The northern end of the closed stretch of Larimer Street in RiNo. (BusinessDen file)
A one-block stretch in RiNo that has been closed to motor vehicles since 2020, annoying some nearby business and property owners, reopens on Monday.
The RiNo Art District, a neighborhood organization, said in a Friday evening email that the closure of the 2900 block of Larimer Street would end Sunday.
The district said it had been exploring getting a permit from the city of Denver that would keep the block closed permanently, but that it “eventually chose not to pursue that permit.” The organization did not explain the reason for that.
Some business owners on the block then formed a nonprofit with the idea that that entity would pursue getting the permit, according to the organization’s email.
“However, given a variety of factors and current context, the nonprofit will also not be pursuing the permit to keep the street closed,” the RiNo Art District wrote.
Regarding those factors and context, the email only mentioned “challenges raised by surrounding business owners about the impact on vehicular accessibility and operations in the district.”
The email didn’t reference the extent of the opposition. But documents obtained by BusinessDen show that representatives of 99 RiNo businesses sent letters to the city last month opposing the block’s continued closure. Thirty property owners, many controlling multiple parcels, also signed letters.
The block’s closure harkened back to the pandemic, when Denver closed a variety of streets around the city to allow residents more space to recreate or dine outdoors. By the end of 2023, all had reopened except for three: the 2900 block in RiNo, the one-block stretch of Larimer Square and two blocks by Denver Pavilions mall downtown.
One of the businesses in the 2900 block is Ratio Beerworks, a brewery.
“As RiNo becomes more and more of a walking and biking neighborhood and less of a driving one, it’s really exciting from an urban perspective to think about what we can do for our neighborhood,” co-owner Jason ZumBrunnen told The Denver Post in February 2023. “Our long-term vision is to become like the bars, cafes and streets in Europe, where people can walk freely and access the neighborhood in new ways.”
In December 2023, however, a handful of RiNo business owners, including the owner of an ice cream shop in the 2900 block, spoke to BusinessDen about their desire to see the street reopened.
“We don’t have the exposure that we felt we had before,” said Martha Trillo of Heaven Creamery.
Tai Beldock, owner of Erico Motorsports at 2855 Walnut St., noted in 2023 that efforts to plan the block’s buildout were being funded with money from the RiNo Business Improvement District, which taxes property owners across RiNo. But she argued the block’s closure only benefitted a handful of bars and eateries on the block itself.
“We’re paying thousands of dollars for a design that really only benefits three businesses,” Beldock said.
RiNo property owners Sonia Danielsen, left, and Tai Beldock stand in front of the 2900 block of Larimer Street, which is closed to vehicles. They oppose the closure. (BusinessDen file)
Last year, Beldock and others later initiated an effort to dissolve the BID, citing the continued closure of the block as one of their grievances.
“My broker said, ‘I can’t lease this. There’s no traffic. Nobody sees the signs,’” said Tom Sprung, regarding vacant space in a building he owns in the 3000 block of Larimer.
In a November interview with BusinessDen, RiNo Art District co-executive director Sarah Cawrse and board member Adam Larker defended the block closure, pointing to a survey that found more than 90 percent of respondents in favor of the closure — a degree of support that Larkey called “a mandate.”
“There really aren’t many communal places in RiNo,” Larkey said in November. “It’s all thoroughfares.”
Larimer Square and the blocks around Denver Pavilions remain closed, without any clear opposition.
The northern end of the closed stretch of Larimer Street in RiNo. (BusinessDen file)
A one-block stretch in RiNo that has been closed to motor vehicles since 2020, annoying some nearby business and property owners, reopens on Monday.
The RiNo Art District, a neighborhood organization, said in a Friday evening email that the closure of the 2900 block of Larimer Street would end Sunday.
The district said it had been exploring getting a permit from the city of Denver that would keep the block closed permanently, but that it “eventually chose not to pursue that permit.” The organization did not explain the reason for that.
Some business owners on the block then formed a nonprofit with the idea that that entity would pursue getting the permit, according to the organization’s email.
“However, given a variety of factors and current context, the nonprofit will also not be pursuing the permit to keep the street closed,” the RiNo Art District wrote.
Regarding those factors and context, the email only mentioned “challenges raised by surrounding business owners about the impact on vehicular accessibility and operations in the district.”
The email didn’t reference the extent of the opposition. But documents obtained by BusinessDen show that representatives of 99 RiNo businesses sent letters to the city last month opposing the block’s continued closure. Thirty property owners, many controlling multiple parcels, also signed letters.
The block’s closure harkened back to the pandemic, when Denver closed a variety of streets around the city to allow residents more space to recreate or dine outdoors. By the end of 2023, all had reopened except for three: the 2900 block in RiNo, the one-block stretch of Larimer Square and two blocks by Denver Pavilions mall downtown.
One of the businesses in the 2900 block is Ratio Beerworks, a brewery.
“As RiNo becomes more and more of a walking and biking neighborhood and less of a driving one, it’s really exciting from an urban perspective to think about what we can do for our neighborhood,” co-owner Jason ZumBrunnen told The Denver Post in February 2023. “Our long-term vision is to become like the bars, cafes and streets in Europe, where people can walk freely and access the neighborhood in new ways.”
In December 2023, however, a handful of RiNo business owners, including the owner of an ice cream shop in the 2900 block, spoke to BusinessDen about their desire to see the street reopened.
“We don’t have the exposure that we felt we had before,” said Martha Trillo of Heaven Creamery.
Tai Beldock, owner of Erico Motorsports at 2855 Walnut St., noted in 2023 that efforts to plan the block’s buildout were being funded with money from the RiNo Business Improvement District, which taxes property owners across RiNo. But she argued the block’s closure only benefitted a handful of bars and eateries on the block itself.
“We’re paying thousands of dollars for a design that really only benefits three businesses,” Beldock said.
RiNo property owners Sonia Danielsen, left, and Tai Beldock stand in front of the 2900 block of Larimer Street, which is closed to vehicles. They oppose the closure. (BusinessDen file)
Last year, Beldock and others later initiated an effort to dissolve the BID, citing the continued closure of the block as one of their grievances.
“My broker said, ‘I can’t lease this. There’s no traffic. Nobody sees the signs,’” said Tom Sprung, regarding vacant space in a building he owns in the 3000 block of Larimer.
In a November interview with BusinessDen, RiNo Art District co-executive director Sarah Cawrse and board member Adam Larker defended the block closure, pointing to a survey that found more than 90 percent of respondents in favor of the closure — a degree of support that Larkey called “a mandate.”
“There really aren’t many communal places in RiNo,” Larkey said in November. “It’s all thoroughfares.”
Larimer Square and the blocks around Denver Pavilions remain closed, without any clear opposition.
