Tom Messina is one huge step closer to fulfilling his retirement plan — the demolition and redevelopment of Tom’s Diner — after a group of Denver residents have withdrawn their effort to save the building.

The restaurant on East Colfax Avenue has been the topic of a heated debate about property rights vs. historic preservation. A group of five Denver residents had asked the city to designate the kitschy building as a historic landmark.

Messina, who owns the building and the restaurant, didn’t want that to happen. It would have forced him and future property owners to keep the one-story building on the valuable urban property, limiting construction options.

The Denver City Council was set to decide the building’s fate Aug. 26. But the applicants withdrew their application for landmark status Thursday. Messina now is free to pursue a sale and the full redevelopment of the lot.

On Friday, the city will issue a “certificate of nonhistoric status,” which will be valid for five years, said planning spokesperson Laura Swartz. There are no more major legal obstacles to demolition, but the applicants still hope to find a way to preserve the building.

“We entered into this process to try to find a preservation-minded outcome for the building, which carries architectural, historical and cultural value in our community, and which we believe enhances the Colfax corridor and can be integrated with new development,” the applicants wrote in a letter.

“We have agreed to withdraw our application in an effort to find alternative solutions for this site and hope that the property owner and the current developer will engage with us in good faith moving forward.”

Messina could not immediately be reached for comment.

He has had a deal in place to sell the diner and surrounding parking lot at 601 E. Colfax to Greenwood Village-based Alberta Development Partners for $4.8 million. The company, which intends to raze the diner and build an eight-story apartment building in its place, filed paperwork seeking nonhistoric status for the building in May.

The 52-year-old diner was built in the mid-century modern Googie style and originally housed a White Spot diner.

In a statement sent to The Denver Post on Thursday evening, the five Denver residents who filed the landmark application against Messina’s wishes struck a hopeful tone. They said they forwarded creative ideas to Messina and Alberta and feel things are moving toward a “favorable outcome.”

“It is our firm belief that the future of the building is in good hands and think that interested parties can come to a conclusion as soon as possible,” the statement reads.

The statement goes on to thank people who supported the effort and donated their time, effort and expertise. It also acknowledges that the process put pressure on Messina, who repeatedly described the building as “his only asset” and the centerpiece of his retirement and his family’s financial future.

“Tom, thank you for sitting down with us and listening to our concerns. We hope our dedication to finding a solution that met your needs was evident throughout the process,” the statement reads.

Preservation-minded nonprofit Historic Denver was among the groups that provided expertise and resources to the applicants. Executive Director Annie Levinsky in an email Thursday night applauded city residents who stood up for the diner and credited Messian and Alberta for coming to the table to discuss options. She too believes an outcome that avoids demolition is possible.

“Historic Denver will continue to urge those making decisions for the diner to recognize the importance of this building and this place to Denver, and to pursue creative opportunities that can bring the old and new together so that Colfax has a chance to thrive as a place with both a storied past and a bright future,” she wrote.