DURA is proposing an $8.4 million reinvestment across Northeast Park Hill, the next phase of a redevelopment effort the authority has run in the neighborhood since 2001. The funds come from tax increment financing generated within the Northeast Park Hill Urban Renewal Area and would be spread across seven properties and organizations rather than concentrated in a single project.
The renewal area traces back to the collapse of the former Dahlia Square Shopping Center, once the largest African American owned shopping center in the country before it fell into disrepair through the 1970s and 80s. By the 1990s the property sat less than 15 percent occupied. DURA's first phase of investment there, including remediation of contaminated soil beneath the site, cleared the way for the Park Hill Family Medical Center and 128 units of affordable senior housing.
This second round follows months of engagement with property owners, nonprofits, faith organizations, and elected officials, along with an independent evaluation. Seven projects are recommended:
Zion Community Center, 5151 E 33rd Ave, a longtime senior services hub tied to the Zion Baptist Church community, Colorado's oldest Black congregation. Proposed funding covers facility repairs and infrastructure modernization to expand health, wellness, food access, and senior programming.
Union Baptist Church, 3200 Dahlia St, a historic Black congregation whose campus also houses the Union Baptist Church Excel Institute elementary school, sitting directly in the original Dahlia Square renewal footprint. Proposed funding covers preservation work, critical building repairs, and accessibility installations.
Ruby's Good Shoes & La Croissanterie, 5405 E 33rd Ave, an all-day brunch concept and bakery counter that opened in July 2025 and has built a fast following for its globally inspired menu. Proposed funding covers structural retrofits to help the growing business expand its capacity.
5501 Forward, 5501 E 33rd Ave, the site of a long shuttered Silco gas station. Proposed funding is dedicated entirely to environmental assessment and remediation, clearing industrial contamination to prepare the property for a future mixed use redevelopment that could include neighborhood retail, improved pedestrian space, and housing.
Center for African American Health, 3350 Hudson St, a nonprofit founded in 1997 focused on health equity, education, and patient advocacy for Denver's Black community. Proposed funding covers interior renovation and technology upgrades to enhance behavioral health, family support, and wellness programming.
Park Hill Shopping Center, 3298 N Hudson St, a 17,844 square foot commercial building serving as the retail anchor for the redeveloped Holly Square, home to tenants including A New Horizon (Horizon Lounge), the Holly Market, and Blazing Chicken Shack. Proposed funding is aimed at preserving affordable commercial space and supporting locally owned small businesses.
Dahlia Street Affordable Townhomes, 3395/3301 Dahlia St, an aging affordable housing site currently proposed for full demolition of its existing rental units. Developer Shanahan Development has submitted a concept for a 50,000 square foot community of 36 income restricted, three bedroom, for sale townhomes using Denver's Proposition 123 Fast Track process. Proposed DURA funding would support the transition into permanently affordable, energy efficient homeownership.
Each project still has to clear due diligence, cost confirmation, and individual funding agreements before returning to DURA's Board of Commissioners for final sign-off, so the $8.4 million figure is a proposal rather than a locked allocation.
The announcement lands in a neighborhood that has already drawn significant attention this year. The long contested former Park Hill Golf Course site reopened in 2025 as Park Hill Park after years of land swap disputes and community fights over whether the 155 acres should become open space or be redeveloped. At the same time, The Holly, a documentary from filmmaker Julian Rubinstein, won a National News and Documentary Emmy for its investigation into gang violence, gentrification, policing, and the contested redevelopment of Holly Square.
Where Dahlia Square's first act was about remediating environmental damage and replacing a collapsed shopping center, this round reads as an attempt to shore up the institutions and small businesses already doing the work: churches, health nonprofits, a neighborhood shopping center, a new restaurant, rather than introduce something new. Whether $8.4 million is enough to meaningfully extend Northeast Park Hill's recovery, or simply maintain what's already there, will depend on how each of these seven agreements is ultimately structured.