Why the Sheridan and 17th Lot at Sloan's Lake Is Closed, and What the Boathouse Becomes Next

Why is the parking lot at Sheridan and 17th closed while the real prize sits on the opposite shore of Sloan's Lake? The old Gun Club building near Sheridan Boulevard and 17th Avenue is being turned into a maintenance facility. Once it's ready, the crews now working out of the historic Boathouse can move there. Until then, the Boathouse stays an operations building, and the lakeside event space and concession stand the city has promised can't start.

That sequence explains this winter's detours. It also explains why the Boathouse construction start has already slipped into 2027.

The Southwest Corner Goes First

Denver Parks and Recreation scheduled the closure of the parking lot and basketball court near Sheridan Blvd. and 17th Ave. to start in September 2026. The building at that intersection is being renovated into a maintenance facility, and the city's project page says "later in construction a portion of the trail will also be closed," with closures "expected through early 2027." The city tells park users to follow signed detours. It has not posted a detour map.

The new maintenance shop is where the Boathouse crews will land. Denverite reported in February that "current operations at the boathouse are set to move to the former Gun Club building on the southwestern corner of the park, which is being renovated." Right now Parks Operations, Adaptive Recreation and the Park Rangers all use the Boathouse. Those teams need somewhere else to go before the north-shore building can turn into anything new.

What the Boathouse Is Supposed to Become

The Boathouse sits on the north side of the lake near Wolff St. and W. Byron Pl. The city plans to turn it into a 2,500 to 3,000 square foot community and event space connected to the marina. Denverite's February report gave the details:

• Room for 171 people
• A catering kitchen
• A concession stand
• A $7 million budget from the RISE bond package voters approved in 2021
• A design by Anderson Hallas Architects

The city would run the room the same way it runs the Washington Park Boat House, City Park Pavilion and Fleming Mansion. Those spaces rent out for weddings, community meetings and parties, usually for less than private venues charge. Denver Parks showed the preferred design at a third open house on January 29, 2026, after earlier meetings in July and September 2025.

The public part of the plan faces the water. The city's concession document says the building's historic serving windows facing the lake "will be renovated to better serve park users," and the concession operator would get an outdoor patio. It could also use the event space's patio when no event has it booked.

The Date Moved, and the Lot Closure Is Part of Why

In February, Denverite said construction was "expected to start later this year," with a possible opening in winter 2028. Three months later the city released a request for information to find concession operators, and it carried a later schedule. The document contradicts itself slightly, giving two versions of the construction window in back-to-back paragraphs:

Both city versions agree that work starts in 2027, not 2026, and opens in spring 2028. The detailed timeline lists construction contract setup and submittals for February 2027.

The Gun Club renovation is scheduled to keep the southwest lot closed into early 2027. The Boathouse contractor isn't scheduled to arrive until spring 2027. Crews can't leave the north shore until their new building on the southwest corner is finished. These are the city's planned dates, and the city hasn't published a construction contract for the Boathouse. Treat every date here as a target.

The Food and Drink Comes Later

For most people walking the loop, the concession stand is the part that will change their routine. The Denver Post reported in June that the city wants one concessionaire for Sloan's Lake on a five-year contract. That operator would pay the city a guaranteed amount plus a share of sales and would also manage or subcontract the food trucks at the park. The city's criteria require the operator to run seven days a week all year, bring its own equipment, and clean the common areas and restrooms.

The Boathouse won't have a full kitchen, so the city framed the stand as "beverage-focused," selling food prepared and packaged ahead of time. The RFI lists what could be on offer: craft beer, wine, spirits, coffee, smoothies, fresh-pressed juices, milkshakes and ice cream. Stephanie Figueroa, the department's marketing and communications director, told the Post, "Sometimes people just want a little something extra to eat or drink while they're hanging out at the park." Until now the city has mostly issued temporary permits to hot dog carts and ice cream trucks.

The RFI stage closed June 22, 2026. The city planned to ask for formal proposals in summer 2026 and sign a contract in winter 2026. In late October 2026, the Parks bidding opportunities page listed a formal proposal call for Skyline Park but none for Sloan's Lake. The two parks were solicited together, but Skyline is ahead. Its pavilion is part of a $30 million project already under construction and was expected to open by summer 2027.

The North Courts Run on Their Own Clock

The tennis and basketball courts on the north side of the park are being replaced too, and that work doesn't depend on the Boathouse. The city's project sheet lists a $1,782,500 budget from Parks capital funds and the RISE Denver Bond. Tennis court abatement happened in fall 2025. The schedule:

1. Summer 2025: design
2. Fall 2025: tennis court abatement
3. Winter 2026: construction start
4. Fall 2027: construction complete

If these dates hold, the park will have construction somewhere along the loop from fall 2026 to spring 2028. The southwest corner comes first, the north courts overlap it, and the Boathouse is last. The south playground and south tennis courts are already done. That project finished in October 2023 after outreach that started at Jammin' on the Jetty in 2019.

Street Changes on the Way In

Denver's transportation department has two changes on its 2026 bikeway list that affect how people get to the lake. On Perry Street, the plan adds crosswalks at 23rd Avenue and traffic circles, keeps fewer of the white posts at key safety spots, and updates signs and striping. On Stuart Street and Lakeshore, it calls for a contraflow bike lane in the stretch cars can use, shared-lane markings going the other way, and coordination with Parks so cyclists can reach the lake loop. The city's active bikeway projects page lists both projects without install dates.

Where to Get a Coffee Before 2028

The lakeside concession is at least a year and a half away, so a walk around the lake still ends somewhere off the park. One new option is close by. Westword reported in August that Black Box Bakery is opening a second location, Black Box Café, in the former Suzette space at 5901 W. 25th Ave. in Edgewater, with a dedicated coffee program. A follow-up on October 23 set the opening for Nov. 7 after a soft opening the week before, with sit-down seating, ice cream and sandwiches. That means it should be in its soft opening this week.

For updates on the Gun Club work, the Boathouse and the courts, check the city's Sloan's Lake Neighborhood Projects page. Denver Parks posts schedule changes and detour notices there first.

Park projects like these affect how the blocks around Sloan's Lake show to buyers over the next few seasons. A seller listing near a closed lot this winter needs a different plan from one listing in spring 2028, when the Boathouse and its patio may be open. If you're weighing that timing, Tatiana Torres and The NEST at Compass will tell you plainly where your home stands today. Start with What's My Home Worth?