Sakura Square leaders are racing to keep Denver’s last remaining Japantown from slipping away, urging the city to help bankroll a sweeping rebuild that would stabilize the Tri‑State/Denver Buddhist Temple, family‑run Pacific Mercantile, and the Tamai Tower apartments. Their formal pitch asks the Downtown Development Authority for roughly $30 million to overhaul the plaza, grow its cultural retail scene, and help cover tenant rents. With a DDA board meeting set for Tuesday, local owners say the vote could decide whether the block holds on to its Japanese American identity or gets pulled into the broader wave of downtown redevelopment.
According to The Denver Post, Sakura Square’s formal DDA application, filed in late 2025, asks for about $30 million to rebuild the temple and Pacific Mercantile, create an outdoor public plaza at 19th and Lawrence, and deliver roughly 46,500 square feet of improvements across two multi‑story buildings. The application also calls for subsidized tenant improvements and lower rents inside a new cultural community center. Leaders told the paper they were still waiting to find out whether the board would advance the proposal.
The one‑block site carries more than a century of community history. The Tri‑State/Denver Buddhist Temple traces its congregation to 1916, and its current building was funded and constructed in the late 1940s, according to the Tri‑State/Denver Buddhist Temple. Sakura Square’s own site notes that Tamai Tower was completed as part of a 1970s redevelopment and contains roughly 199 residential units, while visitors point to Pacific Mercantile as a family‑run anchor that relocated into the block in the early 1970s, per Visit Denver.
Where the DDA fits in
The Downtown Development Authority is a voter‑approved vehicle designed to steer up to $570 million of tax‑increment financing into downtown projects, according to the City of Denver. Local reporting shows the DDA has already signed off on roughly $166 million in its pilot year for parks, office conversions, and business incentives, making competition for the pot of money fierce, as The Denver Gazette reported. That pressure helps explain why Sakura Square’s leaders are moving quickly to secure a sizable award.
What the application would deliver
In their application, Sakura Square leaders say the redevelopment would reconstruct the temple and Pacific Mercantile, expand cultural retail along the ground floor, and add upper‑level flexible educational and community spaces, as described by The Denver Post. The plan also envisions a new plaza at 19th and Lawrence and subsidies meant to keep legacy businesses from being priced out. Supporters argue the project would protect cultural heritage while also boosting downtown foot traffic by turning the square into a year‑round cultural destination.
Local stakes and next steps
Sakura Square’s foundation and community groups emphasize that the block’s festivals and programming are central to its character, with the Cherry Blossom Festival serving as the square’s marquee annual event, according to the Sakura Foundation and event organizers. If the DDA advances the application, city rules require staff review and then a board vote, with City Council reviewing awards above certain thresholds. The DDA’s application guidance outlines the multi‑step review process, per the City of Denver. Leaders and merchants say they will watch Tuesday’s vote closely and continue seeking grants and partnerships if the board does not fund the full plan…