End of an era: Commerce City’s 88 Drive-In Theatre is closing Polis signs bill prohibiting growth caps

Measure repeals limits in Lakewood, Golden, Boulder

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado cities and counties will soon be prohibited from imposing population and residential growth limits under a bill signed by Gov. Jared Polis this month.

House Bill 1255 will also repeal existing growth caps enacted in Lakewood, Boulder and Golden when it takes e ect in August.

“We know we have more work to do to make sure that all our communities are part of the solution, but what this bill does is it says no community can be part of the problem any longer,” Polis said before signing the bill.

BY TEDDY JACOBSEN

TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Commerce City’s 88 Drive-In eatre, the last remaining drive-in theater in the Denver area, is set to close this summer after more than ve decades in business.

Susan Kochevar, the owner of the theater, is stepping away from the business.

“I love that place and I love this community,” Kochevar said in a city council meeting on June 5. “But what happens to drive-ins all over the United States is what’s happening to mine.” ere are about 300-350 drive-in theaters still operating across the United States, according to various drive-in operators and advocates. Of those, Colorado has about a half dozen. Fort Collins, Pueblo, Buena Vista are among towns across the state with operating drive-in theaters.

Kochevar said her family has owned the 88 Drive-In eatre since 1976. e theater itself has been operational since 1972. Operating the theater is no longer nancially viable and needs work, she said. For one, the screen needs to be replaced and that would cost around $100,000.

“I’m faced with writing it down and being bled dry or selling it,” Kochevar said, “and I really don’t want to see it left empty.”

Kochevar said she put the lot up for sale in 2018 and eventually sold it in 2021 to industrial real estate company, First Industrial Realty Trust, which has asked the city to rezone the property so that it can construct warehouses.

“Kids are not going to have the same feelings or perspective with a family in a car to go and watch a movie,” Commerce City resident Guillermo Serna said at the meeting. e site at 8780 Rosemary St., on the corner of East 88th Avenue and Rosemary Street, is in Irondale

BRIEFS: PAGE 2 | OBITUARIES: PAGE 4 | CLASSIFIEDS: PAGE 9 | LEGAL: PAGE 11 e bill was introduced as a companion measure to Senate Bill 213, which would have rewritten land-use rules across the state and was the governor’s signature e ort at the Capitol this year to encourage more a ordable housing. But Senate Bill 213 failed on the nal day of the 2023 legislative session, leaving House Bill 1255 as one of the only major housing bills approved by the General Assembly and signed into law this year.

Rep. William Lindstedt, D-Broomeld, one of the prime sponsors of House Bill 1255, said while the measure was aimed at assisting the various elements of Senate Bill 213, it still will have an impact.

“It really does point the nger at the worst kind of action that you can see from a local government to limit housing,” he said.

House Bill 1255 aims to address the availability of housing by stripping local governments’ ability to

SEE

Farm to Market tickets on sale

Tickets for Farm to Table, a fundraising event for the Platte Valley Medical Foundation scheduled for Aug. 17 or on sale now.

e Foundation’s biennial fundraising campaign will bene t women’s health services to help women connect with the care they need throughout their adult years and to support area women who do not always prioritize their own health needs. e foundation hopes to raise $500,000 in the campaign cycle. ey conduct multiple fundraising e orts annually with Farm to Table as the largest event.

Farm to Table will be at 6 p.m. Aug. 17 on the hospital campus. Platte Valley Medical Center’s Chef Mike Anderson uses produce donated by area farmers to create a gourmet meal for about 450 guests.

e event garners so much support that it often sells out long before the date. is year, Muñoz reserved a block of tickets that are available to the public for $75 each. ey are available at https://ftt2023.cbo.io.

A Stroll in the Garden for CASA e Court Appointed Special Advocate program, or CASA, for the 11th Judicial District is promoting one of its major fundraisers now scheduled for September.

CASA is inviting supporters to come enjoy a Stroll in the Garden at this year’s Indulge for CASA Gala from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sept. 13 at Denver’s Balistreri Vineyards, 1946 E 66th Ave. is Garden Party will be full of delicious food and drinks, fantastic auction prizes, exciting entertainment, and more! Indulge for CASA is presented by the Kenneth & Myra Monfort Charitable Foundation.

CASA’s mission is to provide court- appointed volunteer advocacy for children and youth from the child welfare system so every child can be safe, have a permanent home, and have the opportunity to thrive.

Water park opening delayed e pool was scheduled to open during Memorial Day weekend, but the city found that three of the four boilers that heat the water for the facility’s pools did not survive the winter season and now must to be replaced. Delivery and installation of the new equipment will delay the opening of Paradice Island until about mid-July. e city will provide additional information as this work is completed and a new opening date is identi ed. e splash pad located at Pioneer Park to the west of Paradice Island will open May 27 as planned and operate from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily. City sta will be reaching out to o er refunds to those who had paid reservations or cabana rentals for Paradice Island through July 10. For questions or concerns speci c to rentals or refunds, please call 303286-6837.

A hard winter was especially hard on Commerce City’s Paradice Island Pool at Pioneer Park, according to a city statement.

Healthy Farmers Markets e markets will provide $20 produce vouchers for residents who are 65+ or are enrolled in WIC, SNAP, or Medicaid. ere will also be recipes and nutrition information available.

Adams County and Anythink Libraries are o ering Healthy Farmers Markets in ornton for residents beginning June 20.

Tuesday markets will be from 9 a.m. to noon through Sept. 26, at Anythink Huron, 9417 Huron St. ursday markets will be from

9 a.m. to noon throughSept. 28, at Anythink Wright Farms, 5877 E. 120th Ave.

See all upcoming Adams County outreach events at adcogov.org/ outreach-events.

Annual Stars & Stripes Event to Feature Singer Thomas Mac e annual pre-Independence Day celebration at Riverdale Regional Park is back! Mark your calendars for the third of July celebration. Ward Electric presents a free evening in the park with country singer, omas Mac, and a festive display of reworks.

Food and beverage vendors will begin serving at 4 p.m. Enjoy live music followed by the 9:30 p.m. reworks show.

For the safety and comfort of your pets and all event attendees, please keep your furry friends at home for the Stars & Stripes event. Visitors are kindly reminded that most reworks are illegal in Adams County; please leave reworks of any type to our professionals.

For more event information and Park Rules, visit riverdaleregionalpark.org or call 303 637-8000.

Tiny House Festival returns to Riverdale Park e Colorado Tiny House Festival is returning for its sixth year at the Riverdale Regional Park June 24 and 25. e show blends the spirit of the tiny living movement with the most up-to-date information on going tiny, simplifying your life, minimalistic living, and living greener. Unique small living structures will be spread throughout the Colorado Tiny House Festival grounds and include an assortment of professional builds, DIY builds, and Camping Corner which speci cally showcases ways people can camp or “glamp” in style. Each structure features its own, one-of-akind oor plan, décor, and remarkable use of space. e festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily June 24 and 25. Ticket prices range from $10 to $20 depending on when they are purchased and are good for both days of the event. Kids 12 and under are free-of-charge.

Guests will be able to step inside a large variety of small living structures, learn from tiny home builders and see the latest trends in tiny living and unique RVs.

Additionally, attendees will enjoy expert speaker presentations, a product and service marketplace, a tiny taste of Colorado food truck court, and more.

For more information on the 2023 Colorado Tiny House Festival, visit coloradotinyhousefestival.com.

Work Options FREE Culinary Training Program e Adams County Human Services Department is partnering with local nonpro t Work Options to provide a free culinary training program for residents.

Program participants train with professional chefs over a six-week course and earn certi cations and up to $400 per month. Work Options also o ers food truck internships.

In addition to the training program, Work Options provides the Human Services Center 11860 Pecos St., Westminster, with a full menu of breakfast and lunch options including breakfast burritos, pastries, burgers, pizza, daily specials, and more in the Mountain View Café. e café is located on the third oor of HSC. Learn more about the program at workoptions.org.

New Adams County Veterans Service O cer Appointed

Adams County Commissioners have selected Andrew “Drew” Dixon as the new Veterans Service O cer.

Today at a public hearing, the Adams County Board of Commissioners appointed. Dixon previously served as the assistant VSO with the Arapahoe County Veteran Services Division, and he’s received state and national accreditation. He o cially started on June 7.

“ e Board is pleased to appoint Drew as the new VSO,” says Steve O’Dorisio, Adams County Board Chair. “Drew is a dedicated public servant with a deep understanding of the challenges facing veterans. I’m con dent he will be a strong advocate for our veterans and will help them access the bene ts and services they deserve.”

Originally from New Mexico, Dixon is a graduate of Colorado Technical University in Colorado Springs. Dixon served as an aviation mechanic in the United States Navy and was honorably discharged in December 2007.

As o cer, Dixon assists veterans and their families in the ling of claims for insurance, pensions, compensation for disability, hospitalization, vocational training, and any other state or federal bene ts available to veterans.

To learn more about the Adams County Veterans Service O ce and available programs for veterans, visit adcogov.org/vso.

Strabel said the proposal for a warehouse could support three to four businesses, such as UPS delivery.

FROM PAGE 1

Neighborhood. e change is consistent with Irondale’s 2018 Neighborhood and Infrastructure Plan, which pushes to increase industrial uses in most of the neighborhood.

“Changing from the movie theater, I think is what’s causing pain, heart pain, for people,” Councilmember Susan Noble said at the meeting. “But I certainly understand the area. Irondale is industrial.”

At the meeting, First Industrial Realty Trust Regional Director John

“It’s designed to be multi-tenant, smaller 10-, 20-, 30,000-square-foot units with smaller truck and UPS distribution going out of it,” Strabel said.

Construction is anticipated to start in the months ahead and the warehouse could open in spring 2025.

Strabel said the current construction plan includes keeping the 88 Drive-In sign on the property.

City Council made no nal decision and voted to continue the discussion of First Industrial Realty Trust’s proposal on July 17.