The owners of the Yellow House in Evergreen want to breathe new life into the building.

Local real estate agents Mark Footer and Jerry Anderson bought the 6,500-square-foot building on Highway 73 in November and want to expand the zoning on the 1.33-acre property. They envision putting in a coffee shop or restaurant, having meeting and community-use space, an education center, special community functions, retails sales and a gazebo.

They hosted a community meeting on March 7, the first step before filing a formal application with Jefferson County Planning & Zoning to expand the zoning for the property. Rezoning applications eventually go before the Jeffco Planning Commission for a recommendation and then to the county commissioners for a decision.

Neighbors who attended the meeting were concerned about whether there was enough parking at the location, especially if a restaurant was located there, increased traffic on Highway 73 and Camel Heights Road, and the deer herd that regularly migrates through the area.

“We acquired (the Yellow House) in large part to keep it as an asset for the community,” Footer said. “Our aim is to keep it as is and do minor changes to the planned development (zoning). … We want to keep the beautiful building as it is.”

He said their plan for the building will enhance its ability to serve the community and provide a growth opportunity for businesses in the area.

The iconic building was the Seniors’ Resource Center from 1986 until 2020. Mountain Community Pathways, which provided care for those with developmental disabilities, bought the property in July 2021 and sold it in 2022.

The building has eight offices, a large day room, commercial kitchen, meeting rooms, oversized garages and more. Footer said at the meeting that Mountain Learning Center, which provides academic support to homeschooled children and tutoring services, is using part of the building.

Wildlife, parking and traffic

Neighbors brought up the deer migrating through the area, the impact of a restaurant in the area and increased traffic on Highway 73.

A neighbor living on Camel Heights Road said she sees a herd of deer walking along Cub Creek and into the Yellow House parking lot.

“I’m wondering how they are going to be impacted and interrupted and what your parking lot and the cars are going to do to the deer,” she said.

Footer noted that the Denver Mountain Parks greenbelt that goes behind the Yellow House will not change, so the deer will have a place to go.

Footer said he and Anderson like the idea of a restaurant or coffee shop in the building because they want to keep the tutoring center, and the restaurant would give parents a place to go while their children are getting help. He added that four restaurant operators have said the Yellow House would be a good breakfast/lunch spot, though he was open to a restaurant offering dinner, too.

Nearby residents were concerned that traffic on Highway 73 would increase with a restaurant, and Jefferson County is not planning to make improvements to Highway 73 south of Buffalo Park Road. The county will start construction on improvements to Highway 73 from Buffalo Park Road north to Plettner Lane later this year.

In response to concerns, Footer said they planned to keep Highway 73 as the access point to the property, not Camel Heights Road.