. The resulting complex incorporates the federal Mint and significant present
day uses including Denver’s public library (today newly rehabilitated with a significant addition by
architect Michael Graves), the Denver Art Museum (completed in 1972 by Gio Ponti with an addition
slated for completion in 2006 designed by Daniel Liebeskind) and the Webb Municipal Building, Other
area landmark buildings include the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, dedicated in 1912, and the
State Office Building, completed in 1922.
The Civic Center Park construction in the late 1910s included bulges into adjacent streets to house the
Greek Theater on the south and the Voorhies Memorial on the north. Colfax bends around the Voorhies
Memorial, the only break in the otherwise straight run of the Avenue from Lakewood to Aurora. DeBoer’s
plan of 1936 is one of many over the years that have sought to extend the City Beautiful ideas of the early
century that Civic Center Park so beautifully expresses.
Denver Art Museum expansion by Daniel
Liebeskind slated for completeion in 2006
In the latter decades of the nineteenth century, Denver grew steadily in population and city development,
with one major pause due to the Silver Crash of 1893. The commercial core of the city developed in the
section of the city nestled into the turn of the Platte, the original East Denver. Residential development
grew away from the core in all directions: across the Platte to the northwest into the original Highland
area, northeast into the Curtis Park area, southeast into the Capitol Hill area, and to the southwest across
Cherry Creek into the original Auraria and farther, across the South Platte. Each area grew with
independent characteristics, attracting various economic and ethnic groupings. Colfax was a major
avenue into the southwest and southeast sectors.
Developers bought or obtained control of land and platted additions or subdivisions for sale of home sites
or for speculative housing construction. Rollandet’s map of Denver in 1885, gives names of additions and
subdivisions that are still familiar, if not as an area, then for the schools and streets that retain the name.
Names along Colfax to the east include: Evans, Brown, Clement (and Clements), Park Avenue, Capitol Hill
and Wyman. By 1885 City Park was in place as were subdivisions to the east for Park Hill and Montclair.
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Denver connections by rail to the rest of America were made in 1870. A rudimentary street rail system
circulations within the city was inaugurated in 1871. The line was laid from 7th Street in Auraria down
Larimer to 16th Street, then up to Champa, and down Champa to 27th Street. The cars were drawn by
horses. The rail company, Denver City Railway, had over fifteen miles of track by 1883. In 1885, a
competitor line, Denver Tramway, was formed, and this company was first to lay lines on Colfax. A line
was laid in 1886 down 15th to Colfax, then east to Grant. Denver Tramway’s electric cars were powered
from a below grade center rail. Though operational, the system was short-lived. In 1888, Denver
Tramway had switched to cable cars with extended track out Colfax to City Park, and down Broadway.
Denver City Railway, the primary competitor, had by this time converted most of its horse-drawn cars to
cable as well.
The first map of the streetcar lines (illustration 4), is from 1892. In 1893, the steady expansion of the
Denver rail systems was seriously interrupted by the Silver Crash of that year. The end result to this
period of economic difficulty was consolidation in 1899 under one corporation, Denver City Tramway
Company, with 156 miles of track. By the next year, the conversion to trolley with overhead wires, which
had been started earlier, was completed for all track. The system was substantially complete, though track
and routes continued to be added or extended.
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I n 1 8 7 1, D e n v e r C i t y R a i l w a y o p e r a t e d t h e f i r s t
s t r e e t r a i l t r a n s i t s y s t e m i n D e n v e r. I n 1 8 8 5,
D e n v e r T r a m w a y, a c o m p e t i t o r l i n e , l a i d t h e
first rail lines on Colfax. The two companies
m e r g e d a s D e n v e r C i t y T r a m w a y i n 1 8 9 9.
A second map of the streetcar lines (illustration 5) is from 1930. The importance of the Broadway and
Colfax lines is clearly suggested by their length. The map indicates service on East Colfax all the way to
Geneva Street, coming out of Downtown Denver on Fifteenth Street. Service on West Colfax ran only to
Sheridan, coming out of Downtown and Intermountain Railroad. Denver City Tramway purchased this
company, built as the Denver, Lakewood and Golden Railroad in 1890, in 1909 as an element of its
emerging interurban system. The interurban line to Golden was located just south of Colfax, for the most
part along 13th Avenue. (Colfax would be 15th Street.)
Buses were introduced to the system in 1928 and grew in number over time, serving line extensions, new
lines and as replacement for streetcars. Trackless trolleys, or trolley coaches as they were called, were
introduced in 1940, allowing loading flexibility and the removal of street track. The end of the trolley era
was approaching, however, as patrons of the system opted for private automobiles for transportation to
and from work. The last trolley run was early on a Sunday morning, June 4 1950. All tramway routes
were shifted thereafter to buses. The last electric interurban run was in 1955.
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Streetcar Map - 1892 (Illustration 4)
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Streetcar Map - 1930 (Illustration 5)
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The last trolley run on East Colfax was early
o n a S u n d a y m o r n i n g , J u n e 4 1 9 5 0.
The streetcars were a major force in determining the face of a growing urban area. No longer limited by
by the distance from one’s residence to work, people were quick to respond to developers’ offerings
along the trolley lines. Substantial houses were built near the lines, modest residences somewhat further
away. Businesses were quick to disperse along and adjacent to the lines, with greater building density
developing at rail interchanges. Two-story commercial structures were common, with apartments above
first floor business enterprises. Neighborhood identity frequently came to be associated with business
centers that were in turn related to the streetcar lines.
Speculation was the heart of development, and many properties along rail lines and later, arterial streets,
were bought with the expectation of future resale profit based on increasing land value. To hold the land
and pay the taxes many less-than-permanent structures were built and leased to businesses for the
interim. Many of these temporary structures still stand as block-long, one-story storefront buildings,
referred to as taxpayer strips. Property development as a direct function of streetcar accesss is clearly
apparent in construction periods in the late nineteenth century and in the early twentieth century before
the advent of the automobile. Many buildings remain along Colfax from the streetcar era.
Roads beyond the city limits at the turn of the twentieth century were almost wholly unpaved, and in
periods of poor weather were frequently impassable. New demands for road and paving improvements
came with the automobile. Automobile enthusiasts formed associations to press for better roads. First
amongst these was the Lincoln Highway Association, organized in 1912 in Detroit. The Association
brought together local clubs which pressured home states for improvements to roads joining major cities,
and in some cases paid for paving with their own club funds. The Lincoln Highway Association designed
and erected distinctive road sign markers to mark its routes. Other Highway Associations followed with
their own routes and signs, notably the National Old Trails Association and the Victory Highway
Association.
Federal support to the states and territories for public improvements had been a continuing debate in the
early years of the republic as the western territories sought help in their development. Some roads did
result with federal support. The National Road linking the Potomac to the Ohio, initiated in Jefferson’s
administration, was the most noteworthy of such. But with the advent of canals, then railroads, national
attention to roads was dimmed, and road development and maintenance responsibilities were carried
almost solely by town and country.
By 1951 all transit routes were served by
rubber-tired vehicles
40
In the same year as the formation of the Lincoln Highway Association, 1912, the muscle of the national
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government in a small way was brought to bear on highway development — with supporting funds to
the states which resulted in 425 miles of improvements. It was the start of an increasing federal presence
in transportation that continues today. Woodrow Wilson signed the Shackeford Good Roads Bill into law
in 1916 providing an even match for state road building costs. In a linkage of efforts all states by 1917
had their own aid programs for road building and improvement, and by 1921 all states had state highway
departments.
In 1924 the American Association of State Highway Officials asked that the Bureau of Roads (then under
the Secretary of Agriculture) appoint a joint board on interstate highways. The Board was duly appointed
and recommended in 1925 the system we know today as the US numbered highways. East-west roads
were given even numbers; north-south roads were given odd numbers. Some roads were designated
using elements of the association routes, others were new linkages.
US 40 was marked from coast to coast with Denver in the middle. The road begins in Atlantic City and
follows much of the National Old Trails Association Route to Kansas City. US 40 then crosses the plains to
Denver, thence over Berthoud Pass to Kremmling where it picks up the Victory Highway route to San
Francisco. Near Salt Lake City, US 40 overlays some 100 miles of the Lincoln Highway. The names of
earlier segments are caught up in a rich weave:Washington Road, Braddock’s Road, Rederick Turnpike,
Bank Road,The National Road, Zane’s Trace, Boonslick Trail, Smoky Hill Trail, Berthoud’s Road, Hastings
Cut-off, the California Trail. US 40 was open to the public and fully marked in 1927.
The allure of the car gave rise to
automobile associations like the Lincoln
Highway Association, the National Old
T r a i l s A s s o c i a t i o n a n d t h e Vi c t o r y H i g h w a y
Association that lobbied for the construction
of better roads. (image from an early 1920s
Colorado map)
As the Denver region grew, Colfax Avenue, which had doubled as a designated county road as well as an
Aurora city street, was extended farther and farther east. When US 40 was established on paper in 1925
and became a system reality in 1927, it was natural that this east-west trans-American highway would find
Colfax to be the logical route at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. To keep pace with the growth of
traffic, Colfax was widened to four lanes in 1938 and was widened again in 1950.
In a pattern still common to American towns and cities, business services related to the auto and the
tourist sprang up at the town edges where land was plentiful and less expensive for development. Aurora
and Lakewood were the receptors of this growth in the Denver area. Aurora grew in importance as the
first stop for crossing the eastern plains of Colorado. Lakewood served those coming down from the
mountains. Business related to the automobile flourished (illustration 15). After World War II, with a
resurgence of prosperity after the long drought of the Depression, automobile tourism brought to Colfax
Avenue a rich broth of motels and restaurants and other services for autos and travelers. Many of these
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US 40 was one of the first transcontinental
highways. An early map from 1913 (illustration
6) shows a proposed alignment as “Central”
h i g h w a y. U S 4 0 d i d n o t b e c o m e a n o f f i c i a l p a r t
o f t h e U S h i g h w a y s y s t e m u n t i l 1 9 2 5. U n t i l t h e
c o n s t r u c t i o n o f I - 7 0, U S 4 0 ( C o l f a x i n D e n v e r )
was the gateway to the Rocky Mountains
(Illustration 7).
41
Proposed National Highway System - 1913 (Illustration 6)
The highway illustrated as "2. Central" follows an alignment similar
t o w h a t l a t e r b e c a m e U S R o u t e 4 0, o n e o f t h e f i r s t t r a n s c o n t i n e n t a l h i g h w a y s .
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State Transportation Map - 1951 (Illustration 7)
I n 1 9 5 1, a l l r o a d s t o D e n v e r c o n v e r g e d o n U S R o u t e 4 0 ( C o l f a x i n D e n v e r ) .
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same enterprises served local needs as well.
The height of tourism came in the 1950s as a complement to national prosperity and the American dream
of an automobile vacation to the great western national parks. US 40 was the preferred route for many
from east and west, and Colfax enterprises were the great providers of food and shelter for the nation
passing through.
The advent of the automobile and the need to accommodate the demands from its use changed the face
of Colfax. Colfax was the east/west artery through the city, eventually designated US Highway 40.
Mansions were replaced with car dealerships, auto repair shops, filling stations, and a wide variety of retail
shops and stores to serve the increasing populace and the traveling public. Street widening projects were
deemed necessary, and the famous Colfax Avenue shade trees and wide, gracious sidewalks began to
disappear.
In the 1950s, Colfax began to develop an
edgier reputation as teens started "Cruisin’
t h e ‘ Fa x " w i t h a l l o f i t s n e o n a n d s w a n k
nightclubs. Construction of I-70 in the 1960s
and 1970s, solidified this reputation with the
In 1929, Denver’s first Master Plan described East Colfax as “formerly a principal residential street, and
decline of tourism on Colfax as motorists
w e r e d i v e r t e d t o t h e n e w i n t e r s t a t e , b y p a s s i n g now, in larger part, zoned for business and the primary artery through the Capitol Hill apartment district.”
the former gateway to the Rocky Mountains.
Colfax served the surrounding neighborhoods through the 1920’s and 1930’s with grand movie houses,
retail stores and services. 1924 saw the opening of East High School with its 162-foot clock tower,
Sullivan Gate and the Esplanade.
The Second World War brought a new face to the street as military men from Lowry Air Force Base and
Fitzsimons Army Hospital used Colfax as their access to the excitement and entertainment of downtown
Denver. The entire city had prospered with World War II and the post war boom. Colfax reflected the
optimism and excitement of the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. The basic needs of the neighborhood were
well served by bakeries, creameries, variety stores, drug stores, barbershops, beauty parlors, grocery stores,
etc. Colfax merchants and the #15 streetcar served the needs of the many families who lived in the
comfortable old neighborhoods along Colfax. The sidewalks were safe, where people met and greeted
each while walking along the avenue. Older residents still talk about the strong sense of community and
friendliness that existed then.
The end of the 1950’s saw the rapid decline of the street and the beginning of its’ unsavory reputation.
"Cruising the Fax” was the popular teen activity. Drive-in restaurants flourished. Once the home to
upscale ready-to-wear shops, high end furniture stores and galleries, Colfax began to yield to a suburban
strip appearance as sidewalk frontage businesses gave way to set-back stores with parking lots and curb
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cuts. In 1955, Denver’s zoning efforts greatly impacted Colfax and it’s immediate neighborhoods. The
commercial strip itself was zoned B-4 with few restrictions on development. The area north of the Colfax
strip was zoned R-4 for high density housing and multiple business usages, while the area south was
zoned R-3 spurring the construction of new apartment buildings and conversion of single-family homes to
apartments.
In the 1960s, with the development of US 6 to the south of Colfax and Interstate 70 to the north, the high
era of tourism on Colfax was over, and businesses had to make a painful adjustment to different markets
and different functions.
The 1960’s and 70’s brought hippies, beatniks, second hand stores,“adult bookstores,” and “GoGo” bars to
the street. Low rents, communes, and a laisse-faire attitude by the city made Colfax the hangout for all
kinds and sorts of life styles and radical attitudes. Playboy Magazine called Colfax “the longest, wickedest
street” in America. Jack Kerouac wrote much of his On the Road, while living just off Colfax in an
apartment at 1522 Lafayette, and seemed to set much of the tone for the street. Colfax was quickly
justifying its reputation as the heart of Denver’s porno and sleaze business. From Sid King’s Crazy Horse
Bar to the San Francisco Topless ShoeShine Parlor, East Colfax was the spot. The “urban renewal” trends
during this time resulted in the razing of historic mansions to pave the way for franchised fast food outlets
and non-profit social service businesses.
In the 1960’s & 70’s, East Colfax developed a
reputation as a bohemian mecca. Playboy
called it “the longest, wickedest street” in
A m e r i c a . J a c k Ke r o u a c w r o t e m u c h o f t h e
beatnik bible, On the Road, in an apartment at
1522 Lafayette, near the historic Alta Court
(pictured below).
The 1980’s and 1990’s saw a rise of citizen activism and historic preservation of the architectural and
historic treasures of the neighborhood. Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods (CHUN), Colfax on the Hill
(COTH), Colfax Business Improvement District (CBID),Wyman District Neighborhood Association,
Uptown on the Hill Association, along with other concerned citizens have been responsible for the
changes beginning to take hold along East Colfax. Residents and shop owners are justifiably proud that
the street reflects a very unique “community of interest” made up of the broadest mixture of social,
economic, racial, and sexual orientations to be found in the city.
Men and women of vision and dedication founded Colfax Avenue and its surrounding neighborhoods.
Colfax is called Denver’s Main Street, its 26-mile length serve the entire metropolitan region. It is
prophetic, that the original name given Colfax was Grand Avenue. By building upon the firm foundation
of its pioneer heritage, and with the impetus of contemporary redevelopment efforts, Colfax will once
again be grand.
E A S T
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45
1949 Proposed Freeway System - Denver Planning Office (Illustration 8)
I-70
Colfax Ave.
6th Ave.
T h i s e a r l y m a p f r o m 1 9 4 9 s h o w s p r e l i m i n a r y p l a n s f o r t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f a f r e e w a y s y s t e m t o s e r v e D e n v e r.
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1970 Road Map Showing Completed I-70 and Route 6 (Illustration 9)
C o m p l e t i o n o f i n t e r s t a t e 7 0 a n d h i g h w a y 6, s i g n a l e d a d r a m a t i c s h i f t f o r C o l f a x A v e n u e . N o l o n g e r s e r v i n g a s t h e p r i m a r y g a t e w a y t o t h e R o c k y
Mountains, many of the motor tourist businesses waned, and Colfax entered a period of decline and disinvestment.
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Bibliography
Capitol Hill Cheesman Park Neighborhood Plan, Planning and Community Development Office — City and County of Denver
June 28, 1993
Colorado the Centennial State, Percy Fritz — Prentice-Hall 1941
Colfax Cathedral Historic District:An Application for Landmark Designation, Nancy L.Widmann 2001
Denver Streets, Phil Goodstein — Denver New Social Publications 1994
Denver The City Beautiful,Thomas Noel and Barbara Norgren — Historic Denver 1987
The Ghosts of Denver: Capitol Hill, Phil Goodstein — Denver New Social Publications 1996
Bourbon Square, site of the former Sid King’s
C r a z y H o r s e B a r, i s a t h r i v i n g m i x e d - u s e o f f i c e Colfax Corridor Historical and Transportation Joint Study, Prepared by the cities of Denver, Lakewood, Aurora 1997
o v e r r e t a i l s p a c e i n t h e U p p e r C o l f a x H i s t o r i c World Book Encyclopedia — Field Enterprises 1967
Business District.
Special thanks to Jim Peiker who contributed this narrative history.
Fo r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e h i s t o r y o f t h e
development and importance of Route 40 in
A m e r i c a n h i s t o r y, v i s i t t h e f o l l o w i n g w e b s i t e :
w w w. r o u t e 4 0. n e t
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Family Households
Group Quarters
Non-Family Households
100%
80%
◗
60%
POPULATION, HOUSING AND ECONOMIC
CHARACTERISTICS
Economic and demographic characteristics in the market are indicators of overall trends and economic
health which may affect private and public sector development. Since central city neighborhoods
represent a sub-market within the trade area and region, and as such will likely provide a heightened level
of support for future projects on the corridor, the analysis begins with an overview of the economic and
demographic characteristics of the study area. The Economic Development section of the Framework
Plan contains a discussion of supply and demand conditions (by land use) within the broader influence
area (trade area). A map of these individual geographic areas is presented within the context of each
discussion.
40%
20%
0
Broadway
to Downing
Downing
to York
York to
Colorado
Denver
Houshold Composition
Non-family households: 2 or more individuals
unrelated (by birth or marriage) living within
the same housing unit.
Data Source
This chapter reflects data collected from the 2000 Census block groups contiguous to the East Colfax
corridor between Broadway and Colorado Boulevard. A total of 13 Census block groups constitute this
area. The chapter organizes the information collected, where appropriate, around three segments of the
corridor — Broadway to Downing, Downing to York and York to Colorado. These boundaries correspond
roughly to a variation in the general character of the corridor.
Household Composition
The majority of the population (61%) lives in non-family households as opposed to family households
(32%) or group quarters (7%). A significant number of group homes for the elderly and transitional
housing arrangements may be found in the area. Among these housing options along East Colfax are the
senior apartments at Grant Street, assisted living facilities at Park Avenue and Warren Village on Gilpin near
Cheesman Park. Warren Village offers housing to single parents and programs including day-care,
educational attainment and workforce development training to help single parents become self-sufficient.
E A S T
C O L F A X
49
Census Block Group map
COLORADO BLVD
HARRISON ST
JACKSON ST
GARFIELD ST
ALBION ST
COLFAX AVE
STEELE ST
SAINT PAUL ST
MILWAUKEE ST
FILLMORE ST
DETROIT ST
CLAYTON ST
ELIZABETH ST
COLUMBINE ST
JOSEPHINE ST
MARION ST
DOWNING ST
CORONA ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
C H A N G E :
O F
A R E A
D E N V E R
MONROE ST
MADISON ST
COOK ST
ADAMS ST
STEELE ST
GRANT ST
LOGAN ST
PENNSYLVANIA
PEARL ST
WASHINGTON
CLARKSON ST
EMERSON ST
OGDEN ST
DOWNING ST
LAFAYETTE ST
HUMBOLDT ST
FRANKLIN ST
GILPIN ST
WILLIAMS ST
HIGH ST
RACE ST
VINE ST
GAYLORD ST
YORK ST
CITY PARK ESPLANADE
16TH AVE
SHERMAN ST
14TH AVE
B L U E P R I N T
50
16TH AVE
16TH AVE
17TH AVE PKWY
PA
R
K
AV
E
17TH AVE
COLFAX AVE
13TH AVE
East Colfax Study Area
Population by Census Block
East Colfax Study Area Boundary
1 Dot = 4 Persons
Data Sources:
2000 Census (Block Level)
map date: 04/26/04
Please see Map Appendix (pg. 187) for a more detailed view of this map
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
Sex and Age of the Population
Males
Females
Percent
Above
+100%
Denver
Percent
Below
The composition of the population in the census block groups contiguous to the East Colfax corridor
vary widely from the overall population of Denver. This variation suggests the potential for very different
market and lifestyle preferences of residents. Significantly, the population is predominantly male (56%).
Of particular note in the Broadway to Downing segment of the corridor, the males comprise over 60% of
the population. East Colfax is particularly weighted to young males in their twenties and thirties. The
population of males in their forties and fifties is also greater here relative to the city as a whole. The area
attracts young women in their twenties. The female population tapers off more dramatically with age
than for males. The mix of age groups and sexes does not reflect the composition of Denver’s overall
population. There are 10% more males and 10% fewer females here on average relative to Denver.
Compared to the city as a whole, children and teens make up a significantly smaller portion of the
population. Females over age 40 and males over age 60 also fall beneath Denver’s average population for
these age groups.
-100%
Sex
<10
Teens
20s
30s
40s
50s
60s
E a s t C o l f a x Po p u l a t i o n b y S e x & A g e R e l a t i v e t o
Citywide Composition
2.5
2
Household Size
There are a total of 16,161 households in the Census block groups adjacent to the corridor. The average
household size is 1.52, or 33% smaller than the average household size for the city (2.27). With the
average household size 33% lower than the city as a whole and an abundance of apartments in the area,
the corridor and its environs are home to many single individuals.
1.5
1
0.5
0
Broadway
to Downing
Population and Housing Density
The Census block groups of the East Colfax corridor are marked by a high degree of population and
housing density. Population and housing densities are far greater here (72 people per acre) than in the
city as a whole (5.7 people per acre). Housing density for this area averages 47 dwelling units per acre,
while the city as a whole averages just 2.5 dwelling units per acre. The Census block groups adjacent to
East Colfax (Broadway to Colorado) represent 239 acres or the equivalent of 0.24% of the land area of
Denver. While constituting a fraction of a percent of Denver’s land area, it contains 3.06% of the City’s
population and 4.5% of the City’s total housing units.
Downing
to York
York to
Colorado
Denver
Household Size
Population/Acre
Dwelling Units/Ac
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Broadway Downing
to Downing to York
York to East Colfax Denver
Colorado Average
Po p u l a t i o n H o u s i n g D e n s i t y
E A S T
C O L F A X
51
Income
$30,000
$25,000
$20,000
$15,000
$10,000
$5,000
0
Broadway
to Downing
Downing
to York
York to
Colorado
Denver
Pe r C a p i t a i n c o m e
Owner
Renter
100%
The East Colfax area is attractive to young populations including urban professionals. While per capita
income is comparable in this area, median household income falls below the Denver average due to the
disparity in the average household size; where Denver is characterized by an average household size of
2.3, East Colfax households consist of 1.5 people on average. Per capita income ranges from a low of
$21,416 to a high of $27,476. High-density group quarters may affect the low per capita income figures
in the Broadway to Downing segment. Denver per capita income is $26,270. Adjusting for inflation,
median household income for the East Colfax area ranges between $25,061 and $33,421, while for
Denver it is $43,055. With distance from downtown, increasing median household income suggests
greater economic stability in the neighborhoods between Downing and Colorado Boulevard adjacent to
East Colfax. The density of dollars in this part of Denver is extremely high due to population (72 people
per acre) and housing density (47 dwelling units per acre). Collective buying power in a compact,
walkable setting sets the stage for the development of successful mixed-use places.
75%
Owner vs. Renter Occupancy
50%
25%
0
Broadway
to Downing
Downing
to York
York to
Colorado
Denver
Owner vs. renter occupancy
1 to 4
5 to 9
10 to 19
20 to 49
50 or More
100%
75%
50%
25%
0
Broadway
to Downing
Structure types
52
Downing
to York
York to
Colorado
Corridor
Total
The East Colfax area is characterized by rental occupied housing units. Despite this fact, stable,
predominantly single family residential areas characterize the neighborhoods just off of the corridor, such
as Congress Park and City Park South. Many formerly historic single-family homes have been converted to
apartments and condominiums. The single-family character remains despite the increase in density from
these conversions. Additionally, there are a number of high rise residences. Owner occupied units
account for only 10-25% of the East Colfax housing, while for the city as a whole owner occupancy
characterizes over 50% of all housing.
Structure Types
Residences in structures of fewer than 20 units are the dominant type, particularly in the Census block
groups further from downtown. The percent of residences in structure types characterized as low
density (ranging in size from 1-4 units) are not as prevalent in the East Colfax area as in the city as a
whole. There are significantly more medium density (ranging from 5-49 units per structure) housing
options in the Broadway to Downing and York to Colorado segments of the corridor compared to Denver
overall. Higher density housing (structures between 20 and 49 units and in excess of 50 units) is
significantly more pervasive in the Broadway to Downing Census block groups of East Colfax than in
Denver as a whole. Further from downtown, very high-density structure types (in excess of 50 units per
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
Density of Dollars Map
Density of Aggr egate Income
by Census Tract
Density of Aggregate Income per Square Mile
Relative to Citywide Mean
Low Dens ity
Average Dens ity
Above A verage D ens ity
High Dens ity
E xtremely High Dens ity
Citywide Mean = $169,537,252
Standa rd Deviation = $120,941,163
(Density determined by degree of standard
deviation from Citywide mean)
2000 U.S . Cens us - - P 83
Aggregate Inc ome in 1999 Dol lars
for the P opulation 15+
E A S T
C O L F A X
53
structure) reflect a composition that more closely resembles the general pattern for the city.
$250,000
$200,000
Housing Values
$150,000
$100,000
$50,000
0
Broadway
to Downing
Downing
to York
York to
Colorado
Denver
Housing value
Lower Quartile
Median
Upper Quartile
$1,000
Median housing values (Broadway to Downing — $150,000, Downing to York — $207,000,York to
Colorado — $203,000) along East Colfax are consistent with Denver ($175,000). It is significant that
housing values increase with distance from downtown along East Colfax. This finding suggests two
things. First, that there may be room to improve the available housing stock especially in the Census
block groups closest to downtown with infill that adds to the existing stock. Second, the higher values in
the neighborhoods farther from downtown indicate a more stable housing pattern, especially since these
values are higher than average values for the city. According to the Denver Assessor’s Office data, the
average sale price for housing within 1/2 block of Colfax ($126, 704) is 70% of the average sale price for
housing outside of a 1/2 block distance from the corridor ($176, 415). The presence of strong
neighborhoods north and south of the corridor may bolster infill development on the corridor.
$800
Contract Rent
$600
$400
$200
0
Broadway
to Downing
Downing
to York
York to
Colorado
Denver
Contract rent (Broadway to Downing $370-$642, Downing to York — $407-$673 and York to Colorado
$463-$691, all adjusted for inflation) falls below Denver averages ($448-$762) in all parts of East Colfax,
except for the lower quartile rates in the York to Colorado portion where rents start slightly higher than
the city as a whole.
Contract rent
Race and Ethnicity
American Indian/Alaska Native
Black/African American
Multiple Races
Other Race
East Colfax population is primarily white/Caucasian. However, a quarter of the population represents a
mix of races that includes Black/African Americans,American Indians/Alaska Natives,Asians, or
other/multiple racial groups.
People with Hispanic ethnicity comprise between 10% and 15% of the population in the Census block
groups adjacent to Colfax. The Hispanic population of Denver approaches 30% of the whole.
Asian
White
Race
54
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
◗
ASSESSMENT OF EXISTING CONDITIONS
Infrastructure
Water
Water for residential and other private property uses is available from the mains in streets and alleys
throughout the neighborhood, according to the Denver Water Department.
The “City Ditch” runs thru the area and is 30 inches underground through this area. Within the East
Colfax Corridor (Broadway to Colorado), it is in 14th Ave from Corona Street to Humboldt Street, then
north in Humboldt Street to Colfax, then east in Colfax Ave from Humboldt Street to High Street and then
north in High Street from Colfax to 17th Avenue. Denver Water may abandon this part of the City Ditch
in 2004, subject to their finding and developing an alternative means to supply water to City Park. In
development of a Storm Drainage Master Plan, Public Works will analyze this portion to use as a storm
drain or underground detention to address drainage problems at Colfax and High (see Storm, below).
Storm Sewers (Basin numbers 4600-01, 0062-01, 4500-02, 4500-01, 4500-04) The East Colfax Corridor
area is included within the drainage watersheds currently being studied as part of the Storm Drainage
Master Plan Update. It is important to note the following.
◗ There is a documented flooding problem in Colfax from Williams Street to High Street, primarily
affecting businesses on the south side of Colfax.
City Ditch map
◗ A major storm drain has been identified in the Storm Drainage Master Plan, which will alleviate
flooding in accordance with the City’s level of service; i.e., the minor storm.
Sanitary Sewers (Districts: Delgany and Eastside District 1) There are currently three projects in the E.
Colfax Corridor Capital Improvement Program.
There are two recent projects associated with the North Denver Sanitary Sewer Replacement. One is a
sanitary sewer replacement in E. 16th Avenue from Fillmore Street to Garfield Street, and south in Garfield
E A S T
C O L F A X
55
E Colfax Avenue: Potential Ponding-Parcels
Street, from E. 16th Avenue to Colfax Avenue The second is also a sanitary sewer replacement in Garfield
Street from Colfax Avenue to 12th Avenue, then east in 12th Avenue to Colorado Blvd. and continuing east
in Hale Parkway.
The third is a sanitary sewer lining project at 13th and Colorado Blvd. budgeted for 2007. Since this is a
lining project there is no open cut or trenching. The project starts in the alley between Jackson Street
and Harrison Street at 17th Avenue, goes south to Colfax, jogs 1/2 block to the west to Jackson St, then
south in Jackson Street from Colfax to 14th Avenue, then east in 14th Avenue (1 block) to Harrison, then
south in Harrison to 15th Avenue.
Map generated Thursday, April 01, 2004 - The City and County of Denver shall not be liable for damages of any kind arising out of the use of this information. The information is provided "as is " without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including, but not
limited to, the fitness for a particular use. This is not a legal document.
Drainage problem area on East Colfax in the
vicinity of Williams and High streets
Map generated Thursday, February 19, 2004 - The City and County of Denver shall not be liable for damages of any kind arising out of the use of this information. The information is provided "as is " without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including, but not
limited to, the fitness for a particular use. This is not a legal document.
Alley improvements
Street Maintenance
The streets in Denver are prioritized for maintenance using the City’s Pavement Management Program,
which allocates funding for resurfacing and seal coating based on a citywide assessment of street
condition. Due to limited funds, not all streets in need of repair can be programmed in a single year.A
significant backlog of work currently exists. Priority streets are ones that are used as bus routes, truck
routes or major arterials. Major arterials within the corridor include 14th and Colfax Avenues, Broadway,
Lincoln Street, Park Avenue West,York and Josephine Streets, and Colorado Boulevard. Minor
arterial/collector streets include Grant, Logan,Washington, Clarkson, Ogden, Corona, Downing, and
Franklin Streets. Colfax Avenue is a state highway; repair and resurfacing is the responsibility of the
Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). CDOT contracts with Denver for limited maintenance
work including snow removal and pothole patching.
Other streets within the corridor function as local streets; most are in need of resurfacing, but funding is
not in place to complete this work. Pothole repairs are completed on these streets on a cyclical basis to
help keep them passable to traffic.
An extensive alley resurfacing program is underway in the corridor to address the deteriorated condition
of asphalt overlaying concrete alleys. Alleys were completed in 2003 between Broadway, Downing, 14th,
and Colfax, and between Colfax and 16th, Downing and Colorado; remaining areas will be completed in
2004 and 2005.
Budgeted Projects The Transportation Collaboration Group (TCG) map indicates several projects either
starting or ending in 2003 including:
◗ Repaving Corona Street and Downing Street from Colfax Avenue to 10th Avenue.
56
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
C O L F A X
◗ Curb ramp improvements from Colfax Avenue to 27th Street between Broadway and Downing
Street and at 14th Avenue and Corona Street.
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
Parking or Vacant
Industrial or Utility
Residential Single-Family
◗ Alley improvements (see above).
◗ Bond project streetscape improvements along Colfax Avenue from Downing to Franklin and
Josephine to Esplanade.
School or Church
Medical
Land Use and Zoning Inventory
Zoning Overview
Following are the significant zone districts along East Colfax:
R-2
R-3
R-4
R-4/OD-9
R-4/OD-1
R-4-X
B-4
E A S T
Allows attached dwelling units, such as duplexes, rowhouses, or townhouses. Density is
limited to 14.5 units per acre, heights are limited, and generous open space is required. Parts
of South City Park east of Saint Paul Street are zoned R-2.
Office
Auto-oriented Retail
Restaurant or
Entertainment
Overlay District 9 limits building height to 35', and otherwise modifies the development
standards of the R-4 zone, in effect creating a much lower density residential and office
district. This overlay district is in place in City Park west between Park Avenue and Williams
Street.
Overlay District 1 places limitations on parking lots, restricts office uses somewhat unless
accompanied by residential, and otherwise modifies the design and development standards of
the R-4 district. This overlay district applies in North Capitol Hill between Park Avenue and
the Pearl/Washington alley, as well as in Capitol Hill west of the Pearl/Pennsylvania alley.
Hotel or Motel
Land Use
High density residential zone that permits high-rise residential buildings up to a 3:1 floor area
ratio (FAR). Most of the area south of Colfax, as well as parts of South City Park, are zoned R-3.
High density residential and office district that permits high-rise residential and/or office
buildings. A 4:1 FAR is permitted. This zoning is in use in City Park West east of Williams
Street.
Residential Muti-Family
Retail or
Mixed-Use
H
Other
R-2
B-4
R-3
R-4-X
R-4-OD1
R-4-OD9
R-4
Zoning
High density residential zone that permits high-rise residential and/or office buildings as well
as limited retail and institutional uses. A 5:1 FAR is possible. This zone is in North Capitol Hill
west of the Pearl/Washington alley and has been used recently at Colfax and Steele.
Business district that permits a wide variety of commercial uses, as well as some residential,
C O L F A X
57
Existing zoning map
16TH AVE
COLORADO BLVD
HARRISON ST
JACKSON ST
GARFIELD ST
MONROE ST
MADISON ST
COOK ST
ADAMS ST
YORK ST
GAYLORD ST
VINE ST
RACE ST
HIGH ST
WILLIAMS ST
GILPIN ST
FRANKLIN ST
HUMBOLDT ST
LAFAYETTE ST
STEELE ST
AV
E
DOWNING ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
CLARKSON ST
WASHINGTON
PEARL ST
PENNSYLVANIA
LOGAN ST
GRANT ST
SHERMAN ST
16TH AVE
17TH AVE PKWY
CITY PARK ESPLANADE
PA
RK
17TH AVE
16TH AVE
COLFAX AV
COLFAX AVE
ALBION ST
STEELE ST
SAINT PAUL ST
MILWAUKEE ST
FILLMORE ST
DETROIT ST
CLAYTON ST
ELIZABETH ST
COLUMBINE ST
MARION ST
DOWNING ST
CORONA ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
JOSEPHINE ST
14TH AVE
13TH AVE
East Colfax Study Area
Zoning
Exist in g Z o n i n g w i th i n St u d y A re a B o u n da ry
Zone District
East Colfax Study Area Boundary
Zoning
B 1
O1
B 2
P 1
B 4
PU D
B A2
R 2
B A3
R 3
H1A
R 4
H2
R 4X
Overlay District
Data Sources:
Zoning Maps
Community Planning and Development
map date: 04/26/04
Zoning is shown only within the study
area boundary and is for illustrative purposes only.
This is not a legal document
58
Acres
2.47
2.61
85.33
1.95
0.86
25.47
9.49
10.51
5.02
1.63
23.65
150.51
18.62
33.76
10.60
18.36
B-1
B-2
B-4
B-A-2
B-A-3
H-1-A
H-2
O-1
P-1
PUD
R-2
R-3
R-4
R-4 OD1
R-4-OD9
R-4-X
Please see Map Appendix (pg. 187) for a more detailed view of this map
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
Existing land use map
16TH AVE
COLORADO BLVD
HARRISON ST
JACKSON ST
GARFIELD ST
MONROE ST
MADISON ST
COOK ST
ADAMS ST
YORK ST
GAYLORD ST
VINE ST
RACE ST
HIGH ST
WILLIAMS ST
GILPIN ST
FRANKLIN ST
HUMBOLDT ST
LAFAYETTE ST
STEELE ST
AV
E
DOWNING ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
CLARKSON ST
WASHINGTON
PEARL ST
PENNSYLVANIA
LOGAN ST
GRANT ST
SHERMAN ST
16TH AVE
17TH AVE PKWY
CITY PARK ESPLANADE
PA
RK
17TH AVE
16TH AVE
COLFAX AV
ALBION ST
COLFAX AVE
STEELE ST
SAINT PAUL ST
MILWAUKEE ST
FILLMORE ST
DETROIT ST
CLAYTON ST
ELIZABETH ST
COLUMBINE ST
MARION ST
DOWNING ST
CORONA ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
JOSEPHINE ST
14TH AVE
13TH AVE
East Colfax Study Area
Existing Land Use
Ex i st i ng L a nd U se
Use
Single Family Re sidentia l
Multi Fa mily Residential
Commercial
Civic / Cultural / Schools
Vacant / Parkin g
Data Sources:
Denver Assessors Parcel Database: April 2004
Community Planning and Development
map date: 04/26/04
Residential
Single family
Multi family
Hotel or motel
Commercial
Retail or MU
Restaurant/entertainment
Auto-oriented
Acres
63.9
33.3
5.6
16.9
12.6
6.7
Office
Medical
13.3
9.4
School or church
21.7
Industrial or utility
Parking or vacant
Total
2.6
17.4
203.8
Please see Map Appendix (pg. 187) for a more detailed view of this map
E A S T
C O L F A X
59
institutional and industrial uses. Density is limited by a 2:1 FAR. This is used the length of the
Colfax corridor.
H-1-A & H-2 Hospital districts.
In addition to institutional uses, high-rise residential buildings are also
permitted. The H-1-A district permits 3:1 FAR. Density in the H-2 district is limited by a
maximum lot coverage and bulk plane, which is intended to produce an appropriate transition
to residential areas. These districts are in place at the National Jewish and former Mercy
hospital campuses.
Urban Form and Design
Assets
The Rosenstock Building (restored and
adaptively re-used as office, retail and
◗ Stable and established residential neighborhoods immediately adjacent to the commercial
residential space) in the Upper Colfax Historic
development along Colfax with a stock of historically significant buildings
Business District reflects the traditional
development patterns of East Colfax.
◗ Eclectic mix of architectural styles representing many construction eras
◗ Easy access to public transportation (less than two blocks away in most cases)
◗ Diverse mix of destination and neighborhood-serving land uses
◗ Proximity to the central business district
Challenges
◗ Visual clutter from uncontrolled signage (disorganized directional and regulatory signage, excessive
billboards, overuse and poor maintenance of temporary signage)
◗ General feel of neglect due to poor building/site maintenance
Low density and franchise architecture
diminishes a sense of place and consumes
valuable land area.
◗ Poorly designed and maintained pedestrian way (poor articulation of pedestrian area, varying
sidewalk width and design, cracked and uneven slabs, excessive curb cuts crossing pedestrian areas)
◗ Cluttered pedestrian area lacking consolidation of streetscape amenities and service components
(erratic placement of telephone/utility poles, directional and regulatory signage, parking meters,
street furniture, waste receptacles, newspaper racks and information kiosks)
◗ Inconsistent accessibility and ADA compliance — not all streets have color enhanced curb ramps
◗ Disordered landscape amenities, poor maintenance and limited replacement of damaged trees
◗ Inconsistent transit amenities (lack of station area visibility, few bus turn outs, marginal and
60
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
inconsistent bus stops — quality and type of benches, illumination and covered waiting areas)
◗ Inconsistent streetscape amenities, right-of-way width, street lighting, and transit components
◗ Disordered public parking (excessive curb cuts limit on-street parking areas, limited shared parking
arrangements, inappropriately parked uses — either too much or too little, lack of design to soften
visual impacts of parking areas)
◗ Poor alley conditions (cracked pavement, refuse, graffiti)
◗ Weak street connectivity (significant presence of divider streets where street continuity is offset at
Colfax) and alley configurations (alleys that lead to Colfax interrupt the pedestrian way and do not
visibly separate commercial areas from residential areas by forming a boundary)
◗ Congested traffic and lack of access management (excessive curb cuts, lack of shared driveways for
site access)
Some new construction is out of character
with traditonal development patterns and
lacks strong architectural details.
◗ Funding challenges for needed streetscape, transit, and structured parking improvements
◗ Real and perceived threats from criminal activity, particularly a reputation for prostitution, limited
use of crime prevention through environmental design
◗ Limited visibility and inconsistent street address displays on buildings
◗ Inconsistent street lighting fixtures and pole types
◗ Sporadic and inconsistent placement of pedestrian lighting fixtures — not clearly associated with a
discernable pedestrian lighting district, not coordinated with ambient lighting from businesses, too
great a variety of fixture and pole types
◗ Excessive private lighting (gas station canopies, building exterior lighting, advertising displays,
outdoor display and sales areas) creates glare and light pollution
Building Design and Historic Preservation
All or portions of Seven Historic Districts are included in the study area.
◗
◗
◗
◗
◗
The Civic Center Historic District
Pennsylvania Street Historic District
Swallow Hill Historic District
Park Avenue Historic District;
Wyman Historic District
E A S T
C O L F A X
L i m i t e d r i g h t o f w a y, s t r e e t f u r n i t u r e , a n d
poles constrain the pedestrian area.
61
◗ City Park Esplanade/East High School Historic District
◗ Snell Subdivision Historic District
The Wyman district has the most structures located in the study area while the majority of buildings
fronting Colfax in this district have been excluded from the district. In addition to these Historic
Districts, there are twenty individually designated Denver Landmark Structures within the study area.
Only five out of those twenty buildings address Colfax Avenue. Post WWII buildings have not been
designated but many excellent examples of the architectural styles since the forties have a presence on
Colfax.
T h e h i s t o r i c C i t y Pa r k E s p l a n a d e s u f f e r s
from a lack of maintenance.
Existing Structures by Year of Construction
100
75
50
25
0
Colfax Avenue has a mix of many locally historically significant buildings, and Denver’s construction boom
periods are well represented in the fabric of the built environment. Some well-crafted buildings contain
dynamic and thriving retail, offices, or residential uses. Other historic resources are currently underutilized and/or poorly maintained. Great potential exists for many of these resources to enhance the
nature of the corridor through adaptive reuse of the structures. Over the years as older buildings have
been remodeled or replaced, the new structures often times have not maintained the level of detail in
construction materials, orientation and design that the previous structures possessed. Many turn of the
century structures have lost their original form to design additions that do not correlate with the original
building aesthetics.
Periods of Construction
Construction of buildings occurred primarily in three major periods. The initial period began in the mid
1880s and continued, with some ups and downs, until the early teens. This period was primarily
residential, with some mixed uses and churches. The second period lasted from the late teens until the
Great Depression. This interwar period was characterized by bungalow construction (in South City Park,
for example), the expansion of retail uses (including conversion of residential to retail) and the
construction of landmark buildings (such as East High School). The postwar period peaked during the
1960s, and the expansion of auto-oriented retail uses, parking, restaurants, medical uses, offices, motels,
and multi-family residential marked this era. There has been relatively little construction activity since
1980.
1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Pe r i o d s o f c o n s t r u c t i o n
62
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
COLORADO BLVD
HARRISON ST
JACKSON ST
GARFIELD ST
MONROE ST
ALBION ST
COLFAX AVE
MADISON ST
COOK ST
ADAMS ST
STEELE ST
YORK ST
GAYLORD ST
VINE ST
RACE ST
HIGH ST
WILLIAMS ST
GILPIN ST
FRANKLIN ST
HUMBOLDT ST
LAFAYETTE ST
DOWNING ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
CLARKSON ST
WASHINGTON
PEARL ST
PENNSYLVANIA
LOGAN ST
GRANT ST
SHERMAN ST
STEELE ST
SAINT PAUL ST
MILWAUKEE ST
FILLMORE ST
DETROIT ST
CLAYTON ST
ELIZABETH ST
COLUMBINE ST
JOSEPHINE ST
MARION ST
EMERSON ST
OGDEN ST
CORONA ST
DOWNING ST
14TH AVE
16TH AVE
CITY PARK ESPLANADE
E
63
C O L F A X
E A S T
16TH AVE
16TH AVE
17TH AVE PKWY
PA
RK
AV
17TH AVE
P L A N
C O R R I D O R
C O L F A X
E A S T
Legacies Map
COLFAX AV
13TH AVE
East Colfax Study Area
Age of Structures
Built Before 1945
Built After 1945
Unknown or N/A
Data Sources:
Assessors "Commercial" and
"Residential" databases, April 2004
map date: 04/26/04
Please see Map Appendix (pg. 187) for a more detailed view of this map
Transportation and Circulation
Street Function and Type
East Colfax is the city’s central core transportation route, providing access to neighborhoods east. From a
transportation perspective the corridor consists of:
◗ Two one way couplets (13th/14th and 17th/18th Avenues) which serve higher volumes of faster
moving vehicles;
◗ 16th Avenue Promenade which serves a calmer pedestrian and bicycle system; and,
◗ East Colfax, which must do all those things and provide the transit spine.
East Colfax is a US Highway, state highway, main street, commercial street, residential street and political
boundary line.
Defining Streets
The City and County of Denver uses two methods to identify streets. First, the more traditional street
classification encompasses a street’s design and the character of service it is intended to provide. This
classification forms a hierarchy of streets ranging from those that are primarily for travel mobility
(arterials) to those that are primarily for access to property (local streets). Second, Blueprint Denver
adopted typologies to further define streets by relating them to the adjacent land use and their function
for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit. These typologies acknowledge that the design of a street, its
intersections, sidewalks, and transit stops should reflect the adjacent land uses since the type and intensity
of the adjacent land use directly influences the level of use by other modes. By combining these two
methods Denver has identified 13 different street types, four of which appear in the East Colfax Corridor
study area.
Local Streets Local streets provide direct access to adjacent properties and carry low volumes of traffic
(less than 5,000 vehicles per day) with an origin or destination within the neighborhood. Local streets
include all the north-south streets that cross Colfax in this corridor that are not listed as collectors or
arterials below.
Collector Streets Collector Streets collect and distribute traffic between arterial and local streets within
the community. Collectors typically carry up to 15,000 vehicles per day. Collectors in the corridor
include:
◗ Washington St.
64
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
◗ Clarkson St.
Arterials Arterials permit rapid and relatively unimpeded traffic movement through the city. Arterials
serve as a primary link between communities and major land use elements. Arterials typically carry up to
50,000 vehicles per day.
Alternative Mode
Carpooled
Drove Alone
100%
75%
50%
Traffic Patterns and Volume
Though many of the traffic counts along East Colfax are up to 15 years old — and for the purposes of this
assessment have not been adjusted, two things are clear.
First, East Colfax is a major thoroughfare. Moving east from downtown, the East Colfax traffic volumes fall
from 40,000 vehicles per day at Grant St. to 30,000 vehicles per day at Colorado Blvd. Interestingly, when
the morning and evening peak hours are examined, these hours only account for a small portion of the
overall volume. This indicates that East Colfax Avenue carries a significant amount of non-peak traffic.
More consistent traffic and more non-peak traffic are favorable indicators for transit.
25%
0
Broadway
to Downing
Downing
to York
York to
Colorado
Denver
C o m m u t i n g Pa t t e r n s
Second, East Colfax has several intersection nodes that serve extremely high transportation capacity.
Considering the high volume of both the traffic counts and the transit boardings and alightings, a few key
intersections along the corridor appear to have a critical mass of activity to spur and support significant
transportation improvements. These nodes are evident at Broadway/Lincoln, Downing,York/Josephine,
and Colorado.
Mass Transit
East Colfax has been a transit corridor through several generations of transit technology. Currently, the
RTD 15 and 15 Limited routes serve Colfax from Downtown to the eastern edges of Aurora. The daily
ridership for these two routes is approximately 20,000, of which over 40% are trips within the study area.
The corridor is RTD’s most successful (besides the free 16th St. mall shuttle) and is ripe for a technology
upgrade. The project team brought in several experts from Portland,Vancouver, Los Angeles and Boston
to study both streetcar and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as likely options for enhanced transit technology for
the corridor. Specific statistics about current transit use on East Colfax follow. All information was
recorded on weekdays.
Bus Routes Crossing East Colfax
Bus stops
on Colfax
Broadway/Lincoln
Broadway/Lincoln
Corona/Downing
York/Josephine
Colorado
Colorado
Total boardings and
alightings at stops
adjacent to Colfax
from Broadway to
Colorado Blvd.
Route
Northbound
Boardings
Northbound
Alightings
Southbound
Boardings
Southbound
Alightings
0
0L
12
24
32
40
DD
61
32
112
30
475
3
1,136
25
73
95
39
652
16
1,271
150
105
126
52
735
16
37
9
103
49
334
4
1,761
3,188
3,674
1,426
Pedestrian Access And Safety
East Colfax has plenty of medium and small activity generators for pedestrians but the limited right-of-way
E A S T
C O L F A X
65
Traffic Patterns & Volumes
Traffi c Volum e Table
Street
Date
Direction
Cross Steet
AM Peak Hour
PM Peak Hour
Daily Total
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Jun - 91
Jun - 00
Sep - 94
Jan - 92
Feb - 95
Jun - 90
May - 98
East
East
East
East
East
East
East
Pennsylvania
Grant
Lincoln
Colorado
Garfield
Franklin
Emerson
1013
932
958
903
755
411
806
1204
1070
999
1180
1006
929
897
15372
14646
14099
13404
12413
11666
11551
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Jun - 00
Apr - 91
Jun - 90
Jun - 91
May - 98
Sep - 94
Jan - 92
Feb - 95
West
West
West
West
West
West
West
West
Grant
Broadway
Franklin
Pennsylvania
Emerson
Lincoln
Colorado
Garfield
2131
1220
1178
1075
1187
1132
1189
1114
1102
1062
1114
1101
1135
1300
1052
1032
20057
18120
16903
16702
16642
16438
14952
14348
Colfax
Oct - 88
East & West
Downing
–
–
26769
Colorado
Colorado
York
Grant
Washington
Corona
Downing
Park Ave W
Franklin
Franklin
Garfield
Garfield
Jan - 92
Jan - 92
Apr - 99
Sep - 98
Sep - 96
Sep - 96
Jun - 98
Jun - 90
Jun - 90
Jun - 90
Feb - 95
Feb - 95
North
South
South
South
South
South
North
South
North
South
South
North
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
Colfax
2426
2010
982
809
413
337
668
380
264
107
37
30
2608
2197
1303
1865
1196
821
389
659
154
209
52
36
30969
26702
14344
12423
8108
5864
5546
5116
2201
1781
461
329
Source: Denvergov.org
66
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
Table of Bus Routes
East Col f ax B us Rout es Tab l e
Bus stops on Colfax
Broadway
Route
total
15
15L
Sherman
total
15
15L
total
Grant
15
15L
15
Logan
15
Pennsylvania
15
Pearl
15
Washington
15
Clarkson
15
Ogden
total
Downing
15
15L
15
Franklin (Park Ave)
15
High
15
Vine
total
Josephine
15
15L
15
Elizabeth
15
Detroit
15
Fillmore
15
St. Paul
15
Cook
15
Garfield
total
Colorado
15
15L
Total boardings and alightings on
Colfax from Broadway to Colorado
Boardings
Eastbound
Boardings
Westbound
Alightings
Eastbound
Alightings
Westbound
2219
1269
950
240
110
130
15
0
15
125
0
171
0
180
108
483
197
286
140
145
84
427
161
266
30
0
47
0
45
33
730
290
440
81
73
8
0
0
0
41
41
0
0
148
0
172
0
82
405
240
165
266
313
122
557
258
299
0
141
0
156
107
91
823
525
298
45
32
13
62
34
28
195
0
195
123
0
188
0
116
107
38
181
207
319
307
87
508
266
242
78
0
138
0
140
81
860
511
349
2812
1427
1385
0
0
0
135
135
0
0
142
0
170
0
67
493
187
306
95
165
100
348
99
249
0
66
0
46
41
31
683
247
436
5222
3505
3742
5394
RTD data collected 08/08/01 and 08/14/01
E A S T
C O L F A X
67
has succumbed more to the needs of vehicles than pedestrians. Two critical locations are at Broadway
and Colorado which have been among the city’s ten worst intersections for pedestrian accidents.
Bike Routes
The 16th Avenue Promenade bike lanes one block north of Colfax provide a more pleasant environment
to through cyclists. Bike routes D-11 (Franklin St.) and D13 (Steele St.) also cross Colfax.
Parking
Colfax has on-street parking from Grant to Colorado, which is metered from Grant to Franklin. Almost all
cross streets also have on-street parking.
68
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
●P L A N
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
VISION
●
“Whenever and wherever societies have
flourished and prospered rather than stagnated
and decayed, creative and workable cities have
been at the core of the phenomenon . . . .
Decaying cities, declining economies and
m o u n t i n g s o c i a l t r o u b l e s t r a v e l t o g e t h e r. T h e
combination is not coincidental.”
Jane Jacobs
E A S T
C O L F A X
69
At the outset of the planning process, the stakeholders analyzed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats to the Colfax corridor. Using this assessment the stakeholders prepared ideal visions for the
look, feel and function of East Colfax in twenty years. City staff melded these visions into a cohesive
statement that the stakeholders then approved. The group created two versions, a condensed statement
(below) that more succinctly summarized a longer, more prescriptive vision (see Appendix).
Vision Statement
East Colfax present
Colfax Avenue in 2020 will be a multi-modal, commercial and residential “Main Street” that complements
and sustains the nearby neighborhoods and encourages walking, biking and transit use. The corridor
teems with activity on the street and captures the attention of commuters and visitors.
◗ Multi-storied, mixed-use buildings with active ground floor uses characterize development nodes at
the intersection of major transit routes along the corridor.
◗ Transportation components include a uniquely Colfax form of enhanced transit, structured parking
at development nodes, on-street parking throughout, enticing pedestrian amenities, and plentiful
bike racks.
◗ Housing density on the corridor supports transit and sustainable urban growth.
◗ Urban design integrates an eclectic mix of architectural forms and sustainable building materials
which respect the surrounding historic architecture.
◗ Signage is simple and clear.
East Colfax future
◗ Lighting and landscaping reinforce the street building line, enhance building facades as architectural
features, and promote a pedestrian oriented environment.
◗ Significant structures have been preserved and adaptively reused.
Colfax welcomes and embraces neighborhood diversity that encompasses a wide variety of ages,
lifestyles, economic circumstances, ethnic groups and family types. Colfax exemplifies the best of what a
city can offer: a vibrant, hip, and progressive urban avenue.
70
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
East Colfax Transformation
Existing Conditions
◗ Inefficient use of land near downtown
◗ No defined street wall
◗ Unpleasant pedestrian environment
◗ Visual clutter
Add Mixed Use on One Corner
◗ Beginning to define street wall
◗ Reduction of visual clutter
◗ More efficient and economically sound use of land
◗ Sound barrier between corridor and interior
neighborhood
Multi-modal Street Improvements
◗ Street trees soften the urban environment
◗ Pedestrian areas are clearly delineated
◗ Consistent & functional traffic signals & lighting
◗ Improvements begin to attract more pedestrians
Additional Infill & Building Remodel
◗ Preservation & infill promotes strong architecture
◗ Efficient land use pattern provides more housing
options
◗ More residents promote a viable business climate
◗ Improvements move more people through the
corridor, not just cars
E A S T
C O L F A X
71
Blueprint Denver Plan Map Excerpt
17TH AVE
COLORADO
CITY PARK ESPLANADE
YORK
GAYLORD
VINE
RACE
HIGH
WILLIAMS
GILPIN
FRANKLIN
HUMBOLDT
LAFAYETTE
MARION
DOWNING
PA
RK
16TH
16TH
16TH
COLFAX
14TH
13TH
13TH
ALBION
HARRISON
JACKSON
GARFIELD
MONROE
COOK
MADISON
ADAMS
STEELE
SAINT PAUL
MILWAUKEE
FILLMORE
DETROIT
CLAYTON
ELIZABETH
COLUMBINE
JOSEPHINE
MARION
CORONA
DOWNING
OGDEN
EMERSON
CLARKSON
WASHINGTON
PEARL
PENNSYLVANIA
LOGAN
GRANT
SHERMAN
East Colfax Study Area
Blueprint Denver Land Use
East Colfax Study Area Boundary
Downtown
Mixed Us e
Urba n Reside ntial
Single Fa mily Resident ial
Pede strian Shopp ing District
Ca mpus
Ente rtainment, Cultural, Ex hibition
Park
Designated Area of Change
map date: 04/26/04
72
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
●F R A M E W O R K
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
PLAN
●
LAND USE
URBAN FORM AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION
TRANSPORTATION
PARKING
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
“Observe always that everything is the result
of change, and get used to thinking that there
is nothing Nature loves so well as to change
existing forms and make new ones of them.”
Marcus Aurelius
E A S T
C O L F A X
73
This chapter prescribes a framework for understanding the organization of the corridor and the
overriding issues faced by all of the subareas. Several elements comprise the study area, a commercial
arterial corridor, as well as portions of six statistical neighborhoods and seven historic landmark districts.
Downtown Denver, Civic Center, Park Hill and Hale correspondingly form the east and west boundaries.
Two major parks lie just south and north of the study area, Cheesman Park and City Park.
Low density commercial uses are not the
highest and best use of land near downtown
and transit. Such sites are ideal for
redevelopment consistent with this plan’s
vision.
The Colfax corridor provides an important circulation function in the city, and serves as a gateway to
Downtown Denver, the mountains and the plains. Colfax Avenue connects to I-70 on its eastern and
western ends.Also known as US 40, it links the communities of Denver, Lakewood and Aurora with
numerous destinations including Fitzsimons,Aurora Town Center, Lowry and Stapleton, National Jewish
Medical Campus, the Bluebird Theatre, East High School, Lowenstein Theatre, Ogden Theatre, Filmore
Theatre, Downtown Denver, Civic Center, Auraria Campus, Mile High Stadium, St.Anthony’s Hospital, the
Federal Center, Colorado Mills and ultimately connects to Red Rocks Amphitheatre. As one of the most
heavily trafficked transit corridors, Colfax has the potential to improve its Main Street function in select
segments with enhanced transit technology, dense residential development and expansion of commercial
amenities that serve residents and commuters.
City staff facilitated three land use workshops where the Plan stakeholders and the general public
identified development opportunities, edge conflict areas, important historic resources, station areas and
districts along the corridor with distinct identity. Each workshop produced an uncommon degree of
consensus between the stakeholders and public participants. A land use concept map resulted that
synthesized the ideas from the workshops. The land use concept map articulates a vision of mixed-use
stretches along the corridor punctuated by significant transit station areas and surrounded by high,
medium and low density residential areas.
74
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
Future Land Use Concept Map
COLORADO BLVD
HARRISON ST
JACKSON ST
GARFIELD ST
MONROE ST
MADISON ST
COOK ST
ADAMS ST
YORK ST
GAYLORD ST
VINE ST
RACE ST
HIGH ST
WILLIAMS ST
GILPIN ST
FRANKLIN ST
HUMBOLDT ST
LAFAYETTE ST
STEELE ST
AV
E
DOWNING ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
CLARKSON ST
WASHINGTON
PEARL ST
PENNSYLVANIA
LOGAN ST
GRANT ST
SHERMAN ST
16TH AVE
17TH AVE PKWY
CITY PARK ESPLANADE
PA
RK
17TH AVE
16TH AVE
16TH AVE
COLFAX AVE
COLFAX
ALBION ST
STEELE ST
SAINT PAUL ST
MILWAUKEE ST
FILLMORE ST
DETROIT ST
CLAYTON ST
ELIZABETH ST
COLUMBINE ST
MARION ST
DOWNING ST
CORONA ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
JOSEPHINE ST
14TH AVE
COLORADO
13TH AVE
East Colfax Study Area
Future Land Use Concept Map
TOD
Mixed Us e
En tertainment, Civic, Cultural
High Dens ity Residentia l
Medium Density Residentia l
Low Dens ity Residentia l
Data Sources:
Denver Assessors Parcel Database: April 2004
Community Planning and Development
map date: 04/26/04
E A S T
C O L F A X
Please see Map Appendix (pg. 187) for a more detailed view of this map
75
2.5
2.0
1.5
◗
1.0
LAND USE
0.5
0
R- 2
R- 4
R- 3
D9
-O
R- 4
D1
-X
R-4
-O
R-4
B-4
Primary Issues and Opportunities
H
◗ East Colfax has historically been a high volume transportation corridor that offers opportunity for
increased density, diversity of uses and enhanced transit use.
FA R a s b u i l t b y z o n e d i s t r i c t
◗ Redevelopment has started to occur, but there is no corridor specific land use and transportation
plan in place to guide future corridor development.
2.00
1.80
1.60
1.40
1.20
1.00
0.80
0.60
0.40
0.20
◗ Vacant land, underutilized properties, inconsistent building edge, low density commercial uses (with
excessive curb cuts) and alleys (which lead to Colfax) interrupt the cohesive business environment.
◗ Business impacts may be incompatible with adjacent residences.
◗ Businesses in or adjacent to residential areas may desire to expand.
Re
tai
R
l
En esta
ter ur
tai ant
nm or
Au
en
t
toor
ien
Re ted
tai
l
Of
fic
e
Me
dic
al
or Sc
Ch hoo
ur l
ch
In
d
or ust
Ut rial
ilit
y
Sin Resi
gle den
-Fa tia
mi l
R
l
Mu esid y
lti- en
Fa tia
mi l
ly
Ho
tel
Mo or
Mi tel
xe
d-u
se
0
◗ The residential to commercial edge is abrupt, there is little room to create smooth transitions or
provide significant buffers between differing and/or incompatible uses.
FA R a s b u i l t b y l a n d u s e
◗ Blueprint Denver designated Colfax between Grant and Colorado as a ‘pedestrian shopping
corridor.’ Parts of Colfax may be more appropriately designated transit-oriented development
(TOD), mixed-use, commercial corridor or another land use type. There may be opportunity sites
that should be included in the East Colfax (West of Colorado) Area of Change.
TMU-30
R-4-X
R-4
R-3
H-1-A
CMU-10
B-4
TOD
Mixed-use
Pedestrian shopping corridor
Colfax existing
Commercial corridor
0
0.5
FA R a s p e r m i t t e d
76
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
◗ B-4 is Denver’s ‘general business district.’ Traditionally, this has meant that any type of retail, service,
and consumer repair or office establishment is permitted. Many residential, public, and
amusement/recreation uses are also permitted. In addition, B-4 permits some industrial uses,
including wholesale sales, warehousing, and a limited range of fabrication and assembly uses. The
external effects of some high-impact retail uses on adjacent residential property could be addressed
through design guidelines and landscaping and buffering requirements. Limitations and buffering
requirements for industrial uses are generally less restrictive than in the I-0 (light industrial) zone
district.
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
East Colfax Land Development Problems and Solutions
Ty p i c a l P r o b l e m s
◗ Illegal land use created by a tax lot split without
proper rezoning (outlined in red)
◗ Shallow commercial area limits potential density
(shaded in blue)
◗ Significant land area consumed by surface parking
(unshaded area within red outline)
◗ Historic properties threatened by commercial
expansion (shaded in green)
◗ Alley dissects block and consumes land area
(shaded in yellow)
Po t e n t i a l S o l u t i o n s
◗ Zoning boundary changes bring land uses into
compliance and encourage redevelopment
(shaded in purple)
◗ Improved regulatory tools encourage infill
development (outlined in light blue) & structured
parking (outlined in purple)
◗ Preserved & adaptively reused buildings form a
transition from corridor to neighborhood (shaded
in green)
◗ Reconfigured alley eliminates curb cut on Colfax,
frees land for development and forms a boundary
between corridor and neighborhood (shaded in
yellow)
E A S T
C O L F A X
77
Shortcomings in the B-4 Zone District
Residential uses
B-4 does not permit several residential uses that are permitted in the adjacent R-3, R-4 districts or in RMU
districts; for example: artist studio, live work, consular residence, nursing home/hospice, monastery,
fraternity/sorority house.
B-4 allows auto-oriented uses with no
screening or buffering requirements to limit
external impacts.
External effects of certain retail
B-4 allows without limitations some retail uses that have external effects which are limited by hours of
operation or require screening /buffering in the B-2, B-3, B-8-A/G or I-O districts; for example: eating place,
animal sales and service, communications service including transmitter, commercial service and repair,
other special retail uses such as LP gas and outdoor tombstone sales.
Institutional uses
B-4 allows without limitations some institutional uses that are limited in terms of hours of operation or
buffering requirements in other districts; for example: ambulance service, medical laboratory, mortuary,
conference center, outdoor recreation, vocational school. In addition, some uses are permitted in lowerintensity districts but not in B-4; for example: park and fire station.
Auto-oriented uses
B-4 allows without limitations some auto-oriented retail and industrial uses that have external effects
which are limited in terms of hours of operation or screening/buffering in the B-2, B-3, B-8-A/G or I-O
districts; for example: auto repair, gas station, car wash, parking, auto, large vehicle, and equipment sales
lots.
Industrial uses
B-4 allows without limitations industrial and utility uses that have external effects which have limits on
hours of operation or screening/buffering requirements in the B-8-A/G or I-O districts; for example: special
trade contractor, printing and publishing, manufacturing, fabrication and assembly, wholesale trade,
warehousing, and vehicle storage.
Parcel depth along East Colfax varies considerably — out of 194 commercial parcels adjacent to the
corridor, 19 parcels (10%) are under 50' deep, 86 parcels (44%) are under 100' deep, 56 parcels (29%) are
between 100' — 150' deep and 33 parcels (17%) are over 150' deep. Increasing parcel depth would
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generally require rezoning adjacent residential land to allow for commercial uses or parking. However, in
general, this is contrary to the Capitol Hill/Cheesman Park (1993) and Congress Park (1995) Plans, and to
Blueprint Denver’s designation of adjacent residential areas as Areas of Stability. The exception to this is
the area north of Colfax and west of Franklin, which is designated an Area of Change. Blueprint Denver
allows that small area planning may refine Area of Change and Stability boundaries in order to account for
changing conditions or community support for development on opportunity sites that would facilitate
desired growth such as infill or redevelopment on vacant and underutilized parcels.
Development standards in the B-4 zone district fall short of furthering the Blueprint Denver vision of
pedestrian-friendly uses and of compatibility between Areas of Change and Stability. There is no “build-to”
line. Parking and drive-aisles are permitted between structures and the sidewalk. There are no front bulk
plane requirements to allow sunlight on public spaces. No open space requirements exist for residential
uses.
B-4 zoning allows parking and drive aisles
between structures and the sidewalk, falling
far short of the Blueprint Denver vision for
pedestrian oriented design.
FAR (Floor Area Ratio) is the ratio of the sum of all the usable square footage of all floors in the building
to the total square footage of the lot. An FAR of 1:1 is typical of pedestrian-oriented shopping corridors,
though higher FAR may be appropriate near downtown or in significant transit station areas or activity
centers along a corridor. The existing average achieved FAR for the East Colfax corridor is low, 0.7:1.
Parking requirements limit the amount of FAR that can be achieved and constrained lot depths often
prevent enough development to justify the cost of structured or subterranean parking. The highest FARs
are for hospital, multi-family and mixed-uses, in the H, R4X, and the R4OD9 and R4OD1 zones. The lowest
FARs are for single-family residential, auto-oriented retail, franchise restaurants, and (appropriately) in the
R-2 zone.
Critical opportunity sites (especially at key intersections) have been lost to low density, auto-oriented uses.
The current zoning creates challenges to the development model that is desirable for “Enhanced
Transportation Corridors” under the Blueprint Denver vision. The existing B-4 zoning allows
inappropriate uses (for example, industrial land uses with little review adjacent to residential areas).
Though it is an intense business zone district, its design and development standards do not encourage the
mix of uses or degree of development appropriate for enhanced transit corridors. Shallow commercial
lot depth, split lot zoning, limited assemblage potential, and certain regulatory requirements (especially
floor area ratio limits and parking requirements) in concert with prevailing market conditions (land
prices, lease and sale rates, cost of development and land availability) constrain the development potential
E A S T
C O L F A X
Fe w p a r c e l s i n t h e E a s t C o l f a x s t u d y a r e a
e x c e e d 5 0, 0 0 0 S F. H i g h d e n s i t y d e v e l o p m e n t o n
these sites can catalyze reinvestment along the
c o r r i d o r.
79
for mixed-use projects on the corridor. Working in tandem, these factors often result in a low density,
single use commercial development pattern that lacks a residential component. This lowest common
denominator pattern of development erodes the critical residential base that creates round the clock
activity. The low-density, single-use, auto-oriented commercial product prevails as the most feasible under
existing regulatory standards and overtime contributes to the depopulation of the East Colfax corridor.
Goals
◗ Organize corridor growth to be dense, compact and transit supportive.
◗ Encourage the location of commercial, housing, employment, open space and civic uses within
walking distance of transit stops.
◗ Provide a mix of housing types (townhouse, rowhouse, duplex, multi-family, live work and artist
studio), occupancy status (rental and ownership units), densities and costs (low-income, affordable
and market rate).
◗ Encourage infill and redevelopment along East Colfax that complements historic resources along
and near the corridor.
◗ Encourage mixed-use development with the greatest intensity focused to the corridor, and especially
at transit station areas.
◗ Preserve and adaptively reuse historic resources in the study area.
◗ Create a contiguous street wall along the corridor comprised primarily of mixed-use buildings that
reinforce a Main Street character with housing and/or offices over active ground floor uses such as
civic operations, destination or neighborhood-serving retail and entertainment venues.
◗ Enhance and maintain the viability of high-density residential and commercial uses, especially where
assemblages are contiguous to the corridor or where opportunities exist to restore a cohesive
urban, mixed-use area on vacant or underutilized parcels.
◗ Manage business operations to avoid negative impacts from lighting, hours of operation, noise, drivein speakers, trash removal, deliveries, odors, etc.
Goal: Promote dense, compact and transit
supportive growth.
80
◗ Promote a stable, safe, attractive, appropriately lighted (but not excessively lit) retail area with a mix
of offices, neighborhood businesses, and destination uses within identifiable districts.
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◗ Preserve services and housing for people living on low to no incomes. Provide human services in
appropriate locations and protect the health, safety and welfare of all community members.
Recommendations
◗ Support infill development of retail, office and residential uses. Consider the complementary nature
of a project in the context of surrounding or nearby uses. Encourage both horizontal and vertical
mixed use. Mixed-use projects, with commercial or public uses on the ground floor and residential
(including low-income, affordable housing and market rate) and/or office on the upper levels, are
especially appropriate. Minimize construction projects with extremely low site coverage ratios.
Discourage low density, single use development with excessive parking.
◗ Develop new zoning tools that provide appropriate design and development standards consistent
with a pedestrian friendly, mixed-use transit corridor. Encourage creative building standards that
afford development flexibility, attract new commercial development, promote neighborhood serving
“Mom & Pop” businesses and support adaptive reuse of historic resources. Consider parking
reductions for uses with low parking demand (such as boutique retail under 5,000 SF). Provide
incentives (such as FAR credits and or parking reductions) for assemblages that incorporate and
reuse historic structures.
◗ Develop tools to adequately address the transition between the corridor and the neighborhood:
❚ To ensure neighborhood stability, stratify the commercial uses that may extend from the corridor
into the neighborhood so that only those uses with positive impacts on residential character
(such as small scale, neighborhood serving, walk-up traffic generators) seep into the
neighborhoods.
❚ To the greatest extent possible focus both structural and use intensity to the commercial corridor
and away from residential areas.
❚ Incorporate design and development standards to address solar access and privacy protection,
such as bulk plane, building orientation and roof forms.
E A S T
C O L F A X
Develop urban models for franchise
architecture like this missed opportunity
for a Blockbuster video store.
Create seamless transitions between the
n e i g h b o r h o o d a n d t h e c o r r i d o r, l i k e t h i s
transit supportive, urban residential infill
project that respects traditional development
patterns next to the historic Leetonia Building
( C o l f a x a t Vi n e ) .
81
◗
URBAN FORM AND
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Primary Issues and Opportunities
In a poorly defined pedestrian area
driveways, roadway and sidewalk are
v i r t u a l l y i n d i s t i n g u i s h a b l e f r o m e a c h o t h e r.
Urban Design
◗ The historic development patterns of Colfax include buildings that come up to the street with
ample storefront windows and pedestrian entrances onto the street. This development pattern
creates a pedestrian friendly environment that complements a multi-modal transportation system.
Much of the recent development along Colfax is auto-oriented and does not respect this traditional
pattern.
◗ New auto oriented land uses conflict with the desire for an inviting and safe pedestrian realm.
◗ The east-west orientation of Colfax results in a pattern where the short end of the block fronts on to
the corridor. Narrow parcels create redevelopment challenges.
Streetscape improvements including street
trees, trash receptacles, screening walls (for
parking areas and drive aisles), paving
techniques and transit stop upgrades define
and create an inviting pedestrian area.
◗ Colfax lacks consistent and organized streetscape improvements with uniform standards for street
trees, street furniture (benches, kiosks, etc.), bus shelters, lighting (fixture types, lighting levels),
directional and wayfinding signage and sidewalk paving standards.
◗ Visual clutter, especially excessive commercial signage degrades the aesthetics of the corridor.
◗ Alleys bisect many of the blocks facing Colfax creating challenges for redevelopment while also
eliminating the opportunity for a boundary between commercial and residential parcels.
Historic Preservation
◗ There are numerous historic sites along Colfax.There is an especially rich stock of buildings built
prior to 1945 in the study area that potentially could benefit from the economic incentives
associated with historic designation. Rehabilitation and reuse of these structures would contribute
to the neighborhood character and attract the business of commuters and visitors seeking
destination commercial venues.
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◗ Infill development along East Colfax, especially projects that may be adjacent to historic residential
resources needs to be context sensitive. Good design can reduce the apparent size of new
construction, and allow new buildings to fit in with smaller buildings.
Goals
Urban Design
◗ Ensure that future development on Colfax encourages pedestrian activity by continuing the
traditional development patterns found on Colfax including: buildings at the street edge, ample
façade transparencies (windows) and street facing pedestrian entrances.
◗ Develop a uniform streetscape along Colfax that clearly defines the pedestrian space, and includes
consistent lighting, street furniture, sidewalk paving and landscaping standards. Unify basic
streetscape infrastructure, but allow additional elements that demarcate districts along the corridor.
Before
◗ Encourage the use of signage appropriate to the context of Colfax.This may include both pedestrian
scale and auto oriented signage that recalls the historic character of Colfax which includes the use
of projecting signs and neon.
◗ Promote a gradual transition between different types of uses to create visual continuity between
proposed and existing development, especially between commercial and residential land uses.
◗ Promote the functional and visual compatibility between adjacent neighborhoods and differing
types of land uses. Deliberately use building and site design features to form a transition between
the corridor and the neighborhood, as well as compatibly integrate or disguise uses that otherwise
would have significant external effects on the surrounding environment.
After
Minor façade improvements enhance the
appearance of commercial areas.
Historic Preservation
Link the development of the neighborhood and community with building designs that use references to
natural, historical, traditional and/or cultural context. Restore, reuse and maintain historic resources, and
capitalize on the economic development benefits of historic preservation (tax incentives, branding,
restoration grants).
E A S T
C O L F A X
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Recommendations
Urban Design
◗ Develop context sensitive zoning that incorporates design standards that encourage pedestrian
oriented development.
◗ Encourage a variation in architectural forms and materials where appropriate, but ensure
compatibility of architectural features (massing, scale). Preserve solar access to adjacent properties
and protect residential privacy. Create an architectural diversity that fosters an eclectic urban
atmosphere, yet reflects and blends elements of the historic corridor with adjacent neighborhoods.
Before
◗ Develop a streetscape plan for Colfax with uniform standards for appropriate street trees, tree grate
design, street furniture, lighting (fixtures and types) and signage (directional and way finding).
◗ Control signage (private commercial, regulatory and directional) and promote creative guidelines
that contribute to visual aesthetics of the corridor, reintroduce artful neon design, aid building and
use identification, promote safety and express the Colfax brand image. Signage should be
complementary to the architecture of the corridor and should aid in the way finding needs of
visitors to the corridor.
After
Trees in grates transitioning to tree lawns
help distinguish residential areas from
commercial areas. Additional improvements
(including appropriate lighting on commercial
buildings as well as parking lot landscaping
and screening walls) mitigate some of the
external effects of commercial development.
◗ Consider alley vacations to create linear assemblage along the corridor and to form natural
boundaries between residential and commercial properties.Where an existing alley terminates in a
“T” or an “L” configuration between the commercial on the corridor and adjacent residential uses,
the alley configuration should be retained.Any future zoning changes should be constrained by
these existing physical boundaries, unless it may be clearly demonstrated that an alley vacation
would not have negative impacts on adjacent residential uses. For example, a new alley alignment
would be acceptable if it allows a vacant parcel to be incorporated into an assemblage that is
contiguous to the corridor and resultant development would fill a gap in the urban neighborhood
fabric. (see graphic on page 91 for clarification)
Historic Preservation
◗ Pursue landmark designation for Colfax similar to the Downtown Denver Historic District that
allows owners of historic resources to leverage economic incentives for preservation, without
restricting the development potential of adjacent properties.
◗ Interpret the history of Colfax/US 40 in the streetscape design elements. Refer to the Colfax
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Historical and Transportation Joint Study and the US 40 Heritage Corridor Plan for interpretive
elements for the corridor. Interpretive elements will form the basis of a public art program for
the corridor.Work with the Mayor’s Office of Art, Culture a Film to establish a public art program
for the corridor.
Design Standards
The overall vision of Colfax as a mixed-use pedestrian and transit friendly avenue should be promoted
through the use of zoning language that incorporates easily administered formed based zoning concepts.
This would include the use of design standards that are based on the underlying patterns and proportions
of Colfax and should encourage new development to respect these characteristics. Design standards
should not prohibit architectural creativity but should be viewed as the foundation on which to design
architectural forms, which challenge the senses, spark debate, draw visitors and create future landmarks.
New zoning language for Colfax should be based on objectives identified in this plan including
maintaining a (1) main street character (2) providing a transit pedestrian orientation (promoting the
urban design character of the various sub-areas) and (4) ensuring a standard of design quality that is
consistent with the overall vision for Colfax. New zoning language should incorporate the following
Urban Design Principals:
Site and Building Design
1. Continue Colfax’s physical character, including mixed use development, and convenient access to
transit.
2. Arrange residential, employment, retail, service, and open space uses to be convenient to and
compatible with each other.
Billboards dwarf buildings and create visual
c l u t t e r. Wa l l a r t c a n b e a n i n t e r e s t i n g a n d m o r e
effective alternative to billboards.
3. Create spatial definition of the street with buildings and landscaping to promote pedestrian activity.
◗ Orient buildings to the street so that they form a consistent street wall. Orient structures on
corner lots to “hold the corner.” Consider “build-to lines” defined by a line drawn parallel to the
block face, along which a building should be built.
4. Minimize the visual impacts of parking areas, parking structures, and residential garages on streets,
open spaces, and adjoining development.
E A S T
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◗ Design parking and site access so that the impact on the pedestrian realm is minimized. Examples
of this include locating parking at the rear of the site away from the street, utilizing the alley for
site access and designing drive-through uses so that they do not conflict with the pedestrian
realm.
5. Create buildings that provide human scale and interest through use of varied forms, materials,
details, and colors while relating the size, dimension and symmetry of new construction to the
proportions of adjacent buildings.
◗ Mass — Relate the perceived form, quantity or aggregate volumes of new construction to the
form of historic patterns of commercial buildings on Colfax and/or residential structures north
and south of the corridor. New construction should be compatible in scale, setback, and
orientation with existing buildings exhibiting traditional development patterns.
◗ Scale — Relate the intervals, rhythm and order of new construction to adjacent structures that
reflect traditional commercial development patterns.
◗ Spacing — Relate the location of windows, doorways and other features, horizontal or vertical
banding, caps, bases and central entries to adjacent structures that reflect traditional development
patterns.
◗ Taller buildings are expected to step back to preserve pedestrian scale or compatibility with
existing structures.
Subordinate volumes, balconies, orientation of
windows and doors, step backs and periodic
relief in the wall plane of a façade are design
treatments that can minimize the perceived
mass of a structure.
6. Provide architecturally finished and detailed elevations for all exposures of the building with the
primary street facing facade, having appropriate architectural expression.
◗ Include human-scaled building elements and architectural variation, including form, detail,
materials and colors to provide visual interest. Prominent and/or decorative parapets and
cornices are appropriate. Use repeating patterns of color, texture, material or change in plane as
integral parts of the building fabric, not superficially applied.
◗ Provide pedestrian active uses on the first floor of commercial and mixed-use buildings, directly
accessible from public space. Use transparent clear glazed area that permits view of interior
activities. Large expanses of blank wall are not appropriate for pedestrian oriented development.
7. Provide a primary building entrance facing or clearly visible from the public sidewalk.
◗ Clearly articulate the main entrance of buildings.The main entrance should be oriented to and
level with the primary street. Secondary entrances may be provided from parking areas or side
streets.
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8. Use durable materials that complement Denver’s tradition as a city of brick and masonry construction.
◗ Construct buildings of durable solid materials, such as brick, masonry, architectural metals,
concrete, tile and glass block systems when properly finished and detailed.
9. Ensure that signs are compatible with and are an enhancement of the character of the surrounding
district and adjacent buildings when considered in terms of scale, color, material, and lighting levels.
Signs should be creative in the use of two and three dimension forms, profiles, and iconographic
representation while being constructed of high quality durable materials that are appropriate to an
urban setting.
Streetscape Design
A uniform streetscape along Colfax would aid in the identification of a consistent image for the corridor
while improving the physical appearance of the corridor. Streetscape standards should include the basic
streetscape infrastructure, while identifying additional elements that demarcate the individual districts
along the corridor.
1. Develop streetscape standards for the corridor that create a pedestrian friendly
environment, including
◗ Wide sidewalks where space permits
◗ Street trees in grates with automatic irrigation systems
◗ Safe pedestrian and bicycle crossing points
◗ Street furniture such as benches and trash receptacles at high volume pedestrian areas
◗ Street and pedestrian lighting
◗ On-street parking, bike racks and bus stops
2. Transit Station Area Streetscape: Use streetscape elements at transit station areas that reinforce the
area as a key transit transfer point or stop including:
◗ Distinct color and form, real time arrival/departure forecasting device, and visual media display
◗ Station area amenities – clearly visible clock, newsstand, public pay phone, information
booth/police substation, schedule postings
◗ Plaza area with adequate space to sit and rest while waiting for transit
◗ Distinctive wayfinding signage system that includes directions to destinations within a 1/4 to 1/2
mile walking distance of the station area
E A S T
C O L F A X
Simple streetscape elements can soften the
hard urban environment, provide visual relief
and a sense of design rhythm.
Los Angeles uses special design features and
brightly colored buses to better identify its rapid
transit system.
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Existing Conditions: Low Density
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Future Concept: Medium Density
E A S T
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Future Concept: High Density
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A l l e y s t h a t l e a d t o C o l f a x ( Fi g u r e 1 ) :
Alley Configuration Types
“T” ALLEY CONFIGURATION
◗ Reduce pedestrian safety and comfort with curb cuts
that interrupt the sidewalk
◗ Increase potential for accidents and traffic
congestion due to mid-block vehicle turning
movements
◗ Limit the potential for linear property assemblage
and development along the commercial corridor
Alleys that terminate in "T" or "L"
c o n f i g u r a t i o n s ( Fi g u r e s 2 & 3 ) :
EXISTING ALLEY CONFIGURATION
Fi g u r e 2 - P r e f e r r e d
“L” ALLEY CONFIGURATION
◗ Provide access to parking areas
◗ Encourage linear assemblage and property
development along the commercial corridor, rather
than deep into the residential areas off of the
corridor
◗ Create stronger boundaries between commercial
and residential areas; the alley width acts as a buffer
zone creating distance between residential and
commercial development
◗ Improve the pedestrian environment and reduce
mid-block vehicle turning movements on the
corridor
Fi g u r e 1 - E x i s t i n g
Commercial mixed-use
Residential
Alley
Fi g u r e 3 - P r e f e r r e d
E A S T
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Transportation Map
17TH AVE PKWY
COOK ST
VINE ST
HIGH ST
EMERSON ST
GARFIELD ST
16TH AVE
COLORADO BLVD
E
STEELE ST
AV
FILLMORE ST
R
K
FRANKLIN ST
DOWNING ST
CLARKSON ST
WASHINGTON
LOGAN ST
GRANT ST
SHERMAN ST
16TH AVE
PA
DETROIT ST
CITY PARK ESPLANADE
17TH AVE
16TH AVE
COLFAX AVE
SAINT PAUL ST
YORK ST
RACE ST
DOWNING ST
CORONA ST
OGDEN ST
JOSEPHINE ST
14TH AVE
13TH AVE
East Colfax Study Area
Transportation Map
Blueprint Denver Street Class ifications
Main Arterial
Mixed Use Arterial
Residential Arterial
Residential Collector
All other streets are
“Undesignated Local”
Bike Routes
Bu s St ops / Ridership Volume*
108 200
201 300
301 500
501 1590
*Ridership Volume = Combined Average
Boardings and Exits per day
Data Sources:
RTD and Blueprint Denver
map date: 04/26/04
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Please see Map Appendix (pg. 187) for a more detailed view of this map
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◗
TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Primary Issues and Opportunities
◗ East Colfax carries in excess of 35,000 vehicles and 20,000 transit riders per day. The mode split for
alternative transportation is among the highest in the region.
◗ According to research prepared for the Pedestrian Master Plan, East Colfax has a high frequency of
vehicle vs. pedestrian accident intersections (where four or more pedestrian-auto accidents were
reported to the Denver Police Department over the three-year period from 2000-2002).
◗ A number of elements interrupt the continuity of the pedestrian realm and create an inhospitable
pedestrian environment including:
❚ Vacant land, underutilized properties that create gaps in the urban fabric
❚ Inconsistent building edge
❚ Low density commercial uses (especially those with excessive curb cuts)
❚ A general lack of safe pedestrian crossings
❚ Alleys (which lead to Colfax)
❚ Narrow sidewalks
❚ An overabundace of obstructions in sidewalks (sign posts, parking meters, trash receptacles and
the like)
❚ Excessive curb cuts that reduce safety, create conflicts with pedestrians, break the continuity of
the streetscape and interrupt traffic flow
◗ Major transit station areas and transfer points are virtually indistinguishable from subordinate stops.
Future development patterns should include unique designs and markers that distinguish important
transit nodes within the context of the corridor.
◗ RTD’s adopted corridor build out plan does not include rail or major transit investment on East
Colfax. Based on analysis of existing and anticipated demand and numbers of destinations along
and directly linked to the corridor, the transit vehicles and infrastructure warrant enhancement.
E A S T
C O L F A X
Mobility options & accessibility are critical
transportation functions on enhanced transit
corridors, like Colfax.
M o s t D a n g e r o u s I n t e r s e c t i o n s f o r Pe d e s t r i a n s
(ranked by highest frequency of vehicle
collisions with pedestrians):
1. C l a r k s o n S t . &
Colfax
2. 20th St. & Blake
3. A l a m e d a &
Broadway
4. B r o a d w a y a n d
Colfax
5. C o l f a x & J o s e p h i n e
6. Fe d e r a l & J e w e l l
7. 1 s t A v e . & Fe d e r a l
8. 2 0 t h A v e . & Fe d e r a l
9. A l a m e d a & Fe d e r a l
1 0. A l a m e d a & Te j o n
1 1. B r o a d w a y & E v a n s
12. Colfax & Colorado
1 3. C o l f a x & Ka l a m a t h
1 4. C o l f a x & R a l e i g h
1 5. C o l f a x & S h e r m a n
1 6. E v a n s & Fe d e r a l
1 7. E v a n s & M o n a c o
1 8. Fe d e r a l & F l o r i d a
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“ T r a v e l e r, t h e r e i s n o p a t h ,
paths are made by walking.”
Antonio Machado
Residential densities adjacent to the corridor indicate considerable latent demand that could be
captured with an improved transit technology. Unlike other significant commuter streets in the
City, East Colfax supports a consistently high level of usage, not just spikes during the rush hours.
This type of “round the clock” usage also increases the efficiency of investments in enhanced transit
vehicles and infrastructure. From a market perspective, major transit investments function as assets
that increase the corridor’s customer base. Existing use, latent demand,“round the clock” demand
and market benefits are all reasons for transit improvements.
◗ The one-way couplets north and south of the corridor (17th-18th and 13th-14th Avenues) entice
some automobile commuter traffic away from East Colfax and alleviate some of the pressure to
serve the peak hour demand of automobiles. The capacity constraints position East Colfax to best
absorb the commuting demand of transit riders with an enhanced technology. It is better suited to
handle additional transit capacity than additional automobiles.
◗ The segment of Colfax between Williams and High Streets floods frequently during large storm
events. This has been confirmed in the Denver Storm Drainage Master Plan update. The “Thirty
First St. Outfall” project, which is included in the latest draft of the Master Plan, will upgrade
drainage facilities in this watershed area and should reduce ponding on East Colfax. (It is currently
an unprioritized $16.5 M need.) However, large storm events will continue to create flooding
problems for properties on the south side of East Colfax between Williams and High Streets.
◗ Constrained sidewalk width limits site distances and perceived safety for pedestrians.
◗ The street contains few pedestrian amenities such as bulb outs that reduce street crossing distances
or islands that provide pedestrian refuge areas.
◗ Drivers on Colfax experience frequent start and stop movements due to congestion.
◗ Overall traffic volume and movements create serious concerns for public health, safety and welfare.
◗ A number of schools lie in close proximity to the corridor. Consideration should be given to
improving access to and from the corridor to area schools.
Goals
E a s t C o l f a x c a r r i e s i n e x c e s s o f 2 0, 0 0 0
t r a n s i t r i d e r s p e r d a y.
◗ Upgrade the transit technology to a level suitable both to the existing, and latent, levels of demand
and oriented to the land use development potential of the corridor.
◗ Restore a multi-modal “Main Street” character along Colfax consistent with Blueprint Denver
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standards.
◗ Create a pedestrian-friendly street network that directly links destinations along the corridor.
◗ Manage access and limit curb cuts along Colfax.
◗ Improve the safety of intersections and the public right-of-way along Colfax.
◗ Address infrastructure inadequacies.
Recommendations
◗ Consider alley vacations, alley easements and new alley configurations (“T” and/or “L” alignments see page 91) along East Colfax where they would facilitate the recommended land uses. An alley
vacation may be appropriate when:
❚ All property owners on both sides of the alley support the alley vacation
❚ The owners would “L” the alley out to one of the named streets (Public Works typically prefers an
“L” with one curb cut instead of a “T” which requires two curb cuts because of the extra
pedestrian and traffic interruption on usually lower volume side streets)
❚ New alley construction meets the standard dimensions depending on traffic conditions and
location (such as in an Historic District)
❚ Owners come to agreement on how to relocate and pay any costs associated with relocating
buried and/or “poled” utilities accessed through the existing alley
❚ Owners come to agreement on how to relocate and pay any costs associated
with relocating storm drainage
❚ The owners “improve” (pave in concrete) the reconfigured alley, if the existing alley currently is
unimproved
❚ The owners demonstrate that potential traffic numbers and impacts on adjacent land uses (in
particular, residential) will not have a net negative effect
Major transit station areas are virtually
indistinguishable from subordinate stops like
t h i s o n e n e a r t h e C i t y Pa r k E s p l a n a d e .
◗ Conduct a Roadway Safety Audit and recommend improvements to enhance pedestrian safety.
◗ Identify street corners where color-enhanced handicapped ramps have not been installed and
upgrade these areas. Coordinate these upgrades within a reasonable timeframe with other planned
infrastructure improvements.
◗ Consider ways to improve access between East Colfax and area schools in the design of new
developments within 1,500 feet of schools.
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“Any town that doesn’t have sidewalks
doesn’t love its children.”
Margaret Mead
◗ Encourage existing and new developments along East Colfax to participate in a Transit Demand
Management (TDM) program.
◗ Coordinate with RTD, CDOT and Aurora to pursue additional study funding for the entire East Colfax
transit corridor (downtown to I-225) to prepare new cross sections and implement significant
transit upgrades.
◗ Before significant resurfacing or new transit elements are built into the right of way, consideration
should be given to create better cross drainage from the south to the north side of East Colfax in
the vicinity of Williams and High Streets (e.g. siphons, squash boxes or underground detention with
use of the soon-to-be abandoned “City Ditch”).
◗ Corner and mid block bump-outs are encouraged to improve pedestrian comfort, help to clearly
delineate pedestrian areas and provide visual relief along the corridor.
◗ Promote the corridor as a walkable environment with Active Living by Design standards and
strategies for pedestrian infrastructure. Organize an Active Living by Design Committee to pursue
grant funding, develop strategies and implement projects along East Colfax.
Schools within walking distance of East Colfax:
◗ Wyman Elementary
◗ Te l l e r E l e m e n t a r y
◗ Gove Middle School
◗ Morey Middle School
◗ Emerson Street School
◗ Emily Griffith Opportunity School
◗ East High School
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◗
PARKING
Primary Issues and Opportunities
◗ Parking is discussed at length in the East Colfax Parking Study. Among the strategies identified are
shared parking between uses which have different periods of peak demand, payment by developers
of a fee in lieu of providing required parking (which is used by the city to build parking structures),
lowered parking requirements for uses adjacent to transit, reduced parking requirements for uses
that encourage other alternative transportation modes, maximum parking requirements, and
allowing uses to provide required parking off site. Denver’s mixed use districts allow reductions in
parking requirements for proximity to transit and for shared parking. In addition, they have parking
requirements that are 50% lower for most retail uses than the requirements in the B-4 district.
◗ Parking is poorly distributed along the East Colfax corridor.
◗ The parking demands of the East Colfax corridor are greater than the available on and off-street
parking.
Ty p i c a l b l o c k o n E a s t C o l f a x
“The automobile has not merely taken over
the street, it has dissolved the living tissue
o f t h e c i t y. I t s a p p e t i t e f o r s p a c e i s a b s o l u t e l y
insatiable; moving and parked, it devours
urban land, leaving the buildings as mere
islands of habitable space in a sea of
dangerous and ugly traffic.”
J a m e s M a r s t o n Fi t c h ,
N e w Yo r k Ti m e s , 1 M a y 1 9 6 0
◗ Excessive curb cuts consume valuable space for on-street parking. Businesses consistently need onstreet parking to serve their patrons.
◗ Some commercial uses found along East Colfax have parking requirements that are incompatible
with the intensity of the use (providing either too much or too little parking). Many older
commercial buildings do not provide sufficient parking for the grandfathered uses allowed therein.
Conversely, many small to medium sized retail and commercial uses have parking requirements that
make adaptive re-use or new development of sites too costly.
◗ Residential neighborhoods bordering Colfax are inundated day and night with spillover parking
from commuter, retail, commercial and entertainment event parking demands.
◗ No direct correlation exists between the provision of parking and significant transit station areas
along East Colfax despite evidence of commuter park and ride behavior where commuters drive
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Pe a k h o u r s o f p a r k i n g d e m a n d
close-in, parking for free on the neighborhood streets and ride the 15 transit line into downtown.
◗ Few if any shared parking arrangements supply parking efficiently to uses with differing periods of
peak demand.
◗ Parking is generally poorly located and designed, and undermines the pedestrian environment.
Goals
◗ Develop a Parking Masterplan along Colfax that improves both on- and off-street parking areas.
◗ Minimize adverse impacts of spillover parking in neighborhoods.
◗ Through appropriate design and development standards, as well as public-private partnerships,
strategically provide parking along the corridor to ensure adequate supply for residents, businesses,
event traffic and commuters (especially at major transit nodes). Promote park and ride behavior in
commuters and event-goers at key transit station areas.
Recommendations
◗ Develop a phased parking strategy for the corridor, responsive to changing market conditions and
development economics. Strategy elements will include: shared parking opportunities, ratio
reductions, parking districts, public parking facilities, etc.
◗ Participate in public-private partnerships to create shared parking facilities along E. Colfax where
they would facilitate the recommended land uses. Create a parking district that would allow
parking buyouts and/or have taxing authority to fund structured parking facilities.
◗ Consider allowing parking reductions for developments along East Colfax that:
❚ Use Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies
❚ Locate within 1/4 mile of an enhanced transit station area or “super stop”
❚ Meet a minimum FAR threshold
❚ Facilitate the recommended land uses (including low-income and affordable housing), contain a
mix of uses or demonstrate limited trip generation at any given time
❚ Engage in shared parking arrangements between uses with varying hours of peak parking
demand
❚ Adaptively reuse historic resources
◗ Locate future shared parking facilities in the vicinity of enhanced transit station nodes around the
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current 15 Limited stops at Colorado,York/Josephine and Downing, and consider an additional
location near the five point intersection of Park Avenue, East Colfax and Franklin. Work with
significant trip generators (National Jewish, Bluebird Theater, popular restaurants, Fillmore Theater,
Ogden Theater,Temple Events Center, St. John’s Cathedral, Basilica of the Immaculate Conception) in
these areas to promote transit access to the destinations.
◗ Remove as many existing curb cuts as possible along the corridor to increase the amount of onstreet parking
◗ Provide free 30 minute parking to encourage parking roll-over at specific retail oriented areas along
the corridor.
◗ Develop incentives for all existing parking lots and auto display lots bordering Colfax to improve the
safety, security and streetscape at these locations.
Unacceptable location of parking
◗ Follow the Commercial Corridors Design Guidelines and the Denver Parking Lot Design and
Landscaping Standards by including landscaping, screen walls, safe lighting and complementary
contextual architectural features.
◗ Place parking regulatory signs on Parking meters in lieu of separate and adjacent poles.
◗ Consolidate signage for parking (lot entrance wayfinding, fare box, regulatory information) to the
greatest extent possible.
◗ Use lower brightness levels and provide full horizontal cut-off fixtures to minimize the off-site
impacts of parking areas and prevent light trespass on adjacent private property or public right of
ways.
Acceptable location of parking
◗ Provide ADA compliant access to all off-street parking areas.
Preferred location of parking
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◗
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
In the last decade downtown rebirth dominated the planning and development agendas of numerous U.S.
cities. With successful renewal of the core city, corridors (particularly former streetcar lines that provide
access to inner ring suburbs) are the new pioneer for investment and redevelopment. To be successful a
strong economic development program must accompany a vision for land use and transportation.
An analysis of the East Colfax retail, housing, office and lodging trade areas and demand summaries follow.
This information provides a framework for the future economic development of the corridor. To position
the corridor for revitalization this economic development framework is a guide for public policy,
regulatory and investment decisions. Additionally, this analysis should be used to leverage private
investment and partnership interests in the redevelopment of the corridor.
The East Colfax corridor is located in the central portion of the Denver metropolitan area and crosses
multiple municipalities. That segment of the corridor, which is located in the City of Denver, and which
is the subject of this report, extends approximately 2.5 miles, from the 300 block of East Colfax to the
4000 block at Colorado Boulevard. There are approximately 263 business interests either contiguous to,
or impacted by access issues or other influences in this segment. All were considered part of the study
area. These properties represent a combined total area of nearly 90 acres. The map in the introduction
section of of this plan illustrates the length of the study area and area of influence, land uses in the
corridor, and location of district boundaries.
Given its central location within the Denver metropolitan area, the East Colfax corridor is strategically
located to capture a substantial share of the region’s traffic and business growth. Forecasts indicate that
more than 650,000 square feet of office space, 540,000 square feet of retail space, nearly 1,300 residential
units and 165 lodging rooms could be absorbed in the trade area over the next five years, from which the
corridor could draw. The level of investment which actually occurs within the corridor will be directly
proportionate to the City and property owners’ commitment to wait for “right” investment (consistent
with the plan), introduce stronger physical connections, implement supportive infill policies, identify
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creative financial solutions, and remove “barriers.” Barriers to corridor redevelopment fall within four
principal categories — physical, market, regulatory and financial. The discussion, which follows generally
describes these barriers in the context of existing conditions within the corridor and its districts.
Fo r e c a s t s i n d i c a t e t h a t i n t h e n e x t f i v e
years a trade area (that includes East Colfax)
could absorb:
The East Colfax Corridor can best be described as a mature urban corridor, with limited new investment,
fragmented ownership and a fairly inconsistent base of commercial and service uses. Uses in the corridor
fall within the following categories — retail sales, auto-oriented, service office, lodging, and government.
The biggest concentrations fall within the retail sales and personal service segments (84) which includes
traditional office tenants. The largest component of the corridor’s retail inventory falls within the food /
drink away from home (69) category.
◗ 5 4 0, 0 0 0 S F o f r e t a i l s p a c e
◗ 6 5 0, 0 0 0 S F o f o f f i c e s p a c e
◗ 1, 3 0 0 m u l t i - f a m i l y r e s i d e n t i a l u n i t s
◗ 165 hotel rooms
The percent of this demand captured on the
corridor will be a factor of the City and
community commitment to facilitate desired
investment.
Ownership information revealed that 17 properties (5.9 acres), are held by out-of-state interests. The
average parcel size on the corridor is 0.6 acres (26,136 SF), with the largest single assemblage 12.9 acres
(561,924). There are only 11 parcels larger than one acre.
As described earlier, the segment of the East Colfax Corridor considered for this analysis extends
approximately 2.5 miles. Bordering the neighborhoods of Park Hill and Hale on its east end and
Downtown Denver on its west, the character and quality of development in the corridor is generally
different within select segments or districts. The western segment is heavily influenced by its proximity
to Downtown Denver, the State Capitol and several cultural venues located adjacent to Civic Center Park.
The central segments are impacted by the medical district, East High School, and residential
neighborhoods immediately adjacent to the corridor’s commercial parcels. The eastern segment,
anchored by the National Jewish Medical campus, serves as a gateway to the corridor and Downtown
Denver. A description of conditions within each of six districts, along with a discussion of barriers to
investment within them, is presented as follows.
Market Analysis
Critical to interpreting the Corridor’s competitive position within the trade area and Metro Denver, is an
understanding of the supply characteristics of competitive developments. In order to identify potential
market opportunities given the area’s competitive position and prevailing market conditions, demand
estimates were also prepared. The following discussion presents an overview of: the methodology used
to select land uses and determine their trade areas; the role each land use plays in the Corridor; existing
supply conditions; and, estimates of future demand by land use type.
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Methodology
Looking to the experience of similar markets which have revitalized over the past decade, as well as the
vision for East Colfax expressed in Blueprint Denver, principal land uses / products were identified for
analysis including attached ownership and rental housing units, commercial retail space (in-line and freestanding), office and incubator space, and lodging units. In order to quantify estimates of demand by land
use, land use-specific trade areas were defined with consideration of the following factors.
◗ Physical Barriers — the presence of certain physical barriers including highways, arterials,
significant structures influencing driving and shopping patterns;
Proximity to population and employment
concentrations is a positive economic
indicator for East Colfax.
◗ Location of Possible Competition — a significant inventory of potentially competitive projects
diminishing the market share available to new projects;
◗ Proximity to Population and/or Employment Concentrations — population and/or employment
concentrations in an area resulting in more population and households to support new projects
(density and “rooftops");
◗ Zoning — a restrictive or favorable regulatory environment influencing a developer’s interest in
delivering projects in one location vs. another;
◗ Market Factors — conditions which will set sale and lease prices or impact a project’s revenue
potential (value) and influence a developer’s interest;
◗ Drive Times, Spending and Commuting Patterns — established habits / patterns impacting a
project’s ability to capture market share (or require re-education).
Within each trade area, baseline estimates were prepared and later adjusted based on consideration of
future events which could potentially increase or decrease absorption activity and/or project values. (See
discussion which follows.)
Events Matrix
Critical to interpreting the study area’s future competitive position for development growth is an
understanding of potential “events” which could impact the character and quantity of select land uses as
reflected in absorption activity and project values. Events, which were considered, include: competition
or introduction of major improvement projects (infrastructure); new development and redevelopment
projects (development); and, completion of land use and capital planning documents (planning).
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Colfax Corridor events matrix
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For the purpose of this analysis, infrastructure events were considered to have an impact when money
had been committed or construction had begun. Development events were considered to have a
significant impact as they essentially served to “prove up” the market. A planning event was not
considered to have any immediate impact in and of itself. Finally, it was assumed that regulatory barriers
would be eliminated to accommodate the vision of the plan.
New for sale units at Chamberlin Heights
sparked reinvestment in the area around
Colfax and Steele by creating a critical mass
of population and activity to support retail
and dining establishments.
The events identified are presented on the preceding page. The numbers presented in the matrix reflect
the net effect (increase or decrease), as a percent of the baseline capture rate. Events with a neutral
impact are left blank. Impacts from the events matrix were then combined to establish an overall
estimated percentage increase (or decrease) in forecasted capture rates by land use over time. The table
below presents a summary of these assumptions.
The discussion that follows presents supply conditions and demand analyses for each land use, which are
then adjusted to reflect the defined impacts of the identified events at select intervals over a twenty-year
period.
Housing
Historically, the East Colfax Corridor served as one of Denver’s centers for commercial retail, service and
financial activity. Today, while similar corridors across the country continue to play a role in these arenas,
their function and purpose has changed markedly. From Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon, in
communities ranging from 2,500 to 2.5 million, historic commercial corridors are making a comeback,
not only as a center for services, products and employment, but as urban neighborhoods with residences,
entertainment venues and community gathering places.
Residential supply characteristics for the trade area housing markets are summarized as follows:
◗ According to the Meyer’s Group, 149 townhome and condominium units were sold through July
2003 in the trade area, for a year-to-date absorption average of 21 units per month (a steep decline
from the previous 24 months).
◗ Among active developments, unit prices ranged from $59,000 to $2.0 million.
◗ The total inventory of apartment units in Denver stands at 99,987 as of mid-year 2003, up from
98,752 in the previous year. Approximately 5.5 percent, or 5,500 of these, are located within the
trade area.
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East Colfax Residential Trade Area (note: same as retail trade area)
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◗ Vacancies in the submarkets which comprise the trade area increased from 8.5 percent in third
quarter 2002 to 12.3 percent in 2003 for the same period.
◗ The majority of vacant units in these submarkets are priced above $900 per month.
Demand for new residential units is primarily a factor of the growth in income-qualified households
within a trade area. Projected trade area household growth was analyzed along with historical patterns of
single- and multi-family development to arrive at an estimated average annual demand for housing in the
trade area of approximately 1,300 units per year over the period 2003 to 2007 and 975 units per year
over the period 2008 to 2012. Demand for ownership units, of which a portion would be attached vs.
detached, is expected to account for approximately 50 percent of overall trade area demand or
approximately 640 and 480 units per year, correspondingly. Assuming a 10 percent capture rate of trade
area housing demand, annual demand for new units within the East Colfax Corridor could be expected to
total between 50 and 60 over the next ten years.
Retail
New residences and restaurants near the
Bluebird Theater reinvent a sense of place
along a small stretch of East Colfax.
The existing retail base in the Corridor is relatively dispersed and does not provide an adequate mix of
shopping and service opportunities to meet the needs of an evolving resident profile. One of the primary
goals of this plan is to concentrate retail/service activity at key centers, or “nodes”, along the corridor. By
doing so, this activity is not diluted along a lengthy service area, but rather is allowed to build a critical
mass at key locations. The resulting activity centers will encourage both an expansion and diversification
of the Corridor’s overall retail/service tenant base.
Retail supply characteristics for the trade area are summarized as follows:
◗ The Midtown Retail Submarket, that submarket most reflective of the primary trade area, at mid-year
2003 totaled approximately 3.2 million square feet, or 4%.
◗ Vacancies in this submarket declined, slightly, from 7.9% to 7.4% during the period 2002 to 2003.
◗ Retail products which dominate the Midtown Submarket include the small strip center and single
tenant store, representing 1.1 million and 737,000 SF, respectively.
◗ The biggest vacancies among products in this submarket occurred within large strips, which
reported a mid-year 2003 rate of 14.4 percent.
Demand for retail space is determined by the potential level of retail expenditures in a given trade area.
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East Colfax Retail Trade Area (note: same as residential trade area)
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Existing and projected total household retail expenditures in the trade area were determined by
multiplying growth in households with that portion of household income typically spent on general retail
purchases. A final adjustment was made to account for sales imported from daytime non-resident
employees working in the trade area. The results of this analysis indicated demand for between 500,000
and 550,000 square feet of additional retail space in the trade area over the next five years. Demand from
non-resident daytime employees adds additional demand for between 80,000 and 85,000 square feet —
primarily for dining and personal services.
Proximity to downtown and Uptown make
East Colfax an attractive location for
Midtown Office uses like the Upper
C o l f a x B u s i n e s s C e n t e r.
The degree to which the Corridor is able to capture new demand within the trade area (and beyond) is a
function of the redevelopment process itself. Given the highly competitive nature of retail development,
successful redevelopment of the Corridor will depend on defining the Corridor as a “place” in the minds
of area residents. Redeveloping it as retail and community destinations will necessarily increase its ability
to capture not only a greater share of its trade area demand, but also to reach beyond those boundaries.
As Corridor redevelopment begins to take hold and land prices begin to rise, physical limitations which
currently restrict the scale of redevelopment opportunities will lessen as low FAR (Floor Area Ratio) uses
such as automotive sales succumb to market forces and land owners begin to seek the highest and best
use for an increasingly valuable asset. This evolution will be expedited if assisted by favorable zoning
which encourages a denser product model.
Office
Another foundation of this plan is the provision of live/work opportunities within the Corridor. In
concert with densifying housing, office development can be introduced to further strengthen the
connection between employment uses and residential uses. The Corridor will also work as a business
address if there are ample opportunities for business support space, retail services, eating and drinking
establishments, and government and other institutional tenants.
Office supply characteristics for the trade area are summarized as follows:
◗ At mid-year 2003, the Midtown Office Submarket, had an inventory of approximately 5.9 million
square feet, representing the second smallest office sector in the metro area or 7 percent.
◗ Vacancies in the Midtown Submarket during this period were 15.3 percent, the lowest in the metro
area that currently averages 23.3 percent.
◗ The second office sector which comprises the trade area is the Northeast Submarket. At mid-year
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2003, the Northeast Office Submarket had an inventory of approximately 1.4 million square feet, or
2 percent of the metro area total.
◗ Vacancies in the Northeast Submarket during this period were 18.5 percent, slightly behind the
Southwest Submarket at 17.1 percent.
◗ A comparison of office products by class suggested that Class C office products dominate the
Midtown Submarket (1.8 million square feet) and Class B and C the Northeast Submarket (603,000
and 463,000 SF, respectively).
Demand for new office space is derived from two primary sources: expansion of existing industry and the
relocation of new companies into the market. Employment projections by industry classification for the
trade area were used to estimate an average annual demand.
The analysis revealed annual demand for approximately 694,000 square feet of new office space within
the trade area between 2003 and 2007 and 885,000 square feet between 2008 and 2012. A capture rate
of approximately 5 percent would generate annual demand on the corridor for approximately 35,000
square feet and 44,000, respectively, for these two time periods.
Boutique Hotels and Bed & Breakfast Inns
promote tourism and provide lodging for
individuals seeking unique local experiences
As with demand for retail space, the ability to capture additional demand both within and outside of the
trade area depends on the overall success of the redevelopment process itself. Office demand will likely
be limited to smaller Class B multi-tenant space, with the exception of the nodes where Class A space may
be possible in the mid-term. As the Corridor redevelops and land prices begin to increase, demand for
higher density mixed-use projects (e.g. “office-over-retail”) will begin to emerge. The more successful
the City is in establishing the Corridor as a destination, the greater will be the ability to capture demand
from tenants seeking these kinds of urban locations.
Lodging
The development of quality hotel rooms and meeting facilities is a critical determinant of the economic
health of a central city area. Hotel rooms support existing businesses and provide accommodations for
tourists and visitors. Meeting facilities, such as conference and convention centers, help to maintain and
enhance existing business and tourism, and can also act as a catalyst for urban revitalization. The
economic importance of visitors to a community cannot be overstated. Not only do they generate
spending which creates positive spin-off activities, but they become potential “ambassadors” for the
community, marketing its attributes to other cities.
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East Colfax Lodging Trade Area
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R edev elo p men t An alys is by Lan d U s e
Land Use
Value of Improvements
to Value of Land
(Unweighted ratios)
Single-family
Multi-family
Hotel or motel
3.9
7.8
2
Mixed-use
Retail
Restaurant/entertainment
Auto-oriented retail
6.6
1.6
1.5
0.7
Office
Medical
School or church
3.2
11.5
1.7
Industrial
Parking or vacant
2.3
0
The Midtown Submarket has a current lodging supply of approximately 46,700 room nights of supply.
Properties included in this supply range from full-service hotel properties offering restaurant, lounge and
meeting facilities and representing the upper end of the lodging market, to limited service hotels, which
do not offer these services and represent the middle of the lodging market. This hotel inventory is
currently operating at an average annual occupancy rate of approximately 60 percent and an average daily
rate of approximately $70.00 — both indicators of a depressed lodging market.
Demand for hotel rooms is derived from corporate and government travelers, groups and/or tours, and
leisure travelers. These demand generators comprise the corporate, group and tourist segments of the
lodging market. Support for additional hotel rooms within a market results from increases in the
employment base (corporate segment) and increases in travel by the other demand generators (group and
tourist segments).
As noted, there are currently 46,700 room nights of supply within the Midtown Submarket with overall
T h e t a b l e c o m p a r e s t h e v a l u e o f i m p r o v e m e n t s average annual market occupancy of approximately 60 percent. This equates to approximately 334,000
room nights of demand annually. A stable market experiences an average annual occupancy rate of at
(buildings) to the value of land, illustrating
the degree of property utilization. Not
least 70 percent, which, in the Midtown market, equates to approximately 234,000 room nights of
s u r p r i s i n g l y, v a c a n t l a n d a n d l o w d e n s i t y
d e v e l o p m e n t s u c h a s a u t o - o r i e n t e d r e t a i l a n d demand annually. By these industry standards, there is an oversupply in the market of approximately 160
fast-food restaurants result in underutilized
rooms. Growth in the Corporate,Tourist and Group hotel market segments over the next five years is
p r o p e r t y.
expected to generate 42,000 new room nights of demand or an additional 165 rooms in the Midtown
Submarket (after addressing the current oversupply of rooms).
This level of demand in the overall Midtown market area would likely support the addition of at least two
new hotel properties within the next 5 to 10 years. The Corridor is likely to compete most effectively for
a smaller, limited-service hotel appropriate for both the business and leisure traveler.
Primary Issues and Opportunities
◗ Analysis of data supplied by the Denver Assessor’s Office indicates a parcel’s economic potential for
redevelopment (see Underutilized Properties map). The analysis compares the assessed value of the
land to the assessed value of the improvements on that land. A ratio of less than 1.0 indicates that
the land has potential for redevelopment, and a value of less than .5 indicates that the land has a
high potential for redevelopment. Parcels with the highest potential for redevelopment are parking
lots or vacant, as well as auto-oriented retail uses: car dealerships, gas stations, garages, and car
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Underutilized Properties Map
East Colfax Study Area
Land-Structure Value Ratio
Adequate
Underutilized
Missing Data
map date: 04/26/04
Please see Map Appendix (pg. 187) for a more detailed view of this map
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washes. However, auto-oriented uses often return a high revenue stream to the owner, and the costs
of environmental cleanup often reduce their appeal as redevelopment sites. Conversely, medical
uses have a high ratio, and yet Denver is experiencing an exodus of hospital uses, with high-density
residential the most prevalent replacement use.
◗ Prevailing market conditions in concert with the current regulatory environment, promote a
low-density commercial development pattern within the corridor. Future development and
redevelopment projects will require a range of regulatory, financial and marketing strategies
designed to address the challenges presented by a variety of lot sizes and use programs.
◗ As a high volume transportation corridor, Colfax offers significant opportunities for economic
development and private investment activity. Traffic is the lifeblood of retailers. However, in the
changing environment of the commercial corridor, like the downtowns before them, the definition
of traffic and how it is accommodated needs to be flexible. Traffic includes pedestrians, bicycles,
trains and buses in addition to automobiles. All of these modes need to be encouraged and
protected in a manner appropriate for the defined “role of the street” in a designated location within
the corridor.
◗ A review of median household incomes, in the context of rental households, suggested an
opportunity for ownership attached (condominium and townhome) housing products with a broad
price range.
◗ Concentrating housing density near or on the corridor will provide additional demand for
convenience and/or service retail space. Potential retail niches for the corridor include: food and
drink away from home, household equipment, hobby, entertainment and recreation.
◗ The highest growth employment sector in the trade area is projected to be non-manufacturing
industries, consisting primarily of small businesses. This represents an opportunity for the corridor
to develop smaller, multi-tenant office space, incubator space and live/work units.
◗ Corridor commercial vacancy and rental rates are not currently at levels required to support new
development and/or redevelopment. Therefore,“seed” money will likely be necessary to leverage
private investment in projects that will “jump-start” re-investment activity throughout the corridor,
especially façade money and other small business programs.
◗ East Colfax lacks a coherent identity with little synergy among uses. The retail environment
changes constantly. Competition from both shopping destinations and non-store shopping
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alternatives require that retailers and property owners perpetually reposition themselves. Changes
in retail are the result of changes in consumer behavior brought about by demographic shifts,
advances in technology, and expanded shopping choice.
◗ Linear expanses of low-density, auto-oriented, national franchise commercial uses diminish the
corridor’s ability to be a unique place either a commercial destination or urban neighborhood.
◗ Issues associated with real and perceived problems with crime, prostitution, drugs and the
experience of riding transit tarnish the image of Colfax.
◗ Two significant challenges to corridor revitalization are over-zoning and a lack of diversity among
commercial land uses. Few markets have enough depth to support the amount of commercial
space zoned within their commercial corridors. With too much single use — one-dimensional form
of development — an area loses the opportunity for place-making and the character, diversity and
vitality which come with it.
Shallow infill sites challenge developers.
Here development must be context sensitive
and supported with adequate regulatory tools.
◗ Properties within commercial corridors, and other inner ring and central city locations, rarely
respond quickly to changes in the market, instantly putting them at a competitive disadvantage with
their greenfield (suburban) competitors. Due to regulatory and financial obstacles, these properties
lag behind the curve and therefore tend to attract few credit tenants, and more often than not,
second-generation space users.
◗ East Colfax contains an abundance of underutilized land including surface parking lots, vacant
parcels, abandoned buildings, and low-density and single-tenant commercial uses.
◗ There are few penalties/disincentives for speculation, blight, under-utilization and derelict
property/building maintenance and management.
◗ Small average lot sizes and fragmented ownership patterns are two of the most significant barriers
to sizable development projects in commercial corridors. Fragmented ownership can limit
continuity in design character and quality across multiple uses in the same location. The
complexity and timing of redevelopment projects is directly proportionate to the number of
affected property owners.
◗ Although the responsibility of assembling property can be that of a non-profit community
development corporation or private property interests, experience has proven that those cities
which take on a more proactive role in the assemblage of properties for redevelopment are at a
distinct competitive advantage for investment.
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◗ Residential parcels adjacent to the corridor are threatened by expansion pressure from commercial
projects requiring a larger assemblage to make their development work under the existing zoning.
◗ Valuable historic resources that define the place-making characteristics of East Colfax are located on
and adjacent to the corridor. Assemblages and rezonings should demonstrate compatibility with
adjacent residential areas and preservation of historically-significant structures. Creative
development solutions should be employed to achieve both preservation and development.
Goals
◗ Ready the corridor for reinvestment and position East Colfax to capture a greater share of the
region’s housing, commercial, business and lodging growth.
◗ Improve the image of the corridor and recreate the corridor as “a place” for residents, employees
and visitors.
◗ Increase public and private investment in the corridor.
◗ Eliminate regulatory and financial barriers to investment.
◗ Identify a brand image for the corridor, as well as districts within the corridor.
◗ Revitalize deteriorating and declining business and shopping areas through rehabilitation or
replacement with appropriate uses.
Concentrating housing density on East Colfax
will provide additional demand for:
Entertainment, services and dining
Recommendations
◗ Design a regulatory and economic development framework that is responsive to challenges
presented by a range of lot sizes and ownership structures and which encourages project concepts
consistent with the vision of this plan. The investment potential of all parcels immediately adjacent
to the corridor must be increased where there is a demonstrated gap or need with tools including
gap financing,Tax Increment Financing (TIF), special districts, land write-downs, fee waivers, tax
abatement, etc.
◗ Work with the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development to:
❚ Leverage existing city resources to aid private investment (such as low interest neighborhood
revitalization and façade loans);
❚ Facilitate creation of empowerment / enterprise zones of investment;
❚ Coordinate improvement district strategies;
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Incubate small businesses;
Promote access to other lending sources or financing mechanisms; and
Market the development potential of the corridor and supportive city resources to developers
interested in building projects consistent with the plan vision.
◗ Work with the Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA) to create urban renewal districts within
targeted investment areas of the corridor.
◗ Select a brand and market a new image for East Colfax as a destination for authentic, local flavor.
◗ Promote the unique attributes of the individual districts that distinguish different segments of the
corridor. Illustrate the brand through physical improvements, as well as promotion materials.
Promote the corridor as an alternative to downtown, particularly for small to mid-size businesses,
incubator, and entrepreneurial ventures. Carve a niche for East Colfax as a destination for local
entertainment, shopping and restaurant venues.
◗ Work with the Denver Police Department, Denver Human Services (and other social service
providers) and adjacent municipalities to promote property owner and neighborhood monitoring
programs in order to reduce violent crime, loitering and aggressive panhandling, drug activity, graffiti
and prostitution. Potentially encourage a public presence on the street (sub-station). Increase
enforcement of existing regulations regarding neglected and derelict buildings and properties,
temporary signage, and other conditions that degrade the physical environment of the corridor or
impact the health, safety and welfare of the community.
Pe t e ’ s K i t c h e n d r a w s v i s i t o r s a n d p r o m o t e s
C o l f a x a s a d e s t i n a t i o n f o r l o c a l f l a v o r.
◗ Give priority status to node locations along East Colfax for public offices outside the core municipal
campus at Colfax and 14th Avenue when the City needs to provide satellite office locations.
◗ Partner and consult with the Colfax Business Improvement District, elevating their role as the area’s
clearinghouse for corridor information, marketing, promotion, and business development resources.
Potentially encourage a partnership with the Downtown Denver Partnership in order to leverage
staff and financial resources.
◗ Maintain a database of information about the demographics of the corridor and adjacent
neighborhoods, as well as market conditions, in order to communicate opportunities for investment.
◗ Either expand the umbrella of the Colfax Business Improvement District, or create a supplemental
organization (community development corporation — CDC), to facilitate acquisition of catalyst
properties for private investment consistent with the vision for the corridor.
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◗ Expand existing improvement district organization to serve property and business interests on the
corridor. Principle functions will include clean and safe programs, events coordination and corridor
promotion.
◗ Work with the Colfax Business Improvement District, Denver Police Department, Metro Convention
and Visitors Bureau, Downtown Denver Partnership, local roadrunners’ clubs and adjacent
municipalities to establish an annual Colfax Marathon.
◗ Consider the creation of a “speculator tax” for vacant and underutilized properties, effectively taxing
the land portion of a property at a higher rate and the improvement at a lower rate.
◗ Encourage RTD to supplement City incentives with transit incentives that encourage dense
development concepts within the identified nodes along the corridor. Incentives could include
enhanced transit improvements, shared parking expenses, participation in infrastructure costs,
district and neighborhood signs, street furniture, and transit-oriented development dollars.
Local establishments create a
market niche for East Colfax.
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PLANS
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“The homogenous and undifferentiated
character of modern cities kills all variety of
lifestyles and arrests the growth of individual
c h a r a c t e r. . . . D o e v e r y t h i n g p o s s i b l e t o e n r i c h
the cultures and subcultures of the city into a
v a s t m o s a i c o f . . . s p a t i a l t e r r i t o r y, e a c h w i t h
the power to create its own distinct lifestyle.”
Christopher Alexander
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◗
COLFAX IDENTITY AND THE GEOGRAPHY
OF THE PLAN VISION
The framework plan identifies the overarching issues facing the study area as a whole. The following
district plans refine the geography of the plan vision and provide information specific to distinct sections
of the corridor. A district map supplements the land use concept map to define character areas that
distinguish each segment of the East Colfax study area. These individual districts describe the
relationship between the corridor and the immediately adjacent residential neighborhoods.
The land use concept map and district plans provide information about the types of mutually supportive
uses, development programs and design elements that will establish a sense of place along distinct
stretches of the corridor. The land use concept map and district plans should guide future zoning
boundary changes and inform the contents of a zone district appropriate for an enhanced transit corridor.
However, the land use map and district plans do not convey or deny any zoning privileges. Any changes
to the existing zoning conditions will be pursued under a separate process as prescribed by the Revised
Municipal Code.
Development of the corridor should create a brand image to reverse the negative associations with
Colfax. Management of the physical environment then becomes a marketing tool, allowing Colfax to
attract a variety of uses and doing so in a coherent fashion. Diversity should exist in the different areas,
but a common theme and agglomeration of uses will foster a sense of place and more clearly articulated
image. The descriptions that follow are ideal characteristics, and reflect the type of development to
which new projects should aspire.
Districts
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Mixed-Use Districts:
Transit Oriented Development Districts:
Capitol Village
Midtown Colfax
Colfax Promenade
Downing Station
Esplanade Station
Colorado Boulevard Station
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District Map
Please see Map Appendix (pg. 187) for a more detailed view of this map
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◗
CAPITOL VILLAGE DISTRICT
Geography
The Capitol Village district forms the far western end of the study area. Sixteenth Avenue Promenade and
14th Avenue bound it on the north and south, and Grant and Downing on the west and east. Downtown,
the State Capitol, Civic Center, regional entertainment venues (Ogden, Fillmore,Temple Events Center,
Denver Turnverein), Denver Art Museum, Denver Public Library, Basilica of the Immaculate Conception,
Molly Brown House, St. John’s Cathedral and the 16th Street Transit Mall are either in the district or within
easy walking distance.
Vision
Capitol Village is a 24-hour marketplace. This is the most intensely developed portion of the corridor
blending new mixed-use development with historic urban residences. While the uses lining 14th Avenue
and 16th Avenue are primarily residential in nature, there is a greater bleed of mixed use from the
C a p i t o l Vi l l a g e e x t e n d s r o u g h l y f r o m t h e S t a t e
C a p i t o l t o t h e O g d e n T h e a t e r a l o n g E a s t C o l f a x . corridor resulting in infill projects on vacant and underutilized parcels that create a more integrated,
active district feel. The area is tolerant of greater architectural diversity with modern architecture
coexistent with historic resources in a blend that fuels the eclecticism of the environment. Entertainment
venues, ethnic and specialty restaurants, as well as unique shopping experiences draw residents and
tourists interested in local flavor and offerings. Public plazas and gathering places are integrated within
building sites. There is a deliberate mix of activity generators (ambient, impulse and destination
entertainment), activity extenders (primarily dining establishments) and activity inducers (primarily retail)
that fuel the 24-hour marketplace. The area draws many single residents and accessory retail caters to
this market’s distinctive needs and lifestyle preferences. The active lifestyles in this area keep a significant
pedestrian presence on the street that improves the perceived comfort and safety of the environment.
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Primary Issues and Opportunities
◗ The price of land in the area, particularly due to its location adjacent to downtown, combined with
zoning limitations on density, challenge the economic feasibility of new development and
redevelopment projects.
◗ Compared to Downtown’s offerings, retail in this portion of the corridor does not adequately
capitalize on area “draws” including the State Capitol, and select dining and entertainment
establishments.
◗ The corridor’s current “brand” is plagued by perceptions of crime, dirt, aggressive panhandling,
public feedings and instances of neglectful property management.
◗ Surface parking lots consume prime land development space in this area, but provide significant
opportunities for infill development.
Existing conditions
◗ Vertical intensity may be more acceptable here due to the proximity and scale of Downtown. The
City Park and State Capitol view planes affect some portions of Capitol Village and height limits on
new development should be consistent with these restrictions.
◗ A high degree of density and an intense mix of uses are appropriate for Capitol Village.
◗ Entertainment venues, tourism oriented uses (boutique hotel, event centers, etc.), destination retail
and restaurants, and urban residential are highly appropriate uses in this area.
◗ State government workers and visitors, commuters, nearby residents and Downtown workers
provide opportunities to build a distinct customer base for the uses that are appropriate to Capitol
Village.
◗ A number of historic resources can be found in this area. Few incentives have been employed for
the adaptive reuse and preservation of these resources.
◗ Property values in this area can be cost prohibitive for redevelopment.
Fu t u r e d e v e l o p m e n t c o n c e p t
Entertainment venues, tourism oriented uses
(boutique hotel, event centers, etc.),
destination retail and restaurants, and urban
residential uses are highly appropriate in
C a p i t o l Vi l l a g e .
◗ The Right-of-Way west of Pearl is constrained to 80 feet from building face to building face.
Pedestrian walkways and on-street parking are limited as a result. The extremely narrow and
obstructed sidewalk at Grant Street to the east is an impediment to people wishing to venture from
downtown into the corridor. This severely constrained pedestrian area chokes off the corridor from
downtown in arguably the most significant pedestrian area in the corridor.
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Goals
◗ Maximize development in this area through infill on vacant parcels, redevelopment of underutilized
parcels and adaptive reuse of historic resources.
◗ Preserve and adaptively reuse historic resources.
◗ Establish and reinforce an Entertainment District anchored by the Ogden and the Fillmore between
Clarkson and Corona.
◗ Reconnect Capitol Village with the State Capitol, Civic Center and downtown through enhanced
pedestrian connections especially between Grant and Washington Streets.
Surface parking lots consume prime land
d e v e l o p m e n t s p a c e i n C a p i t o l Vi l l a g e , b u t
provide significant opportunities for infill
development.
◗ Promote the area as a destination for local shopping, restaurants and entertainment.
◗ Develop a boutique hotel in the vicinity of the State Capitol or the Temple Events Center.
Recommendations
◗ Where the ROW is constrained to 80 feet, enhance the limited pedestrian space through building
designs that include recessed first floors and pedestrian arcades. Increase the sidewalk width
between Grant and Washington, this could be accomplished through the removal of on street
parking or center turn lanes.
◗ Create a shared parking structure wrapped in mixed use in the vicinity of Pearl and Colfax and/or
the Ogden and Fillmore Theaters to accommodate residents, visitors and event traffic.
◗ Consider the closure of Emerson for conversion to parking and enhanced bike route/pedestrian
connections to the corridor from the neighborhood.
◗ Identify rezoning opportunities along East Colfax. Appropriate areas may include:
❚ The two Blueprint Denver designated Areas of Change within the boundaries of the study area
(these include portions of the East Colfax – West of Colorado Area of Change and the Downtown
Area of Change),
❚ Within 200 feet of Colfax, and/or
❚ Other potential opportunity sites (vacant or underutilized parcels)
◗ Build the Capitol Village population base with high-density multi-family residential development
with limited (accessory commercial) active ground floor uses off of the corridor, and focus
commercial intensity (especially mixed-use projects with a residential component) to assemblages
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contiguous to the East Colfax corridor. Allow a more diverse mix of uses in the Capitol Village Areas
of Change. Limit intense commercial expansion to opportunity sites and/or 200 feet (where
appropriate) on the south side of Colfax. Retain residential character and use on parcels fronting
14th Avenue and 16th Avenue Promenade.
◗ Establish a view corridor from Colfax to St. John’s Cathedral and incorporate significant public space
in the design of new development in this area.
◗ Work with the Fillmore and Ogden Theaters and RTD to promote transit access to concerts and
other events held at the theaters.
East Colfax theater venues that showcase
national and local talent form the basis of an
e n t e r t a i n m e n t d i s t r i c t i n C a p i t o l Vi l l a g e .
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◗
MIDTOWN COLFAX DISTRICT
Geography
Midtown Colfax extends from Downing to
Vi n e a l o n g E a s t C o l f a x , s o u t h o f t h e U p t o w n
H o s p i t a l D i s t r i c t a n d n o r t h o f C h e e s m a n Pa r k .
Midtown Colfax lies between Downing to Vine, and 14th to 16th Avenues.This area includes the Upper
Colfax Historic Business District (between Downing & Gilpin), as well as portions of the Wyman and Park
Avenue Historic Districts. Cheesman Park, three bed and breakfast hotels (Castle Marne Historic Bed &
Breakfast, Holiday Chalet and Adagio B&B),Wyman Elementary School,Warren Village and the Uptown
Hospital district lie just a few blocks north and south of the corridor.The union of three fundamental axes
occurs at the five point intersection of Park Avenue, Franklin and Colfax.The Franklin Street axis connects
Colfax with Cheesman Park and the Uptown Hospital District.The Park Avenue axis connects Colfax to
Coors Field/Northeast Downtown, and the Colfax corridor itself is the axis of Aurora, Lakewood and
Denver.The area includes an abundance of adaptively reused historic structures such as the Colonnade,
Alta Court and the Rosenstock, as well as Colfax icons: Pete’s Kitchen and the Satire Lounge.
Vision
Midtown Colfax contains iconographic
businesses like the Satire Lounge.
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Infill development (Ramada Inn, the Upper Colfax Business Center) and adaptive reuse of historic
resources (Colonnade,Alta Court, Rosenstock, Bourbon Square) in the Upper Colfax Historic Business
District form the basis of the identity and future redevelopment model for Midtown Colfax. Office, or
residential, over retail characterizes the mix of uses. This district encourages mid-town office
development that supports the hospital community and businesses that benefit from proximity to
downtown, without the downtown rents.The area is the mid-point between the active and more
entertainment/tourist-oriented, 24-hour marketplace to the west and the lower density residential area to
the east. The Upper Colfax Historic Business District is the fulcrum of Midtown Colfax and the larger
corridor.The five-point intersection of Park Avenue, Franklin and Colfax is a natural space for a civic focal
point.As the employment center on the corridor, the Upper Colfax Historic Business District and similar
redevelopment projects in Midtown Colfax draw workers from the neighborhoods east and connect small
businesses to downtown.An agglomeration of business support uses here includes postal services,
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printing and copying, labor services, as well as a workforce development or business incubation center.
Within 200’ of the corridor, historic structures are creatively re-used as office space and integrated with
new development contiguous to the corridor.This is a medium density area with limited activity after
business hours. Uses that remain open past 5:00 p.m. include art galleries, restaurants and other primarily
neighborhood serving retail.
Primary Issues and Opportunities
◗ The 5-point intersection of Park Avenue, Franklin and Colfax presents the opportunity to create a
significant civic focal point along the corridor.
◗ The potential connections between Civic Center, LoDo, Coors Field, Cheesman Park and the
Uptown Hospital District from the 5-point intersection at Park Avenue, Franklin and East Colfax
reinforce the need to consider pedestrian infrastructure, multi-modal circulation and access.
◗ The existing uses and development potential around Park Avenue, especially north of the corridor,
would support denser, mixed-use projects.
◗ The Wyman Historic District overlaps the majority of Midtown Colfax.
◗ The recently approved City Park West Overly District 9 application originally included a portion of
the East Colfax study area. This portion was exempted from the application so that it could be
addressed in this plan and subsequent zoning changes that occur as part of implementation.
◗ Should the opportunity arise, the high-rise brick storage building at Vine should be adaptively reused
for residential or office space.
◗ Concentrations of bars and dilapidated buildings cause noise, poor property maintenance and a
negative market perception.
◗ Regulatory and market conditions favor a low-density single tenant retail land use pattern
inconsistent with an urban redevelopment framework.
◗ The availability of parking is limited and insufficient to address a denser pattern of development.
◗ A higher than average (for the corridor) percent of properties are held by out-of-town property
owners; parcels are generally small with fragmented ownership.
◗ Warehouse and parking uses disrupt urban form and limit densities needed to attract credit tenant
investment.
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T h e f i v e - p o i n t i n t e r s e c t i o n a t Pa r k A v e n u e ,
Fr a n k l i n S t . & C o l f a x i s a c r i t i c a l r e d e v e l o p m e n t
area.
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◗ Market conditions (lease rates) in the area will limit investment in office employment uses, other
than subsidized incubator space, for the near-term.
Goals
◗ Promote the 5-point intersection at Park Avenue as a village node appropriate for high density
mixed-use, particularly projects which incorporate residential uses over active ground floor retail, as
well as structured parking.
◗ Enhance the design of the 5-point intersection at Park Avenue, Franklin and Colfax.
The Upper Colfax Business Center contains
mixed use office over active ground floor
uses, which is especially appropriate in
Midtown Colfax.
◗ Promote an identity brand for Midtown Colfax geared toward midtown office and support uses.
New development should respect and build on the Wyman and Park Avenue Historic Districts
context as part of the area’s brand image.
◗ Ensure and respect the integrity of the Wyman Historic District. Incorporate context sensitive
design to reinforce a brand image that reflects the historic architecture.
◗ Reinforce business development and support uses in Midtown Colfax and establish incubator space
in the area to help grow local micro-enterprises.
Recommendations
◗ Consider long-term strategies to redesign the Park Avenue, Franklin and Colfax intersection and
create a focal point that emphasizes the importance of this intersection as a gateway to Civic
Center, Northeast Downtown, Cheesman Park and the Uptown hospital complex. Explore the
possibility of a roundabout design that incorporates a statue of Schuyler Colfax at Park Avenue.
◗ Consider future designation of the Park Avenue node as a transit station area, and preserve
development opportunity sites for high density, transit supportive land uses and site designs.
◗ The portion of City Park West/Wyman Historic District from Gilpin to the alley between Gaylord
and York and outside of a distance 200 feet from Colfax (this distance may vary depending on the
presence of development opportunity sites) should be considered for OD-9 designation.
Historic buildings, adaptively reused as
offices, like Alta Court in the Upper Colfax
Historic Business District are the model for
redevelopment in the rest of Midtown Colfax.
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◗ Develop building and site design standards, as well as wayfinding programs to reinforce the Franklin
Street axis that connects Cheesman Park, Colfax and the Uptown hospital complex, especially as a
significant pedestrian route, as well as the Park Avenue axis that connects, Colfax, the Uptown
hospital complex, East Village, Northeast Downtown and Coors Field.
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COLFAX PROMENADE DISTRICT
Geography
Saint Paul to Garfield, Colfax to 16th Avenue forms the northern portion of the district, while Columbine
to Garfield, Colfax to 14th Avenue forms the southern portion. The area includes parts of the South City
Park and Congress Park neighborhoods, the Snell Subdivision Historic District (Colfax A and B Avenues),
the Bluebird Theater, and the new Chamberlin Heights infill development project at Colfax and Steele, as
well as many “Mom & Pop” shops and “local favorite” venues such as Collins Bicycle Shop, the newly
renovated Tommy’s Thai, Goosetown Tavern, Mezcal, Bastien’s Steak House and the P.S. Lounge.
Colfax Promenade lies between East High
School and Colorado Boulevard. Stable,
historic, single-family residential areas
flank East Colfax on the north and south
in this area.
Vision
“Mom and Pop” shops line this portion of Colfax from the edges of the Esplanade Station to Garfield
Street. Business traffic is primarily walk-up or served by on-street parking. With the parking constraints
here, destination retail, entertainment and restaurant uses are limited, but boutique shops, delis, small
markets, barbers, bike shops, hardware stores, art galleries and similar low intensity uses are the norm.
The lot depths are more constrained in this area, and the Area of Change follows the existing B-4
boundaries for the most part. Small studios, apartments and live work units are encouraged on the small
commercial parcels. In the few areas where minor assemblages exist, residential infill projects with
accessory commercial develop over time.
Primary Issues and Opportunities
◗ Commercial lot depths are particularly shallow in Colfax Promenade (more so than along other
parts of the corridor), and deep assemblages are limited by the presence of highly stable turn of the
century residential neighborhoods to the north and south. Expansion of the commercial area
beyond its existing boundaries would severely impact the adjacent residential neighborhoods,
particularly South City Park which is just two city blocks deep.
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◗ Colfax Promenade includes a number of historic “taxpayer strips” that provide a boutique retail
context.
◗ In this section of East Colfax, travel speeds and right of way width create a significant barrier to
comfortable pedestrian crossings. With City Park lying 2 blocks north of Colfax, the area needs
stronger north-south pedestrian connections.
◗ The redevelopment of Mercy Hospital as the planned City Park South residential project will
introduce a significant population base to the area that could support neighborhood serving walkup businesses along the corridor.
Colfax Promenade contains many historic
“tax payer strips” – block long commercial
storefronts built during the streetcar era to
pay the taxes and hold the land for future
development.
◗ Development economics support the presence of low-density commercial uses, but there is an
absence of sufficient off-site parking to accommodate a significant redevelopment scenario.
◗ Despite healthy traffic counts, this segment’s location is removed from Colorado Boulevard and its
forecasted traffic and use counts.
◗ Given use mix there is an inability to leverage other operators for attraction of customers. This
effort will require marketing.
Goals
◗ Promote an identity of characteristically “Mom & Pop” style commercial uses in this section.
◗ Improve pedestrian crossings particularly at intersections that correspond to entrances at City Park.
◗ Draw visitors from City Park to Colfax Promenade.
◗ Ensure strong pedestrian orientation of development in this area to encourage neighborhood access
by foot and bike.
◗ Reinforce the residential nature of this section of East Colfax.
◗ Preserve the existing character of predominantly historic single-family residential outside of the
existing B-4 commercial boundaries.
S o u t h C i t y Pa r k n e i g h b o r h o o d i n C o l f a x
Promenade is just 2 blocks wide, commercial
expansion into this residential area would
threaten the stability of the neighborhood.
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Recommendations
◗ Develop flexible zoning with design and development standards that promote “Mom & Pop”
businesses that are low impact and serve a primarily walk-up, neighborhood customer base.
◗ Limit uses by right that have excessive parking demand.
◗ Support residential development along this stretch of Colfax.
◗ Encourage shared and structured parking for the area to accommodate uses with intense parking
needs.
◗ Work with the City Park Alliance, Denver Zoo, Museum of Nature and Science and the City Park Golf
Course to co-promote businesses along Colfax Promenade and events at City Park attractions, such
as “buy one get one free” meals at restaurants with the presentation of a ticket stub from a City Park
event or venue.
Fi n d i n n o v a t i v e w a y s t o i n t r o d u c e r e s i d e n t i a l
uses to Colfax Promenade, as in this “pop-top”
o f a t a x p a y e r s t r i p i n B o u l d e r, C o l o r a d o .
◗ Work with Bluebird Theater and RTD to promote transit access to concerts and other events at the
theater.
◗ Work with the Colfax Business Improvement District, Office of Economic Development and Small
Business Administration to develop unique programs to attract, preserve, protect and promote small
independent business along Colfax Promenade.
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Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
Districts are highly urbanized places at the
intersection of significant transit routes that
have a concentration of jobs, housing units,
commercial uses, public spaces, pedestrian
activity and a sense of place.
◗
TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT (TOD)
DISTRICTS
TOD Context
A key strategy for revitalization of East Colfax is based on redevelopment and targeted investment in key
transit oriented development districts, or “catalyst areas”, which hold investment potential despite select
economic and physical redevelopment challenges. These areas are defined as: highly urbanized places at
the intersection of significant transportation routes that have a concentration of jobs, housing units,
commercial uses, public spaces, pedestrian activity and a sense of place. Predominant land uses within
transit station areas can be residential, commercial and public. Within this relatively compact geographic
area, different land uses are found side by side or within the same structures. Station areas contain a mix
of uses in developments with minimal setbacks, reduced parking requirements, and taller structures, all in
an effort to achieve higher densities necessary to support transit, pedestrian activity, private investment
and a sense of place. This plan identifies the primary station areas at the intersection of significant northsouth transit routes with Colfax. Station areas do not preclude the emergence of other significant nodes
along the corridor (for example, an entertainment node in the vicinity of the Ogden and the Fillmore
Theaters or a village center at Park and Colfax). Station areas differ from other nodes due to the
proximity to key transit intersections. However, criteria to evaluate and select transit oriented
development sites may be applied to other types of nodes or activity centers that may emerge.
TOD Criteria
National Jewish Hospital provides an
institutional anchor at the intersection of
Colorado Blvd. and East Colfax Avenue
transit routes.
132
Station areas were generally identified and evaluated based on screening criteria, with guidance from
stakeholders and community leaders in the East Colfax area. While an expressed interest in an immediate
development or redevelopment project influenced the selection of certain areas, most were selected
because they presented a compelling location or market advantage for future investment.
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Enhanced Transit Corridors
Transit Oriented
Development District
Downtown Denver
◗ Highest density and intensity
◗ Greatest concentration of population and
employment
◗ Core of metropolitan area
Mixed-use District
Transit Oriented Development District
◗ Junction of two major transit routes or hub of
destination activities
◗ Density and intensity focused to station area
core
◗ High concentration of housing
◗ Uses serve daily needs of commuters, workers
and residents
Mixed-Use District
◗ Medium to high density, medium intensity
◗ Development focused to corridor
◗ Transit and pedestrian friendly street design
◗ Main street provides downtown or cross-town
access
◗ Transitions between corridor adjacent
neighborhoods
Mixed-use District
Downtown Denver
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Transit routes cross East Colfax at :
◗ Grant Street
◗ Logan Street
◗ Ogden Street
◗ Downing Street
Criteria used to select catalyst areas include the following:
◗ Presence of a market opportunity in the near- or long-term
◗ Opportunities to strengthen and link existing districts or activity centers
◗ Ability to leverage existing or planned public or private investment
◗ Yo r k S t r e e t
◗ Physical environment including parks and open space, public improvements
◗ Josephine Street
◗ Potential for creating key entryways or “gateways” into development areas
◗ Colorado Boulevard
◗ Ownership patterns including public and private and multiple vs. assembled
◗ Presence of unified, energetic stakeholders
◗ Upward trend in local investment
◗ Compatibility with Plan 2000 and Blueprint Denver
◗ Availability of public programs, incentives and tools for revitalization
◗ Ability to create activity centers, emphasizing opportunities with multi-modal access
◗ Presence of support organizations — service groups, churches, schools
◗ Demonstrated community need, both perceived and quantified
◗ Consistent in character and building on prevailing strengths
◗ Presence of opportunity to promote higher densities and a broad spectrum of housing choices
◗ Opportunity to share existing parking or build new shared parking
◗ Opportunity to build on existing economic, cultural or other community elements
Potential transit station areas were selected using the above criteria. However, experience has proven
that implementable plans must maintain a high degree of flexibility. As markets change, the physical
realm must change with them. Therefore, while transit station areas have been identified today as offering
potential for leveraged investment, the criteria provides the City with the tools to evaluate future projects
which might occur outside of these areas, and which are consistent with the vision for the study area.
Downing Station
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Station Area Descriptions
Ty p i c a l s t a t i o n a r e a f e a t u r e s :
Downing Station Vision
At the intersection of Downing and Colfax, Downing Station serves transit riders with a variety of trip
itineraries ranging from concertgoers attending a show at the Fillmore or Ogden Theaters to employees of
Midtown Colfax. Connections north deliver transit riders to the Light Rail Station at Welton and Downing
Street that will provide access to Denver International Airport via the east corridor rapid transit line.
Connections south funnel riders to central city neighborhoods and shopping areas. The station area core
branches out at roughly a 500' radius from the transit stop at the intersection of Downing and Colfax, and
as with conventional transit oriented development the area of influence extends for a quarter mile
walking distance. Density/intensity of development decreases with distance from the station core.
Familiar station area design elements characterize the core of the station area. A civic plaza or other type
of urban open space allows the public to gather informally while waiting for transit. Such a space creates
a distinguishable focal point along the corridor. Architectural elements and public art reinforce the civic
importance of this intersection. Significant way-finding elements emphasize connections between this
location and Downtown, DIA, Coors Field/LoDo, Cheesman Park and the Uptown hospitals. Housing
options (especially affordable, mixed income and mixed-use housing) abound here and cater to a transit
reliant population. Transit supportive retail considers the service and shopping itineraries of commuters
— a dry cleaner, day care, food market, newsstand, etc. — the transit stop is an ideal location for small
businesses that cater to the daily needs of commuters. This location attracts public investment in transit
infrastructure, including a parking structure that provides convenient parking for business uses within the
core, as well as commuters who park here and ride the 15 transit line into downtown.
◗ Civic plaza
Esplanade Station Vision
Esplanade Station is very similar in appearance to Downing Station. As commuters arrive here, it is clear
that this is a transportation transfer point. Way-finding elements clearly articulate directions to
commuters. The significance of East High School, the Lowenstein Theater and the City Park Esplanade
reinforce the station’s civic context. Uses in the station area emphasize education and community activity
with particular attention given to art gallery space, performing arts or community centers. The area of
influence is greater than Downing Station and incorporates the far western edge of the South City Park
neighborhood in order to make a stronger connection between the station, East High School and the
redevelopment of the Mercy hospital site as well as the commercial spaces along Colfax fronting Mercy.
As with the other station areas, high-density residential uses provide abundant housing options to transit
E A S T
C O L F A X
◗ Public art
◗ Wa y f i n d i n g e l e m e n t s
◗ Real time transit arrival/departure forecasting
technology
◗ Transit supportive retail and services
◗ Housing
◗ Structured parking
Esplanade Station
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reliant populations and retail shops and services meet the daily needs of commuters. At this location
connections may be made to Cherry Creek, Denver Botanic Gardens, City Park, Downtown, and the York
Street Business Incubation Center at 40th Avenue and York.
Colorado Boulevard Station
Colorado Boulevard Station Vision
The intersection of Colfax and Colorado Blvd., is the most heavily developed of the three station areas.
National Jewish Hospital is the institutional anchor in this location. Structured parking wrapped with a
mix of offices over retail provides employees and commuters with parking and shopping opportunities.
The intersection is the eastern gateway to Downtown and connects Colfax commuters with the Museum
of Nature and Science, the Health Sciences Center redevelopment site, regional retail in Glendale and light
rail at Colorado Center at I-25 and Colorado Boulevard. Like the other station areas, this area is attractive
for high-density residential developments that connect housing with transit. Unlike other sections of the
corridor, Colorado Boulevard Station has significant assemblages with no indication that that existing uses
will change in the near-term. National Jewish Hospital (and its supportive uses) draws patients, visitors
and employees from throughout the metro area, as well as the state and nation. Redevelopment
opportunities are currently over-shadowed by the traffic created.
Primary Issues and Opportunities
◗ Frequent curb cuts disrupt the pedestrian environment, a critical component to a transit-oriented
development.
◗ A quality building stock, recent façade investment and a healthy inventory of restaurants surrounded
by a denser form of housing will strengthen the argument for commercial investment.
◗ The station areas lack identity with no distinguishing features to suggest that these sites are
significant, high volume transit stops.
◗ Below market leases, speculative pricing and licensing restrictions preclude redevelopment and
reuse of key parcels within these areas.
◗ Higher insurance rates for commercial properties in the central city, and particularly those in areas
proximate to inner city schools, can be a significant deterrent to revitalization.
◗ Shallow lot depths make the attraction of a significant institutional commercial developer nearly
impossible without property assemblages.
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◗ Recent investment in residential properties adjacent to the corridor will make assemblages in select
locations difficult.
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
Va n c o u v e r e n h a n c e d i t s b u s t r a n s i t s e r v i c e :
◗ Current parking is insufficient to support a major redevelopment program in the area.
◗ Recent investment in the auto-related uses at Esplanade Station and Colorado Boulevard Station will
create additional expense and delays with regard to property assemblage and redevelopment.
◗ Uses and land use patterns are low density and insufficient to meet the threshold needs of many
retail tenants.
◗ The intersection of critical cross-town transit routes with Colfax defines the three station areas.
Downing Station and Colorado Boulevard Station connect commuters to the light rail station areas at
Welton Street and I-25 respectively. The York/Josephine Couplet (at Esplanade Station) and
Colorado Boulevard are designated, like Colfax, as “Enhanced Transportation Corridors” under
Blueprint Denver. These stops demonstrate the highest degree of transit ridership.
Before
◗ Commercial corridor revitalization is largely based on the concept that investment should be
concentrated at select pulse points or “nodes” in an effort to most effectively leverage private
investment. These nodes of development serve as catalysts when compatible and like-uses located
in close proximity result in the creation of “place” and a destination for vehicles and pedestrians.
When uses such as retail are dispersed, their impact is diluted and the frequency of single purchase
trips increases.
◗ Residential development along corridors, and particularly within transit station areas, provides
numerous benefits for an otherwise linear environment. Residences effectively increase the number
of households that support retail and transit. In addition, they diversify the land use base; introduce
a new and unique housing product to the market and promote a 24-hour environment on the street.
After
◗ Large assemblages exist at all three station areas. The United States Postal Service holds a significant
assemblage at Downing Station (approximately half of a city block). Denver Public Schools and a
few other property owners hold larger than average parcels at Esplanade Station. The Colorado
Boulevard Station includes assemblages at the John Elway car dealership site and the National Jewish
campus which constitutes the largest assemblage on the corridor.
E A S T
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Goals
◗ Create development focal points along the corridor that catalyze a ripple effect of investment over
the long term.
◗ Clearly articulate key transit station areas along the corridor with select design elements and site
features.
◗ Leverage public investment in transit station areas, especially to offset costs associated with the
construction of structured parking facilities wrapped in mixed-uses.
Structured parking wrapped with mixed-uses
e n c o u r a g e s p a r k a n d r i d e b e h a v i o r, a c t i v a t e s
the street and incorporates neighborhood
and pedestrian friendly design in a transit
station area.
◗ Encourage concentrations of diverse, yet compatible uses which when co-located have a positive,
multiplicative impact.
Recommendations
◗ Partner with RTD to enhance the East Colfax transit technology and develop identifiable station
areas along the corridor at Downing Street,York/Josephine St. and Colorado Boulevard.
◗ Build partnerships with key property owners at transit station areas to leverage private investment
in these locations. Work with existing property owners to identify future development potential of
large assemblages or opportunities for co-development.
◗ Limit the number of access points or curb cuts especially in transit station areas to increase
vehicular and pedestrian safety, improve the pedestrian area, reinforce an uninterrupted street wall
and improve circulation.
◗ Design “super stop” transit infrastructure at transit station areas along Colfax.
◗ Encourage transit supportive retail and service uses at station areas. Such uses include: food
markets, dry cleaners, day care, postal services, and other uses that meet the daily shopping
itineraries of commuters. Limit auto-oriented uses at these locations.
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●I M P L E M E N T A T I O N
STRATEGY
●
“Plans are only good intentions unless they
immediately degenerate into hard work.”
Pe t e r D r u c k e r
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◗
LAND USE
Zoning for a“Transit Mixed Use-Corridor”
Improved regulatory tools stimulate new
investment, like infill on underutilized sites.
Establish appropriate zoning for a “Transit Mixed Use – Corridor” for Blueprint Denver designated
“Enhanced Transportation Corridors.” Establish appropriate use, design and development standards to
encourage compact, high-density and transit-oriented development along the corridor. Analyze and
balance standards for density and intensity with parking reductions and lot depth to facilitate
development appropriate to a transit corridor, but complementary to adjacent residential. Include
standards that promote context sensitive design.
Responsibility Community Planning and Development
Timing Short-term (2004-2005)
Priority 1
Rezoning application for East Colfax
Initiate a rezoning process for East Colfax consistent with the process identified by the Revised Municipal
Code. Study and identify areas appropriate for rezoning. Parameters for rezoning boundaries may include
Areas of Change, parcels within 200' of East Colfax (west of Elizabeth), within the existing B-4 boundaries
and/or opportunity sites.
Responsibility Community Planning and Development, property owners, businesses and residents,
City Council representatives
Timing Short-term (2004-2005)
Priority 2
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O-D9 application for portion of City Park West in study area
Identify residentially zoned parcels in the neighborhood outside of revised East Colfax corridor zoning
boundaries between Park Avenue and York Street, from Colfax to 16th Avenue that should be
incorporated in the City Park West Overlay District-9. This residential portion of the City Park
neighborhood was left out of the original overlay district rezoning application until such time as new
zoning boundaries may be established for the corridor in this stretch of East Colfax. A rezoning process
will establish new zoning for the corridor, and concurrently, parcels outside of those boundaries will be
considered for inclusion within the OD-9.
Responsibility Community Planning and Development, property owners, businesses and residents,
City Council representatives
Timing Short-term (2004-2005) concurrent with the rezoning process for East Colfax
Priority 2
R-3 and R-4 zoning issues
Coordinate with the R-3 and R-4 zone district study. Identify and resolve problematic design and
development standards with R-3 and R-4 zone districts in the residential areas beyond the commercial
corridor.
Responsibility Community Planning and Development, residents, property owners
Timing Short-term (2004-2005)
Priority Underway
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◗
URBAN FORM
Colfax Historic District
Create an historic district application modeled after the Downtown Historic District to establish a noncontiguous preservation area for significant historic resources between 14th and 16th Avenues, from
Broadway to Colorado. Identify significant buildings for preservation. Identify historic preservation
incentives and tools.
Responsibility Community Planning and Development, property owners, businesses and residents,
City Council representatives, Denver Landmark Preservation Commission, Historic
Denver, Colorado Historic Society, Colorado Preservation, Inc., City of Lakewood, City
of Aurora, Colorado Community Revitalization Association
Timing Short-term (2004-2005); prior to or concurrent with rezoning application
Priority 1
East Colfax contains many historic resources
worth preserving. Many structures could
benefit from economic incentives that offset
a portion of the costs of rehabilitation and
adaptive reuse.
Design and Development Standards for New Construction
Prepare design guidelines for new construction and incorporate in zoning language applicable to the
commercial corridor. Incorporate a toolkit of standards to reinforce smooth transitions between the
residential to commercial edge.
Responsibility Community Planning and Development, private architects, Historic Denver,
Registered Neighborhood Organizations
Timing Short-term (2004-2005); concurrent with language amendments to the B-4 zone
district and creation of “Transit Mixed Use – Corridor” zone district
Priority 1
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Streetscape Master Plan and Streetscape Improvements
P L A N
TYPICAL
COMMERCIAL
STREETSCAPE
1 Prepare a master plan with uniform standards for streetscaping. Identify a consistent and coherent
streetscape package that includes uniform lighting fixtures, street furniture, transit amenities, paving
standards, street trees and other elements that comprise the streetscape.
TYPICAL
RESIDENTIAL
STREETSCAPE
2 Coordinate the streetscape master plan with the development of an ultimate cross-section for East Colfax.
3 Develop standards for street dimension and design speeds, street vistas, street tree type and spacing,
sidewalk dimensions, on-street parking and intersection design. Consider reduced lane width to
slow traffic and increase space available within the public right-of-way for pedestrian activity.
4 Incorporate standards that promote a brand image for the corridor including gateway features and
interpretive elements.
5 Estimate improvement costs and identify a funding mechanism for streetscape improvements.
Leverage private resources to counterbalance public contribution. Establish a local improvement
and maintenance district to install, protect, repair, maintain and replace improvements as needed.
Establish a maintenance and replacement mechanism including an enforcement process that
requires replacement of lost trees within a limited period.
ROADWAY
BUILDING
FRONTS,
SIGNAGE.
(PEDESTRIAN
ORIENTED
SIDEWALK
PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
(“THE COMMON SPACE”)
AMENITY ZONE
(ENHANCED PAVING, STREET TREES,
PEDESTRIAN LIGHTS, BENCHES,
TRASH RECEPTACLE, ETC.)
FRONT
YARD
SETBACK
TREE LAWN
(STREET TREES, TURFGRASS
OR GROUND COVERS)
DETACHED
SIDEWALK
6 Install new street trees, street furniture, uniform lighting and other features.
Responsibility Community Planning and Development, Public Works, Office of Economic
Development, Colfax Business Improvement District, City of Denver Director of
Marketing, Greektown Maintenance District, property owners, businesses and
residents, Historic Denver, Colfax Coalition, Mayor’s Office of Art, Culture and Film —
Public Art
Timing Short-term(2004-2005) to mid term (2006-2008); concurrent with pertinent
transportation infrastructure planning and program
Priority 2
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Sign regulations
Revise the sign regulations for East Colfax to promote better way-finding, directional, private advertising
and business identification signage. Integrate standards to reintroduce artful neon signage in a form
consistent with its historic use on the corridor. Explore and incorporate alternatives to billboard
advertising (such as wall art displays) to allow free speech, but maximize space for development and
improve the visual aesthetics of the corridor. Improve way-finding signage to reinforce connections to
significant destinations and attractions along and near the corridor. Incorporate “Active Living by Design”
strategies in way-finding signage to promote and articulate the corridor as a series of walkable stretches
connecting a variety of key destinations.
Responsibility Community Planning and Development, Public Works, Colfax Business Improvement
Excessive and cluttered signage reduces
District, property owners, businesses and residents, billboard advertisers
business legibility and works against business
promotion.
Timing Short-term (2004-2005)
Mid-term — install streetscape improvements and establish a streetscape
maintenance district (2005-2008)
Priority 2
Colfax Open Space Plan and Enhanced Civic Areas
1 Identify opportunity sites along Colfax for traditional and non-traditional open spaces such as public
plazas and pocket parks to ensure that adequate “breathing room” is provided for existing and new
populations.
2 Study low volume cross streets and Green Streets (especially designated bicycle routes — Sherman,
Emerson/Ogden, Franklin, Race, Steele, and Harrison) for closure to through traffic and conversion to
enhanced civic areas which could include parking, enhanced bike and pedestrian connections
and/or park space between East Colfax, adjacent neighborhoods and the 16th Avenue Promenade.
Coordinate with any future changes to alley configurations.
3 Study potential view corridors to create focal points along the corridor and preserve/frame views of
significant structures, cityscapes or landscapes.
4 Estimate acquisition and installation costs and identify funding sources such as GOCO to help
acquire and build open spaces.
5 Incorporate non-traditional open space standards in new zoning language that may be created as
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part of this plan’s implementation.
Responsibility Community Planning and Development, Parks and Recreation Department, Denver
Botanic Gardens, residents, property owners, businesses, Public Works, RTD, Denver
Public Schools, City Park Alliance,The Parks People, Colfax Business Improvement
District
Timing Short-term (2004-2005) planning
Mid-term (2005-2008) and long-term (2009-2015) implementation
Priority 3
Without strong streetscaping and wayfinding
elements, few defining features tell
p e d e s t r i a n s t h a t C h e e s m a n Pa r k , a m a j o r
city park, lies just two blocks from this point.
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◗
TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Transportation Phase II Study: Roadway Safety Audit, Ultimate Cross
Section and Transit Alternatives
Enhanced transit contributes to multi-modal
street development
Pursue transportation funds to study transit enhancements to upgrade local transit service to streetcar and
limited service to Bus Rapid Transit. Identify an ultimate cross-section for East Colfax and transit service
alignment alternatives and opportunities for public/private shared parking facilities. Link transit
alternatives on Colfax to a downtown circulator so residents, employees and visitors can easily travel
along East Colfax without switching modes. Identify ridership and revenue estimates, conduct
preliminary engineering, estimate capital and operating costs, recommend vehicle specifications and
procurement and design station areas. Develop an ultimate cross-section for Colfax to enhance
pedestrian, transit and private vehicle movement (coordinate with a streetscape masterplan). Perform a
Roadway Safety Audit and recommend intersection safety enhancements. Address the limited pedestrian
space in the segment west of Pearl Street where right of way is constrained to 80 feet. Incorporate a
toolkit of pedestrian enhancements such as bulb outs, refuge islands, countdown signals and the like.
Responsibility Public Works, CDOT, RTD, Community Planning and Development, property owners,
residents, businesses, DRCOG, consultants
Timing Short-term (2004-2005) to mid-term (2006-2008)
Priority 1
East Colfax Transportation Management Association and Transportation
Demand Management Program
Establish an East Colfax TMA with a program to manage transportation demand. Work with major
employers and event traffic generators (especially entertainment venues) to create innovative TDM
strategies (shared parking arrangements, event tickets as transit passes, shuttles).
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Responsibility Community Planning and Development, Public Works, RTD, DRCOG, Colfax Business
Improvement District, CDOT, businesses (especially major employers — like
Uptown Hospital District, National Jewish, etc.- and event traffic generators), Colfax
Coalition
Timing Short-term (2004-2005) and on-going
Priority 2
Curb Cut Consolidation and Access Management Standards
1 Enforce standards for access management to improve traffic flow and improve pedestrian safety
along the corridor.
Excessive curb cuts
2 Identify areas where curb cuts could be abandoned and driveways consolidated for shared site
access. Consider site access implications with any future alley vacations and alterations to existing
configuration of alleys.
3 Initiate a program to work with CDOT and property owners to close unnecessary curb cuts.
4 Work with the Colfax Business Improvement District to educate property and business owners
about the benefits of access management.
5 Estimate costs and create a mechanism to help pay for curb cut closures.
Responsibility Community Planning and Development, Public Works, Colfax Business Improvement
District, CDOT
Consolidated curb cuts
Timing Short-term (2004-2005) planning, mid- and long term (2006-2015) implementation
Priority 2
Denver Streetcar, Inc.
Depending on the results of the Streetcar/BRT Feasibility Study, pursue the creation of a not-for-profit
entity to promote the return of streetcars to Denver. Form an Advisory Board (comprised of no more
than 15 individuals) to establish a streetcar strategy for East Colfax and Denver’s other enhanced transit
corridors.
Responsibility Community Planning and Development, Regional Transportation District, Office of
Economic Development, Public Works, CDOT, business and community leaders,
DRCOG
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Timing Short-term (2004-2005) — initial organization
Mid-term (2006-2008) — oversee Streetcar Feasibility Study if Transportation
Improvement Program funds secured
Long-term (2008-2015) — oversee streetcar implementation with successful
feasibility study
Priority 3
City Ditch Storm Drain/Underground Detention Analysis
Denver Water may abandon this part of the City Ditch in 2004, subject to their finding and developing an
alternative means to supply water to City Park. In development of a Storm Drainage Master Plan, Public
Works will analyze this portion to use as a storm drain or underground detention to address drainage
problems at Colfax and High.
Responsibility Public Works, Denver Water
Timing Short-term (2004-2005)
Priority 3
Multi-family Recycling Drop-Off Site Pilot Project
Work with Denver Recycles to establish a recycling drop-off site pilot project to provide recycling for
multi-family tenants.
Responsibility Public Works, Denver Recycles, landlords, renters, tenant associations,Apartment
Association of Metro Denver
Timing Short-term (2004-2005)
Priority 3
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Wastewater Improvements
1 Sanitary sewer lining project at 13th and Colorado Blvd budgeted for 2007. Since this is a lining
project there is no open cut or trenching. The project starts in the alley between Jackson and
Harrison at 17th Avenue, goes south to Colfax, jogs 1/2 block to the west to Jackson St, then south in
Jackson St from Colfax to 14th Ave, then east in 14th Ave 1 block to Harrison, then south in Harrison
to 13th.
2 Address the drainage improvements needed in the Thirty First Street Outfall, to alleviate ponding in
portions of East Colfax. Prioritize the need in future capital improvements budgeting.
Responsibility Public Works
Timing Mid-term (2006-2008) to Long-term (2008-2015)
Priority Underway
Alley Improvements
Alleys needing work between Broadway, Downing, 14th, and Colfax, and between Colfax and 16th,
Downing and Colorado will be completed in 2003; remaining areas will be completed in 2004 and 2005.
Responsibility Public Works, Community Planning and Development, Colfax Business Improvement
District, businesses, property owners, residents
Timing Short-term (2004-2005)
Priority Underway
E A S T
C O L F A X
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Improvement District
Explore the expansion of the Colfax Business Improvement District boundaries. Partner with the CBID to
collect and disseminate information about the area’s development climate, create branding and marketing
strategies, establish business development programs and fully activate all development tools of the district.
Ensure repair, maintenance and replacement of streetscape and infrastructure improvements along the
corridor. Consider a citywide district for enhanced transportation corridors.
Responsibility Colfax Business Improvement District, Office of Economic Development,
Community Planning and Development, Public Works, City of Denver Marketing
Director, City Council, property owners, businesses, Small Business Administration
Timing Ongoing and continuous
Priority 1
Colfax Coalition
Work with the existing Colfax Coalition representatives to reposition the group’s mission. Reorganize the
Coalition as an advisory committee able to engage top-level decision makers with respect to tri-city
coordination of Colfax oriented policy and development actions.
Responsibility City and County of Denver, City of Aurora, City of Lakewood, Regional Transportation
District, DRCOG, business and community leaders, CDOT,Transit Alliance,APA
Colorado,AIA Colorado
Timing Short-term (2004-2005) — reorganization; ongoing and continuous role in
development of Colfax
Priority 1
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B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
Colfax Crime Prevention and Regulatory Enforcement Task Force
Establish a task force to monitor, recommend and implement solutions to crime, human service needs and
property maintenance issues that create negative perceptions of Colfax. Educate business and property
owners about city standards for the appropriate care of property. Develop a prostitution intervention
program. Explore community policing strategies to improve the safety of the corridor.
Responsibility Community Planning and Development, Denver Police Department, Neighborhood
Inspection Services, Colfax Coalition, Colfax Business Improvement District, Denver
Human Services, political and community leaders, City of Lakewood, City of Aurora
Timing Short-term (2004-2005) and on-going
Priority 1
East Colfax needs better enforcement of
property maintenance standards.
Parking District
Explore the formation of a parking district to implement and manage shared parking arrangements on the
corridor as well as to provide a gap financing mechanism for structured parking at identified transit
station areas. Consider a citywide district for enhanced transportation corridors.
Responsibility Community Planning and Development, Public Works, Parking Management, Office
of Economic Development, Colfax Business Improvement District, property owners,
businesses
Timing Short term (2004-2005) — planning
Mid-term (2006-2008) — formation and implementation
Priority 2
Establish a parking district to build public
parking facilities at strategic locations and
to help offset costs associated with their
construction.
E A S T
C O L F A X
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Independent businesses are the life blood of
East Colfax. Reinvestment in and retention of
this homegrown economy ensures a vibrant
future for the street.
Corridor Investment Toolkit
Create a strategic economic development program for the corridor that leverages both public and private
resources. Identify business development tools and gap financing mechanisms such as façade loan
programs, tax increment financing (TIF), land write downs, land swaps, business incubator programs and
low interest loan pools. Create a set of tools to protect the area from inappropriate development such as
a speculator tax.
Responsibility Office of Economic Development, Colfax Business Improvement District, DURA,
Small Business Adminitration, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, Metro
Mayor’s Caucus
Timing Short term (2004-2005)
Priority 2
Colfax Marketing and Events
Take advantage of opportunities to showcase the local businesses, entertainment venues, regional
destinations and unique position of Colfax as the longest (26 miles) contiguous commercial main street in
the United States.
1 Establish a Colfax Independent Business Association as an arm of the Colfax Business Improvement
District to promote the development and marketing of authentic local businesses.
2 Create a Colfax business and resource directory; highlight locally owned businesses with a Colfax
Independent Business Association label (look to Boulder Independent Business Association for
model), list dates and location of important festivals/markets/events, include coupons, provide list of
multifamily rental property offices/hotels/Colfax realtors, etc. — update annually.
3 Create a map of the corridor that lists businesses and points of interest — incorporate “Active Living
by Design Strategies” by showing distances between destinations in miles and “feet” (number of
footsteps). Update annually.
4 Establish an annual Colfax Marathon that runs from Fitzsimons to Red Rocks amphitheater.
Coordinate with a music festival that showcases local talent along the marathon route to entertain
runners and onlookers. Conclude the marathon and festival with an awards ceremony for the
runners and musicians at Red Rocks amphitheater (investigate collaboration with Westword Music
Festival).
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B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
Responsibility Colfax Business Improvement District, businesses, property owners, residents, Colfax
Coalition, Colfax area lodging establishments, Office of Economic Development,
Downtown Denver Partnership, City of Denver Director of Marketing, City of Aurora,
City of Lakewood, Metro Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Metro Denver Network,
Colorado Musicians Association, Community Planning and Development, Capitol Hill
United Neighbors
Timing Short- to long-term (2004-2015); ongoing
Priority 3
Establish a Colfax Independent Business
Association to promote the development and
marketing of micro-entrepreneurial ventures.
E A S T
C O L F A X
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DISTRICT SPECIFIC IMPLEMENTATION
STRATEGIES
Streetscape Improvements Bond Project
Identify additional funding mechanisms for streetscape improvements. Use existing bond project funds as
matching contribution to leverage additional resources. Install the planned streetscape improvements
along Colfax from Downing to Franklin and Josephine to Esplanade as identified in bond project
application. Create a maintenance district to ensure the availability of funds for the upkeep and repair of
the capital improvements.
Repsonsibility Public Works, Community Planning and Development, Colfax Business Improvement
District, businesses and property owners
Timing Short-term (2004-2005)
Priority 2
Park Avenue, East Colfax Avenue, and Franklin Street Five Point
Intersection Design
Study the intersection design at Park Avenue, East Colfax and Franklin Street and make recommendations
to improve the circulation and urban design of this location. Consider the possibity of a roundabout in
this location to improve traffic flow and serve as an urban design focal point.
Responsibility Public Works, Community Planning and Development, CDOT, RTD, Landmarks,
Historic Denver, property owners, businesses and residents
Timing Long-term (2009-2015)
Priority 3
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B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
Corona and Downing Repaving
Complete Transportation Collaboration Group project to repave Corona and Downing Streets from Colfax
to 10th Ave.
Responsibility Public Works
Timing Short-term (2004-2005)
Priority Underway
Curb Ramp Improvements
Improve curb ramps from Colfax to 27th Street between Broadway and Downing and at 14th and Corona.
Responsibility Public Works
Timing Short-term (2004-2005)
Priority Underway
E A S T
C O L F A X
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156
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
●A P P E N D I X
●
GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR AREAS
OF CHANGE AND STABILITY
SWOT
FULL LENGTH VISION STATEMENT
GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND TOOLS
E A S T
C O L F A X
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GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR
AREAS OF CHANGE AND STABILITY
Blueprint Denver includes a set of Guiding
Principles for Areas of Stability and Areas of
Change that act as barometers for determining
whether certain actions achieve the overall
Blueprint Denver vision. The Guiding Principles
set basic standards for context sensitive design.
Whether in an Area of Stability or Change, new
construction projects should consider and
demonstrate these context sensitive principles in
building design, site orientation and activity
generation. By deliberately following these
principles, new construction may be more
harmonious with established areas or catalyze
development in evolving areas.
Guiding Principles —
Areas of Stability
Respect valued development patterns
◗
◗
◗
◗
◗
◗
158
Relationship of the building to the street
Location of garage driveway and parking
Front yard landscaping
Building scale
Roof shape
Durability of materials
Respect valued attributes of the area
◗ Diversity of housing types and prices
◗ Neighborhood serving retail and services
◗ Existing buildings, especially those adding
distinctive character and identity
◗ Mature landscaping
◗ Existing circulation (streets, alleys, sidewalks)
◗ Significant views from public places
◗ Parks and parkways
Respect adjoining property
◗
◗
◗
◗
◗
Light, air and privacy
Fencing
Orientation to the street
Alignment of buildings along the street
Night lighting
Expand transportation choice
◗ Pedestrian safety and comfort
◗ Access to transit
◗ Street system continuity
Minimize traffic impacts on neighborhoods
◗ Lower traffic speed
◗ Less cut-through traffic
◗ Not solving one problem only to create
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
another
Respect environmental quality
◗ Tree canopy
◗ Permeable open space
◗ Parks and parkways
Guiding Principles —
Areas of Change
Contribute to the urban design vision
◗
◗
◗
◗
◗
◗
◗
◗
Orientation to the street
Alignment of buildings along the street
Location of garage, driveway and parking
Front yard landscaping
Building scale
Roof shape
Durability of materials
Transition to adjacent areas, especially Areas
of Stability
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
◗ Links between modes (pedestrian, bicycle
and transit)
◗ Access to transit
◗ Street system continuity (streets, alleys,
sidewalks, bikeways)
◗ Transit ridership
◗ Shared parking solutions
Improve environmental quality
◗
◗
◗
◗
◗
Tree canopy
Permeable open space
Parks and parkways
Site lighting
Noise, vibration and odor mitigation
Respect valued attributes of the area
◗ Existing buildings, especially those adding
distinctive character and identity
◗ Economic generators
◗ Diversity of housing types and prices
◗ Mature landscaping
◗ Significant views from public places
◗ Parks and parkways
Contribute to the economic vision
◗ Balance of uses
◗ Transportation access
◗ Economic opportunity
Expand transportation choice
◗ Pedestrian and bicycle safety and comfort
E A S T
C O L F A X
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STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES
AND THREATS (S.W.O.T.)
AND VISION STATEMENT RESPONSES
Strength: “Diversity of people and businesses,
‘seediness’ – not gentrified, its high points
At the beginning of the East Colfax planning
( Vi c t o r i a n m a n s i o n s , c a t h e d r a l s ) a n d i t s l o w
process, the community provided information
points (ugly motels with weekly rates). . . .”
about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats in the corridor. Residents, business owners
and property owners answered questions about
how the corridor might change over 10 years.
What follows is a catalogue of responses from the
community in their own words.
Strengths — What elements define
the positive attributes of the East
Colfax area?
Historic facades, marginal enterprises (a diversity
of businesses, including the smaller or more
marginal businesses that foster a neighborhood
scaled local business economy), entertainment
venues, proximity to civic center, downtown,
Cherry Creek, residential neighborhoods, parks,
East High School, continuity, backbone of Denver,
resurgent adjacent residential neighborhoods,
eclectic mix of stores and restaurants,
neighborhood scale business development, vitality
160
— diversity both in architecture and population,
eclectic businesses, pent up demand for goods and
services — purchasing power of people moving
in, proximity to downtown Denver and
employment, identity, 15 years of planning work
from landowners and merchants on the street,
state capitol building is the number one tourist
attraction, main street leading east Denver into
Denver city government, main street through one
of Denver’s historical neighborhoods, new housing
opening on both sides of Colfax, renewal of
several older properties, many historic buildings
on Colfax and adjoining blocks, diversity of uses
and users, large inventory of historic buildings
(some landmarked, most not), central location,
convenient to cultural amenities: Downtown,
Cherry Creek area, City Park, Civic Center, Botanic
Gardens, Zoo, Museum of Nature and Science,
Cheeseman Park, etc., transportation access to: I25, I-70, 6th Avenue Freeway, Light Rail, bus station,
and Union Station, access to city public
transportation, substantial inventory of property
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
(both residential and commercial) available for
development, strong neighborhood commitment
through Registered Neighborhood Organizations
(RNO’s) — as well as monthly newspaper which
has been a powerful voice for change and
responsible growth, representing 53,000 residents
— living in the most densely populated
neighborhood in the city, an active and involved
tax supported Business Improvement District,
great diversity: economically, racially, sexually, and
by age, Denver Public Schools (K through high
school) in close proximity, neighborhood
amenities: restaurants, cleaners, overnight lodging,
entertainment, churches, north side of Colfax
between Marion and Lafayette — street trees, wide
sidewalks, lane of parked cars provide protection
from traffic, green bike locks, mixed use buildings
directly on street (3 stories, north side of Colfax at
Vine historic building with residential over retail),
plaza at the Fillmore, proximity to downtown
business district, diversity of people in area, access
to public transportation, eateries, diversity of
people and businesses,“seediness” — not
gentrified, East High, near lots of great
neighborhoods, it is a living street — reflects
Denver’s history: its high points (Victorian
mansions, cathedrals) and its low points (ugly
motels with weekly rates), Pete’s Kitchen, it is not
Cherry Creek North, adjacency to highest per
capita in the city, adjacency to downtown, historic
architectural heritage, mixed use, transit, active and
involved tax supported BID; diversity — mixture
of people, uses, philosophies, and sexual
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O L F A X
orientation; historic buildings on Colfax and in
adjacent neighborhoods; state capitol; central
location and neighborhood access; demographics
provide wealth of diverse and could support
numerous retail strategies; marginal enterprises;
residential uses; transportation; good connections
to parks; 24/7 activity; restaurants; identity; historic
heritage designation; lots of neighborhood scaled
businesses; schools to attract families; multiple
interests working together — businesses and
resident groups; Lowenstein Theater
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
Strength: Local businesses
Weaknesses — What elements
define the negative attributes of the
East Colfax area?
Streetscape: narrow sidewalks, conflicting street
furniture, misplacement of street fixtures, too
many curb cuts, dirty noisy buses, historic facades
that are covered with “fake stuff,” narrow lots,
billboards/ugly signage, underdeveloped
properties, vacant/abandoned properties, real and
perceived issues of crime, narrow strip of
commercial zoning inhibits development within
the existing zoning and encourages encroachment
into adjacent neighborhoods, high concentration
of wrong businesses which attract drug dealers
and users, panhandlers, trespassing, loitering and
prostitution, reputation — “bad,” parking issues, not
pedestrian friendly or aesthetically pleasing, pay
phones at bus stops encourage illegal activity,
impact on adjacent neighborhoods, public
perception vagrancy, Colfax currently attracts
Weakness: parking
◗ Land intensive uses (like fast food
restaurants) provide too much parking
◗ High demand uses (like entertainment venues)
cannot supply enough parking
◗ No strategic supply of parking through
shared parking arrangements or structured
public facilities.
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W e a k n e s s : Va g r a n c y a n d g r a f f i t i h u r t t h e
image and perceived safety of East Colfax.
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individuals that seem to portray Colfax as a seedy
neighborhood, the implied dangers created by
drug dealers/prostitutes, large areas of
undeveloped ground used as parking and yet still
unable to find parking, allowing feeding programs
to exist on parking lots, perception of crime,
loitering and prostitution, etc., many low-quality
poorly maintained buildings on Colfax, lack of
social and civic responsibility of many property
owners and business operators, prevailing attitude
that Colfax is the place to get: sex, drugs,
handouts, free food, and generally be able to “hang
out” and not be bothered by the police, business
operators or neighbors — able to sleep in your car
on the street, in alleys, and nearby parks, a hodgepodge of street lighting styles, commercial signage
and storefront design, billboards highlight the
commercial aspects and detract from the feeling of
neighborhood and emphasis on a people
centered, friendly environment, example of south
side of Colfax across from the Ogden Theatre —
no cars so feels very exposed to traffic — just not
very pedestrian friendly — also south side by
Argonaut — parking lot between building and
street, no parked cars so very exposed, the poor
physical condition of the pedestrian facilities,
distance between signals for persons on
foot/wheelchair/walker/etc., setbacks of some
buildings too short, convenient movement design
for motorized movement, too many driveways
from businesses onto Colfax Ave., lack of
pedestrian lighting vs. street lighting, not
pedestrian friendly — state highway, difficult to
cross, design consistency, perception, crime,
prostitution, limitations of existing zoning, lowest
common denominator development; too much
auto traffic; narrow strip of commercial zoning
inhibits development and creates encroachment
into neighborhoods; not enough parking; lack of
social and civic responsibility of many property
owners; transportation corridor could be
weakness if not planned correctly; need to capture
commuter tax/retail dollars; lighting/traffic
challenges to pedestrian activity; sidewalk width
and conditions; not enough street trees; alleys —
crimes committed in alleys; transit level of service
— 15 bus nicknamed the “Vomit Comet;”
Esplanade underutilized; distinguish the different
parts of Colfax from one other — character
differentiation by segment
Opportunities — Where are there
opportunities for new development
in the area?
National Jewish Hospital: shared parking, employee
housing, services (just west of NJH there are a
number of boarded up shops), Office Depot,
Argonaut, St. John’s area, garage by East High
School, connections to Cheesman Park along
Franklin Street, great opportunity for an
identifiable Colfax form of public transit,
Lowenstein Theatre property, zoning laws — weed
out businesses that attract criminal element, pent
up demand of the area — people need a place to
shop!, better use of space — large parking lots
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
attract crime and are not usable to the public,
residential development, replacing old seedy
looking buildings with new mixed use buildings,
parking complex to support 2 entertainment
venues, bringing needed stores to the area,
hardware, cleaners, etc., Pearl to Downing — large
grocery store with underground parking/2nd/3rd
story parking — big elevators, all areas with large
underutilized parking areas, establish more mixed
use residential/commercial/retail complexes along
the street, develop more neighborhood amenities
along the street, i.e. retail
food/hardware/household stores/cafes with street
presence (less drive-in, more walk-in
establishments), establish
standards/recommendations concerning street
lighting/retail commercial signage/storefront
design, establish firm enforceable rules and
regulations regarding
prostitution/panhandling/loitering/public
drunkenness/drinking in public, address parking
issues (both along Colfax, as well as in
surrounding neighborhoods), adopt proactive
neighborhood approach to liquor licensing (both
new and transferal of existing licenses),
implementation of a “fixed rail” historically
configured trolley to transport persons and
establish a recognizable and positive persona for
our street, by overcoming the problems of
redevelopment of the boarded up service station
site on Colfax at Madison/Monroe this corner
would have many valuable uses as well as getting
rid of an eyesore, develop/cause the development
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O L F A X
of the Lowenstein Theatre into a DPS performing
arts venue and neighborhood community center,
return the Esplanade and especially the southern
portion at Colfax to its original splendor and
prominence (“It is in rare and scattered instants
that beauty even on her adorers”…Santayana),
Pearl to Washington (north and south sides),
Washington to Clarkson (south side primarily),
infill of certain large/excessively large parking lots,
widen and improve pedestrian facilities, proximity
of Colfax to neighborhoods on either side, infill
opportunities — Office Depot, East High,
adjacency to neighborhood/shoppers, history,
bohemian/eclectic nature, low existing floor area
ratio — opportunity to build, inexpensive land; 24
hour activity — bustling “good” activity vs.
“seedy” — can eat out late night on Colfax; create
pedestrian oriented intersections; build upon
historic recognition; bring back an authentic
trolley with a bell; regulations (enforceable) to
prevent prostitution; BID used creatively can be
opportunity; neighborhood business economy of
scale, but do attract some bigger national names;
lots of available infill sites; adjacency to highest per
capita (neighborhood density); National Jewish is
an anchor; East High
School/York/Josephine/Esplanade park
connections and bus access/ transit node; pent up
demand for shops and services; walk-in businesses
vs. drive-up; different segments serve different
purposes — good range; create larger population
to add to mix and support neighborhood business
— add more dense residential uses on corridor;
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
Opportunity: A total of 60 acres of infill and
redevelopment potential are scattered
throughout the East Colfax study area, like
this parking lot across from the State Capitol.
O p p o r t u n i t y : Fa ç a d e a n d s t r e e t s c a p e
improvements enhance the environment for
“mom & pop” retailers.
163
Threat: Neglect, abandonment and
underutilization of historic resources
threatens the vitality of East Colfax through
degradation of its irreplaceable architecture.
design should ensure Pete’s and Pizza Hut can coexist — diversity of design vs. national chain
cookie cutter image; promote human services/
activities that promote the development of the
neighborhood human capital — homeownership
programs, affordable housing, ESL, food banks, job
training; St. John’s reinvestment plan; alley safety;
access management — promote better
streetscape, fewer curb cuts; park access
development/reinforcement; scale (threat and
opportunity); Lowenstein Theater has lots of
potential and is a large land assemblage — arts in
the neighborhood, partnership with DPS, don’t let
it slip away; shared parking, inexpensive ground
costs
Threats — What elements threaten
the positive attributes of the East
Colfax area?
Replacement of historic buildings — losing the
historic nature, impacting the surrounding
neighborhoods, family trusts that are not
interested in their real estate (lack of input from
them), lack of reinvestment, crime, inappropriate
development that damages the adjacent residential
neighborhoods, parking for commercial
development spilling into residential areas, over
scaled/overly dense development, the press —
only get negative press, crime — people need to
feel safe, courts — need to have stronger
commitment on repeat offenders/area
restrictions/basically illegal activity, development,
164
lack of coherent public relations, transportation,
parking, poor planning on positive ways to save an
old structure if it cannot be blended into new
growth, apathy, lack of respect and communication
between different types of stakeholders, a
continuation of the attitude of
owners/businesses/neighborhood residents that
nothing can be done to change Colfax so why
bother, a continuation of the attitude of
owners/businesses/neighborhood residents that
there is nothing wrong with Colfax — just leave it
the way it is, commercial/residential/retail
developers who will not accept the changes
destined for Colfax, development without design
guidelines, zoning changes, and acceptance of
historic preservation needs, the corner of Colfax
and Josephine is a disaster — from the vacant
Phillips 66 station to the 7-11 with its outside
phones/bus stop/beggars/et al, the old gas station
at Colfax and Race (now Soon’s Car Repair)
represents one of the finest corners for
redevelopment in the upper Colfax area, too much
traffic, not enough buffer to separate pedestrians
from cars, not enough trees (or any trees) in many
places, hierarchy of vehicle movement above other
travel modes, deterioration of public transit
service, lack of travel choices, lack of businesses
catering to neighborhoods, property decline —
disrepair and vacant buildings, lowest common
denominator development, slowing economy,
perception issues; crime; press/reputation/image;
need rezoning — time is critical (BK drive-thru) —
concentration and location of businesses that
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
promote crime and prostitution; lighting and
traffic challenges to walking; intersection designs
favor autos over pedestrians; sidewalk disrepair;
existing zoning promotes lowest common
denominator development; homogenous
redevelopment that disintegrates the originality,
eclecticism and character that defines Colfax;
possible loss of neighborhood serving and
neighborhood scaled businesses; proximity of
certain undesirable uses to schools, community
facilities; economics — RTD, tax base, businesses,
transportation; micromanagement of the
economics of the street — let marketplace
determine market dynamics; alleys; deterioration of
public transportation; lack of access management,
excessive curb cuts interrupt the streetscape;
trend toward bigger more dense projects coming
into neighborhood — scale is a major concern for
residents; gentrification — drives out diversity,
affordable housing and services;“traditional”
redevelopment on Colfax threatens neighborhood
What is Your Ideal Vision For East
Colfax?
The vision is what you want the area to look like,
feel like, and function like 10 years from now.
What changes have occurred? How would you
describe the way it looks? How do people use the
space? What is the relationship of the buildings to
the street and to each other? How would you
describe the atmosphere, or the environment?
Who spends time here and why? Doing what and
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
how?
Your statement may be written in the present
tense, as if ten years have passed and you are
describing the area to someone. Please use the
reverse side of this sheet for your response.
“A pedestrian friendly, mixed-use, urban village that
is the venue, the canvas, the place for the
experience, diversity, evolution and possibility that
is Colfax Avenue, Denver’s Main Street. Streets,
sidewalks and public spaces are inter-related,
interdependent, creating a whole greater than the
sum of its parts. Buildings are expressions of the
spaces they surround, and the architectural
heritage from which they are inspired. Vehicles, of
all sorts and sizes, and pedestrians move
seamlessly from transportation mode to shop, live,
work and play.”
“Improve the area to match Denver’s other
superior amenities, drawing from the strength of
surrounding neighborhoods.”
Vi s i o n : “ U n d e r u t i l i z e d p r o p e r t i e s h a v e b e e n
renovated or replaced with new development.”
“Colfax is a street of countless opportunities.
Maintaining cultural, historical, transportation and
human diversity is our primary goal. Rich
neighborhood housing opportunities as well as
walkable businesses is a must. And we must
remember the value of the car for both the future
and the past as historic US 40.”
“The Colfax of the future is still an eclectic
avenue. Places like the Gathering Place and thrift
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“ A p e d e s t r i a n f r i e n d l y, m i x e d - u s e , u r b a n
village, that is the venue, the canvas, the
p l a c e f o r t h e e x p e r i e n c e , d i v e r s i t y, e v o l u t i o n
and possibility that is Colfax Avenue, Denver’s
Main Street. Streets, sidewalks and public
spaces are inter-related, interdependent,
creating a whole greater than the sum of its
parts. Buildings are expressions of the spaces
they surround, and the architectural heritage
f r o m w h i c h t h e y a r e i n s p i r e d . Ve h i c l e s , o f a l l
sorts and sizes, and pedestrians move
seamlessly from transportation mode to shop,
l i v e , w o r k a n d p l a y. ”
Colfax community member
stores have not been eliminated, but new uses
have opened. In addition to places to eat and
socialize from diners to upscale restaurants and
bars, now small shops, perhaps even a few national
chains (like a Gap, featuring affordable clothing for
young people) or a store like Pier 1 have opened.
Residences above these shops are served by
cleaners, nail salons, groceries. New
buildings/mixed-use developments stand side by
side with historic restorations. Building heights
are in scale with each other. Some one-story
building remain, but other buildings go as high as
4, 5, or 6 stories. Sidewalks are pleasant places to
walk with visual protections from the street —
trees, street furniture or planters. Parking is often
behind buildings and serves businesses, residences
and transit. The avenue is served by a “uniquely
Colfax” form of transportation — trolley, bus rapid
transit (BRT) or special bus service — that people
take pride in. Bus stops, too, are uniquely Colfax.
A nighttime entertainment district around the
Fillmore,TECU, and the Ogden is popular for the
young and old. St. John’s Cathedral complements
the district with a plaza in the daytime. Colfax is a
happening place where all sorts of people mingle,
visit and live nearby.”
“Underutilized properties have been renovated or
replaced with new development. The new
development is at a neighborhood scale. It
respects the adjacent residential neighborhood in
size, scale and materials. As properties are
improved, marginal businesses have left the area.
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Parking for the commercial uses does not
overwhelm the adjacent neighborhoods. Colfax is
pedestrian friendly, with broad sidewalks. People
feel safe walking at anytime. Buildings are close to
the street, not setback with a sea of asphalt in
front of them. The street attracts people from the
surrounding neighborhoods to neighborhood
shops and restaurants.”
“I imagine pedestrian friendly sidewalks with a
“clean feeling.” The mix of people and businesses
is still eclectic and caters to young and old. The
buildings are mixed use and “parking lots,” buses
stopping at every corner, pay phones have been
eliminated. There is no need for a car if you live
in the area. All your basic shopping needs are
within walking distance — food, bank, haircuts,
cleaners, entertainment. Most importantly people
feel safe at any hour of the day or night.”
“Colfax will be a lively mixture of long term and
viable start-up businesses. Pedestrians will be
welcome. Parking will be available outside of
adjacent neighborhoods. Owners will take an
active interest in the condition of business and
residential uses.”
“I live on Emerson, eight doors south of Colfax.
Even though I have a car, I seldom use it as I am
able to shop for the majority of my needs right on
Colfax. We have a great trolley that runs right on
Colfax so we can get to stores that are more than a
couple of blocks to walk. Our entertainment area
has two theaters that have big bands, a movie
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complex, several nice restaurants to choose from
and nice neighborhood spots to drop into after
the theatre. Our street is tree lined with strollers
feeling comfortable and safe and Denver comes
here for their leisure time. We are visited daily by
visitors to the area as part of their visit to the
Colorado State Capitol Building.”
“Colfax is a 24-hour vibrant, diverse, mixed-use,
attractive street, where people of all kinds enjoy
living, shopping, working, walking, being
entertained and people watching. It combines old
and new buildings and people of all ages and types.”
“Colorful, yet warm and welcoming. Locally
owned shops visited by local residents. No need
for a car here, but cars and the trolley easily work
around each other. Diversity remains. People
come in to Colfax as a destination shopping area
because of the interesting shops.”
“I see our Colfax neighborhood 10 years hence, as
a multifaceted entity. The western gateway into
our Capitol Hill neighborhood, which begins at
Grant Street where I see:
◗ A “Greenwich Village” like neighborhood around
the Capitol and Cathedral, serving younger set
living in that more densely populated area.
Restaurants to serve the government population
during the day, and offer a warm and exciting
atmosphere in the evening. Preservation of the
area’s historic buildings has been a paramount
consideration, and has contributed to the
warmth and welcoming atmosphere. This
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neighborhood then dovetails into Denver’s
entertainment and nightlife community.
◗ The many entertainment venues are an exciting
draw to the entire metro area, and it has become
the “in” place to see and be seen. Off-street
parking structures have relieved the pressure on
surrounding residential neighborhoods. Late
night bars and restaurants serve the clientele.
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“Colorful, yet warm and welcoming; locally
owned shops visited by local residents. No
need for a car here, but cars and the trolley
e a s i l y w o r k a r o u n d e a c h o t h e r. D i v e r s i t y
r e m a i n s . Pe o p l e c o m e t o C o l f a x a s a
destination shopping area because of the
interesting shops.”
Colfax community member
◗ The area anchored around Downing Street and
east, has continued its growth and development
as a prime condo/upscale apartment area built
around solid office and commercial
development. Live/work/shop defines this
neighborhood and the Wyman Historic District
to the east.
◗ From Franklin to Josephine, the Wyman Historic
District has evolved into a mixed-use area of
families reclaiming the homes and establishing a
residential character back into this once historic
neighborhood. There continues to be office
uses, but an obvious mix of young families with
children, retirees and empty nesters abound.
While anchored by the easy access to
Downtown, and Cherry Creek, it is prized for its
classic architecture and historic ambience.
◗ Continuing to the east, the renovated Lowenstein
Theatre and Arts complex, along with the
rejuvenated Esplanade form the eastern gateway
into our Capitol Hill neighborhood.
◗ From here eastward, residential/commercial/
retail has continued to develop, as exemplified
by the Chamberlin Heights project. Fueled by
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“ C o l f a x i s l i k e t h e Fi d d l e r o n t h e R o o f balancing the elements of his culture while
s t i l l f i d d l i n g . E d g y, g r i t t y a n d b o h e m i a n
elements balanced with [the] mainstream
...Amped up like Jeff Beck on the Roof.”
Colfax community member
development of the “Mercy Hospital” community,
Colfax to Colorado Boulevard continues to offer
residential diversity and accompanying retail
service.
◗ The presence of a fixed rail historically accurate
trolley has given the street an identifiable
character unique to our neighborhood, and
envied by all. While diversity has remained
paramount in continuing development,
consistency of design and development unique
to each area is essential to the overall perception
and quality of life represented along East Colfax
Avenue.”
“Colfax Avenue can best be described as a
neighborhood and regional retail and
entertainment center (including many restaurants).
Physically, it consists of a tree-lined boulevard
faced by two-0, three- and four-story buildings
directly on the street, with first floor retail and
office and or residential above. Because its
designation as a federal highway was removed in
mid 2005, traffic-calming mechanisms (such as
bulbouts) have slowed speeds considerably. That
has also enabled on-street parking to be installed
along virtually all segments, making it much safer
to walk along.
“Colfax’s importance as an entertainment and
restaurant center has continued to grow. The
Fillmore, Ogden and Bluebird are still there, but
they have been joined by more restaurants that
attract a “moderately expensive” dining clientele.
Colfax’s redevelopment successfully preserved old
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structures — for example the area around the
cathedral — Grant to Pearl — and the area around
Marion/Lafayette. Areas of new development, for
example from Pearl to Clarkson, have design
details that compliment the historic buildings.
Finally, Colfax exists in harmony with the
residential neighborhoods on wither side of it. For
example, parking associated with Colfax
businesses and residents does not spill out on the
adjacent streets which are still heavily used for
parking by residents.”
“Colfax is pedestrian dominant, but not car free.”
“East Colfax represents all of Denver. It appeals to
and accommodates the old and the young, the
rich, the poor and people from all ethnic
backgrounds. It is an authentic commercial area,
shopped by the myriad people who live and work
there. It is a great place to get lunch, a cup of
coffee, or a new outfit. There is a great shuttle and
lots of outdoor dining experiences and a great
independent supermarket. Colfax offers
everything I need. It is eclectic, dynamic, practical
and appealing.”
“Colfax is like the Fiddler on the Roof - balancing
the elements of his culture while still fiddling.
Edgy, gritty and bohemian elements balanced
with [the] mainstream...Amped up like Jeff Beck
on the Roof.”
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FULL LENGTH VISION STATEMENT
Colfax Avenue is a multi-modal, commercial and
residential “main street” serving the adjacent
neighborhoods, commuters and tourists. The
street is as diverse as its inhabitants. There is a
rhythm and pulse to the activity generated by an
integrated land-use and transportation system that
sustains the nearby neighborhoods, encourages
walking, biking and transit use, enlivens the
activity on the street and captures the attention of
commuters and visitors.
Portions of the corridor support concentrated
nodes of development with multiple storied
residential mixed-use buildings. These dense
nodes of activity contain many pedestrian
amenities and intersect along the Colfax transit
line with north-south routes or at other activity
centers. A lower intensity, but compact,
development pattern characterizes the walking
distance between these activity nodes. A shallow
commercial lot depth constrains these stretches of
the corridor, where local merchants find
opportunities to market their goods and services
to nearby residents and commuters who walk to
the stores. A variety of amenities — street
furniture, street trees, awnings, well maintained
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sidewalks — enhance the pedestrian experience
in these areas. Each node or walkable stretch of
the corridor expresses a unique identity defined
by diverse businesses, scale and character of
adjacent residential neighborhoods and high
quality urban design attributes. Great variety in
land uses, density and intensity accentuate the
different environments to be found along Colfax,
but no matter the location, a visitor experiences a
unique sense of place with a definable character
and charm.
During the day Colfax is abuzz with commuters,
either residents who live (and work) on or near
the corridor, as well as people who commute from
eastern neighborhoods. Many commuters drive,
but enhanced transit increases the street’s capacity
to move people, not just cars. At transit nodes
commuters find access to an attractive, quick and
uniquely Colfax form of transit. The nodes
incorporate goods and services like a dry cleaner,
post office, coffee shop, newsstand, day care or
food market that make commuting by alternative
transit more convenient. Many commuters park at
the transit nodes for these shops and services and
use the Colfax line to access downtown.
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At night and on the weekends, visitors are
attracted to the area and enjoy the ease of multimodal access, the plentiful parking at activity
centers and the walkable stretches that encourage
them to shop, dine and partake of a variety of
entertainment venues. While parking is plentiful
in structures or underground at certain activity
centers, on street parking and shared parking
provide ample, affordable spaces all along Colfax.
Strong pedestrian facilities connect parking areas
with shops, services and destinations, and often
visitors choose to walk, take transit or ride their
bikes rather than drive to their favorite places
along Denver’s Main Street. Plenty of bike racks
and lockers may be found at convenient locations
near bike routes that intersect Colfax. The various
nodes along the corridor showcase different
venues — a cluster of shops (both local and even
some national brand stores) at one node or theater
and restaurants at another. Between these nodes,
visitors are drawn to the restaurant rows, art
galleries and local boutique shopping that offer
enough variety to please any palette. With visitors
at night, local residents, workers and commuters
during the day, Colfax is a 24-hour marketplace.
A focus on urban design has resulted over the
years in the use of sustainable, durable building
materials that reflect the quality of historic
architecture treasured and preserved along the
corridor. This respect for historic architecture
does not constrain creativity in design, and an
eclectic mix of architectural forms and styles
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complements the past, but keeps an eye on the
future. Strategically utilized signage, façade
treatment, lighting and landscaping enhance the
businesses and buildings, creating a corridor
uncontaminated by visual clutter. Signage is
creative yet simple, clear, attractive, and
appropriate to the building or use. Lighting and
landscaping are deliberate, used to define building
entrances, reinforce the street wall, enhance
architectural features of buildings and promote a
pedestrian friendly environment. The use of
urban design standards hallmarks significant places
along the corridor like the City Park Esplanade and
Park Avenue.
In addition to enhancing the physical capital
provided by the historic and eclectic modern
architecture, Colfax nourishes the human capital
of its residents. The area welcomes and embraces
neighborhood diversity that encompasses a wide
variety of ages, lifestyles, economic circumstances,
ethnic groups and family types. In this place,
neighbors help neighbors — the community
responds to the needs of its people through
acceptance and tolerance, job training and
development, business incubation, crime
prevention strategies, and other innovative
community programs. Strong and cooperative
business and resident organizations bolster these
efforts.
Colfax exemplifies the best of what a city can
offer: a vibrant, hip, progressive urban avenue.
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GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND TOOLS
Activity Center
A single large use (like a stadium) or dense cluster of uses that generate high degree of visitation and
activity.
Advocacy Entity
Planning and management entities separate from governmental agencies responsible for designated areas.
Entity assumes promotion of area, manages and coordinates its implementation, initiates actions to move
area closer to its vision. Specific functions may include: acquire, assemble, hold and convey land to permit
new forms of infill development; facilitate targeted home rehabilitation loans; coordinate and participate
in real estate development and infrastructure financing; facilitate actions of public agencies responsible for
government services; monitor traffic issues and manage parking efficiently; monitor security matters;
coordinate the dissemination of market information; establish fees, rates and charges for use of property;
and direct marketing and promotion.
Affordable Housing Demonstration Project
Public-private effort whereby public sector contributes land, financing, or the like, and private sector
(developer) contributes expertise and money to joint development of an affordable housing project;
program is designed to educate delivery system (property owners, developers, lenders, public officials,
community at-large, etc.) on “value” of developing product in the market.
Brownfields
Contaminated former industrial and commercial lands — comprising a portion of sites that could be
redeveloped.
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Business Recruitment /Retention
Program, frequently administered by an economic
development entity, which assists with the
recruitment (attraction) or retention of business
either into or within a designated area; program
elements might include financial assistance,
regulatory assistance, and/or marketing.
Community Development
Corporation (CDC)
Nonprofit organizations based in specific
neighborhoods and subject to local governance.
CDCs may rehabilitate and build affordable
housing for neighborhood residents, foster local
economic development, and provide an array of
related social services.
Capital Improvement Plan (CIP)
Dollars earmarked for improvement and extension
of infrastructure in municipalities.
Community Development
Assistance (CDA) (State)
Authorizes up to certain percent state tax credits
to eligible contributors investing in approved
community projects; in certain instances
applicants must meet economic distress criteria;
non-profit developers subject to limitations on per
project tax credits.
Community Development Block
Grants (CDBG) (Federal)
Federal grants, administered through local or
regional offices, designed to lower the overall cost
of a project; projects must demonstrate the ability
to improve the economic conditions of an area.
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CDFIs — Community Development
Financial Institutions
Networks of federal banks, credit unions, and
CDCs that target loans to redlined areas.
Community Reinvestment Act
(CRA)
Program under which federally-insured lending
institutions are provided incentives to offer
assistance with development financing for local
projects (particularly those in economicallydistressed areas); assistance usually offered at a
favorable rate; institutions earmark a percent of
their lending dollars for this program.
Concentrated Public Facilities
City investment in identified areas by locating
both facilities and publicly sponsored
developments and amenities in places where infill
development is desired; result is a greater leverage
of public dollars through strategic investment, and
ability to assist developer with financial pre-leasing
requirements.
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Corridor
Design Guidelines
Describes generally the public right of way and/or
the parcels of land contiguous to the public right
of way. This term also references the area of
influence which may lie beyond these more fluid,
shifting boundaries.
Formal set of guidelines (with over-sight by a
board comprised of area stakeholders,
neighborhood representatives, and design
professionals) for use by investors doing projects
within priority areas. Guidelines address character
and quality levels and frame discussions with staff.
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Cultural Arts Activities
Activities and programs which encourage use of
the arts in a designated area by a variety of
participants.
Cultural Tourism
Marketing and promotion of cultural and historic
community elements of interest to visitors to an
area; a thriving industry for many areas of the east
and south. Cultural tourism efforts generally
originate at a grass-roots level, but quickly require
the assistance and coordinate of municipal and
state entities.
Design Standards
Formal set of standards (either administered
through an appointed design-review committee
and/or municipal staff) for development which
require certain development character and quality
levels for the built and natural environment.
Developer RFPs
Request-for-Proposals from potential developers of
projects in designated areas. Selection of
developer based on dollar amount of bid; quality
of design; developer’s track record; and
preferences of neighborhood residents.
Density
Density is a measure of the degree of population
or housing units per acre of land.
Density Bonuses
Incentive offered to developers of projects that
meet specified goals (i.e., affordable housing,
public spaces, transit, etc).
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Development Fee Waivers
Development fees are monetary charges on
development to recoup a portion of the capital
and operating costs required to accommodate a
project. Note: Fees for sewer/water hook-ups,
building permits, processing fee, etc. can be
waived or delayed until the developer sees a
positive cash flow as a means to encourage infill
projects.
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Development Standard Waivers
During approvals process, City can grant waivers
or variances for items including height limits,
setbacks, density, lot coverage, rear access, etc.
improved communication between staff and
elected officials. Note:This should be a common
practice, not project-specific.
Enterprise Zone
District
Describes an area with distinguishing
characteristics such as the type, mix and intensity
of uses contained therein.
Economic Development
Administration (EDA) (Federal)
Public entity which provides assistance in form of
planning grants and construction financing — for
the development of projects in rural and urban
locations which will result in the creation of jobs
for the community.
Educational Seminars
Programs hosted by a variety of entities (i.e.,
lender, developer, municipal, etc.) which promote
an open dialogue among those individuals and
organizations which represent delivery system; can
occur in a variety of forums; purpose is to provide
participants with various perspectives and an
understanding of initiatives designed to facilitate
development process.
State-designated area where businesses located
within them that make capital investments, hire
new employees, contribute to economic
development plans, rehabilitate old buildings
and/or do research and development are provided
a tax credit. An approach to revitalizing distressed
areas by offering tax incentives, regulatory relief
and improved government services.
Environmental Impact Reports
(EIR)s
Used to assess environmental impacts and
determine mitigation measures needed for
building a redevelopment plan, specific plan, or
community plan. As projects are identified, the
City may be asked to conduct additional
environmental reviews or focus on few identified
areas.
Floor Area Ratio (F.A.R.)
FAR is a measure of development intensity
expressed as the ratio of building area relative to
the land on which it rests.
Engage Elected Officials
Variety of methods by which elected officials are
engaged in planning and implementation efforts;
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Façade Maintenance Program
Any program — local, state or federal — including
low interest loans and/or grants — which
encourages investment in, and improvement to,
building facades within a planning area. May also
be designed as a matching funds program, within a
district, for building façade maintenance.
Government Liaison
Individual or committee charged with establishing
and maintaining a dialogue between various
branches of government (local, county, regional)
regarding issues such as — intergovernmental
agreements, regulatory reform, facilities planning,
etc.
Historic Preservation
Benefits of local Denver historic district
designation
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◗ Be eligible to compete for funding from the State
Historical Fund.
◗ Obtain relief from building codes.
◗ Be eligible for the Downtown Revolving Loan
Fund if Landmark is in the downtown B-5 zone
district.
◗ Be eligible for transfer development rights
(TDRs) allowing transfer of the unused portion
of the allowable floor area ratio to another site
within the same zone district if the property is
located in the downtown B-5 zone, Lower
Downtown B-7, and B-8G zone districts.
◗ Be eligible for expanded uses, such as for an
office, art gallery and bed and breakfast, if the
property is located in an R-3 residential zone
district.
◗ Obtain architectural advice and ideas through the
design review process of the Denver Landmark
Preservation Commission.
◗ Be eligible to donate a facade easement.
◗ Contribute to protecting your building's
character in the future.
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P L A N
◗ Qualify for a Colorado Historic Preservation
Income Tax Credit of 20%, which can be carried
forward five years, of qualified costs up to a
maximum credit of $50,000 per qualified
property if the preservation or rehabilitation
costs $5,000 or more.
◗ Obtain official recognition that your building has
special historical, architectural, or geographical
significance and is an important part of Denver's
history.
◗ Possibly increase the value of your home and
neighborhood.
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Historic Preservation Easement
A “preservation easement” is an interest in real
property that the owner of the property transfers
to a qualified organization such as Historic Denver,
Inc. or to a governmental body in return for
benefits to the property owner.The easement
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holder does not acquire an ownership interest in
the property; rather, the easement holder has a
right of access to the property for the purposes of
inspecting the property.An easement “runs with
the land”; in other words, when you sell your
property, the easement is not extinguished, and
the easement will apply to future owners of the
property.The easement will prohibit the
demolition of the property and modifications that
harm its historic character. Preservation easements
guards against trends toward “scrape-offs”
(removing historic homes from large lots, followed
by splitting the lot in half to build two new
homes) or “pop-tops” (adding one or more stories
to an historic home.A donation of a preservation
easement has tax benefits under Federal, state and
local tax laws. Under the Internal Revenue Code,
the donor of an easement to an organization such
as HDI may qualify for a charitable tax deduction
on the taxpayer’s Federal tax return, and this may
also serve to reduce an individual’s Colorado tax
burden. Generally, an easement donor may deduct
the value of the easement.The easement’s value is
the difference between the appraised fair market
value of the property prior to the conveyance of
an easement and the property’s value with the
easement restrictions in place.The Federal
charitable deduction from Federal taxes can be up
to thirty percent of the taxpayer’s adjusted gross
income.Any excess value may be carried forward
up to five years. Colorado also allows the donor of
a qualified preservation easement to take a tax
credit for a preservation easement donation.The
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total amount of credit cannot exceed $260,000.
The credit is computed using the fair market value
of the donation, calculated as one-hundred percent
(100%) of the first $100,000 plus forty percent
(40%) of the excess of $100,000 up to $500,000.
Any excess of the tax credit over the Colorado
income tax due may be carried forward up to
twenty years.
Historic Preservation Funds and
Tax Credits
State Historic Fund Grants - Grants are made
only to public and non-profit entities. Individuals
and businesses must find a public entity or
appropriate non-profit organization to apply for
and administer the funds on their behalf.
1. General Grants - Are made for certain project
types with no defined dollar limit.
2. Archaeological Assessment Grants - Are made for
the collection and evaluation of archaeological
information for the purpose of creating a plan for
preservation or additional work.
3. Historic Structure Assessment Grants - Are made
for the preparation of a Structure Assessment by
an architect licensed in the state of Colorado;
where the request is $10,000 or less.
4. Emergency Grants - Are made exclusively for
interim stabilization of a historic property which
has been damaged due to some unforeseeable
event and typically do not exceed $10,000. No
cash match is required.
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State Historic Fund Revolving Loan Fund - The
Colorado Historical Foundation created the CHF
Revolving Loan Fund.The Loan Fund partners
with the State Historical Fund by providing grant
recipients an additional source of funding for
historic preservation in the form of low-interest
rate loans.The Loan Fund is intended to become a
permanent and self-sufficient source of capital
funds for historic preservation projects in
Colorado.The Loan Fund is managed in
partnership with the State Historical Fund and the
Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA),
which acts as the fiscal agent responsible for
evaluating risk as well as closing and servicing all
loans.The Loan Fund provides below-market fixed
rates to supplement Historical Fund grants.The
loans typically require minimal down payments
and are structured with flexible repayment terms.
Loans may be made only for costs eligible for
funding by the State Historical Fund as
demonstrated by such costs being included in the
scope of work of a currently active or immediately
pending State Historical Fund grant award
contract. Eligible loan structures include:
◗ Construction loans to rehabilitate a designated
historic property.
◗ Bridge loans to cover cash shortfalls due to the
timing of the receipt of specified funds related to
an active State Historical Fund grant contract.
The loans will typically be secured by a lien on the
property that is receiving the benefit of the
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improvements.Additionally, majority owners will
be expected to provide a personal guaranty on the
loan.Although there are no minimum or maximum
loan amounts, loans of less than $100,000 or over
$750,000 will be considered only under unusual
circumstances.All State Historical Fund grant
recipients are eligible to apply for loans (including
both non-profit and public entities). In addition,
loans may also be made directly to private
individuals and for-profit owners of historic
properties receiving State Historical Fund Grants.
The Loan Fund offers fixed-rate, secured loans up
to five years, for projects having an active or
immediately pending State Historical Fund grant
award contract. Loan terms are flexible and
dependent upon project and borrower needs.
Interest rates are negotiable but attractive (at or
below prime). Repayment schedules are flexible
and the loans may be prepaid at any time without
penalty.
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
“Preservation tax credits have been a key
tool in my projects. They are especially
useful for pioneers who are redeveloping a
disinvested area. Under those circumstances
it can be difficult to obtain funding but tax
credits can make your project much more
attractive to investors. While tax credits
often mean some compromises, they are
still a significant incentive for development
in historic areas.”
J o h n H i c k e n l o o p e r, P r e s i d e n t W y n k o o p
Brewing Company (from "The Economic
Development Benefits of Historic
Preservation," Colorado Historical
Fo u n d a t i o n , J a n u a r y 2 0 0 2 )
Federal Tax Credit - Federal and state tax laws
provide tax incentives for historic preservation
projects which follow the Secretary of the
Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.The federal
government offers a 20% investment tax credit for
the approved rehabilitation of certified historic
buildings used for income-producing purposes as
well as a 10% credit for certain other older
buildings.*
State Tax Credit - The state offers a similar 20%
state income tax credit based on $5,000 or more
177
of approved preservation work on designated
properties.*
* There is a $50,000 maximum credit per qualified property.
Applicants are urged to contact the Office of Archaeology and
Historic Preservation (OAHP) staff as early as possible when
considering an application for either federal or state tax
credits. OAHP provides advice to property owners, developers,
and architects concerning appropriate preservation and
rehabilitation measures. OAHP staff review applications for
tax incentives and make recommendations for approval.
Infill Development
Development of new homes, commercial and/or
retail buildings, and public facilities on unused or
underused lands in existing communities.
Infrastructure Cost Participation
Historic Denver:
http://historicdenver.org/
Cost of infrastructure (either onsite or off-site)
shared by developer and/or property owner with
an entity (public (city/county), private (developer
co-op), or semi-private organization which will
benefit from its availability — can be offered
through a formal program or on a case-by-case
basis.
HOME
Intensity
Historic Preservation Websites
State Historic Fund:
http://www.coloradohistory-oahp.org/
programareas/shf/gengrantsless.htm
HOME Investment Partnership Program, whereby
HUD allocates funds by formula among eligible
state and local governments to strengthen publicprivate partnerships and to expand the supply of
decent, safe, sanitary and affordable housing for
very low-income families.
Improvement District
Both an organizing and financing technique for
area revitalization. District provides stable stream
of income for activities and projects considered
special to area or in addition to general municipal
services. Districts are vehicle for providing
additional services for a fee and not to substitute
178
for services funded through traditional tax
revenues.
Intensity is a measure of the degree of built
environment generally expressed in terms of floor
area ratio (see definition above for Floor Area
Ratio), or amount of building square footage
relative to land area.
Land Assembly
Land assembled by public, private or non-profit
entity in effort to position for development of
larger projects. Assembly can happen through
purchases of properties, vacating and/or rerouting
streets, alleys, etc.
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
Land Donation/Write-Down
Property owner — public (city/county), private
(developer), or semi-private organization —
contributes land to a project either as a donation
without an expected return, or at a reduced price.
City-acquired property through fee simple
transactions and foreclosures are an obvious
source for land contributions.
Land Swap
To develop specific infill site in specified way,
potentially contrary to existing property owner or
developer, cities can offer an exchange of cityowned land of similar value in alternate location.
Level-of-Service
Roads within community are designed to meet
specified goals regarding mobility, connectivity,
and regional planning and land use development.
Level-of-service is measure used to describe street
standards necessary to address role of the street.
By adjusting level-of-service you address the
tension between through-trips and access to
activities and services along the road (corridor).
Leverage Infrastructure Funding to
Support Private Money
Within a predefined area, public investment for
infrastructure located strategically to leverage
private investment.
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
Limitations on Infrastructure
Extensions
Method used in regional growth management
whereby efficient development patterns are
rewarded.
Linked Deposits
Local development agencies and downtown
development organizations use their bank deposits
to leverage bank lending for activities supported in
the area. City or development agency deposits its
funds in one or several banks with provision that
bank make loans in support of identified
community objective. Note: In select instances,
cities have foregone interest on these deposits so
that the bank can make loans at below market
rates.
Liquor License Restrictions
Limit on the number of liquor licenses issued in a
designated area. Restrictions generally tied to
businesses which generate over a certain percent
of their revenue from liquor sales. The purpose of
this action is not to eliminate restaurants, but
concentrations of bars.
Loan Pool (Lending Pools)
Several lending organizations contributing
financing to a project or projects, thus sharing
risk. An amount of capital pledged by several
entities for lending to businesses based on some
agreed upon goals or other criteria. Pledges can
179
be in the form of loans, letters of commitment and
stock purchases. Pool can be either organized
formally or on a case-by-case basis.
Low-Income Housing Tax Credits
(State)
Dollar for dollar reduction or credit against an
investor’s federal income tax liability on salary,
wages, business, etc.; credit is treated like a cash
payment or as a reduction against the amount of
tax owed; sale of tax credits by the developer
contributes to project equity, thereby reducing
developer’s out-of-pocket investment.
180
Node
A point of relatively intense development intensity
or activity along a strip at which point subsidiary
parts originate or center such as a transit station at
the intersection of two major routes or the
immediate vicinity of an activity center such as a
major entertainment venue.
Non-Profit Developer Support
Variety of financial and regulatory tools and
programs which streamline and reduce costs for
“eligible projects” by “eligible developers.”
Low Interest Loans/Subordination
Overlay Zone (i.e., historic,
parking)
Loans for construction, acquisition, operation, etc.
are offered to qualifying individuals or
organizations at a preferred interest rate;
subordination by a public (city/county), private
(lender), or semi-private organization of a loan
provides a guarantee to the lending organization
that in the event of default debt service will be
paid.
Designated area superimposed on one or more
existing zoning districts; designed to protect or
enhance an area’s special qualities; governmental
review of all developments, with the power to
approve design according to standards contained
in the ordinance or in a district plan or design
guidelines; program elements include “bonuses”
and “requirement adjustments.”
Micro Loan Program
Overzoning
Offers small amounts of capital usually less than
$2,500 to very small businesses for wide range of
capital needs including façade improvements,
working capital and personal needs; provide loan
guarantees. Downside: Excessive credit analysis
and underwriting costs.
Zoning that permits an intensity and density of
development that is significantly greater than the
current land use.The term is generally applied
when the permitted density and intensity of
zoning allows a level of development that is out of
character with an existing land use pattern.
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
C O L F A X
Park-in-a-Park
Predevelopment Funding Grants
Creative method by which parking is secondary to
design and landscaping, giving visual appearance
of cars in park rather than trees in a parking lot.
Financing for project expenses incurred prior to
construction, i.e., soft costs including consulting,
design, engineering, and planning, and marketing,
etc. Note:The Economic Development
Administration (EDA) has funds for
predevelopment and construction costs.
Parking District
Designated area wherein parking design,
development and management issues among
multiple facilities are controlled by select entity
beyond that provided for by standard municipal
levels of service and control.
Pedestrian Enhancements and
Linkages
Various public, private and non-profit initiatives to
improve the pedestrian environment in a
designated area, i.e., permanent and temporary
streetscape elements, sidewalk widening, reduced
speeds, etc. Resulting environment designed to
accommodate needs of pedestrians, as well as
through and destination traffic, by incorporating
select infrastructure improvements, design
elements, and traffic management mechanisms.
Methods to achieve include: separating traffic
through use of parallel streets; limiting access
points; linking parking lots; coordinating traffic
signals; adding alternative transportation lanes;
widening sidewalks; providing crosswalks;
providing street lights and furniture; preventing
“deadening” uses without building front; and
incorporating transit stops.
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
Project Thresholds
Project size thresholds, predetermined and
designed to allow smaller projects to be rapidly
permitted, saving extensive reviews for larger
developments and environmentally sensitive sites.
Public Subordination
City/county provides a guarantee to the lending
organization that, in the event of default, debt
service will be paid.
Redevelopment
Restoration of existing buildings and properties
blighted and/or which diminish the character and
function of a neighborhood including adaptive use
and historic preservation properties.
Regulatory Reform
Initiative by government entity to amend existing
regulatory documents to be responsive to
prevailing market and economic conditions;
examples might include: new or amended zoning
designations, planning approval process reform,
181
updated comprehensive plan, etc.
then developer uses to pay for infrastructure.
Reverse Mortgage
School Programs
Low interest loan based on equity in home;
particularly relevant for seniors.
Programs (i.e., essays, art, civic participation)
which encourage the involvement of students in a
designated area.
Revolving Loan Funds
Flexible funding in the form of loans, guarantees
and interest subsidies to firms which further local
development goals; designed to alleviate high costs
and short supply of capital for businesses,
particularly small ones, or those located in
distressed areas. Components include: lower rates,
longer terms; many capitalized by/with federal
funds combined with private funds.
Re-Zone Parcels
Either city-owned and initiated, or petition-based,
through an organized effort initiated by the
“advocacy entity” to enlist the support of property
owners within a designated area — request for a
change in property zoning designation; the
objective is to provide landowners the incentive
and economic strength to maintain and redevelop
a high-quality environment and react more swiftly
to market trends.
Sales Tax Sharing
Future sales from a development can be rebated to
developer to pay for infrastructure — city/county
agrees to split sales tax revenue with developer,
182
Self-Certification Program
Contractors assume responsibility for inspecting
and certifying the correct completion of their own
work. Quality is assured by random spot checks;
contractors who cheat lose their licenses.
Self-Supporting Municipal
Improvement District (SSMID)
District providing stable stream of income for
activities and projects considered special to area
or in addition to general municipal services.
Districts are vehicle for providing additional
services for a fee and not to substitute for services
funded through traditional tax revenues.
Signature Project
Public-private effort whereby public sector
contributes land, financing, or the like, and private
sector (developer) contributes their expertise and
money to joint development of a significant
project within a designated planning area; program
is designed to encourage development of project
which will serve as a catalyst for additional
investment.
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
Smart Growth
Growth management program which combines
incentives, disincentives, and traditional planning
techniques to promote a pattern of growth that
achieves economic, environmental, and quality-oflife objectives.
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
Colorado Boulevard and 14th Avenue form the
west, north, east and south boundaries
respectively. However, this area does take into
account influences which may lie outside of these
boundaries.
Subareas
Station Area
A significant transfer point or stop along a transit
route where the land uses are highly oriented to
the transit function of the area.
Streamlined Development
Approval
Initiative by government entity to facilitate a
timely approvals process for (re)development
projects meeting certain criteria. Also referred to
as a “green-tape” permitting program. Critical
elements of program: 1) streamlined permit and
entitlement process; 2) greater predictability; and,
3) fairness in fees and exactions. Components: 1)
appointed case manager; 2) consolidated permit
process; 3) waived or reduced fees; 4) reduced
number of changes to previously approved plans;
5) stoppage to the issuance of conflicting
requirements by different departments; 6) a single
public hearing; 7) streamlined environmental
review process.
Study area
Describes the physical boundaries of the area
analyzed in the plan. Grant Street, 16th Avenue,
E A S T
C O L F A X
Describes different segments of the study area that
vary by existing character and vision for future
development. Physical boundaries define these
areas and general characteristics within these
boundaries differentiate the individual subareas.
Tax Abatement
Taxing entity (usually the city) abates or reduces a
portion of tax burden; this can happen in the form
of an adjustment on an individual property basis,
or in an abatement zone.
Tax Exempt Bond Financing
Method of financing long-term debt issued by
government whereby bondholders need not
include interest payments on taxable income.
Tax Increment Financing (TIF)
A district obtains funds from increases in regular
tax revenues that arise from new development in
the district; incremental increase in tax revenues
over designated base year revenues is diverted to a
special fund; diversion of regular tax revenues
rather than additional fees to generate revenue for
183
district investments. Can be used in conjunction
with municipal bond issues whereby increment is
pledged to repayment of the bond issue, or actual
increase allocated to an administering agency
directly to finance redevelopment activities.
Trade area
Describes an area beyond the boundaries of a
“study area.” The trade area boundaries vary by
product. For example, lodging, office and
residential uses have different trade areas. The
trade area relates to the larger context within
which similar products compete. The capture rate
for a study area will shrink or grow depending on
the size of the trade area. A larger trade area
provides more complete understanding of the
macro environment within which the study area
must compete. It describes the primary area from
which the study area draws its customer base.
The boundaries of this area are somewhat fluid in
that as the corridor develops and adds new
attractions, the draw to the area will pull
consumers from a wider area.
Transfer of Development Rights
(TDR)
Ability to transfer property entitlements from one
property to another when one of the parcels is
located in a designated development area.
184
Transit Oriented Development
(T.O.D.)
TOD is a form of development that maximizes the
benefits from the investment in transit
infrastructure by concentrating the most intense
types of development around transit stations to
promote increased transit use.
Transit-Supportive Land Use
Land uses and land use forms supportive of
alternative forms of transportation. Typical
elements include: high-density residential,
employment uses, commercial developments and
public spaces.
Turnkey Facilities
Buildings, frequently institutional, developed (and
some times managed) by a private entity for
another entity. Benefits to developer include a
developer fee, management fee, position in the
project, etc..
Urban Renewal
Tool used for purpose of eliminating slum or
blighted areas within municipality, and positioning
areas for development or redevelopment. Actions
under urban renewal include demolition of
structures; construction of infrastructure and
public spaces; sale of property; and, relocation of
businesses and residents.
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
Underground Utilities
City works with local utility and cable companies
to place all utility lines underground; maintenance,
weather-related repairs, and service disruption
costs are reduced. City also encourages low-rate
programs to assist developers with burying utility
infrastructure.
E A S T
C O L F A X
185
186
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
●M A P
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
APPENDIX
●
E A S T
C O L F A X
187
Census Block Group map
PA
R
K
17TH AVE
VINE ST
RACE ST
HIGH ST
WILLIAMS ST
GILPIN ST
FRANKLIN ST
HUMBOLDT ST
LAFAYETTE ST
DOWNING ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
CLARKSON ST
WASHINGTON
PEARL ST
PENNSYLVANIA
LOGAN ST
GRANT ST
SHERMAN ST
16TH AVE
AV
E
COLFAX AVE
14TH AVE
MARION ST
DOWNING ST
CORONA ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
East Colfax Study Area
Population by Census Block
East Colfax Study Area Boundary
1 Dot = 4 Persons
Data Sources:
2000 Census (Block Level)
map date: 04/26/04
188
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
COLORADO BLVD
HARRISON ST
JACKSON ST
GARFIELD ST
MONROE ST
MADISON ST
COOK ST
ADAMS ST
STEELE ST
CITY PARK ESPLANADE
YORK ST
GAYLORD ST
VINE ST
ALBION ST
STEELE ST
SAINT PAUL ST
MILWAUKEE ST
FILLMORE ST
DETROIT ST
CLAYTON ST
ELIZABETH ST
COLUMBINE ST
JOSEPHINE ST
189
C O L F A X
E A S T
16TH AVE
P L A N
C O R R I D O R
C O L F A X
E A S T
17TH AVE PKWY
16TH AVE
COLFAX AVE
13TH AVE
Existing zoning map
PA
RK
17TH AVE
VINE ST
RACE ST
HIGH ST
WILLIAMS ST
GILPIN ST
FRANKLIN ST
HUMBOLDT ST
LAFAYETTE ST
DOWNING ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
CLARKSON ST
WASHINGTON
PEARL ST
PENNSYLVANIA
LOGAN ST
GRANT ST
SHERMAN ST
16TH AVE
AV
E
COLFAX AVE
14TH AVE
MARION ST
DOWNING ST
CORONA ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
East Colfax Study Area
Zoning
East Colfax Study Area Boundary
Zoning
B 1
O1
B 2
P 1
B 4
PU D
B A2
R 2
B A3
R 3
H1A
R 4
H2
R 4X
Overlay District
Data Sources:
Zoning Maps
Community Planning and Development
map date: 04/26/04
Zoning is shown only within the study
area boundary and is for illustrative purposes only.
This is not a legal document
190
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
COLORADO BLVD
HARRISON ST
JACKSON ST
GARFIELD ST
MONROE ST
MADISON ST
COOK ST
ADAMS ST
STEELE ST
CITY PARK ESPLANADE
YORK ST
GAYLORD ST
VINE ST
ALBION ST
STEELE ST
SAINT PAUL ST
MILWAUKEE ST
FILLMORE ST
DETROIT ST
CLAYTON ST
ELIZABETH ST
COLUMBINE ST
JOSEPHINE ST
191
C O L F A X
E A S T
16TH AVE
P L A N
C O R R I D O R
C O L F A X
E A S T
17TH AVE PKWY
16TH AVE
COLFAX A
13TH AVE
Existing land use map
PA
RK
17TH AVE
VINE ST
RACE ST
HIGH ST
WILLIAMS ST
GILPIN ST
FRANKLIN ST
HUMBOLDT ST
LAFAYETTE ST
DOWNING ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
CLARKSON ST
WASHINGTON
PEARL ST
PENNSYLVANIA
LOGAN ST
GRANT ST
SHERMAN ST
16TH AVE
AV
E
COLFAX AVE
14TH AVE
MARION ST
DOWNING ST
CORONA ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
East Colfax Study Area
Existing Land Use
Single Family Re sidentia l
Multi Fa mily Residential
Commercial
Civic / Cultural / Schools
Vacant / Parkin g
Data Sources:
Denver Assessors Parcel Database: April 2004
Community Planning and Development
map date: 04/26/04
192
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
COLORADO BLVD
HARRISON ST
JACKSON ST
GARFIELD ST
MONROE ST
MADISON ST
COOK ST
ADAMS ST
STEELE ST
CITY PARK ESPLANADE
YORK ST
GAYLORD ST
VINE ST
ALBION ST
STEELE ST
SAINT PAUL ST
MILWAUKEE ST
FILLMORE ST
DETROIT ST
CLAYTON ST
ELIZABETH ST
COLUMBINE ST
JOSEPHINE ST
193
C O L F A X
E A S T
16TH AVE
P L A N
C O R R I D O R
C O L F A X
E A S T
17TH AVE PKWY
16TH AVE
COLFAX A
13TH AVE
Legacies Map
PA
RK
17TH AVE
AV
E
VINE ST
RACE ST
HIGH ST
WILLIAMS ST
GILPIN ST
FRANKLIN ST
HUMBOLDT ST
LAFAYETTE ST
DOWNING ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
CLARKSON ST
WASHINGTON
PEARL ST
PENNSYLVANIA
LOGAN ST
GRANT ST
SHERMAN ST
16TH AVE
COLFAX AVE
MARION ST
CORONA ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
DOWNING ST
14TH AVE
East Colfax Study Area
Age of Structures
Built Before 1945
Built After 1945
Unknown or N/A
Data Sources:
Assessors "Commercial" and
"Residential" databases, April 2004
map date: 04/26/04
194
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
COLORADO BLVD
HARRISON ST
JACKSON ST
GARFIELD ST
MONROE ST
MADISON ST
COOK ST
ADAMS ST
STEELE ST
CITY PARK ESPLANADE
YORK ST
GAYLORD ST
VINE ST
ALBION ST
STEELE ST
SAINT PAUL ST
MILWAUKEE ST
FILLMORE ST
DETROIT ST
CLAYTON ST
ELIZABETH ST
COLUMBINE ST
JOSEPHINE ST
195
C O L F A X
E A S T
16TH AVE
P L A N
C O R R I D O R
C O L F A X
E A S T
17TH AVE PKWY
16TH AVE
COLFAX A
13TH AVE
Blueprint Denver Plan Map Excerpt
VINE
RACE
HIGH
WILLIAMS
GILPIN
FRANKLIN
HUMBOLDT
LAFAYETTE
MARION
DOWNING
PA
RK
14TH
13TH
MARION
DOWNING
CORONA
OGDEN
EMERSON
CLARKSON
WASHINGTON
PEARL
PENNSYLVANIA
GRANT
LOGAN
SHERMAN
East Colfax Study Area
Blueprint Denver Land Use
East Colfax Study Area Boundary
Downtown
Mixed Us e
Urba n Reside ntial
Single Fa mily Resident ial
Pede strian Shopp ing District
Ca mpus
Ente rtainment, Cultural, Ex hibition
Park
Designated Area of Change
map date: 04/26/04
196
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
COLORADO
16TH
CITY PARK ESPLANADE
YORK
17TH AVE
GAYLORD
VINE
ALBION
HARRISON
JACKSON
GARFIELD
MONROE
MADISON
COOK
ADAMS
STEELE
SAINT PAUL
MILWAUKEE
FILLMORE
DETROIT
CLAYTON
ELIZABETH
COLUMBINE
JOSEPHINE
197
C O L F A X
E A S T
P L A N
C O R R I D O R
C O L F A X
E A S T
16TH
16TH
COLFAX
13TH
Future Land Use Concept Map
PA
RK
17TH AVE
GAYLORD ST
VINE ST
RACE ST
HIGH ST
WILLIAMS ST
GILPIN ST
FRANKLIN ST
HUMBOLDT ST
LAFAYETTE ST
DOWNING ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
CLARKSON ST
WASHINGTON
PEARL ST
PENNSYLVANIA
LOGAN ST
GRANT ST
SHERMAN ST
16TH AVE
AV
E
COLFAX
14TH AVE
MARION ST
DOWNING ST
CORONA ST
OGDEN ST
EMERSON ST
East Colfax Study Area
Future Land Use Concept Map
TOD
Mixed Us e
En tertainment, Civic, Cultural
High Dens ity Residentia l
Medium Density Residentia l
Low Dens ity Residentia l
Data Sources:
Denver Assessors Parcel Database: April 2004
Community Planning and Development
map date: 04/26/04
198
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
COLORADO BLVD
HARRISON ST
JACKSON ST
GARFIELD ST
MONROE ST
MADISON ST
COOK ST
ADAMS ST
STEELE ST
CITY PARK ESPLANADE
YORK ST
ALBION ST
STEELE ST
SAINT PAUL ST
MILWAUKEE ST
FILLMORE ST
DETROIT ST
CLAYTON ST
ELIZABETH ST
COLUMBINE ST
JOSEPHINE ST
COLORADO
199
C O L F A X
E A S T
16TH AVE
GAYLORD ST
VINE ST
13TH AVE
P L A N
C O R R I D O R
C O L F A X
E A S T
17TH AVE PKWY
16TH AVE
COLFAX AVE
Transportation Map
17TH AVE
R
K
AV
E
FRANKLIN ST
DOWNING ST
CLARKSON ST
WASHINGTON
LOGAN ST
GRANT ST
SHERMAN ST
16TH AVE
PA
VINE ST
HIGH ST
EMERSON ST
RACE ST
DOWNING ST
CORONA ST
OGDEN ST
East Colfax Study Area
Transportation Map
Blueprint Denver Street Class ifications
Main Arterial
Mixed Use Arterial
Residential Arterial
Residential Collector
All other streets are
“Undesignated Local”
Bike Routes
Bu s St ops / Ridership Volume*
108 200
201 300
301 500
501 1590
*Ridership Volume = Combined Average
Boardings and Exits per day
Data Sources:
RTD and Blueprint Denver
map date: 04/26/04
200
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
COOK ST
GARFIELD ST
COLORADO BLVD
STEELE ST
FILLMORE ST
CITY PARK ESPLANADE
DETROIT ST
16TH AVE
VINE ST
SAINT PAUL ST
JOSEPHINE ST
YORK ST
201
C O L F A X
E A S T
14TH AVE
16TH AVE
P L A N
C O R R I D O R
C O L F A X
E A S T
17TH AVE PKWY
COLFAX AVE
13TH AVE
Underutilized Properties Map
East Colfax Study Area
Land-Structure Value Ratio
Adequate
Underutilized
Missing Data
map date: 04/26/04
202
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
C H A N G E :
E A S T
E A S T
C O L F A X
C O L F A X
C O R R I D O R
P L A N
203
204
B L U E P R I N T
D E N V E R
A R E A
O F
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