"This area north of Clear Creek is starting to be viewed as part of the downtown Golden environment." Golden principal planner Matt Wempe said that to City Council on Sept. 22, according to the Golden Transcript. That same night, council voted unanimously to manage the blocks around the Golden Mill and Parfet Park the way it manages Washington Avenue.
It was a dry vote, but it marks a real change. For years, downtown meant the south bank: Washington Avenue, the arch, and the 1100 block of Miners Alley. This fall the city drew a new line on the map. On the north bank, some things are already finished and some are still empty shells, so it helps to know which is which.
The north bank already fills up like downtown
The parking district came first because the parking problem was already there. Wempe told councilors that parking use on these blocks stays above 75% of supply at any time of day and often peaks at 90 to 100%, the Transcript reported. That's what happens when you put the Golden Mill, the 57-unit apartment building at 615 Water St., the Golden Office, Parfet Park, and the creek itself into a few blocks with no parking management.
The new North Clear Creek Parking District runs from Eighth Street to Clear Creek and from Washington Avenue to Ford Street. Resolution 3323 sets out these changes:
| Where | What changes |
|---|---|
| Set segments of Ninth, Jackson and Water streets | Two hours free with no extension, even with payment; Downtown Resident permit holders have no time limit |
| Set segments of 10th and Jackson streets | Two hours free, then paid by the hour; Downtown Resident permit holders have no time limit |
| Golden Mill's Water Street entrance | A 30-minute loading zone |
| 615 Water St. | Two 30-minute loading spaces |
| Parfet Park | One space for city vehicles only |
| Residents inside the district | Eligible for Downtown Resident permits, good in both Jackson Street garages |
Those loading zones fix problems anyone who has stopped at the Golden Mill already knows. Wempe described customers dropping off family members, residents unloading groceries, and people waiting for rideshares, all with no short-term curb to use.
The district is approved, but it isn't in effect yet. As of Oct. 1, city staff were still working out new signs and an amendment to the city's contract with Interstate Parking Company of Colorado, which runs Park Golden, and were planning to start rollout meetings the following week. Wempe said staff will watch how the changes work and adjust them if they don't.
What has actually opened at Clayworks
The reason this stretch now counts as downtown sits at 800 Ford St. CoorsTek opened its new global headquarters there, a 188,600-square-foot office building called The Pottery. About 165 employees finished moving in from the company's former offices on Denver West Parkway in early October, the Golden Transcript reported. This is the site where the company started making ceramics in 1910. The building keeps the old brick facade along Ford Street and original kiln elements. Artifacts that workers dug up during construction have been preserved, and the plan is to display them across the district.
The Pottery is the first finished building in Clayworks. That's AC Development's redevelopment of the six blocks between 10th Street and Highway 58, and between Washington Avenue and Ford Street. AC Development is the Coors family's development company.
The developer's Oct. 13 update says the new extension of 8th Street from Washington Avenue to Ford Street and the new block of 9th Street from Jackson Street to Ford Street are finished and open to the public. The Clayworks plaza is finished too, with Colorado-inspired landscaping and outdoor seating open to the whole community. If you walk from the Golden Mill toward Highway 58, you can now cut through blocks that were a closed manufacturing campus for decades.
Four food spaces, one name so far
The amenities that would make the north bank feel like downtown are mostly still to come. The first building has space for four food and beverage tenants, according to the Clayworks FAQ, and leasing is underway. Only one tenant has been named.
That tenant is Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters, which is building out a ground-floor space in The Pottery. In August 2026, Sweet Bloom was named Best Coffee Roaster in the U.S. and Canada at the Global Coffee Awards. The developer expects it to open before the end of 2026 but hasn't given a date.
Further out, the plans are looser. Clayworks is planned for as much as 60,000 square feet of retail, most of it for food and drink. Those spaces will be built in phases alongside future buildings. The FAQ says the timing of later phases isn't known yet and puts the full build-out at eight to ten years or more, depending on demand. The district is eventually meant to hold eight to 10 buildings and nearly 1.25 million square feet. The Denver Business Journal reported on Oct. 2 that AC Development has shifted its focus from office space toward housing and a hotel. The planned housing is all for-rent apartments, with no condos. The first residential phase has no construction schedule. The boutique hotel would join onto the historic Golden High School building, most recently the American Mountaineering Center.
So for now, the north bank has its parking rules, its streets and its plaza. The restaurants and coffee counters that would bring people there in the evening will open one at a time, starting with Sweet Bloom.
South of the creek, downtown is weighing its own space
The original downtown is busy with its own questions, and one of them ties straight back to parking. The lot in front of the Miners Alley Performing Arts Center has 35 public parking spaces. Golden's Downtown Development Authority is asking whether it should become a public plaza for events, artist showcases and holiday markets, the Golden Transcript reported. The board tried out the idea with an Oct. 10 block party in the lot, which sits between Miners Alley Performing Arts Center, the Foothills Art Center's Astor House campus and the 1100 block of Miners Alley. DDA members Jeff Merenkov and Brad Miller said nothing is decided. The group wants to know whether people want a plaza at all, and whether this is the right spot. The online survey closes Oct. 31.
North of the creek, the city is rationing curb space because demand runs at or near capacity. South of it, the DDA is asking whether 35 spaces would do more good as a gathering place.
The same Oct. 10 weekend, Stay Golden Mercantile held its grand opening at 1106 Washington Ave., Suite 102. That's the same address Westword listed on Aug. 1 for a new Golden location of Call Your Mother. The south side also lost a long-running spot. Abejas, at 807 13th St., closed permanently after more than 11 years, Westword reported on Oct. 10, and Nosu Ramen closed the same week.
East of Washington Avenue, the city's Heart of Golden project is building a combined City Hall and police facility. The Oct. 15 monthly report moves the parking structure's completion from Nov. 13 to Dec. 16, 2026. Substantial completion of the building is still set for May 28, 2027.
The creek between the two halves is getting attention too. The downtown Clear Creek Trail project presented its final design plans in August 2026. The city says those plans are meant to support its search for construction funding, and full construction will largely depend on grants.
The dates between now and the new year
Many of the season's gatherings take place at the Golden Mill, inside the new parking district. Here's the calendar as currently listed on Visit Golden:
- Oct. 30: The Golden Hotel's Halloween Party from 4:30 to 7 p.m., and a Halloween bash at the Golden Mill from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
- Oct. 31: Monster Mash from 2 to 4 p.m. It's also the last day of the Miners Alley plaza survey.
- Nov. 15 to Dec. 10: the Golden Mill's Miracle Shop toy drive. Bring a new, unwrapped toy and get a free drink.
- Nov. 25: Thanksgiving Eve Boombox Bingo at the Golden Mill, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
- Nov. 26: the Golden Mill's third annual "Together at the Community Table," a Thanksgiving meal with a Mexican twist from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., free or pay-what-you-can.
- Nov. 28: Small Business Saturday at Golden Pantry and Thrift, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with 10% off and proceeds going to its food pantry and social programs.
- Dec. 16: the current target for finishing the Heart of Golden parking structure.
- Before Dec. 31: the developer's target for Sweet Bloom's opening at The Pottery.
The parking district could start anywhere in that window. When the new signs go up along Ninth, Jackson, Water and 10th, the north bank will be officially part of downtown.
The parking and permit details above are general information drawn from city documents, not legal advice. Check the current rules with the City of Golden before you rely on them. If you own a home near downtown Golden and want to know how Clayworks and the new parking district could affect what it's worth, The Hoffman Group can walk you through it with real local numbers. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
