ULC seeks rezoning for 35th & Gilpin block in Cole neighborhood

Custom zoning will allow for affordable housing, continued Tramway Nonprofit Center operations.

Urban Land Conservancy plans to seek new zoning for the Tramway Nonprofit Center block that will:

• Allow for multifamily affordable housing on the vacant portion.
• Enshrine the 1940s Tramway building and its longtime uses in the Cole neighborhood.

Tramway as a Nonprofit Hub well into the future

The rezoning will ensure the continued use of the Tramway building at 3532 N. Franklin St. as a hub for nonprofits serving Cole and the surrounding neighborhoods, long into the future. About 15 local nonprofits operate out of Tramway – a ULC Nonprofit Hub – where they pay below-market lease rates. ULC is seeking to align this longtime multi-office-type use with the city’s modern zoning regulations, so that residents citywide can always rely on the Tramway building to help meet community needs.

Affordable housing for Cole

The rezoning will also allow ULC to bring much-needed, permanently affordable housing to the vacant part of the block at 1675 E. 35th St. Rezoning would allow for up to four stories of permanently affordable housing (three stories, plus one using Denver’s affordability bonus) for households of many sizes. Colorado faces a shortfall of 100,000 homes, as reported by the Denver Post in 2024. ULC plans to work with local affordable housing developer Medici Communities to deliver the housing on this site.

“The Cole neighborhood has seen many changes over recent years, and some of those changes have led to involuntary displacement of longtime residents,” said Sarah Harman, ULC’s senior vice president of real estate. “Over the years the community has expressed a desire for affordable housing where teachers, nurses and potentially those who work at Tramway can afford to live.”

Predictability for neighbors

ULC is seeking custom zoning for the block (a “PUD” or planned unit development) to provide predictability and certainty for community-serving nonprofits operating in the Tramway building, nearby residential neighbors and the entire Cole neighborhood. ULC will seek to include a third parcel at 3558 N. Gilpin St. in the rezoning to continue to provide off-street parking to serve the needs of the Tramway nonprofits.

Tramway’s recent history

Although the building has been modified extensively over more than 100 years, and the current building mostly dates to the 1940s, the original building on this site was used as a service station for Denver streetcars beginning in the late 1800s.

The nonprofit ULC acquired the Tramway block in 2007; before then it was owned by philanthropist and entrepreneur Chuck Phillips. Phillips, who also owned the adjacent Wyatt School building, operated Tramway as a place for education and community-serving uses (it was called the Phillips Center); he had a vision of bringing housing to the site. Phillips sold Tramway to ULC in 2007 to develop collaborative, affordable space for various nonprofits to serve the Cole community.

“Through training and education, which were the building blocks of his own success, Chuck made available a place wherein futures could be made. He established The Phillips Foundation and purchased the old historical trolley car building at 35th Avenue and Franklin Street. This building is over 123 years old now, and known as the Tramway Nonprofit Center. Mr. Phillips began renovating the building to become an education and training center.” — from the Phillips Foundation website.

Community engagement

On Jan. 16, ULC attended the monthly meeting of the Cole registered neighborhood association to share information and answer questions. On the evening of Jan. 29, ULC hosted an open house at the Tramway Nonprofit Center to engage with area residents about the rezoning proposal.

Further updates will be posted here. Questions? Contact: [email protected].