Denver reopens first block of 16th Street Mall project

DENVER — To support the City of Denver’s vision for a revitalized 16th St. Mall, some businesses had to make sacrifices.

“It was a struggle, definitely,” Blue Agave Grill assistant manager Jessaki Boeck said.

Boeck said she was hired at Blue Agave in 2021, one year before the city broke ground on mall construction.

“When I first started, we had a patio, then the last two years have not had one so far,” Boeck recalled.

Blue Agave Grill had to give up 20 tables of outdoor seating to accommodate the project. 

“It was a significant impact,” Boeck said. “Especially during the summer because people want to sit outside and enjoy the weather when they can.”

The Downtown Denver Partnership (DDP) said 114 businesses, including Blue Agave Grill, were impacted by construction. In partnership with Denver Economic Development & Opportunity, $1.28 million in stabilization and mitigation grants were distributed amongst the businesses.

Still, with no customers coming into shops and restaurants, cuts had to be made somewhere. Boeck said employee hours were scaled back.

“I would say we probably lost about 50% of our customers like due to reservations and kind of walk in traffic and such,” Boeck said.

As of June, businesses and downtown visitors are finally seeing fences come down and 16th Street Mall in a new light.

“We’ve definitely seen more foot traffic since it has been open on our block,” Boeck said. “There’s really nowhere to go but up now.”

DDP said city blocks will continue to open through 2025.

“We made it through. Everyone who did come and visit us we’re very thankful for. Returning customers, we’re excited now that the fencing is gone and everything’s more open out there and we’re able to accommodate more customers,” Boeck said.

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