February 2025 Update on 2900 Block:
The temporary street closure on the 2900 block of Larimer Street will end on Sunday, Feb. 2. The street is anticipated to reopen to vehicle traffic on Monday, Feb. 3.
Since 2020, the RiNo Business Improvement District (BID) has supported the temporary closure of the 2900 block of Larimer Street through the city’s temporary Outdoor Places Program. This program was created to encourage the expansion of outdoor spaces into rights-of-way to support local businesses and provide additional public space during the pandemic.
As a result of the success of that program, the city formalized it and created the Pilot Street Closure Permitting process for keeping streets closed. The new process would require improvements and public amenities within the street closure area, such as benches, planters, and shade. The RiNo BID was exploring pursuing the Pilot Street Closure permit to keep the street closed so public space improvements could be implemented, and the closure area could become a community amenity space. The RiNo BID eventually chose to not pursue that permit. A nonprofit that was formed, which is made up of business owners on the block, was interested in continuing the work to pursue that permit, being the permit holder, and implementing the public space improvements. However, given a variety of factors and current context, the nonprofit will also not be pursuing the permit to keep the street closed.
Because no entity is pursuing the Pilot Street Closure permit, the temporary permit the street closure currently operates under will expire and the street will be reopened next week. The RiNo BID is currently the permit holder for the temporary permit and will be responsible for coordinating the reopening of the street.
We understand the reopening of the street may be disappointing to many who have enjoyed the outdoor space and programming on the 2900 block. Since 2020, this closure has served as a popular gathering spot and community hub in RiNo. However, we also recognize the challenges raised by surrounding business owners about the impact on vehicular accessibility and operations in the district.
The RiNo BID remains committed to listening to the community and supporting all businesses and residents. We will continue to explore new ways to activate or create public spaces throughout the district that align with the needs and feedback of our diverse community members.