RiNo’s car-free, outdoor dining area on Larimer Street’s 2700 block reopened to traffic

If you loved it, don’t blame the city!
3 min. read
The 2700 block of Larimer Street has reopened to traffic.
Kyle Harris / Denverite

Earlier in the pandemic, stretches of Larimer Street were shut down to traffic to create space for dining, drinking, music and more.

Gwen Campbell, co-owner of Larimer Lounge, said the outdoor space on the 2700 block of Larimer, between 27th and 28th streets, was one of the reasons her club stayed open through city and state COVID-19 lockdowns that banned people from attending indoor concerts and bars.

"The patios were a lifeline for us to survive the pandemic," she said.

But now the outdoor dining area has been disassembled and the road has been returned to drivers.

That came as a surprise to some Denverites who had enjoyed drinking in the middle of the road or biking, scooting and walking across Larimer without dodging vehicles.

Denverite Alex Nelson reached out to the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure to ask "Why is it gone?"

Turns out, reopening Larimer Street to cars was not a city decision.

"RINO's full closure of this stretch of Larimer is still permitted as part of the Temporary Outdoor Dining Program stood up during the pandemic," said DOTI spokesperson Nancy Kuhn.

That means that if the River North Business Improvement District wants to renew its temporary permit to take over the street, which expires on Oct. 31, it can.

Why temporary?

Denver is currently developing an Outdoor Places Program that would allow outdoor dining spaces to be permanent.

The food and beverage businesses on the block were the ones who wanted cars back on Larimer Street.

In recent weeks, Campbell has been busy selling some of Larimer Lounge's picnic tables because they're no longer of use to the club.

"We felt it was time to open the street back up," Campbell said. "There are a couple new businesses on the block that did not have patios, and a couple businesses needed better access for their customers, such as Redeemer Pizza and Rocketspace."

But for LuLu Clair, Redeemer Pizza's owner, the closure of the street didn't make much of a difference because the restaurant does much of its business from its alley entrance and it has a back patio for outdoor dining.

Clair said her business, which rents its space, stayed out of discussions, leaving the future of the Larimer Street outdoor space to the building owners on the block. The pizzeria opened after the road had been shut down to traffic.

"We didn't have a need to open the street," Clair said. "We're just a small business trying to rent here and get by, whatever the street looks like."

For Denverites looking for a place to hang out in the middle of the street in the neighborhood, they'll need to go to the 29th block of Larimer, where the road is still shut down.

This story has been updated with comment from Redeemer Pizza owner LuLu Clair.

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