Denver Urban Renewal Authority Proposes $8.4 Million Reinvestment in Northeast Park Hill

Proposed investment builds on more than two decades of neighborhood revitalization and DURA’s continued support for community-serving organizations and businesses.

DENVER (Aug. 24, 2026) –– Building on two decades of investment in the NE Park Hill Urban Redevelopment Area, which helped to revitalize the former Dahlia Square and surrounding neighborhood, DURA is advancing plans to reinvest approximately $8.4 million of funds generated by tax increment financing (TIF) across Northeast Park Hill.

The funds represent the next chapter of DURA’s investment in the neighborhood, supporting opportunities that strengthen community-serving organizations and locally owned businesses, preserve and create affordable housing and address properties where environmental or other challenges have stood in the way of redevelopment.

“This is an opportunity to continue the progress of DURA’s prior efforts while responding to what the neighborhood needs today,” said Bill Pruter, Interim Executive Director at DURA. “The organizations and projects being considered serve the community in very different ways, and this investment can help strengthen those assets for years to come.”

Established in 2001 following years of disinvestment and significant environmental challenges surrounding the former Dahlia Square Shopping Center, the Northeast Park Hill Urban Renewal Area helped make possible the Denver Health Park Hill Family Health Center, 128 affordable senior apartments and the Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being. The effort leveraged more than $19 million in public and private investment.

To determine how the remaining TIF resources could best serve Northeast Park Hill, DURA spent months engaging with local businesses, property owners, nonprofit and faith-based organizations, community leaders, elected officials and City partners. Through conversations and site visits, DURA gathered input on neighborhood needs and potential projects, including their scope, cost, timeline and anticipated community benefit.

DURA also commissioned Economic & Planning Systems (EPS) to independently analyze conditions within the Urban Renewal Area and evaluate the potential investments. EPS considered cost, elimination of blighted conditions, community impact and project readiness, providing an additional layer of analysis to DURA’s outreach and project-level evaluation.

The recommended projects for further consideration include:

  • Zion Community Center: Facility repairs and infrastructure modernization to expand health, wellness, food access and senior services.
  • Union Baptist Church: Preservation and renewal of a historic community anchor through critical building repairs and accessibility installations.
  • Ruby Good Shoes & La Croissanterie: Structural retrofits to help a growing neighborhood business continue serving the community.
  • 5501 Forward (Former SILCO Site): Environmental assessment and remediation to prepare a longtime industrial property for future community-focused redevelopment.
  • Center for African American Health: Interior renovation and technology updrades to enhance behavioral health, family support and wellness programming.
  • Park Hill Shopping Center: Investments to preserve affordable commercial space and support locally owned small business and entrepreneurs.
  • Dahlia Street Affordable Townhomes: Support for the redevelopment of aging affordable housing into new, energy-efficient, permanently affordable homeownership opportunities.

DURA will begin due diligence with the identified organizations to refine project scopes, confirm costs and eligible expenses, identify any relocation needs, ensure compliance with all applicable statutory requirements, and develop individual funding agreements. Each agreement will return to the DURA Board of Commissioners for final approval.

For more information about DURA and the Northeast Park Hill Urban Renewal Area, visit www.renewdenver.org

About the Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA)

The Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA) was created by the City and County of Denver in 1958 to assist in the redevelopment of blighted property and help foster the sound growth and development of Denver. Working with residents, businesses, civic leaders, area developers, and financing institutions, DURA provides financial assistance to support redevelopment activities throughout the city. These include historic preservation, brownfield redevelopment, infill development, and neighborhood revitalization, among others.