Committee forwards amended 20th and Larimer redevelopment plan that pauses housing, preserves grocery and public plaza

The Denver City Council Finance and Business Committee on Tuesday voted to forward to the full council an amended and restated Urban Redevelopment Plan from the Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA) for the 20th and Larimer area that pauses the residential component and refocuses the first phase on retail, adaptive reuse and a publicly accessible plaza.

DURA Executive Director Tracy Huggins presented the amended plan and said the revision responds to market conditions since the original plan was adopted in November 2022. "This is an amended and restated Urban Redevelopment Plan because in November 2022, City Council adopted the original 20 Seventh And Larimer Urban Redevelopment Plan," Huggins said, adding that the council previously found the area "blighted consistent with the statutory definition." She said the revised plan maintains the public benefits and many community commitments while changing the near-term project scope.

The amended project would convert previously planned residential parcels and below-grade parking into about 60,000 square feet of retail space (including a grocer), surface parking and 10,000 square feet of publicly accessible open space. Huggins said the DURA underwriting for tax-increment financing has been reduced from…