Denver City Council approved a rezoning on Aug. 18 to include 801 Fifteenth Street (Home2 Suites) in the Denver Theater District (DTD) sign plan, permitting large-format digital signage under the district'specific standards. Community Planning and Development recommended approval, citing alignment with the downtown area plan and Blueprint Denver goals for arts, cultural activation and visitor-serving uses.

Why it matters: the DTD sign plan allows curated, high-quality digital and projection installations in a defined downtown area and includes a revenue-share mechanism that funds public-art and lighting projects. Supporters said the change could enliven a corridor that links the convention center, the Performing Arts Complex and Sixteenth Street.

Planning staff said the property is at the edge of the theater-district boundary described in the 2007 downtown area plan and that an expansion of the district to this parcel is consistent with downtown goals for activation and arts investment. Planning-board members voted unanimously to approve the rezoning in June after public outreach.

Supporters included the Upper Downtown Neighborhood Association, the Downtown Denver Partnership, the Colorado Convention Center and the Denver Theater District; representatives from the applicant and the Denver Theater District described the proposal as a way to replace a blank facade and to fund local public-art projects through revenue sharing. Opponents raised concerns about light impacts to nearby residences and asked for additional information; planning staff offered to provide block-specific incident and traffic data on request.

Council voted to approve the rezoning; the clerk recorded 12 ayes on the final roll call. Planning staff said an amendment to the DTD sign plan will follow this rezoning if the council action stands, and any specific sign proposal will undergo additional review under the sign plan and permit rules that address residential impacts, safety and design.

What council did and did not do: council authorized the rezoning to allow the parcel to be considered under DTD sign standards; it did not approve any specific sign design or permit at the meeting.

Outlook: the rezoning clears the property to be considered for the DTD sign plan; subsequent plan amendments and permit reviews will determine exact sign locations, brightness and content restrictions and require additional public review.