DENVER — Denver7’s former building on Speer Boulevard is part of a problem that spans the entire city — a growing list of run-down buildings that are mostly vacant.
123 Speer Boulevard was Denver7’s home for more than a half-century. Three years ago, parent company E.W. Scripps sold the building to developer Property Markets Group. The Denver7 team moved its operations to the Five Points neighborhood in July 2024.
But this fall, vandals broke in and tagged 123 Speer with graffiti. The Denver Police Department arrested three people for criminal trespassing, and the graffiti has since been scrubbed away.
Denver
3 arrested for alleged criminal trespassing at now-vacant former home of Denver7
Less than two miles away at 749 S. Lincoln Street is a home that’s been in disrepair for much longer.
“I moved on to this neighborhood in 2013. It’s been empty ever since,” said Francis Pombar, a concerned neighbor who lives a few doors down from the vacant home. “During the weekend, it's a danger zone. There are people who break in… You find used needles in the alley.”
Denver7 spoke with him about this property in May 2024.
“Nothing has changed [since then],” he told Denver7 on Thursday. “What I'm concerned about is, is someone going to be shot and killed somewhere in the alley, or is this house going to, like, go on fire. I mean, that there's some really serious issues, and yet the city doesn't respond in any sort of way.”
Pombar calls the lack of a response “pathetic.”
Denver7 Investigates
Neighbors want changes to abandoned Denver properties
There are more than 200 neglected and derelict buildings being tracked by the city. They are defined as generally “unoccupied” and “unsafe” properties that “cause safety and quality-of-life problems for neighborhoods.”
Denver7’s Ryan Fish asked Denver City Council Member Jamie Torres what needs to change. Right now, her district is home to most of these properties. She has been discussing a more focused approach to the issue with Council Members Amanda Sawyer and Paul Kashmann.
Torres said the city does not want to just hand out fines; it wants to give owners due process after their properties are added to the list. However, she admits the fines can be more punitive.
“They could be better, they could be higher,” she said. “If you have an owner who doesn't even live in Denver, they might not even live in Colorado. They are not paying attention to what's happening on their property. And so if there is a fire, if there is other damage, they're not going to be responsive at all. And they may be considering the fines that are currently levied because they are so low to be just part of doing business, and they'll get to it when they get to it.”
The city’s Department of Community Planning and Development explained the fine structure for these property owners as follows:
- If they don’t submit a remedial plan, owners may be fined $1,000 annually. The fine is not assessed as long as the owner completes the remedial plan, stays code-compliant, and has paid any outstanding fees/fines. This fine is in addition to any abatement costs, or code violation fines.
- If they don’t register the property, owners may be fined $500.00 per day up to $15,000.
- If an administrative show cause hearing is called, the hearing officer may fine the owner up to $999.00 per day for each day the property is considered neglected and derelict. The hearing officer makes a determination as to what fine amount is appropriate based on the case.
Torres said the city is holding more hearings now but still needs better staffing and a more streamlined process to properly address these problem properties.
- View the current list of neglected and derelict buildings below. The City of Denver updates the list quarterly
There are more than twice as many buildings on the neglected and derelict list now compared to the end of 2020. A spokesperson for Community Planning and Development says the department hired a staff member dedicated to the issue in early 2024, and therefore more of the buildings have been recently identified and added to the list.
Torres echoed that point, saying a growing list is a sign the city is starting to take this more seriously.
“Creating a list that gets bigger is actually beginning to solve a problem because it's bringing some visibility and some light to a problem that's existed in the darkness,” she explained.
The problem has been plain to see for Pombar, however.
The city told Denver7 the owner of 749 S. Lincoln Street lives out of state and has expressed interest in moving back in, but remedial work needs to be done on the home first.
“Obviously he doesn't care, but someone's got to care, and it's me and the neighbors in this community,” said Pombar. “Something needs to be done, and not a year from now or two years from now.”
In 2024, the Department of Community Planning and Development spent more than 700 hours inspecting these properties, which produced more than 800 calls to Denver PD via 911 or 311.
The new owners at 123 Speer plan to demolish the building. Last month, they told Denver7, “We have selected a subcontractor and are beginning the permitting process to demo the building shortly.”
The city website estimates that the permitting process alone can take two months to get approved, then another two weeks before any demolition can happen.
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