The fight over the big beautiful old house at 1741 N. Gaylord Street represents everything that’s broken about the City of Denver’s zoning and planning process for buildings big and small.

The home is on an oversized lot in an area that has been zoned for density and is already experiencing robust vertical development of apartments and condos. Of course, it should be torn down to fulfill the city’s desired goal of urban infill development in City Park West and the adjacent Uptown neighborhood.

That goal is already coming to fruition with multiple-story apartments and condos being developed all along 18th Avenue bringing needed density to an area between the downtown core and its largest park. Most of the remaining homes in the area are used by small businesses like non-profits and law firms.

And yet, the Denver City Council voted unanimously to ensure the house will stand forever on a piece of land near transit, major employers, and downtown that is more than a quarter acre large. The developer wanted to demolish the home and build about 40 apartments.

I was not convinced by arguments that the home, built around 1900 by the same architecture firm that designed Union Station, has historic value above and beyond any other old beautiful house in City Park West.

Perpetual preservation – against the owner’s wishes – is an extreme measure.

What’s particularly frustrating about this one example of the city failing to follow through with its plans, is that this City Council has proven itself to be incredibly lenient when it comes to enforcing existing rules in other parts of the city. In other words, here was a developer who found a plot of land ideal and already slated for urban infill and the City Council shut it down, while across this city we are inundated with examples of bad development on land that has not been slated for urban infill or where developers are permitted to push the boundaries of important setbacks and height restrictions needed to make the city feel livable for everyone.

Furthermore, I am skeptical that if the Gaylord property had been purchased by someone looking to tear it down and build a modern single-family house, neighbors would have even raised an objection, let alone pursued the radical path of forcibly getting the house designated as a historic landmark that must be preserved – forever.

This is ironic, because arguably the worst possible outcome for housing affordability in Denver is when an older, smaller less-expensive home is torn down and replaced by another single-family home that is luxurious, bigger, and costs millions of dollars.

Denver’s City Council must find the courage to preserve affordable housing in this city. One thought is to impose a hefty impact fee every time a habitable housing unit is to be demolished unless the unit or units are being replaced with an increase in the number of units or substantially similar priced units. The impact fee could be used for the preservation of existing affordable housing in the city, through programs that fund the rehabilitation of older apartments in exchange for permanent affordability easements owned by the city and by the city purchasing buildings and homes for civic housing.

Denver is facing a housing crisis and the incoming city councilmembers and mayor must be just as aggressive about preserving affordable housing as they are about adding the density needed to increase the supply that can hopefully drive down prices.

Historic preservation is a lofty goal, and it’s a critical tool to prevent the redevelopment of quintessential Denver places such as Larimer Square, and the Five Points Historic District. The preservation is also important for truly historic places like Molly Brown’s house or the Four Mile House. And yes, architecture is a critical form of art for our community and there is value in preserving the very best examples of an era’s work – but can anyone argue with a straight face that the Gaylord house is that?

Tear down this old house — worth at least $1.5 million — and build many apartments or condos for working Coloradans to work downtown, play at City Park and live in a community that is increasingly full of condos and apartments.

Megan Schrader is the editor of The Post’s opinion pages. 

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