DPS intends to develop the Denver College of the Arts as a part of the sale of Johnson & Wales – The Denver Publish

The Denver Public Schools would like to use the soon to be closed Denver campus of Johnson & Wales University.

The school system intends to expand the Denver School of the Arts, the system’s magnet school for 6th through 12th grade students located at 7111 Montview Blvd. in South Park Hill across from the university campus.

There are currently 1,100 students enrolled and since 2003 it has exceeded the intended capacity of 900 students. This is evident from a presentation that a DPS spokeswoman shared with BusinessDen. 500 students are turned away annually.

Using the campus would allow the school to add enrollment and increase the range of courses according to the presentation. The system said the campus could begin accepting its students from August 2022.

Johnson & Wales, based in Providence, Rhode Island, announced last June that it would close its Denver and North Miami, Florida locations in the summer of 2021. The move will leave the private not-for-profit facility with two locations in Providence and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Denver-based not-for-profit Urban Land Conservancy is currently under contract to acquire the 25-acre Denver campus, which includes 13 buildings.

If the deal goes through, the Denver Housing Authority has agreed to pay $ 9.5 million for part of the campus. DHA may wish to use existing dorm space and build new residential buildings.

When asked about the structure of the deal and specifically what part of the DPS would like to use on campus, a spokeswoman said more details will be discussed at a school board working meeting on May 6th. The board is expected to vote on the matter on May 20th.