Denver Approves Its First Common Consumption Area in RiNo
DENVER, CO – After more than a decade of state authorization and years of local rulemaking, Denver has officially approved its first Common Consumption Area.
Denver’s first common consumption area approved on January 6, 2026.
The new location, called Dry Dock Pub, will open at 1101 South Pearl Street, taking over the former home of Pub on Pearl, which closed in August 2025 after 35 years in business. The space will be operated by Left Hand Collective, following Dry Dock’s merger with Left Hand Brewing in 2025.
On January 6, Denver City Council voted to create the city’s first entertainment district with a common consumption license, allowing patrons to carry alcoholic beverages between participating businesses within a defined plaza near Mission Ballroom in the River North Art District. The approved area is located on a privately owned portion of the roughly 14-acre property at 4180 Wynkoop Street and will serve liquor-licensed businesses that share the site, including Left Hand Brewing, Chubby Unicorn Cantina, and Peach Crease Club. Alcohol must be purchased from participating businesses and consumed only within the clearly marked boundaries of the designated area.
Common Consumption Areas are permitted under Colorado state law but require a multi-step local approval process. In Denver, licenses can only be issued within City Council–approved entertainment districts and must be managed by a certified promotional association responsible for security, operations, insurance, and compliance.
Although Colorado first authorized common consumption in 2011 and Denver adopted its local ordinance in 2019, no application had successfully cleared the process until now. City rules governing the program officially went into effect in 2021, making this the first approval since the framework became operational.
The initiative was led by Westfield Company, Inc., the property owner behind Mission Ballroom and Stanley Marketplace in Aurora, where a similar program has been operating for nearly a decade. For the RiNo site, Westfield coordinated participating tenants to form the North Wynkoop Promotional Association, a required step under city rules.
City officials emphasized that the approved area is not an open street drinking zone. The plaza is privately owned, closed to vehicle traffic, subject to security plans, and governed by operating conditions approved through the licensing process. Concertgoers will not be permitted to carry drinks into or out of Mission Ballroom.
Supporters say the approval represents a shift in how Denver approaches placemaking and small business support, allowing food and beverage operators to activate shared outdoor spaces without expanding individual liquor licenses. For now, the RiNo plaza stands as a test case for how common consumption areas may function in Denver, and whether the model expands beyond its inaugural location.
All project information was sourced from publicly available site plans, renderings, and permitting documents.
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All project information was sourced from publicly available site plans, renderings, and permitting documents.
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