PARKER, Colo. — The fence surrounding the West Main Taproom and Grill is now gone.
The metal barrier served as a symbol of a land dispute between two property owners and was erected roughly 60 days ago. It went around the West Main Taproom, which connects to the Parker Hotel off of Main Street, and essentially cut off the building from a promenade connected to the property.
Restaurant owner Pam Briere said the fence was crippling her business. Three days after Denver7 Investigates shined a light on the situation, the property manager who ordered the fence installed reversed course Tuesday morning.
"I was elated," Briere said of the moment she heard the news.
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Mitch Trevey, the property manager for the group that put up the fence, declined to comment, but released a statement saying in part, "We have recommended the immediate removal of the fence." He also noted that his company would no longer represent the property containing the promenade.
So, how did we get here?
Earlier this year, Parker Mainstreet Partners, the company that owns the land surrounding the Parker Hotel, put up a fence to block access to the promenade next to the hotel and restaurant. One of Briere's customers contacted Denver7 Investigates, urging us to look into this, as it was greatly impacting the business.
Trevey, a representative for Parker Mainstreet Partners, previously told Denver7 Investigates the fence was meant to prevent the Parker Hotel from accessing the promenade. Parker Mainstreet Partners was in a dispute with the new owner of the Parker Hotel, Eagle Point Hotel Partners, regarding payment for that promenade.
Trevey said that the previous hotel owner had agreed to split the cost of the $1.5 million promenade and the monthly maintenance costs, but that hotel owner went bankrupt. So, when Eagle Point Hotel Partners bought the hotel out of receivership, Trevey said the company declined to honor the agreement the previous owner had made.
- Chief Investigative Reporter Tony Kovaleski breaks down his reporting into the dispute in the video player below
Construction of the promenade (or similar improvement) was required by the Town of Parker to originally open the hotel. Parker Mainstreet Partners initially asked for $650,000 from Eagle Point Partners when it bought the property for the promenade and to split the monthly maintenance fees, which total roughly $2,800.
Trevey said there is no contractual agreement requiring the new owner to pay for the promenade, but he hoped the new owner would pay in good faith. But that dispute left Briere, a tenant of Eagle Point Hotel Partners, in the middle.
After Denver7 Investigates started investigating the dispute and its impact on Briere’s business, the Town of Parker got involved. It issued Trevey a summons and complaint, saying the fence was “illegally erected” and a violation of the town’s site plan. After receiving that summons, Trevey told Denver7 Investigates that the fence would be removed.
But hours after our interview with Trevey, workers showed up at the restaurant and moved the fence back roughly 13 feet rather than remove it.
On Tuesday morning, the fence was officially removed.
Trevey was due to appear in court on Tuesday, but that hearing was continued.
- Full statement from Mitch Trevey with Trevey Commercial Real Estate:
We understand our community’s frustrations regarding the fencing and access disruptions currently impacting West Main Taproom + Grill. Trevey Commercial Real Estate continues to support this business since representing them as a new tenant at West End on Mainstreet and helping them to successfully open during the Pandemic in 2020.
Trevey Commercial Real Estate is also a local small business, now serving the Parker community for over 25 years. Despite our long-standing reputation for professionalism and dedicated client representation, we are being incorrectly and unfairly targeted as a responsible party in this matter. Our role has been to manage the plaza area on the adjacent property for that owner and strictly per his direction. We do not own or control that property and were not responsible for the owner’s decision to erect the fencing. This is an unresolved dispute between two property owners over the default in an access and use agreement and we are in no way a party to that. But much like West Main Taproom + Grill, we have found ourselves squarely in the crossfire.
In light of the ongoing situation, Trevey Commercial Real Estate will cease representation of the property containing the plaza, as further involvement would not be in harmony with our values or proven business practices. We have also recommended the immediate removal of the fence by the plaza property owner, encouraging him to continue to work directly with the Landlord for West Main Taproom + Grill to restore legal access to the plaza area for the unimpaired success of the restaurant.
Thank you for your continued support of West Main Taproom + Grill, Trevey Commercial Real Estate, and all of your local small businesses in Parker.
