3401 W 29th Avenue & 2945 N Julian Street

Last week, the Denver Planning Board recommended approval for two churches in West Highland to be rezoned for commercial use.

One church is located at the corner of N 29th Avenue, while the second church is separated by an alley way at the corner of N Julian Street & W Hayward Place.

3401 W 29th Street consist of 9,427 square feet and was originally constructed in 1922, while 2945 N Julian Street consist of 7,840 square feet and was originally constructed in 1955.

Paul Tamburello, owner of Generator Real Estate LLC and Little Man Ice Cream purchased both buildings for a total of $1,755,000 back in March of 2021 and has been working on the rezoning plan ever since.

Considering the churches are embedded within a residential neighborhood, the current U-SU-B zoning (Single Unit) limits the potential uses, calling for a zoning change in order generate a profit.

Currently, the churches are frequently used for music lessons, yoga classes, youth/adult sports and various other community events.

At the zoning meeting on Wednesday, one resident stated that the buildings were last utilized for church services in 2019 and 2020. However, in the request application, Generator claimed that the churches haven't had church services in over 20 years.

Mr. Tamburello requested a zoning change to U-MX-2x, designed for mixed-uses along small sites served primarily by local streets embedded within an existing or proposed neighborhood. These are typically one or two parcels and are limited to low scale building forms and low intensity uses.

Many members of the community spoke out against the zoning change, voicing concerns over increased parking, traffic and noise that could result from multiple commercial uses occupying the building.

Mr. Tamburello addressed these concerns by assuring that his firm plans to revitalize the building to make it a beautiful structure in the neighborhood that will ultimately benefit the community.

The current zoning restricts a liquor license and a full service kitchen, so we wont be seeing a large restaurant in the space. However, a small food/beverage establishment is permitted to occupy up to 1,200 square feet in either building.

The LUTI Committee meeting and city council public hearing are schedule for 2/14/23 and 4/3/23. We'll keep an eye out on the progression of this project and check with with any updates!