Several properties along North Julian Street and West 14th Avenue in the West Colfax neighborhood may be rezoned to allow for higher density, if the full City Council agrees to the proposal.
The Land Use committee on Tuesday approved a proposed rezoning of 1409 through 1471 North Julian Street and 3315 through 3317 West 14th Avenue, changing the zoning from row home usage to multi-family usage and increasing the height allotment from three stories to five.
Currently, the parcels are occupied by 19 affordable row homes and duplexes. According to Wazee Partners, who own and developed the properties, the occupants all receive project-based Section 8 vouchers allowing them to pay 30% of the income toward rent.
The proposed rezoning stems from a need to update the property and an overall plan to build additional affordable housing nearby.
According to the zoning application, the units were constructed in 1968 and “the site is underutilized given its land area.” The application also says there is an “extremely high annual operating cost per unit.”
With these things in mind, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is allowing Wazee Partners to move the residents and their vouchers to a new affordable housing project at 1465-1497 Knox Court.
The Knox Court redevelopment, or the Menola Homes named after civil rights activist Menola Upshaw, would be a five-story complex with 67 income-restricted units for families making 50% of the area median income. The units will be made up of one- to three-bedrooms. For a family of four, 50% AMI is about $62,050 annual income. An onsite parking garage is also in the works at that development, along with proposed office space for nonprofit Girls Inc. on the first floor.
During the committee meeting, Chris Downs with Wazee said the residents at the Julian rowhomes would be moved to the Menola Homes, which the Denver North Start reported could open around mid-2026. Those residents would need about 44 of the units, and the rest would be available for new residents.
Tyler Downs of Wazee said there are no current plans for the Julian properties once the occupants move out, but added there’s potential for a five-story apartment building. It's unclear if there would be affordable unit components in that plan.
Several letters of both support and opposition were received regarding the rezoning. Those in support said they anticipated raised property values, they appreciated that the rezoning aligned with the West Area Plan and the rezoning would ultimately improve living conditions for the current residents.
Those in opposition were concerned with building scale, parking, traffic, trash collection, having a concentration of affordable housing in the area and declining property values.
During the committee meeting, Council President Jamie Torres asked if during the redevelopment of Julian, if and when it were to come, there could be some type of nod to the history of the block area when it comes to the Good Americans Organization.
The GAO was a credit union formed by Francisco Paco Sanchez and other activists who sought to help Mexican Americans get housing, when no one would rent to the community. The GAO helped build the Avondale Housing Project and were huge proponents of affordable housing. A park named after Sanchez is a block away from the property and Torres asked if there could be future discussions on perhaps placing a plaque at the Julian Street project and the Knox Court projects, which is owned by the GAO Homes Partners.
Wazee vehemently agreed.
The proposed rezoning was approved and a future public hearing will be held before the full council in April.
Another set of properties seeking rezoning was also approved on Tuesday.
Owners ICP-Flywheel Arkansas is looking to rezone 4100 East Arkansas Avenue and 1451 South Ash Street in the Virginia Village neighborhood to align with the recently passed Southeast Area Plan. The proposed rezoning would allow for a height increase.
Currently, the parcels are occupied by a two-story office building and a parking lot. The property is surrounded by housing, including the new Krisana Apartments at the former Colorado Department of Transportation headquarters, which is currently being built.
According to Flywheel owner Ben Hrouda, the team has no redevelopment plans for the property. The rezoning proposal, Hrouda said, is to bring them into compliance with the Southeast Area Plan. The office tenant has several years left on its lease and they won’t be disrupting the lease agreement.
But Councilmember Paul Kashmann commented that requesting a rezoning now without any plans, means the owners are looking to increase property value and see what can be done with the property, especially once the CDOT redevelopment is complete. That project will have 151 units of affordable housing, which are the Krisana Apartments, along with a 1.6 acre park, market-rate housing, retail space and, the big anchor, a brand new King Soopers.
Hrouda said they are aware of the development, but repeated that the office tenant is on a lease for a number of years.
The proposed rezoning received one letter of support from the East Evans Business Association, who noted the potential for development. It also received one letter of opposition from a neighbor concerned with parking.
The proposal will also go before the full council with a public hearing in April.
