Historic preservation is more than bricks and mortar – it is about cultural heritage, sustainability, economic development, heritage tourism, and more. Commerce City is working toward creating a program to help preserve places and landmarks with historic value to help tell the story of the community's heritage.

The area’s history is one of agriculture, industry, residential growth, wartime sacrifice, and a desire for self-determination. The city’s residents understand that preservation of this history is what links past, present, and future generations.

Historic Preservation Plan

In 2015, the city adopted a Historic Preservation Plan to lay the foundation for its preservation efforts. The plan includes guiding principles for historic preservation based on the city's Comprehensive Plan, goals for the city’s preservation program, a brief history of the city, and more.

The mission statement for the Historic Preservation Plan is “To assist with a viable, strategic, and sustainable approach to promote, preserve, and protect the diverse historical resources within our community so that current and future generations are linked to the accurate history of Commerce City.”

View the full Historic Preservation Plan

Creating a program for Commerce City

The city is now working to create a preservation program that works in the local context of residents, businesses and other community stakeholders with an interest in preserving Commerce City’s past. Community feedback will be an important part of creating the city’s program. This process will likely involve creating new regulations with a historic preservation ordinance in the city’s code and could lead to the creation of a historic preservation board to help advise city council on its implementation.

Join the conversation

A draft version of the city’s historic preservation program is nearly complete, but the city is seeking additional feedback to fine-tune the details of the proposed program. A public open house on Jan. 16 discussed how this program may affect residents, local benefits of historic preservation, how to stay involved through the establishment of a Commerce City Local Landmark Register, and design review for local landmark properties.

If you missed the open house, take the survey below to tell us which criteria apply to different types of sites that could be considered for preservation:

Preservation Criteria Survey

En Español: Encuesta de los criterios de la preservación

Work on the draft historic preservation program began in summer 2019 with a public meeting on Aug. 21 and outreach to community stakeholders. Once a draft ordinance to create the program is complete, it will be presented to city council and the planning commission for feedback and then be considered for adoption. 

Take our short survey to share what historic preservation looks like to you