The office building at 1709 N. Williams St. in Denver is seen behind Weathervane Cafe on Feb. 25, 2025. (Thomas Gounley/BusinessDen)
The Denver City Council on Monday voted to rezone an approximately quarter-acre lot in City Park West, paving the way for a local homebuilder to redevelop the property.
The unanimous vote regarding 1709 N. Williams St. came after Lumen Homes owner Michael McAtee reached a deal with a neighboring restaurant owner who had originally galvanized opposition to the rezoning.
Michael McAtee
The property near the corner of 17th and Williams St. is currently home to a 4,200-square-foot office building that dates to 1964. Records show McAtee purchased it in October for $900,000.
The property was zoned B-2. McAtee applied to rezone the property to G-MS-3 in August, while he was under contract to buy it.
He submitted development plans to the city the same month. Those plans indicate McAtee — who didn’t respond to a request for comment — wants to demolish the existing structure and build six three-story townhome-style units with garages, as well as a commercial unit topped by an apartment.
McAtee’s rezoning application didn’t thrill everyone. The city received eight comments in support and 22 comments in opposition.
A rendering of the proposed redevelopment, as seen from the southeast corner. (Public records)
Those opposed generally voiced a love of the existing structure’s look or disappointment at what McAtee hoped to build.
“This building is a classic, historical example of Googie architecture, and it should be preserved, not demolished for yet another obtrusive block condo complex that Denver does not need,” Jaclyn Pickard of Wheat Ridge wrote Sept. 12.
“Building yet another condo building would homogenize an otherwise vibrant area of City Park West,” Anissa Carter, who indicated she lives nearby, emailed the same day.
Several people wrote that they learned of the proposed rezoning from a Facebook post made by the neighboring Weathervane Cafe.
“Thanks to the advocacy of the owners of the Weathervane Cafe, I have been made aware in detail of the plan to demolish this space and turn it into more expensive housing,” Uptown resident Kelsey Goetz emailed Sept. 26.
McAtee later sat down with Weathervane owner Lindsay Dalton and a representative of the City Park West Neighborhood Association in the presence of a city-paid mediator. In November, the trio executed a memorandum of understanding.
The building at 1709 N. Williams St. dates to 1964, according to property records. It is slated to be demolished. (Thomas Gounley/BusinessDen)
Dalton was concerned about how demolition and construction on McAtee’s project could affect her business. McAtee agreed to pay $500 toward a sign advertising that Weathervane was open during construction and up to $3,000 for postcards saying the same to be mailed to nearby residents.
McAtee also agreed to tell construction workers they can’t park on 17th in front of Weathervane. And he said he would not allow a coffee shop or cafe to go in the project’s commercial unit upon completion.
In exchange, Dalton agreed to personally support the rezoning and encourage others to “at a minimum not oppose” the application. The neighborhood association agreed to tell people that the main neighbor opposing the rezoning had reached a compromise.
At the meeting Monday, council members Chris Hinds — who represents the area — and Darrell Watson highlighted that no new comments opposing the rezoning had been submitted after McAtee’s deal with Dalton was reached.
Hinds said the mediation “had a successful outcome.” He acknowledged the Googie architecture but noted that the building is not a protected city landmark. And he emphasized that the council legally can’t make zoning decisions based on what someone wants to build.
“What you choose to put there is your prerogative as long as it meets the zoning,” he told McAtee.
Watson, meanwhile, noted he’s a fan of the cafe.
“Weathervane is one of my favorite spots,” the council member said. “I ride my bike there on a regular basis.”
The office building at 1709 N. Williams St. in Denver is seen behind Weathervane Cafe on Feb. 25, 2025. (Thomas Gounley/BusinessDen)
The Denver City Council on Monday voted to rezone an approximately quarter-acre lot in City Park West, paving the way for a local homebuilder to redevelop the property.
The unanimous vote regarding 1709 N. Williams St. came after Lumen Homes owner Michael McAtee reached a deal with a neighboring restaurant owner who had originally galvanized opposition to the rezoning.
Michael McAtee
The property near the corner of 17th and Williams St. is currently home to a 4,200-square-foot office building that dates to 1964. Records show McAtee purchased it in October for $900,000.
The property was zoned B-2. McAtee applied to rezone the property to G-MS-3 in August, while he was under contract to buy it.
He submitted development plans to the city the same month. Those plans indicate McAtee — who didn’t respond to a request for comment — wants to demolish the existing structure and build six three-story townhome-style units with garages, as well as a commercial unit topped by an apartment.
McAtee’s rezoning application didn’t thrill everyone. The city received eight comments in support and 22 comments in opposition.
A rendering of the proposed redevelopment, as seen from the southeast corner. (Public records)
Those opposed generally voiced a love of the existing structure’s look or disappointment at what McAtee hoped to build.
“This building is a classic, historical example of Googie architecture, and it should be preserved, not demolished for yet another obtrusive block condo complex that Denver does not need,” Jaclyn Pickard of Wheat Ridge wrote Sept. 12.
“Building yet another condo building would homogenize an otherwise vibrant area of City Park West,” Anissa Carter, who indicated she lives nearby, emailed the same day.
Several people wrote that they learned of the proposed rezoning from a Facebook post made by the neighboring Weathervane Cafe.
“Thanks to the advocacy of the owners of the Weathervane Cafe, I have been made aware in detail of the plan to demolish this space and turn it into more expensive housing,” Uptown resident Kelsey Goetz emailed Sept. 26.
McAtee later sat down with Weathervane owner Lindsay Dalton and a representative of the City Park West Neighborhood Association in the presence of a city-paid mediator. In November, the trio executed a memorandum of understanding.
The building at 1709 N. Williams St. dates to 1964, according to property records. It is slated to be demolished. (Thomas Gounley/BusinessDen)
Dalton was concerned about how demolition and construction on McAtee’s project could affect her business. McAtee agreed to pay $500 toward a sign advertising that Weathervane was open during construction and up to $3,000 for postcards saying the same to be mailed to nearby residents.
McAtee also agreed to tell construction workers they can’t park on 17th in front of Weathervane. And he said he would not allow a coffee shop or cafe to go in the project’s commercial unit upon completion.
In exchange, Dalton agreed to personally support the rezoning and encourage others to “at a minimum not oppose” the application. The neighborhood association agreed to tell people that the main neighbor opposing the rezoning had reached a compromise.
At the meeting Monday, council members Chris Hinds — who represents the area — and Darrell Watson highlighted that no new comments opposing the rezoning had been submitted after McAtee’s deal with Dalton was reached.
Hinds said the mediation “had a successful outcome.” He acknowledged the Googie architecture but noted that the building is not a protected city landmark. And he emphasized that the council legally can’t make zoning decisions based on what someone wants to build.
“What you choose to put there is your prerogative as long as it meets the zoning,” he told McAtee.
Watson, meanwhile, noted he’s a fan of the cafe.
“Weathervane is one of my favorite spots,” the council member said. “I ride my bike there on a regular basis.”
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