1) New Affordable Housing in NE Denver

Two new projects are bringing more affordable housing to Central Park and Park Hill.

The next phase of the Kappa Tower senior housing project in Northfield is underway. A groundbreaking for the new building at Central Park Blvd. and E. 48th Ave. was held in late September. Kappa Tower III will include 30 units for residents ages 62 and above who meet income requirements.

Denver alumni members of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity came up with the idea of building apartments for low-income seniors. They opened Kappa Tower I in 1984 at E. 22nd Ave. and Downing St. In 2021, Kappa Tower II was opened at Northfield and Central Park Boulevards.

On the Mosaic Community Campus in Park Hill, two former dormitories will be turned into affordable rental housing. Triangolo Hall and Gaebe Hall were part of the Johnson & Wales University campus at Quebec St. and Montview Blvd. Fifty-eight units will be created, with at least 40% of the renovated apartments used as supportive housing that will include services for individuals and families exiting homelessness.

The campus project is a partnership between Archway Communities and the Denver Housing Authority.

Archway previously opened 154 income-qualified units in four other dormitories on the Mosaic campus.

2) A 1960s-Inspired Motel is Opening on East Colfax

La Vista Motel at 5500 East Colfax Ave. in northeast Denver was the home to visitors for decades, but not in recent years. Starting this fall, the renovated building will welcome customers again.

The motel, built in 1956, was purchased by developer Nathan Beal in 2022. The building has undergone a complete 1960s-style renovation. Its 23 rooms are filled with nods to the past, with unique appliances and bright Colorado-themed wall-covering photos. There’s also the El Piñon coffee shop and bar, and downstairs is a welcoming space fittingly named Grandma’s Basement.

At a preview event in October, Carla Beal, Nathan’s wife, talked about the importance of restoring roadside motels that are “little time capsules of adventure and possibility.”

“These places weren’t just stopovers,” she said. “They were landmarks along the highway of American life.”

La Vista Motel was part of a booming travel culture in the 1950s and 1960s when Colfax, then the main east-west highway through Denver, was lined with diners and motels welcoming families packed in station wagons.

Carla recalled a story about one of those travelers, a man who came to look at the construction work at La Vista while her husband was at the site alone. The man told Nathan, “I found it. I finally found it.” He went on to explain that he lived in Colorado Springs, and when he and his wife married, they drove to Denver and spent their honeymoon at the La Vista Motel.

The man had spent time over the years trying to find what he called their “honeymoon oasis,” but many of the motels along Colfax didn’t look the same.

Nathan took the man on a tour of the motel, and they visited the room where the couple had stayed. At the end of the visit, the man explained that he had recently lost his wife and was thankful for the opportunity to revisit special memories.

It is one of the many stories of roadside motels like La Vista.

“If these walls could talk, I’m not sure I would want to hear everything they have to say,” Carla said.

3) A New Sculpture Along the Sand Creek Greenway

A new public art project, Ripple, is a place for visitors to experience the waves of the sculpture and their relationship with water.

Artist Nikki Pike spoke at the dedication of the project at Sand Creek Park in northwest Aurora in October. “I’m a Colorado native and a neighbor, and I’ve been walking these trails and biking these trails together with my daughter for over a decade,” she said. “You can imagine the privilege I feel, getting to put a piece of artwork in our backyard.”

Inside the concrete waves of Ripple, visitors can take part in a sort of scavenger hunt locating the word water in different languages. Outside, there’s a haiku from Aurora poet laureate Ahja Fox.

The sculpture is located near the parking lot of the Sand Creek Greenway Trail at 2700 Peoria St., off Fitzsimons Pkwy., Aurora.

4) White Cane Day: A Celebration of Pride and Independence

On October 15, White Cane Day, established in 1964, was celebrated across the country, including at the Anchor Center for Blind Children in northeast Denver.

“It’s a day where we show awareness for people who use white canes. We try to give out information about how they’re used for safety and for independence for people with visual impairment,” said Anchor Center teacher Allison Alterman.

At the event, preschoolers enrolled at the center were joined by families and alumni who have gone on to attend Denver Public Schools. The older students were buddied up with the younger ones for the celebration.

The event was meant for visually impaired students to feel pride and independence and know their possibilities are endless. Alterman said, “It’s really important for the community to see it, but also for our kids to be able to see other kids who are older than them who also use white canes.”

For Skinner Middle School seventh grader Owen Gutenplan, the day was important for educating the community about why people use canes and to be able to be with other people who have some kind of visual impairment.

“I do enjoy seeing other people with their canes, being blind, see how they get around and how they live their lives,” he said.

The Anchor Center introduces visually impaired kids to white canes while they’re young, whether or not they go on to use one. Alterman said canes are important for the people who use them to “detect what’s a couple of steps ahead, so that once you get there, it’s not an unknown.”

And, she added, the canes are a way for the community to be able to recognize people with visual impairments.

“If you’re driving and you see someone with a white cane, just know that they have the right of way and that they are traveling independently,” she said. “Never grab someone who has a visual impairment. They are competent. They know what they’re doing. You can always ask if someone needs assistance, but don’t assume that they can’t do it themselves. And visual impairment can mean anything. It can mean someone’s totally blind, or it could mean that their peripheral vision isn’t there.”

5) Honors for Local Businesses

A celebration was held in October for several businesses at Stanley Marketplace in northwest Aurora.

Bonez 4 Budz, a pet supply store, was awarded the 2025 City of Aurora Business Recognition Award in the small, small business category. The award celebrates a business with fewer than 15 employees that goes above and beyond for its customers and is involved in the community.

Among other Stanley Marketplace merchants, Miette et Chocolat earned an honorable mention, and Zero Market won for innovation.

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman presented two of the awards during a festive celebration inside the marketplace.

Coffman also shopped at Bonez 4 Budz, picking up some treats for his dog. Store owner Karina Tittjung received a glass trophy and a gift basket with contributions from other small businesses. “This community is everything,” she said.

The awards are presented by the Business Advisory Board, a volunteer citizen board. Every year, nominations are submitted by members of the community for the recognition.

6) Conrad Climbs Again

For the second year, 9-year-old (soon to be 10-year-old) Conrad Robinson raised money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation through his ‘‘Climb for Wishes with Rad” event.

Conrad planned to climb 90 routes at the Übergrippen Indoor Climbing Crag in Central Park in October. He hit his goal and kept going, cheered on by family and friends. Eight hours after he started, he reached 133 routes. The distance, according to his father, Patrick, is a little more than one vertical mile.

Conrad’s climbs are in honor of his 7-year-old sister, Pippa, who passed away from cancer in 2024. The Robinson family traveled to Walt Disney World in 2022 thanks to Make-A-Wish and donors who helped grant Pippa’s wish.

Conrad said he was “grateful” to the other 22 climbers who helped raise money for Team Pippa and to the more than 300 people who pledged their support that will help other families take a trip. This year’s goal was $90,000, which he was well on his way to achieving at the time of publication.

7) Parking for the Holidays at Stanley Marketplace

With a busy holiday season planned at Stanley Marketplace, parking will be at a premium, so there’s now additional parking to accommodate visitors.

The opening of Camp Christmas in mid-November, Small Business Saturday, and the holiday shopping season should increase the number of visitors to the marketplace.

The parking lots at the complex are free, as are side streets in the neighborhood. And now there’s overflow parking at the employee lot just north of E. 25th Ave. and Dayton St.

Opening

8) Lady Nomada: The new Mexican restaurant opened in October at 7301 E. 29th Ave., Denver, in the former Casey’s Bistro and Pub space. This is the third location in Colorado. Owned by the Gastamo Group, the restaurant promises Baja-inspired tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, and “coastal shareables.”

9) Bad Peach Cafe: Angela Chung owns Chi Lin Asian Eatery in Stanley Marketplace. Now Chung has a new business next door, Bad Peach Cafe. The grand opening in October featured dancers from the Colorado Asian Cultural Center and a ceremonial ribbon cutting. Bad Peach serves boba-inspired fruity tea drinks and sandwiches.

10) Snarf’s Sandwiches: A new location of the popular sandwich shop opened in Lowry in October with a ceremonial ribbon cutting attended by members of the Lowry Business Alliance.  The new location at 7111 E. Lowry Blvd., Denver, had people waiting for the doors to open for business.

11) Big Belly Brothers BBQ: The owners of the family-run business operate a food truck, a stand inside Ball Arena, and a concession at Denver Broncos home games. Now they have a new restaurant at 11601 E. Montview Blvd., Aurora.

Closing

12) YumCha Beer Garden: 10195 E. 29th Dr., Denver

13) Wine & Spirits Boutique: 10355 MLK Jr. Blvd., Denver