What are homes like in Southmoor Park?
Southmoor Park is a southeast Denver neighborhood west of Interstate 25 between Hampden Avenue and Belleview Avenue. Most of its single family houses are one story ranches with basements, built from the late 1950s through the 1960s on lots that commonly run from about 10,800 to 13,100 square feet. Condominiums and townhomes from the 1960s, the 1990s and the 2010s line several streets, especially along Hillcrest Drive and Monaco Street.
Southmoor Park homes are some of the most uniform in Denver: one story houses with full basements on wide suburban lots, laid out along curving streets in the city’s far southeast corner. This guide covers the neighborhood’s boundaries, how it was platted, the zoning and mountain view rules that govern rebuilds, and what we suggest buyers and sellers check. For current listing activity, see the live numbers at the top of this page.
Where is Southmoor Park?
Southmoor Park is one of Denver’s official statistical neighborhoods, in the City and County of Denver. On the city’s map, Hampden Avenue forms the north edge between Dahlia Street and Interstate 25, the interstate forms the east edge down to Belleview Avenue, and Belleview forms the south edge. The west side steps along Dahlia Street, Mansfield Avenue, Happy Canyon Road and Monaco Street, which gives the neighborhood the sideways bow tie shape Denver by Foot describes. South of Belleview you leave Denver. Across Hampden Avenue to the north is the University Hills statistical neighborhood, and across Interstate 25 to the east is Hampden South, home to the Southmoor light rail station and the city park of the same name.
One point confuses many buyers. The city park named Southmoor Park, at 3551 South Poplar Street, and the Southmoor light rail station, at 3737 South Monaco Parkway, both sit just east of Interstate 25 in the neighboring Hampden South statistical neighborhood. The Denver assessor also uses Southmoor Park as the name of a valuation area east of the interstate. When a listing says Southmoor Park, check which side of Interstate 25 the address is on.
How Southmoor Park was built
The single family streets west of the interstate were platted mainly as Belmont Heights Filings 1 and 2 and Southmoor Park, according to the legal descriptions in Denver assessor records. The oldest houses date from 1956, and nearly all of the original houses were finished by the end of the 1960s, so the neighborhood reads as one period of building. Condominium buildings followed in the 1960s and again in the 1990s, and a group of small lot homes on Monaco Street, platted as Montrechez, went up in the 2010s.
The surrounding area joined Denver later than central neighborhoods: records for neighboring Hampden South show that Denver annexed that area in the 1960s and that it developed as a suburban neighborhood with some of the larger lots in the city.
The homes: styles, sizes and lots
One story houses make up the large majority of single family homes in the neighborhood, and nearly all of them have basements, according to the assessor’s records. Two story houses, tri levels and story and a half houses fill in the rest, and local descriptions range from brick ranches to two story frame houses. Denver Water’s Hillcrest storage facility, built in the 1960s, is a large presence in the neighborhood, as Denver by Foot describes.
Lots are large for Denver. Among houses built before 2000, the middle half of lots runs from about 10,800 to 13,100 square feet, close to a quarter acre or more. Unlike older central neighborhoods, very few original houses here have been replaced, so most buyers are choosing between original ranches and ranches that owners have already updated. Condominiums and townhomes cluster on Hillcrest Drive, Ithaca Place and Ivanhoe Street, with the newer small lot homes on Monaco Street.
Rules that shape what you can build
Most single family lots are zoned S-SU-F or S-SU-I, Suburban single unit districts. Under the Denver Zoning Code naming system, F sets an 8,500 square foot minimum zone lot and I sets 12,000 square feet. Commercial and multi unit land along the edges carries older Former Chapter 59 zoning such as B-4, plus T-MU-30, a transit mixed use district intended for land near a rail station.
Height is also limited by a mountain view ordinance. Denver’s Southmoor Park view ordinance measures from a bronze marker near the Southmoor Park sign and caps building elevations across a mapped area that runs from Happy Canyon Road and Quincy Avenue northwest to Hampden Avenue and Dahlia Street, and on toward Yale Avenue. A 2017 Urban Land Institute panel listed the view ordinance among the constraints on redevelopment near the Southmoor station. If you plan a second story, check the view plane for that lot first.
Streets, parks and getting around
Jefferson Square Park, on Happy Canyon Road at Ivy Way, sits inside the neighborhood beside Thomas Jefferson High School, with a playground and fields. The larger Southmoor Park, about 17 acres according to Denver Parks and Recreation, lies across Interstate 25 at Oneida Way and Peach Way. Hampden Avenue, Happy Canyon Road, Quincy Avenue and Monaco Street are the main roads along the edges of the neighborhood.
The Southmoor station, opened in 2006, serves Regional Transportation District light rail on the E and H Lines, and its 788 space park and ride is reached from South Monaco Parkway through a pedestrian tunnel under Interstate 25. 5280 Magazine puts downtown Denver roughly a 15 minute drive north on Interstate 25. The Denver Tech Center follows the Interstate 25 corridor south from the Interstate 225 interchange, which sits on the neighborhood’s eastern edge.
Buying in Southmoor Park
Because nearly every house dates from the same decade and a half, the inspection list is consistent. We suggest a sewer line camera scope to the main, a careful look at the basement and foundation for water and settling, a review of the original electrical panel and wiring, and a radon test; the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment notes that radon comes from uranium in the soil and enters homes from below, and these houses nearly all have basements. Denver Water’s address lookup shows whether a property may have a lead service line.
Block to block, the differences are lot size and shape on the curving streets, closeness to Interstate 25 and Hampden Avenue, and how much updating a house has had. For a condominium, read the association’s budget, reserve study and rules before you commit.
Selling in Southmoor Park
Since most houses share a floor plan era, buyers compare updates closely: kitchens, baths, finished basements, windows and mechanical systems. We usually advise sellers to price against recent sales of similar ranches on similar lots on the same side of Interstate 25, not against condominium sales or homes in the Southmoor Park valuation area east of the interstate. A current sewer scope and a list of updates with dates help buyers move with confidence. Nobody can promise where prices go, but well documented houses are easier to compare.
How Southmoor Park compares with nearby areas
| At a glance | Southmoor Park |
|---|---|
| City and county | Denver |
| Boundaries | Hampden Avenue, Interstate 25, Belleview Avenue, Dahlia Street and Monaco Street |
| Main building years | Late 1950s and 1960s |
| Typical houses | One story ranches with basements; condominiums and townhomes |
| Main zone districts | S-SU-F and S-SU-I |
| Parks and transit | Jefferson Square Park; Southmoor light rail station |
Two separate cities sit nearby. Greenwood Village, a home rule city in Arapahoe County, includes part of the Denver Tech Center, and Cherry Hills Village, also in Arapahoe County, lies to the southwest. Both have their own zoning and building rules. Closer to central Denver, our neighborhood guides cover older areas with smaller lots.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Southmoor light rail station in the Southmoor Park neighborhood?
No. The station at 3737 South Monaco Parkway is just east of Interstate 25 in Hampden South, reached by a pedestrian tunnel under the interstate. It serves the E and H Lines.
When were most Southmoor Park homes built?
The oldest single family houses date from 1956, and nearly all original houses were built by the end of the 1960s. Condominiums followed in the 1960s and 1990s.
How big are lots in Southmoor Park?
Among houses built before 2000, the middle half of lots runs from about 10,800 to 13,100 square feet. Zoning sets minimums of 8,500 or 12,000 square feet depending on the district.
Does a view ordinance affect Southmoor Park?
Yes. Denver’s Southmoor Park mountain view ordinance caps building elevations across a mapped area between Happy Canyon Road and Hampden Avenue and beyond, so check it before adding a second story.
If you own in Southmoor Park and want to know what your house is worth today, request a home value estimate, or book a private consultation with us.
