El Diablo To Reopen After City Reverses Decision

DENVER (CBS4) - A Denver restaurant owner will be able to reopen his businesses after an appeals hearing ruling in his favor on Monday, but the city could close it down again.

The city shut down El Diablo and Sketch on July 10 citing safety concerns as well as doing work without permits. On Monday the city reversed its decision, but owner Jesse Morreale has to make all the necessary changes before Oct. 1.

"The board has decided to temporarily lift the vacancy notices on the building until Oct. 1, assuming Mr. Morreale can make the necessary repairs to the building," Andrea Burns with Denver Community and Development said.

Burns said there are some substantial structural repairs that need to happen to the building as well as some fire safety issues.

"And some issues with the roof, and those were all detailed in a work plan that has been in existence between the owner and the city for a couple of years now," Burns said.

Morreale says the shutdown has cost his restaurant their reputation and left more than 100 people without work, but he's happy to get his employees back to work.

"I'm really happy to get people put back to work. I've been looking at the faces of some really distraught individuals, and a lot of them, for three weeks now," Morreale said. "They're going to go back to work and we can start providing for them and open up this public accommodation and it's been important to the neighborhood and I'm glad we can do it."

Morreale planned on opening Sketch Monday night and El Diablo in time for lunch on Tuesday.

El Diablo is located at 101 Broadway in the heart of the quickly growing Broadway entertainment district.