Historic Westminster

1. What is the history of the building?
Answer: The property has an extensive history in Harris Park and the City and is commonly referred to as the Rodeo Market property. Constructed in 1943, the 4,298-square-foot building served as the City’s first supermarket. The supermarket was owned and operated by the Valente Family from 1953 to 1970, when they sold the property. It was then used as office space until the City acquired it.

2. Who owns the building?
Answer: The City of Westminster owns the building and is the landlord leasing the property to The Barque, a restaurant and taproom.

3. Is the City giving money to a private business? 
Answer: The City of Westminster is not giving money to a private business; it is making necessary improvements to the building with significant deferred maintenance. Improvements will be made to the building to bring it up to the current building code.

4. Why can't the building be demolished? 
Answer: There is a significant expense involved in the demolition of a building. This is also a historically relevant building to the community, as the original supermarket here in Westminster. There are historic covenants both with the State Historical Fund and the Westminster Landmark Board, which make it very difficult to demolish.

5. Do the Valente's still have ownership of the building? 
Answer: Fred Valente sold the building in the early 1970s and relocated Valente’s Deli and Bakery to 72^nd Avenue and Meade Street, where it still operates today. The Valente family no longer has ownership of the building.

6. Is it going to be a bar? 
Answer: The Barque will not be a bar; it will be a tap room and eatery. No beer will be brewed on site, and there will be a full kitchen. Additionally, there will be an event space available.

7. Where will people park? 
Answer: Since this is a historic neighborhood, there is not a parking lot available for the use of the building. Parking will be available for all businesses and residents located on West 73rd Avenue through a phased approach, starting with the striping of parallel spaces and signage. Westminster Parking Management will enforce the parking in this area. There will be disabled parking spaces on the premises and in front of The Barque. Historic Westminster is a pedestrian-friendly area with the hope for neighbors to walk or bike to visit these businesses.

8. What is "The Barque"? 
Answer: The Barque is a family-owned tap room and eatery inspired by Belgian beers and the sailing ships, called Barquentines or Barques, that brought Old World brewers their provisions.

9. Who is the contractor?
Answer: WCG Construction will complete the renovation of the building. WCG Construction has a strong reputation for being a good partner with surrounding residents and businesses.

10. How was the contractor chosen?
Answer: The Westminster Procurement Division chose the Construction Manager/General Contractor through a competitive process in which bids were submitted and reviewed by a selection committee.

11. How was the restaurant chosen? 
Answer: As directed by City Council on May 1, 2023, Staff sought out prospective restaurateurs through various efforts. Three options were vetted with an internal evaluation team, and concepts were surveyed with neighboring businesses. As directed by City Council on April 15, 2024, Staff has negotiated a lease agreement with the preferred restaurateur, Barquentine Brewing Company, for the site. 

12. How was this use chosen?
Answer: To gather input from the community, the City conducted an online survey in 2022 to measure the importance of different values used for evaluating possibilities, the desirability of various uses, the potential impacts of the project, and allowed for open-ended thoughts from the neighborhood respondents regarding the property. A restaurant use had 84 percent support from neighborhood respondents. As directed by City Council on June 7, 2022, Staff analyzed three options: restaurant, minimal renovation, and disposal. Staff provided information on cost, feasibility, specific conditions, and pros and cons. During this meeting, City Council directed Staff to seek a restaurant use.

13. What is happening to the Fred Valente Humanitarian Park?
Answer: We will be making updates to improve the connectivity of the park and the community's experience when they visit.

14. What if an accident happens on the property?
Answer: The building's tenant will be required to hold its own liability insurance and name the City of Westminster as an additionally insured per the terms of the lease.

15. What does the City do to support businesses in Historic Westminster? 
Answer: The City of Westminster offers various programs, services, and resources to help businesses start and build momentum. These resources include grants, scholarships, incentives, and connections to financial lenders. For more information or help, please visit the Business Resources page here: https://www.westminstereconomicdevelopment.org/small-business-resources/