Denver Rock Drill Site Could Get Mixed-Use Makeover

Denver’s River North Art District could see the transformation of a historic property that incorporates century-old buildings into a new development.

On Tuesday, the Denver City Council’s Community Planning and Housing Committee heard a rezoning request and accompanying development agreement to turn the former Denver Rock Drill Manufacturing Company into a mixed-use development including housing, office, retail and hotel space, the Denver Business Journal reported.

Local entrepreneur Byron Weiss acquired the 6.7-acre site, once used to produce pneumatic drills that were used in the mining industry, in 1992 for his Porta Power warehouse supply company. A few years later, he added housing to the area in the form of the 30-unit Lofts at Denver Rock Drill Works.

In 2016, Weiss and his sons Andy and Brett Weiss partnered to seek a major redevelopment of the 700,000-square-foot site at 1717 East 39th Avenue. Local developer OliverBuchanan Group is working with the family to advance the plans.

The proposal calls for a mix of residential, office, retail and hotel uses on the site. That may include 600,000 to 850,000 square feet of residential space, 40,000 to 60,000 square feet of office space, 100,000 to 150,000 square feet of mixed retail and 100,000 to 130,000 square feet for a hotel. In total, the site could see up to nearly 1.3 million square feet of development.

To achieve this, the city would need to approve the proposed rezoning request and development agreement, which would turn the site currently zoned for heavy-intensity industrial uses into a mixed-use district allowing building heights of up to 16 stories.

Because the site is subject to Denver’s Enhanced Housing Affordability agreement, the developers agreed to restrict 10 percent of residential units to a maximum of 50 percent of the area median income. In Denver, that equates to a $49,050 annual salary for one person.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will have to conduct a preliminary assessment and lay out a remediation plan before shovels can go in the ground, according to the Business Journal. A trained environmental professional will also have to be on site to manage any soil-disturbing activities.

A public city council hearing on the rezoning and development agreement is scheduled for Sept. 15.

— Chris Malone Méndez