Denver’s simmering fight over where you can fill up your tank just got a real estate twist: QuikTrip has shelled out $3 million for a 1.37-acre lot at 1595 W. 48th Ave. in north Denver, even though city rules would typically block a new gas station there.
The property sits at the Interstate 70 and Pecos Street interchange and lies within a quarter-mile of an existing fuel-selling station, a detail that puts it squarely in the crosshairs of Denver’s newer gas-station restrictions. The purchase is the latest turn in a year-long battle over the city’s 2025 zoning changes.
According to BusinessDen, the north Denver site had been eyed for a QuikTrip at 48th and Pecos and previously housed small storefronts, including a Family Dollar. Public records show the Tulsa-based convenience chain paid $3 million for the 1.37-acre parcel.
What Denver’s 2025 Rules Ban
Denver’s City Council approved a zoning amendment in February 2025 that tightly curbs where new retail gas stations can pop up. The ordinance blocks new stations within a quarter-mile of an existing station or a light-rail platform, and within 300 feet of certain low-intensity residential zones, according to the City and County of Denver…