37 Years Ago
The April 19, 1988 Golden Transcript reported that a developer wanted to build a retail center and a Burger King at 16th and Jackson. At the time, the property included two houses and many “30- to 100-year old trees.” The property was zoned residential and required rezoning to allow commercial construction.
Residents of the neighborhood were strongly opposed, citing “traffic, commercial encroachment into their residential area, noise and air quality.” Safeway had been built eight years earlier on the adjacent property, and it had faced the same objections. This time, developers were able to point to Safeway to prove that the area was already commercial.
The Planning Commission recommended against the project. City Council approved it. Residents continued to fight, proposing that the area be turned into a park, then proposing that the City Councilors be recalled. Neither happened, and Burger King opened in November of 1988. The retail building in the same area opened the following spring, with Golden Video as its first tenant.
The fears about air quality were not unfounded. The May 9, 1989 Golden Transcript reported that “For the second time since it opened last winter. Burger King has come under fire for blowing smoke.” District 1 Councilor Matt Faykosh reported that “smoke was covering the streets around the restaurant Wednesday and Thursday of last week.” A Burger King representative responded that they were “addressing the problem by using low-fat oil and better filters.”
