Publication Printers, a longtime Denver printing outfit tucked along the South Platte River, is squaring off with the city over a key sewer and drainage permit that paved the way for a new QuikTrip gas station on a slim riverfront parcel. The company argues the site sits in a FEMA-designated floodplain and is too tight to safely hold the stormwater system QuikTrip has pitched. It plans to ask an administrative hearing officer in April to toss the permit, saying the project could jeopardize its operations next door as well as nearby river habitat.
As reported by The Denver Post, Denver officials signed off on QuikTrip’s site-development plan in April 2025, then approved a sewer use and drainage permit on Jan. 9. Grading is already underway on the narrow lot at West Evans Avenue and South Platte River Drive. The new petition asks the city to pull back that permit, asserting the drainage system will not realistically fit on the parcel and that a fuel station never should have been cleared in a mapped floodplain. Publication Printers also points out that the site sits about 73 feet from the river and argues that pumps and underground fuel storage so close to the waterway increase contamination risks for the South Platte corridor.
QuikTrip, based in Tulsa, is a major convenience-store and gas chain with more than 1,000 locations in 17 states, according to the company’s website. Its recent push into Denver, including an earlier land buy reported this winter, has drawn close attention. QuikTrip Drops $3 Million detailed one high-profile purchase, as per Hoodline. Those expansion moves are running headfirst into new city rules that tighten where gas stations can be built.
Legal arguments and next steps
According to filing documents, attorneys for Publication Printers argue that the sewer use and drainage permit clashes with a section of Denver’s code that bans storing or processing flammable or otherwise injurious materials in areas expected to be underwater during a flood. The Denver Post reports the Feb. 7 petition contends that this rule does not allow conditional approvals or exceptions based solely on mitigation measures. Publication Printers says it will lay out its case before an administrative hearing officer in April and could appeal to the state district court if the city decides to keep the permit in place…