Citizens' Planning Academy wraps
Local residents got an inside look at how city planning works in Denver's first-ever Citizens' Planning Academy, which wrapped up this week. The free academy was meant to empower residents, business owners and others with information so they can engage in and guide planning efforts effectively in their own neighborhoods. Stay tuned -- the academy could be expanded in 2016!
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Mayor's Design Awards honor 16 unique projects
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Izakaya Den received a 2015
Mayor's Design Award
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This year Mayor Michael B. Hancock honored a variety of private residences, local businesses, office buildings, restaurants and neighborhood placemaking projects with Mayor's Design Awards. From a tiny, 150-year-old house to a 300,000-square-foot mixed-use downtown building, the winners had a little bit of everything that makes Denver Denver: history, modernity, creativity, vitality and community.
At a time when construction and development in Denver are booming, these 16 projects represent the best our city has to offer in exterior design, architecture and place-making. View a slideshow of the winners at DenverGov.org/MDA.
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Plan review, permitting & inspection update
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Denver's strong economy and growing population have meant the city is seeing unprecedented demand for building permits. We are taking major steps to keep pace with demand and improve the services we provide, and we're making great progress. Here's a fall update on permitting:
2015 Construction officially a record-breaker!
In September, Denver issued 9,250 building permits, making it the highest-volume month of permitting on record. In addition to a sustained high demand over the last two years, a seasonal high surged even higher due to June hailstorms that damaged thousands of roofs.
Inspection volume up as record permits cycle through
Roofing jobs completed in October are experiencing inspection delays due to extreme volume. Inspectors are working longer days and weekends to meet demand, and CPD is hiring more inspectors. To schedule an inspection, we advise calling after 10:30 a.m. to avoid the rush of callers seeking ETAs.
Single-family reviews back on track
After facing backlogs this summer, Denver's single-family and duplex plan reviews have returned to their target turnaround time of 4 weeks for initial review. Plan review staff, with support from a third-party firm, progressed efficiently through more than 1,600 reviews and re-reviews from June through October. View current estimated turnaround times for all project types at DenverGov.org/DS.
Minor permits available via email
Minor permits, sometimes called "quick permits" are now available via email, allowing you to avoid the wait at our permit counter. Apply at DenverGov.org/quickpermits.
What's next?
Customer service enhancements are on deck as Mayor Hancock's 2016 budget calls for more than 20 new positions in CPD to address industry demand, as well as mobile technology to make inspectors more efficient in the field. And later this fall, we'll be rolling out improvements to plan log-in and permit pick-up.
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Scott Prisco tapped as building official
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Building Official
Scott Prisco
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In October, Community Planning and Development welcomed Scott Prisco to his position as building official.
Scott's career has spanned the public and private sides of development, design and construction. A LEED-accredited registered architect, Scott most recently served as director of design and construction for Arlington (VA) Public Schools, heading up the district's ambitious capital improvement program. Prior to that, Scott owned an architecture firm in New Jersey and has designed myriad buildings including the Microsoft School of the Future in Philadelphia.
As Denver's building official, Scott is responsible for applying and enforcing the Denver Building Code to ensure the safety of all buildings in Denver. He oversees plan review, permitting and inspection services and will be working to improve customer service across all projects, big and small.
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Chris Nevitt to champion TOD citywide
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Former District 7 City Councilman Chris Nevitt is leading the implementation of transit oriented development (TOD) planning as Denver's first citywide TOD manager. He is working to advance sustainable and affordable transit oriented development in the city through identifying and acquiring funding, crafting regulations and helping to prioritize projects to meet citywide goals set forth in Transit Oriented Denver, the city's 2014 TOD strategic plan.
Transit Oriented Denver recommends improvements in station areas across the city to help make Denver healthier, more livable and better connected. The plan recommended creating a TOD plan manager position to guide plan implementation. After researching national best practices, Denver has also assembled a multi-disciplinary TOD steering committee with representatives from CPD, the Office of Economic Development, Public Works and Finance. Chris is working closely with this committee to execute the plan's vision, and he serves as a liaison among other government entities including RTD and DRCOG, private-sector stakeholders and the broader community.
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2015 Building code headed to City Council
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Later this year, the 2015 international codes for building and fire safety and Denver amendments will go to City Council for adoption. Adoption will bring Denver's codes in line with the latest building safety and energy-efficiency standards worldwide. Review proposed amendments at DenverGov.org/buildingcode.
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Planning and zoning at your fingertips
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Visit DenverGov.org/CPD to find up-to-date planning and zoning information about any property in Denver.
Do I live in a designated "Area of Change?"
Visit our Blueprint Denver page and go to the map to view current land use classifications across the whole city.
What city plans apply to my neighborhood?
Visit our completed plans page and go to the map that allows you to search using your address. All plans, assessments and studies are available online.
What's my zoning?
Our online zoning map can quickly tell you the zone district for any address in Denver.
How can I learn about proposed rezonings?
Review proposed rezonings, and visit our rezoning page, where you'll find general information about the rezoning process for applicants and neighbors.
What are the site plans for a specific project?
The site development plans map at DenverGov.org/maps displays information about projects involving new construction that have received site development plan approval from the city. It does not include single-family and duplex projects.
What construction procedures are allowed?
Every project must follow Denver's safety codes to minimize ill effects on the community. For basic rules, visit DenverGov.org/constructionprocedures. Call 311 to report construction-related code violations.
How can I contact the Planning Board?
Visit our Planning Board page to learn the best way to submit comments for a public hearing to ensure your voice is heard.
How can I provide feedback to Denver CPD?
Please take our survey and let us know about your experience with planning and development in Denver!
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Follow us on Twitter at @DenverCPD
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 We're tweeting about everything under the sun in Denver: our news, events and public meetings, as well as development, preservation, neighborhoods, transit, zoning and job openings. Follow us! We're going places...
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