As summer winds down, how much did business heat up on Downtown Denver's new 16th Street?

DENVER — Summer on Downtown Denver’s rebranded 16th Street started loudly: a pounding electronic dance music concert on Memorial Day, followed by a “Summer Kickoff” event the next weekend. Both events, meant to celebrate most of the corridor’s long-running construction being complete, drew thousands of people.

Denver7 spoke with optimistic members of the business community along the corridor around that time. One of them was Rafail Martinez, general manager for the 3 Margaritas restaurant and bar on 16th Street.

“We wait a long, long, long time to having this here now,” he said in May as people flocked back to the area for the concert.

Now with those big events in the rear-view mirror, Denver7 checked back in with Martinez to see if the new 16th Street had continued to make a financial difference for the restaurant.

Denver7 has been following the changes to 16th Street all summer. Read our previous coverage below:

• City of Denver finalizing new 20-year plan for downtown, last updated in 2007
• Denver city leaders drop 16th Street "Mall" and rebrand the corridor
• Denver business owners hopeful as 16th Street reopening events approach

Martinez estimates his sales are up 85% compared to the previous summer when the street was consumed by construction.

“Before it was dark, dangerous, yeah. Now looks so different,” he said. “We have a patio outside, so now it's open. Like 20 tables outside. Before it was nothing, just closed, no patio, construction.”

Denver7

Martinez also said that while there have not been big blowout events like those to start the summer, there have been events on the corridor to bring vendors and music to the area to attract visitors.

Others told Denver7 the same: less construction and more of a police presence on 16th Street have made a difference.

“Compared to last year, we're in a much, much better spot,” said Feven Nebiyu, who works at the Brooklyn’s Finest Pizza on 16th Street. “For reference, we used to average like 200-300 tickets a night. Now we're averaging about 400 or 500 on a busy night."

Nebiyu acknowledged the busy start to the summer fizzled out recently, but she’s hopeful the reimagined stretch of downtown will have a lasting impact.

“Traffic just kind of mellowed out, as it does, especially towards the fall,” she said. “But I think this upcoming winter is going to be real good for us because when we have all of this open and they're doing the Parade of Lights, when they're doing the New Year's show, that's when we get the most people all year, actually.”

Denver7

Some who spoke with Denver7 still want to see changes, like restarting bus service down the entire corridor to spur more foot traffic. That’s expected to happen once construction is fully complete. Another business manager told Denver7 that they want to see better signage so more people know about these outdoor drinking zones at 16th and Glenarm.

“It's been great until COVID,” said Michael Falls, who has lived at 16th and California since 1998. “COVID changed a lot, and I think the city's about at least 85% back to where it used to be.”

Denver7

The Downtown Denver Partnership's July 2025 report shows foot traffic was indeed at 85% of 2019 levels. So far, Falls is happy with the changes the city has made.

“They've done a lot,” he told Denver7. “I think now it's up to the business community to come in and do more patios, bigger patios, and just fill in the blank spots.”

The final stages of construction are expected to be complete this fall. The Downtown Denver Partnership is planning a "grand opening" for 16th Street on Oct. 4.

---