A city block in Denver’s RiNo Art District will reopen to vehicle traffic Monday, marking the end of a miniature pedestrian mall that sprang up during the height of the pandemic.
Flanked by breweries and restaurants, the 2900 block of Larimer Street has been closed to cars since 2020, when businesses were given the city’s blessing to expand outdoor seating onto the roadway.
The closure outlasted the public health crisis that restricted seating at bars and restaurants, developing a mixed reputation among locals, some of whom said limiting vehicle access also limited their customer base.
The RiNo Art District announced Friday that the street would reopen, writing in a news release that a nonprofit coalition of storefronts on the block opted not to apply for a permit to continue the closure.
“This closure has served as a popular gathering spot and community hub in RiNo,” the district wrote in its release. “However, we also recognize the challenges raised by surrounding business owners about the impact on vehicular accessibility and operations in the district.”
Kraig Weaver — who owns The Block Distilling Co. at 2990 Larimer St. and sits on the nonprofit Larimer Street Project’s board — said a lack of consensus among business owners in and around the area was one of the reasons why the group dropped its push for a permit.
“We didn’t want to do it haphazardly, where the neighboring small businesses that we really respect and support didn’t think that we were being supportive of them,” he said. “We want this to benefit not just us but the whole neighborhood. We wouldn’t have tried to move it forward if we didn’t believe that was true.”
The RiNo Business Improvement District separately considered applying for a permit to keep the street closed. According to the art district’s news release, the district also decided not to move forward with its plan.
Weaver said Larimer Street Project vendors haven’t ruled out approaching their neighbors again and working with the city to design a pedestrian-centered shopping experience in the 2900 block that more of RiNo can get behind.
However, Weaver said it likely will be several months before the group decides on next steps.
“When it’s approached again, it will be with as much input as you can get,” he said.
As of December, Larimer Square and Glenarm Place between 15th and 17th streets were the only other early-pandemic street closures that had remained in place.
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