The light-rail train that rumbled down Welton Street, the main corridor through Denver’s Five Points neighborhood, is suspended for maintenance this summer.
Some people hope it never comes back.
Business owners on the main street through the historically Black neighborhood that has never had steady light-rail service say this disruption offers a chance to make Welton Street what it deserves to become. The vision is more like Larimer Square, the lively pedestrian-only block in Lower Downtown where outdoor dining spills into the street.
An advisory group that includes neighborhood leaders is helping the city’s transportation department and the Regional Transportation District decide what to do next. In a virtual community meeting Thursday night, people who live in Five Points, Whittier and Curtis Park learned that the options range from upgrading the tracks to last for the next 30 years, revamping the corridor to a more pedestrian-friendly vibe or even moving transit service to another street entirely.
The ongoing study breaks down to two parts: the existing section of light-rail track that runs along Welton Street, and a potential extension of the line that would connect to the A line that runs from Union Station to the airport.
A decision and a final plan are expected in the spring.
“This is a tough project. There are going to be some differing positions from you all and that’s OK,” said Phoebe Gryzlo, manager of the project at the city Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
“We don’t want to see Welton feeling like an empty, quiet corridor.”
The vision, developed after collecting community feedback, is to create a “dependable, safe, and welcoming transit-rich corridor that is both a celebrated cultural destination and a recognized spine within the overall RTD network.”
That could mean the return of the train. Or it could mean buses, or even replica trolley cars, that connect Welton Street to the rest of downtown and the A-line train to the airport.
Some residents and business owners say the light-rail side of the street is too narrow and doesn’t feel safe for a “hulking train” to run that close to pedestrians. They also mentioned a lack of trees that would make the neighborhood “more liveable” and reduce the impact of a “heat island.”
About 500 people responded to an initial survey in May and many mentioned shade, greenery, seating and safe sidewalks — things that would make Welton Street feel more like a destination. If buses, not trains, are the answer, then residents want “higher-quality” bus stops and improved travel times, according to survey results.
As it was, the light-rail train running along Welton Street didn’t do enough to connect to the rest of downtown, say Five Points residents and the people who travel to the neighborhood to dine at places like the soul-food favorite Welton Street Cafe or the brunch queen Mimosas.
They want easy access to stations in downtown and River North, as well as Interstate 25 and Broadway.
The L line that runs along Welton Street was also shut down for the summer of 2024 for safety upgrades. The current closure is part of RTD’s massive reconstruction project on several lines in the heart of Denver.
RTD opened the L line in 1994 with a promise of connecting Five Points to the rest of the city and helping make the neighborhood a destination. Instead, some business owners say, it has led to decreased business, especially for those on the east side of Welton. A report from the Five Points Business Improvement District said the one-way vehicle traffic has led to cars speeding down the street and made it nearly impossible for restaurants to have outdoor seating.
The corridor is just north of downtown’s skyscrapers, between 20th and 30th streets. It bustles on First Friday Jazz Hop nights, when Welton Street fills with people who come for live music at restaurants, bars and Sonny Lawson Park.
The train tracks run up Welton and stop at 30th and Downing streets. They do not connect to Union Station.
“When will RTD give the L line a fair shot?” asked meeting attendee Margaret DesCombes, wondering why extending the line to create access to Union Station and the airport is not already a done deal. She said the frequency and timing of the trains made it difficult to travel around downtown during the day — “and if you need to get somewhere after 9 p.m. forget about it.”
“The audacity to now consider canceling the line because ridership is down when you’ve spent the last decade pushing daily riders like me to our cars is astounding,” DesCombes said.
Another meeting attendee, Eileen Feltman, said the L line isn’t serving the “community or the Welton Street merchants well.” She also said “it would be inappropriate” to move the transit line to another, residential street.
“Please take that option off the table,” she wrote in the comments of the virtual meeting.
More than 20 years ago, in 2004, voters approved a plan to connect Five Points to the A line, which runs from Union Station downtown to the Denver International Airport, as part of the FasTracks project. But RTD completed a study on the proposed extension in 2014 and determined it was “operationally infeasible” because of engineering challenges.
Since then, Five Points leaders have repeatedly called for better transportation options and connection to the rest of the city.
In 2011, the Northeast Downtown Neighborhoods Plan recommended replacing light rail on Welton Street with a streetcar, which would have allowed for a wider sidewalk. In 2012, the Five Points Business Improvement District also asked for a streetcar and conversion from a one-way to a two-way street. The district issued a white paper in 2024 requesting a formal study of the corridor.