DENVER — The Denver City Council approved two measures Monday night that will help propel redevelopment of a historic school building into restaurants, shops and a community gathering space in the Golden Triangle neighborhood.
The council voted 10-1 to create the Evans School Urban Redevelopment Plan for approximately .8 acres at Acoma Street and East 11th Avenue. It also approved tax increment financing of $3.3 million, nearly 13% of the total $26 million project.
“The need for public financial assistance is directly related to the extraordinary costs to eliminate the blighting,” said Tracy Huggins, the executive director of the Denver Urban Renewal Authority, during the public hearing.
The school, built in 1904, has largely sat empty for 50 years. Schoolhouse Investors, a joint venture between Columbia Holdings and City Street Investors, bought the building in 2019.
The redevelopment plan includes renovating the entire 33,695-square-foot building and the 33,750-square-foot site.
“I see this as an opportunity to return an icon to its glory,” said Councilor Chris Hinds, of District 10, said.
> Read the full story at the Denver Business Journal.
