Axios Denver

September 08, 2022
☀️ Good morning! Your calendars aren't fooling you — it's Thursday.
Today's weather: Sunny and super hot with highs near 99° and smoky skies from wildfires in the Pacific Northwest.
- Yes, but: Relief is on the way beginning Friday, when highs will only hit the mid-70s.
Situational awareness: Two boys were injured and taken to the hospital after a shooting near Carla Madison Rec Center on Wednesday evening.
Today's newsletter is 932 words — a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Renderings reveal what's next for Park Hill Golf Course
A rendering of the redeveloped Park Hill Golf Course. Image courtesy of Westside Investment Partners
The fight over the future of Denver's Park Hill Golf Course could be quieting after at least three years of back and forth.
Driving the news: Westside Investment Partners — the owner of the 155-acre site that's been at the center of a yearslong debate — revealed new renderings for the area at a public meeting Wednesday evening.
- The plans received no major opposition from a packed audience — many of whom were neighborhood residents.
Why it matters: The feud over the land's fate reflected the rising tension between preservation and development as the city grows and its affordable housing crisis deepens.
Details: The developers' plan carves out about 100 acres of public parks and open space, plus retail that's expected to include a grocery store.
- It also includes several hundred units of affordable rental and for-sale homes — which Westside touts would double the affordable housing mandate local leaders recently passed — and nearly a quarter would be income-restricted.
What they're saying: "We heard loud and clear that this community wants housing for all, and we think this plan delivers," Westside principal Kenneth Ho said.
State of play: This is Westside's response to backlash from residents in the historically underserved, largely Black and rapidly gentrifying neighborhood who have been slow to trust developers' promises amid displacement.
- Residents have consistently complained that the 18-month community input process informing the plan was flawed from the start.
2. Here's some good news for restaurants

Just in time for the Denver Food and Wine Festival this week, new data will give the restaurant industry a reason to toast.
State of play: For the first time, reservations booked through OpenTable exceeded pre-pandemic levels for a sustained period, according to new figures from the company.
By the numbers: In Colorado, reservations are up 26% over 2019 numbers, and in Denver they increased 21%. Both exceeded national growth.
3. 😋 New picks on Denver's food and drink scene
Denver's Ice House warehouse, where the new po'boy shop Pirate Alley Boucherie is opening. Photo: George Rose/Getty Images
Despite persistent problems facing local restaurants, Denver's dining scene is sprouting new spots to sip and eat citywide.
Driving the news: Pirate Alley Boucherie — a new po'boy joint serving sandwiches, charcuterie and small plates — opens today, for lunch only, on the ground floor of LoDo's historic Ice House building at 1801 Wynkoop St.
- Behind the seasonally driven deli are Katy and Kyle Foster, the previous owners of Julep, a Southern eatery in RiNo that closed during the pandemic.
🧇 Union Station is now home to Wafels & Dinges, a New York City chain known for its Belgian-style waffles and decadent desserts.
- Of note: W&D was featured on the Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate," so you know their treats are tasty.
🍸 Birch Road, a BYOB social club with locations in Chicago and Seattle, opens this Saturday in the previous home of Factotum Brewhouse at 3845 Lipan St.
- How it works: With monthly memberships starting at $105, Denverites get access to a 3,300-square-foot event space to drink, gather and escape the busy bar scene.
🇫🇷 Noisette — a French restaurant and bakery that opened Aug. 5 in LoHi — offers a fine dining experience at a friendlier price point. The eatery is run by Lillian Cho and Tim Lu, a married pastry chef and executive chef, both graduates of the French Culinary Institute in New York.
- What to try: Their take on a French classic — escargot ($17) — which comes enveloped in crispy potato choux pastry and served with a creamy herb aioli.
4. Mile Highlights: The latest headlines
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
🚨 A leaked roster of Oath Keepers — the group accused of playing a key role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol — counts 969 members in Colorado, including 23 in the military, law enforcement or first responders, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
- Of the two elected officials on the list, Otero County Sheriff Shawn Mobley says he left the group years ago, and former Adams County Sheriff Michael McIntosh tells Axios Denver he was only on an email list and he unsubscribed when he learned about the group.
🚩 Ahead of the November election, a Republican state senator is asking for a review of whether Democratic Gov. Jared Polis personally profited from bills he signed into law, including one to expand sports gambling. (Denver Gazette)
⛔ A judge dismissed a challenge filed by failed secretary of state candidate Tina Peters about how recount elections are performed in Colorado. She is due in court today on a separate criminal case. (Axios)
🏈 Former Denver Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders is retiring from the NFL after 12 seasons and two Pro Bowl selections. (Denver Post)
🍺 Canada's oldest independent brewery, Moosehead, is suing Colorado's oldest brewery, Tivoli, saying the latter infringed on a trademarked moose logo. (BusinessDen)
Come climb the ladder to success
🪜 One step at a time on our Local Job Board.
- Web Systems Administrator at FirstBank.
- Clinical Research Coordinator at SCL Heath.
- Executive Director, Creative & Content at National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.
Hiring? Post a job.
5. Things to do in Denver this weekend
The Balkanika dancers perform a traditional Bulgarian dance at the annual Orthodox Food Festival and Old Globeville Days in 2015. Photo: Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Fall is almost in the air, with this weekend’s cooler temperatures providing a welcoming reprieve from the heat. And there are plenty of activities to check out.
⚾ The Rockies begin a three-game weekend series with division rivals Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Tickets at Coors Field start as low as $8.
🎸 The Westword Music Showcase kicks off Friday with a variety of shows at venues across the RiNo. Headliners The Flaming Lips will play Mission Ballroom Outdoors on Saturday. Tickets start at $45.
🌶️ Morrison Road will host the Westwood Chile Fest on Saturday. The free event celebrates the neighborhood’s Latino heritage.
6. 📸 1 photo to go
Linda Kiker pulls vegetables from a garden at Civic Center Park on Aug. 31. Photo: Esteban L. Hernandez/Axios
Grow Local Colorado and the Civic Center Conservatory oversee 10 plots of vegetables and fruits at the downtown park.
- Linda Kiker, co-director, said the garden has produced more than 800 pounds of food so far this year, including cucumbers, spinach and peppers.
- The food is donated to at least 12 agencies, including Metro Caring.
Our picks:
👀 John is reading this in-depth story about a brewery with a complicated anti-violence mission.
🍽️ Alayna just booked a reservation at this restaurant after writing about it in this newsletter.
🚗 Esteban was shocked to learn that this Denver institution is closing.
We're sending a special email to our Axios Denver members later today. Join now to become an insider.
Sign up for Axios Denver

Get smarter, faster on what matters in Denver with Alayna Alvarez, John Frank, and Esteban L. Hernandez.




