DENVER — A developer has filed plans with the city of Denver to demolish the Asia Center strip mall on South Federal Boulevard and replace it with a four-story mixed-use building featuring 93 apartment units and roughly 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.
The proposal is drawing concern from business owners and customers who say the center is irreplaceable, not just as a commercial property, but as one of the cultural home bases for Denver’s Vietnamese community.
The Asia Center sits near Federal Boulevard and Mississippi Avenue in Denver’s Little Saigon area. Its tenants include restaurants, jewelers, tailors and specialty shops that regulars describe as a one-stop gathering place for immigrant communities along the corridor…