Pearl Market in Denver keeps mural with help from mayor; permit wait times remain a discussion

At Pearl Market (also known as Carmella's Pizza) in Denver's Northfield neighborhood, you may have looked right past the mural in the front of the building without thinking much about it. But, for owner Dustin Chiappetta, it was all he thought about for the better part of a year. 

"We had gone through the process of painting it," Chiappetta told CBS Colorado. "We went to turn it into the city, and the city basically said that doesn't qualify as a mural." 

Despite working with the Stapleton Design Review Board and believing everything was in order, the city of Denver's zoning board didn't see it the same way. Instead, the mural apparently did not meet the criteria of being a mural, and the application that would've provided Chiappetta with his certificate of occupancy was delayed. 

"We weren't able to close out (our loan) with the (Small Business Administration) in terms of our loan because the certificate of occupancy wasn't done," Chiappetta explained. 

The mural, according to the code, had to be a one-of-a-kind art piece and not have the name of the business within it. With both criteria fulfilled, Dustin wondered what the hold up was. He managed to find a way to connect with Denver Mayor Mike Johnston directly. Imagine Chiappetta's surprise when the mayor took an interest in his case. 

"The big part is that he wanted to be a part of the solution," Chiappetta said. "He looked at it and said, 'This looks great. What's the problem?'"

In relatively short order, the permitting matter was resolved, and, after a year of wait, Pearl Market received its certificate of occupancy. 

"I am committed to cutting red tape, eliminating unnecessary hurdles, and fast-tracking permitting to ensure owning and operating a business is as simple as shopping at one," Mayor Johnston told CBS Colorado in a statement. 

According to data from the city of Denver, the average business permit turnaround time for intermediate commercial plots like Dustin Chiappetta's has dropped in the last two years. In 2023, it took the average permit 35 days to be turned around within the zoning department. In 2025, that number had been cut to 27 days on average. 

For now, Pearl Market and Carmella's Pizza continue to churn out their specialties from pizza to pastries, as their mural sits proudly in Northfield. It's a pop of color for a business aiming to be a fixture in their neighborhood.   

While there have still been different kinds of disagreements over anything from signage to flags, Chiappetta sees it as a continued effort to help small business owners, who sometimes don't have the large zoning departments or legal analysts on retainer the way a larger development corporation does. 

"They are working on speeding those things up, but those things are dollars, and they mean a lot to a small business," Chiappetta said.