Denver

Treta: Denver’s broken permitting system is driving up housing costs—and it’s time to fix it

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I’ve been designing and building homes in Denver for 28 years. I pulled my first permit in 1997—for a small room addition on a house. It took one day. One.

That kind of efficiency used to be the norm. Permitting was straightforward, business-friendly, and a basic example of how local government should work. But over the past two decades, I’ve watched the city’s permit approval process become increasingly bloated, inefficient, and damaging—not just to builders like me, but to every Denverite who rents or buys a home.

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Perceptions of downtown Denver plummet despite $1.2B in investment

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City leaders have stressed downtown Denver has several things going in its favor — reopening of 16th Street Mall, new businesses moving in, stronger police presence and $570 million of investment money.

Despite efforts to make a comeback, optimism fell among the public last year.

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$3.2M Denver 17th Street tower deal aims to create 750 downtown apartments

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A block in downtown Denver is converting from offices into apartment spaces after a real estate company bought two towers on 17th Street.

The Luzzatto Company, a national real estate firm, purchased 621 and 633 17th St. at the start of April for $3.2 million, hoping to revitalize downtown with the over 973,000 square feet of space in the heart of Denver.

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Judge halts Gross Reservoir project—despite 60% completion and looming water risks

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A federal judge ruled on Thursday that Denver Water is permanently barred from expanding the reservoir if an emergency stay is not obtained from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals within 14 days.

The utility provider has been working to increase the height of the Gross Reservoir dam by 131 feet for over a decade. The project broke ground in 2022 and Denver Water says the project is already 60% complete.

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‘I can’t do business in Denver now’: Developers flee as climate mandates bite

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While Colorado is earning praise from climate advocates for its new mandates to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, developers and their economists are giving D and F grades to the state and its capital city, blaming the regulations for a noticeable decline in some projects.

Representatives for developers and property owners are flagging new data showing a marked drop-off in investments and revenues from commercial projects in Colorado. That decline, they said, follows directly on the heels of Colorado’s adoption of some of the nation’s boldest carbon-reducing strategies.

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Courtroom clash: Activist claims retaliation, ICE cites years of evasion

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A lawyer representing Colorado immigrants’ rights activist Jeanette Vizguerra claims Vizguerra’s 1st Amendment Rights are being abridged by her detainment. They argue that her detention was retaliatory, linked to her criticism of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and her activism.

As a result, a court hearing scheduled for Friday was canceled, and U.S. District Judge Nina Wang instead set a status conference. The allegations came as the status conference unfolded. Vizguerra’s counsel and the US Attorney have been preparing to argue over the legality of Vizguerra’s detainment by ICE authorities since March 17.

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Burke: Colorado leaders cheer women’s soccer while leaving girls vulnerable

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Have you heard that Denver is welcoming a women’s professional soccer team and is hoping to build a new women’s soccer stadium? Wow, Colorado must be very supportive of women’s sports, right? Unfortunately, our leaders will try to sell you on this notion while they have done nothing in this state to protect women’s sports.

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