19-02-2025
Denver passes ordinance limiting new gas stations around the city
DENVER (KDVR) — On Tuesday, the Denver City Council approved an ordinance limiting gas stations around the city to address the housing crisis.
According to the city council in a press release, the ordinance amends the Denver Zoning Code and updates Denver's land use policy on gas station development. In short, new gas stations cannot be built in certain parts of Denver.
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This ordinance comes after councilmembers Diana Romero Campbell, Amanda Sawyer and Paul Kashmann proposed the law, arguing that Denver needs more residencies than gas stations. As Sawyer put it in December 2024, 'We have a housing crisis. We don't have a gas station crisis.'
'After a year of working on this text amendment, we have a thoughtful update to the zoning code. Existing gas stations can still operate, new stations can still open and our city will have another tool to address the housing crisis to keep residents in Denver,' said Campbell.
The ordinance passed in a 12-1 vote. Councilmember Flor Alvidrez for District 7 was the only one to vote against the ordinance, stating that not building a gas station doesn't mean there will be affordable housing in place.
'We can't force businesses, or housing, to go exactly where we want them,' Alvidrez.
Before the ordinance passed, this is where gas stations could be built:
Here's where gas stations can now be built, following the guidelines, after the ordinance was passed:
Now, the council said gas stations without plans submitted by May 13, 2024, can't be built within a quarter mile of an existing gas station, light rail station or within 300 feet of low-intensity residential zone districts, like single-unit and two-unit properties.
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To encourage grocery store development in underserved neighborhoods, the council said gas stations can be built within these buffers if they include a building of at least 20,000 square feet with a structure intended for food sales or other community-serving uses.
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