Neighbors, you can learn more about the city’s efforts to expand housing affordability in this recent update on development news from Community Planning and Development (CPD). If you’d like to personally keep up to date, you can subscribe to email updates from CPD here.
Proposal to expand housing affordability in Denver moves forward
Ensuring that as new homes are built, more affordable homes are built too
On March 30, the Expanding Housing Affordability project released an updated policy proposal, which addresses community feedback received in the latest comment period. To see what’s changed in the latest version, visit the project webpage.
The proposal is now being reviewed by City Council’s Land Use, Transportation & Infrastructure (LUTI) committee. This follows an April 6 public hearing before the Denver Planning Board in which the Board unanimously approved the changes in the proposal that would impact the Denver Zoning Code (DZC). These changes include the proposal’s zoning incentives as well as the 38th and Blake rezoning, which is necessary to bring the pilot approach used in that area into the proposed new citywide policy.
If approved in LUTI, the next step for the proposal will be a public hearing before Denver City Council expected in June.
Proposed effective dates
The city’s proposal balances the immediate need for affordable units with the need to provide adequate time for existing projects to move through development permitting under today’s regulations and linkage fee schedules.
Projects subject to a Site Development Plan (SDP) review can continue under existing rules if they have:
- a concept site plan submitted by June 30, 2022;
- AND a final SDP approved by August 30, 2023 (14-month window).
SDP projects also subject to Large Development Review (LDR) or subdivision requirements have until December 31, 2023 (18-month window) to have a final SDP approved.
Projects under residential review (one or two units or small additions to such units that are not subject to SDP review) can continue under existing rules if they have:
- a building permit and plan review fees submitted by June 30, 2022;
- AND a building permit issued by December 31, 2022 (6-month window).