Sexy Pizza Closes Capitol Hill Location After Criticizing Anti-Homeless Architecture

Denver-based pizza restaurant Sexy Pizza is closing its Capitol Hill location after 15 years in business after criticizing anti-homeless architecture that was installed outside of the building. The co-founder, Kayvan Khalatbari, received an abrupt notice earlier this month that their lease would not be renewed despite multiple attempts to renew it with their landlord, Katherine Diane MacRossie, according to a Denverite report.

A large pile of rocks was installed by MacRossie in March without notifying the restaurant owners. Shortly after, Sexy Pizza received backlash from community members shaming the restaurant for placing these rocks around the building, which are designed to deter unhoused people from camping there.

Khalatbari stated that he did not support the rocks being placed there and wanted to clear his name.

“It’s kind of a double slap in the face on that front, in that it goes against everything that we believe in, and people are now associating this terrible practice of placing rocks in front of the store—They’re associating that with us,” he tells Denverite. “And it’s made it harder on our drivers to do their job, especially on busy weekend nights.” 

These rocks are currently blocking a bike rack, a drop-off point for delivery drivers, and some parking access for customers, in addition to creating an unwelcoming space for unhoused people.

Shortly after speaking out against the placement of the architecture, Khalatbari’s requests to renew Sexy Pizza’s lease were ignored. They made many attempts for a renewal, but MacRossie declined to commit, saying she was waiting to see what the right market price would be. He and his team revisited the lease with her a few months later and were still met with ambiguity. MacRossie then confronted Khalatabari, saying that she did not appreciate him speaking out against her decision to install the rocks at her building. After no direct answers were given from her about their lease, the company asked to extend the lease on a month-to-month basis for double the price, and she still did not accept the offer.

Khalatbari also shared that he experienced homelessness for nine months when first opening Sexy Pizza and does not want this type of architecture associated with his business. In the March article that sparked MacRossie’s anger with the Sexy Pizza owner, Khalatbari states, “I was living in a tent in various places around town; I slept in my truck a lot and just slept on friends’ floors throughout Capitol Hill for about nine months. Most of the first year of Sexy Pizza, I was effectively homeless. Even though I had a house, I couldn’t afford it.”

Khalatbari has been vocal about his support for unhoused people, and even installed lockers outside of his restaurant a few years back so unhoused people could have a safe space to store their belongings whenever needed. Unfortunately, the city required that Khalatbari have his landlord’s permission to place the lockers at his restaurant, which MacRossie denied and the lockers were removed.

“A lot of people living on the street have jobs,” he says. “And for them to have to haul their survival gear around all the time with them, especially into their job, is demoralizing, and doesn’t give anybody a good feeling.”

The city of Denver does not currently have a permanent solution for the unhoused population, and Khalatbari states that practices like anti-homeless architecture and police sweeps are not a viable solution for anybody.

Sexy Pizza’s 11th and Ogden location will be closing at the end of July, and they will operate out of a ghost kitchen in Lincoln Park while searching for a new permanent residence. They are hoping to find a location in Capitol Hill, the Golden Triangle, Uptown, or another part of Central Denver to set up a new Sexy Pizza. Customers are still able to order delivery and curbside pickup during this transition, but no dine-in space is available at the moment. 

Photo courtesy of Sexy Pizza