Denver's planning department says it plainly on the Far Northwest Area Plan page: "No previous neighborhood plans have been adopted in the Far Northwest Area." The Federal Boulevard Corridor Plan covers part of Federal Boulevard. Berkeley, Regis/Inspiration Point, Sloan's Lake and West Highland have never had an adopted neighborhood plan of their own.
Through 2026, Berkeley worked out what a new café across from Berkeley Lake can do after dark, took a position on whether a 1911 commercial building at 44th and Lowell should be allowed a third story, and learned when the playground at 41st and Tennyson gets rebuilt. Each decision came one case at a time, mostly through monthly board meetings of Berkeley Regis United Neighbors. The plan the city started drafting in September will be written around those decisions. For the rest of November, the city is collecting input at a coffee shop on 38th, a recreation center on 46th and a park on Tennyson.
Three corners, settled before the plan exists
| Corner | What was decided | When | What comes next |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4900 W. 46th Ave. | Good Neighbor Agreement with Mosaic Chai House | Signed August 2026 | Opening targeted for early January 2027 |
| 44th Ave. & Lowell Blvd. | BRUN letter supporting a rezoning from U-MX-2 to U-MX-3 | Approved October 2026 | City hearings not yet scheduled |
| 41st & Tennyson Park | Playground design and construction years | Confirmed by Denver Parks and Recreation | Design funding in 2027, construction in 2028 |
Denver estimates its neighborhood planning process at 18 months from kickoff to adoption. Counting from the September 24, 2026 kickoff at North High, that puts adoption somewhere around early 2028, the same year the 41st and Tennyson playground is slated for construction. By the time Berkeley has a written vision for its parks, its mixed-use corners and its gathering places, every row in that table will already be in place.
A chai house with its evening hours already written down
Mosaic Chai House is going into 4900 W. 46th Ave., directly across from Berkeley Lake Park and Scheitler Recreation Center. In an October 9 interview with WhatNow Denver, founder Rajni Posner described it as "a true neighborhood gathering spot, a third place where people can come together intentionally to connect, meet friends, neighbors." The same article lists chai, coffee, beer and wine, board game and puzzle nights, live music and vintage clothing. It also says Posner hopes people coming from the tennis courts and rec center will stop in afterward. The business is targeting an early January 2027 opening, and updates are posted on its website.
Before any of that, the business and BRUN signed a Good Neighbor Agreement in August. It was tied to planned beer-and-wine and cabaret licenses, and it sets terms for operating and patio hours, sound, trash handling and outdoor events.
That agreement is a small, specific answer to a question the plan will ask in general terms. The city's September draft opportunities summary groups prospective priorities under headings that include cultural and regional identity, historic and local character, and a healthy environment. On 46th Avenue, the hours for evening music next to a lake park were negotiated before the plan had a draft.
A 1911 building and a third story at 44th and Lowell
Two blocks east of Tennyson's commercial strip, rezoning case 2026-REZONE-0000060 covers 3535 to 3565 W. 44th Ave. and 4402 to 4408 N. Lowell Blvd. It requests a change from U-MX-2, DO-8 to U-MX-3, DO-8, which allows mixed uses up to three stories instead of two. The application lists 44 Lowell Partners, LLC as the owner, and the city accepted it on October 5, 2026. As of the case page's latest update, Planning Board, council committee and City Council hearing dates are still listed as TBD.
The owners presented the concept to BRUN's Zoning and Planning Committee: about 50 rental units over ground-floor retail, keeping the historic 1911 Lovell Building on the northeast corner. The committee recommended support, and BRUN's board approved a support letter unanimously at its October meeting.
That matters for the plan because two of its draft priority groups are "diverse and affordable housing" and "historic and local character." At 44th and Lowell, both priorities already have a concrete version on the table: a 1911 storefront kept in place with new units above and around it. Whatever the plan ends up saying about corners like this one, this corner will be an early example of it.
A playground with a date, and a park still waiting for its art
Some of the waiting happens in the open. Denver Parks and Recreation answered BRUN's playground letter in spring 2026 by putting the 41st and Tennyson playground in line for design funding in 2027 and construction in 2028. In September, a BRUN board member raised the idea of pressing during city budget hearings to move that timeline up. By the October meeting, the councilwoman's office confirmed the same 2027 and 2028 schedule.
The same August meeting that approved the Mosaic agreement also covered a Berkeley Park cleanup on September 19, speed humps coming to 41st Avenue, and an update on the timeline for an art installation at Rocky Mountain Lake Park. The playground, the speed humps on 41st and the park art are all being handled one item at a time, by the same people who will show up to comment on the plan.
The playground also has a role this month. The 41st and Tennyson park is the city's listed site for the plan's Berkeley Community Coffee on Saturday, November 14, from 10 a.m. to noon. Neighbors talking about what Berkeley's parks should become will be standing next to the playground the parks department has already scheduled for 2028.
Where the plan is listening in November
The kickoff on September 24 drew more than 170 people to the resource fair, presentation and small-group discussions. The online community survey is open through November 30, according to BRUN's October minutes, and there's a separate business owner survey for people who run businesses in the area.
A selection of the in-person events with planning staff that the city lists from publish day through the end of the month:
- Thursday, November 12, 9 to 11 a.m. Community pop-up at Scheitler Recreation Center, 5031 W. 46th Ave., across the lake from the future Mosaic Chai House.
- Saturday, November 14, 10 a.m. to noon. Berkeley Community Coffee at 41st and Tennyson Park.
- Tuesday, November 17, 7 p.m. Sloan's Lake Citizens Group meeting at the Merritt House Sanctuary Building, 2246 Irving St.
- Wednesday, November 18, 10 a.m. to noon. Community pop-up at Woodbury Library, 3265 Federal Blvd.
- Friday, November 20, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Community pop-up at Sloan's Lake Park.
- Tuesday, November 24, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Community pop-up at Convivio Café Northside, 4935 W. 38th Ave.
Two of those stops are in Berkeley itself, at Scheitler and at the Tennyson park. Both sit beside a project from the table above. The survey runs about a week past the last pop-up. The Far Northwest Area Plan page has the current schedule and an email signup for the next round of meetings.
If you own on 44th, 46th or near Tennyson and want to know how the Lovell Building rezoning, a new evening business across from Berkeley Lake or a 2028 playground could change what buyers notice on your block, Nick Crothers can go through that with you, street by street. Book a Free Market Strategy Call.
