Renewal Church in West Highland is working with Denver homebuilder Ionic on a concept plan to replace the campus’s corner retail building, vacant school building and parking lot with six single-family homes on 25-foot lots, while keeping the church and adding a new parking lot.
The Renewal Church campus sits at West 32nd Avenue and Irving Street, a block west of Federal Boulevard. The church building fronts Irving, and the property running along 32nd Avenue, listed at 3268 W 32nd Ave, holds a one-story brick building, a two-story former school building, a playground and a surface parking lot.
In August 2026, news reports described a plan to change most of that. The church would stay. The other buildings and the existing parking lot would make way for six new detached houses, and a new parking lot would go where the school building stands today. It is one of the more noticeable infill proposals on this stretch of 32nd Avenue in some time, so it draws questions from people who live nearby and from people shopping for homes in the neighborhood.
Jason Sirois, a Denver Realtor with FORM at Compass, whose office is at 1900 W 32nd Ave in Northwest Denver, works with buyers and sellers in West Highland and the surrounding Highlands neighborhoods. Here is what has been proposed, what review still lies ahead, and what it could mean for the block.
What is proposed at 3268 W 32nd Ave?
According to Hoodline’s August 2026 report on the city filing, Ionic, a Denver-based firm founded in 2010, filed a concept plan with the City of Denver in early August. The plan shows:
- Six single-family detached homes, each on its own 25-foot-wide lot of about 3,945 square feet.
- Two-story houses, with an accessory dwelling unit shown on one of the lots.
- Demolition of the one-story brick building, the two-story classroom building, the playground and the existing parking lot.
- The main church building kept, with a new parking lot of more than 30 spaces for the congregation.
BusinessDen reported on August 10, 2026 that the church is selling the parking lot to Ionic, that the empty retail building on the corner and the vacant school building attached to the church would be razed, and that the new parking lot would replace the school building. BusinessDen quoted Ionic describing its homes as “high design that’s accessible for the mainstream.”
Hoodline reported that the property is owned by an entity affiliated with St. John’s Church, Renewal’s sister congregation in Washington Park, and that neither the church nor Ionic had responded to its requests for comment.
| Part of the campus | Under the concept plan |
|---|---|
| Church building on Irving St | Stays |
| One-story brick building (corner of 32nd Ave) | Demolished |
| Two-story former school building | Demolished; replaced by a new parking lot (30+ spaces) |
| Playground | Removed |
| Existing parking lot | Six detached homes on 25-foot lots, one with an ADU |
Sources: Hoodline, August 2026; BusinessDen, August 10, 2026.
Why is the church doing this?
The site has a long history of trying to make its land work. Westword reported in 2018 that the church was founded more than a century ago as Emmaus Lutheran, as part of St. John’s expansion around Denver, and that its attached school followed a year later. Over the following decades membership declined. Emmaus added a preschool and daycare in 1986, sold two lots in 2009 and closed its school in 2012.
In 2013, church leaders proposed a two-story medical building on part of the property, which needed a rezoning. Denver City Council denied that rezoning in January 2016, and Emmaus closed that September. St. John’s took over the building and its debts in January 2017 and relaunched it as Renewal in 2018.
The current proposal works differently from the medical building. Rather than asking for new zoning, the concept plan uses detached houses, and Denver’s citywide accessory dwelling unit rules, adopted in late 2024 after Colorado’s HB24-1152, allow an ADU alongside a single-family home in many residential zones. We have not seen the plan’s zoning analysis, so the city’s review will confirm whether every element fits as drawn.
What approvals are still needed?
A concept plan is an early step, not an approval. Denver describes concept review as a chance for applicants to have key design and feasibility issues identified early. The city sends one comprehensive set of comments, and a project can then move into formal site development plan review. Building and demolition permits come after that.
The demolitions add one more possible step. When an owner applies to demolish a building that has not been designated as a landmark, Denver’s Landmark Preservation staff have 10 days to check whether it could qualify as a historic landmark. If staff find it potentially eligible, notice is posted on the property and sent to the council office and nearby registered neighborhood organizations, which starts a 21-day window. As Historic Denver explains, residents can file a notice of intent to seek designation, which extends the period, and a formal designation application needs three Denver residents and an $875 fee. If nothing is filed, the demolition permit moves ahead.
We do not know whether any of the buildings here would be found potentially eligible. As of early October 2026, we have not found any report of approvals, a demolition permit or a construction start.
What could six new homes mean for this part of West Highland?
We are not going to put a dollar figure on this. No one can isolate one six-home project’s effect on a specific house’s value. What we can describe is how the block itself would change.
- New detached houses on 32nd Avenue. Six new homes would replace a parking lot and a vacant commercial building along a busy residential and retail corridor.
- Narrow-lot construction. At 25 feet wide and about 3,945 square feet each, these lots are narrow, and the plan shows two-story homes on them.
- A different use for the corner. The empty retail building would come down, so the corner would be residential rather than commercial.
- Parking moves rather than disappears. The church would keep a lot of more than 30 spaces, in a new location on the campus.
For owners nearby, the practical points are construction timing, street parking during construction and what the finished homes look like from the sidewalk. Those details come out during site plan and permit review.
How does this fit Denver’s wider housing changes?
This project is a small example of a trend across Northwest Denver: older institutional and commercial sites turning into new homes, and ADUs showing up on single-family lots now that Denver allows them citywide. The city is also working on Unlocking Housing Choices, a separate proposal that would change what can be built on many single-family lots. We cover the latest version of that proposal in how Unlocking Housing Choices would affect single-family lots in Berkeley, and the same questions apply to West Highland.
For more on the neighborhood, see our West Highland community page and what buyers value most about West Highland homes. If you own nearby or are weighing a purchase on this stretch of 32nd Avenue, Jason Sirois and the FORM Team at Compass Denver are glad to talk through what the project could mean for a specific property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Renewal Church closing or moving?
No. The concept plan keeps the main church building at 32nd and Irving, and news reports describe a new parking lot for the congregation. Renewal also has a second location, St. John’s in Washington Park.
How many homes are planned at 3268 W 32nd Ave?
Six single-family detached homes, each on a 25-foot-wide lot of about 3,945 square feet, with an accessory dwelling unit shown on one lot, according to Hoodline’s report on the concept plan.
Who is building the homes on the Renewal Church site?
Ionic, a Denver-based homebuilder founded in 2010, filed the concept plan. BusinessDen reported the church is selling the parking lot to Ionic.
Has Denver approved the Renewal Church project?
Not as far as we can find. A concept plan is early, non-binding review. Formal site development plan review and permits would still be needed, and we found no report of approvals as of early October 2026.
Can neighbors weigh in on the demolitions?
If Denver’s Landmark Preservation staff find a building potentially eligible for landmark status, notice is posted and a 21-day window opens for public response. Otherwise, neighbors can follow the case through the city’s development review.
When will construction start?
No start date has been announced. The project still has to move through site plan review and permitting, and any demolition review, before work can begin.
Why are the new lots only 25 feet wide?
The plan divides the site into six lots of about 3,945 square feet each. Narrow lots allow more detached homes on the same land than wider lots would.
This post is general information based on news reports and public city information as of October 2026. Plans, approvals and timelines can change. It is not legal, financial or zoning advice. Confirm details with the City and County of Denver before making decisions.
