The Denver City Council recently adopted the “Expanding Housing Affordability” policy.
The Denver City Council earlier this month approved a mandatory inclusionary zoning ordinance that requires developers to include income-restricted housing for all developments of more than ten total units.
The city needs more than 50,000 units of affordable housing to address its housing shortage, according to the Denver Housing Authority.
“The Expanding Housing Affordability policy will mandate that developers building multifamily projects with ten or more units create income-restricted housing for households making between 60% and 90% of the area median income — currently, between $56,592 and $84,888 for a family of three,” reports Kyle Harris for Denverite. “Those projects will be required to maintain between 8% and 15% of the units as income-restricted for 99 years. Those percentages will be slightly higher in downtown, Cherry Creek, and other high-cost parts of the city.”
Developers can also pay a fee to avoid the affordable housing requirement, according to Harris. The city has been working on the Expanding Housing Affordability policy since 2020, but a state law approved in 2021 enabled the City Council’s approval of the new law.
More news coverage and insight into the debate about Denver’s new mandatory inclusionary zoning policy ca be found in a separate article in the Denver Post.
FULL STORY: City Council mandates developers help solve Denver’s housing crisis — even if some don’t want to
San Francisco to Reconsider Inclusionary Zoning as Development Slows to a Crawl
Critics of inclusionary zoning frequently point to San Francisco as an example of what not to do. A sluggish year of development has some local politicians ready to reconsider the city’s program.
Why Inclusionary Zoning Alone Won't Solve the Housing Crisis
Building enough affordable housing to meet current shortages will take more concerted effort from policymakers.
Denver Affordable Housing Program Moves Forward
A proposal to reduce parking requirements near transit and encourage higher-density affordable housing development received Planning Board approval, but community concerns about affordability and displacement remain.
Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.
Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.
Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.
From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street
How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Ada County Highway District
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service