What Denver's Big 2040 Comprehensive Plan Means for 2019

Important distinctions about the difference between a comprehensive plan and zoning code changes, as well as details of the form-based influences of the new Denveright 2040 plan are reported here.

1 minute read

April 30, 2019, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


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Arina P Habich / Shutterstock

Andrew Kenney writes: "The Denver City Council last week approved a plan that will guide the city through a new urban era in the next two decades. But what happens right now?"

"It’s going to be subtle at first, but over the next few years it will set city leaders up for some big decisions," according to Kenney.

The Denveright plan enacts "long-term citywide strategies" and "specific expectations for every single acre of the city," explains Kenney, which don't necessarily mean every neighborhood is going to instantaneously change. "But if a developer needs the City Council to approve a rezoning for a tall new building, it might be able to use the plan as justification, depending on the location," reports Kenney. Still, the plan doesn't change expectations for most neighborhoods in the city, according to Kenney.

The article also includes more details about the form-based elements employed by the code, such as the use of "contexts" for describing the general feel of areas, as decided by the Denveright plan.

Importantly, Kenney's coverage also notes the need to implement zoning changes in neighborhoods targeted for change in the Denveright plan.

Monday, April 29, 2019 in The Denver Post

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