Rodeo Market restaurant tenant sought

Westminster renews search for way to fill historic space

BY LUKE ZARZECKI LAZARZECKI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Westminster is trying to turn the Rodeo Market into a new restaurant, after the city council gave direction at the May 1 study session, and they’re looking for a tenant.

Economic Development Director Lindsey Kimball said that 84% of respondents from a survey of residents of Harris Park and Historic Westminster wanted a restaurant to come into the space, and 74% of all who were surveyed said they want a restaurant.

“Seeing 84% wanted this, we had to give it our best e ort,” she said.

City Councilor Bruce Baker doesn’t like the idea.

“We are in the business of running a city, not a restaurant,” he said.

Baker asked about the vacancy rates for restaurants in Westminster. Stephanie Troller, Economic Resiliency Manager, said it’s under 5%.

“ is is a really di cult business,” Baker said.

He said it would need to be a destination location due to the lack of access to main roadway arteries. He asked how much parking it would need.

Troller said it will be di cult to construct parking spots due to the built environment, but said that there is enough street parking and walkability from the neighborhood to support the restaurant.

Baker asked what amount of parking would be required under city code if the building wasn’t already constructed, and it would be 40-50 spaces. Kimball said that the requirement would be absorbed by the availability of street parking.

Baker said he wants to reduce the building and pave a parking lot, with a scale model of the building to

Mayor Pro Tem David DeMott said there are other options for parking that can be in place to help make it a thriving historic area. He said there is a lot of potential in that area.

City Councilor Sarah Nurmela asked if the city would be landlords if a restaurant moved in, Troller said yes. Since the city wouldn’t have to pay property taxes, the rent would be lower than a typical lease.

City Councilor Lindsey Emmons asked if there are any potential restaurateurs interested yet, and Troller said not yet, but there are occasional people interested in the building with many being restaura- e building dates back to the 1940s was became the Rodeo Market in 1971. It was home to the South Westminster Arts Group from 2007 to 2018, when the city evicted the group and discussed renting the space to a brew pub.

Although Emmons said that she is in favor of moving forward to make it a restaurant, she said it was di cult because she does not agree with the city being a landlord. She said if a restaurant doesn’t work, she’d like to see a space for the community to be there.