Drive down 7th Street in Grand Junction and you'll spot two houses within the Historic District with City of GJ land development application signs in their yards. What's going on?

I was deeply concerned when I first saw these. The City of Grand Junction land development application signs are located in front of the houses on the north-east and south-east corners of 7th and Gunnison. Is someone planning a new construction? Like many houses in the downtown area, are these homes being converted for use as business space?

As turns out, it's none of the above. I placed a call to the city and spoke with a representative. Here's the breakdown:

  • The home with application # 2020-85 has applied for a "Certificate of Appropriateness." What in the world is that? The owners are wanting to enclose the patio. Because the home is part of Grand Junction's historic district, they had to submit an application to the city board.
  • The home with application #2020-86 is wanting to take down the existing garage and build a new one. Just like the house above, since the home is in the historic district, the application has to go before the city board.
Waylon Jordan
Waylon Jordan
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I'm a huge fan of our historic district, and appreciate the efforts made by homeowners to keep the area "historic." During the Great Depression, my great-grandmother, Minnie Clark, used to clean most of the houses along 7th Street in what we now refer to as the historic part of town.

It seems there is no cause for alarm. This is not a matter of houses being taken down. No new high-rise apartments are going to be built on these lots. This is simply a matter of going through the process. These houses are going to remain... historic.

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