A cold lap around Sloan's Lake ends where most of them do, on the south side. The Alamo Drafthouse marquee faces West Colfax, The Raleigh at Sloan's Lake apartments sit behind it, and Odell Brewing's brewhouse is on Perry Street. To your right, the lake looks deep. Across much of it, the water is 2.5 to 3 feet deep. Historically it was 8 to 12 feet.
Those two views are connected by money. The redevelopment that built the south shore over the last decade now produces enough tax money to cover most of the city's plan to restore the lake. Every winter lap passes both the problem and the main thing paying for it.
A 2013 tax district gets a second job
In 2013, the Denver Urban Renewal Authority approved tax-increment financing for the former St. Anthony Central Hospital site. That's the block between North Perry and Stuart streets and West Colfax and 17th avenues. The Denver Post explains that this kind of financing pays back developers out of the growth in property taxes as redevelopment raises values. In this 32-acre district, it helped build the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, The Raleigh at Sloan's Lake and Vida at Sloan's, a Denver Housing Authority building for seniors and people with disabilities.
On Sept. 2, Mayor Mike Johnston announced a proposed $50 million project to restore Sloan's Lake. According to the city's announcement, the money would come from three places:
- Up to $40 million from the St. Anthony Urban Redevelopment Area
- $5 million from the voter-approved Vibrant Denver Bond
- About $5 million from the city's Wastewater Enterprise Fund
The city says the project won't raise taxes or affect the city budget. It still needs approval from both the DURA Board and Denver City Council. At the press conference, Denverite reported that Johnston called the St. Anthony project "so successful ahead of schedule that we have additional dollars we can allocate."
So the restaurants, theater and apartments at the south end of the lap are part of how the lake gets fixed. Most of the money in this proposal would come from the growth in property value they created.
Why three feet of water is the problem
The sediment has built up over decades, mostly from stormwater runoff. The city says the shallow water leads to poor water quality and harmful algae blooms. Those blooms pull oxygen out of the water, kill fish and destroy habitat. Shallow water also leaves the lake less able to handle drought or absorb stormwater.
The effects go beyond the water. Denverite reported that the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival has had trouble in recent years mostly because the water is too shallow to route boats through. Edgewater Mayor Steve Conklin welcomed the plan, since his town's shops depend heavily on people visiting the park.
The city has been treating symptoms for a while. Denver Parks and Recreation has applied a phosphorus-reducing treatment every mid-summer since 2022 to slow blue-green algae. A demonstration of floating wetlands, planted rafts that soak up excess nutrients, went into the southwest corner of the lake in summer 2024. The city's environmental assessment page also explains why the bond money alone was never going to be enough. The first $5 million phase from the Vibrant Denver Bond pays for bank stabilization, wetlands and sediment capture. Because of budget limits, it doesn't include significant sediment removal. The same page says dredging without treating the stormwater flowing in won't solve the lake's problems.
The proposed $50 million is meant to cover that dredging, plus measures to keep new sediment out and shoreline restoration. Parks executive director Jolon Clark told The Denver Post the lake won't need to be drained, though some sections may be walled off while crews work. The long-term goal is safe paddleboarding and boating. Swimming isn't part of the goal because it requires a much higher water-quality standard.
What's scheduled around the loop
The dredging is the biggest project, but other work is already on the city's schedule. Clark told Denverite there would be "not a lot of changes" in the short term, and that "the focus throughout the project will be to keep as much of the park open and usable as possible." Here's what the city has posted for each project, in the order you'd pass them on a lap:
| Project | Location on the loop | Scheduled timing |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance yard and shop renovation | Southwest corner, near Sheridan Blvd. and 17th Ave. | The city scheduled the parking lot and basketball court to close starting September 2026, with a trail section to follow and all closures expected to last through early 2027 |
| North tennis and basketball courts | North side | Construction scheduled to start winter 2026 and finish fall 2027 |
| Boathouse conversion, about $7 million | North end | Construction spring 2027 to early winter 2028, opening spring 2028 |
| Lake dredging and shoreline work | The lake itself | Needs DURA and City Council approval first, then about two and a half years of design and construction |
For the southwest corner this winter, the city's Sloan's Lake project page asks visitors to follow all signed detours. That's the same corner where the floating wetlands sit.
The boathouse is the change you'll notice most day to day. Denverite reported in February that the north-end operations and storage building will become an event venue for 171 people, with a catering kitchen and concessions. The city will run it. The design concept also includes public restrooms, offices for staff and rangers, a counter for drinks and light snacks with café seating, and a patio that can be rented along with the indoor space. For the first time, a lap would have a place to stop on the north shore.
Kurt Weaver, executive director of the Sloan's Lake Park Foundation, has pushed for lake investment for five years. He told Denverite the restoration could let the foundation become a "Friends of the Park" group, focused on smaller weekly needs like trees, benches and soccer field upkeep.
Where a winter lap starts and ends
Until the boathouse opens, the places to warm up are on the south and west sides. Many of them are on the same blocks that would pay for the lake work. Go clockwise from the south shore:
- The old St. Anthony blocks. Odell Brewing's Sloan's Lake Brewhouse is at 1625 Perry St. Natuur, a fast-casual spot, is at 1525 Raleigh St., #110. Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake is on the Colfax edge of the district at 4255 W. Colfax Ave.
- West Colfax. A couple of blocks east of the theater, Moonflower Coffee is at 4200 W. Colfax Ave. Side Pony is a coffee shop and cocktail bar with breakfast sandwiches at 4635 W. Colfax Ave., closer to Sheridan. Both are in Westword's May guide to Sloan's Lake and Edgewater.
- Edgewater Public Market, 5505 W. 20th Ave. Syrup Sloan's Lake serves breakfast and lunch in Building 02. Black Box Bakery is in Building 01 and keeps Wednesday-through-Sunday hours, so plan weekday visits around that. Barquentine Brewing Co. is a few doors down in the same building.
- Sheridan and 25th. Joyride Brewing at 2501 Sheridan Blvd. has a rooftop patio. Edgewater Inn Pizza and the connected Lot 46 Music Bar are at 5302 W. 25th Ave.
Stops 3 and 4 are the Edgewater businesses Mayor Conklin had in mind when he said his town relies on park visitors. A shallow lake that can barely float a dragon boat matters to them too.
Dates between now and Dec. 11
Counting from publish day, Thursday, Nov. 12:
- Friday, Nov. 13, 5 to 8 p.m. Second Fridays, an artisan and art market at Edgewater Public Market. The next one is Friday, Dec. 11.
- Saturday, Nov. 21. A Hunger Games dress-up screening at the Alamo.
- Saturday, Nov. 28, 7:30 to 10 p.m. Party Dad plays a free, all-ages show at Odell's Sloan's Lake Brewhouse.
- Sunday, Nov. 29 and Monday, Nov. 30. The Alamo hosts an Elf Sing-Along Movie Party, then a Christmas Vacation Movie Party.
- Wednesday, Dec. 2, 7 p.m. Trivia at Odell's Sloan's Lake Brewhouse.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Sloan's Lake Holiday BAZAAR at 1611 N. Raleigh St. is free and outdoors, with up to 80 Colorado makers, food and drinks. Leashed dogs are welcome.
- Wednesday, Dec. 9, 5 to 8 p.m. Edgewater hosts free Santa sleigh rides, Santa visits, carols and hot cocoa at Edgewater Beer Garden, 2508 Gray St.
The Dec. 5 market at 1611 N. Raleigh is on the old St. Anthony blocks, inside the tax district that would pay most of the lake bill.
If you own near the lake and want to know how a deeper, healthier Sloan's Lake and a reopened north shore could affect your home's value over the next few years, Kimber Ward can walk you through it. Start with a free home valuation.
