Inside the Predatory Development Scandal on Welton St.

Five Points is rooted in Denver’s Black history and culture, with monuments to the swinging jazz age and soul food eateries still dotting the historic Welton St. corridor. But the iconic Rossonian Hotel remains vacant and many Black-owned businesses have closed or been forced to move in the last few years. So what is it going to take to revitalize Welton St.? Host Bree Davies recently sat down with Five Points Business Improvement District president Ryan Cobbins to connect the dots between gentrification, the pandemic, and a once-promising business deal that now has him fending off lawsuits.

Cobbins is also the owner of Coffee at the Point.

Bree mentioned the displacement of the Welton St. Cafe from its longtime home, but there’s good news! They recently announced on Instagram that they’ve found a new permanent location on Welton and in the meantime they’re serving takeout out of 2258 California St.

For more details on Matthew Burkett’s work in Five Points with the FlyFisher Group, here’s a link to Westword reporter Conor McCormick-Cavanagh’s article breaking down the various deals and what went wrong. 

We are still thinking about the Supreme Court’s Friday decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, so newsletter editor Peyton Garcia rounded up some local abortion resources and information in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/. And if you haven’t heard it, check out our episode about the local implications that we published back when the draft opinion leaked. 

What’s your favorite local business in Five Points? Tweet at us @citycastdenver, or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬

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