In an unprecedented move, members of the Denver City Council have voted to give projects another three years to obtain building permits if their site development plans were approved before the end of last year.
The vote is seen as one that will ease pressure on developers challenged with getting building permits, while also increasing housing construction in a city where such projects have been in decline in recent years.
Up until the council vote, notes the Denver Post, developers have had 30 months “from the time their project’s site development plan is approved to obtain building permits to begin construction.”
Should those site development plans pass their expiration date, builders have been required to resubmit and start the approval process all over again.
The council move comes as residential unit construction has greatly slowed in recent years due to a combination of lower returns on rents, increasing construction costs, and high interest rates.
Interested parties say the council vote has the potential of accelerating the construction of upwards of 20,000 new residential units or more.
In remarks made to the council, Brad Buchanan, executive director of the City of Denver’s community and planning development department, said, “This is a rare opportunity because we have a large number of projects that are in the approved site development queue.”
May 11, 2026
By Garry Boulard
