Should Denver put more limits on where gas stations can open? City Council members pitch ideas

Several Denver city leaders are looking to clamp down on the planting of new gas stations as a way to prioritize housing and other forms of development — especially near rail transit stops.

A proposed zoning amendment released by three City Council members Tuesday would take chunks of the city off the map for future gas pumps by mandating buffers around existing fill-up stations, Regional Transportation District rail stations, and, potentially, low-density residential neighborhoods.

The potential zoning code changes would preserve more space for sorely needed new housing and other types of development that better align with the city’s long-term goals, according to a news release. The draft zoning text amendment is being proposed by council members Amanda Sawyer, Paul Kashmann and Diana Romero Campbell.

“As Denver continues to grow, we look forward to responding to Denver residents’ needs, including thoughtful planning around land use near transit corridors,” said Romero Campbell, who represents the far-southeast Denver district, in the release.

Affordable housing near transit corridors is a high priority for the council members, as highlighted on a website the city has launched for the planning effort.

After public input and questions are collected in coming weeks, a draft of the proposed code changes is expected to be posted to the website for review in early September. The final version would be subject to approval by the full City Council after a public hearing.

Among specifics under consideration are buffers of a quarter-mile around rail stops and existing gas stations, Sawyer said in a text message. A smaller buffer between new gas stations and low-intensity residential districts — typically those allowing single-family homes or duplexes on each lot — is also on the table, but nothing has been finalized yet.

Sawyer noted that the zoning code since 2018 has puts limits on how close self-storage centers can be to rail stations, establishing a precedent.

The council trio’s draft likely will provide carveouts from the buffers for new gas stations attached to full-service grocery stores to ensure that the changes don’t impact food availability in neighborhoods, according to the release.

The still-developing proposal comes on the heels of a presentation before the council’s Budget and Policy Committee in May that highlighted a recent boom of new gas stations in the city. As of that month, Denver had 180 retail gas stations, according to the presentation. Of those, seven were temporarily closed and three were still being installed.

“The problem we are trying to solve with this presentation … is the proliferation of gas stations that we are seeing throughout our communities,” Sawyer said during that meeting.

She cited a milelong stretch of East Evans Avenue as an example. That segment of the busy thoroughfare, which serves as a border between Romero Campbell’s and Kashmann’s districts, has nine gas stations clustered, Sawyer said.