Denver is closing off a block adjacent to the Five Points Plaza to create an outdoor dining and community space just in time for the summer.

Starting in May, the city plans to activate the block of Clarkson Street between 26th and 28th streets with a summer programming series it’s calling “Soul Street on Clarkson.” The area will be closed to cars “to transform an under-utilized city street into a new community space” for Five Points residents, business patrons and visitors, according to the city.

The project is funded and designed by city staff in partnership with the Five Points Business Improvement District.  Setup begins this weekend, when the area will be decorated with new street art and planters and outfitted with picnic tables and chairs, where guests can enjoy food services from nearby Five Points Plaza restaurants.

Once the space is fully furnished, the city will move forward with the final permits and inspections needed to officially make the space an outdoor expansion area under the city’s Outdoor Dining Program, which is currently set to expire in October. Last year, Mayor Michael Hancock announced the city is working to make the program permanent, which would allow restaurants to keep the “temporary” outdoor dining setups they were granted at the start of the pandemic.

“Soul Street on Clarkson” is set to open in May, and will offer programming throughout the summer.