BY PEYTON GARCIA | @CITYCASTDENVER

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“Expanding Housing Affordability”

On Monday night, Denver City Council voted 10-1 to pass the highly anticipated “Expanding Housing Affordability” policy. Let’s dig into the fine print. What does it entail? And is it the silver bullet we need to address Denver’s housing crisis?

What exactly is in the policy?

• Requirements: Developers building multifamily projects with 10 or more units are now required to set aside 8% to 15% of those units as income-restricted for households making between 60% and 90% of the area median income for a family of three. 

• Incentives: Developers who build more income-restricted housing are privy to some zoning exemptions, like greater height allowances and reduced permit fees.
  
• Fees: The policy will steeply increase linkage fees (one-time charges that smaller residential or commercial developers must pay to offset the impact of their new construction). That money goes into the city’s Affordable Housing Fund.
  
• A loophole: Developers can get out of building income-restricted units by coughing up cash in lieu of following the mandate. Or, by offering another way to contribute to affordable housing to the community, like donating land exclusively for an income-restricted project.

Critics of the policy are saying:
The area median income is currently $105,500 for a family of three. Wouldn’t Denver benefit more from a policy focused on people making less than 30% of the AMI or people living unsheltered on the streets?

Developers who opposed the policy said it would disincentivize new construction in Denver and drive up construction costs that will ultimately be the burden of renters who don’t qualify for income-restricted housing.

Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca was the lone no vote, calling the policy “smoke and mirrors” and “virtue-signaling politics.”

For more on this subject:

City Council mandates developers help solve Denver’s housing crisis [Denverite]

Denver’s new affordable housing era: Income-restricted housing will now be mandated [Denver Post]

Denver City Council approves major affordable housing policy [Westword]

Expanding Housing Affordability [City of Denver]

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More News You Should Know

🌿 Who has the best weed in Colorado? You can help decide in the High Times Cannabis Cup “People’s Choice” competition. All you have to do is decide what category you want to judge — flower, pre-rolls, concentrates, vape pens, edibles, etc. — and buy a judging kit at your local participating dispensary. Guidance on how to score is included in each judging kit. [Denver Post]

🏒 Talk good hockey: The Avs are headed to the Stanley Cup finals. If you want to sound like you know what you’re talking about around your hockey-loving friends and colleagues, check out this bandwagon fan cheatsheet. [Westword]

⛽ Gas prices aren’t going down anytime soon: On Monday, Colorado’s average piece for a gallon of unleaded gasoline reached a record high of $4.62. Why? A supply-demand imbalance caused by the combination of shortage fears fueled by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and a bounceback in travel post-pandemic. And it could very well get worse as the summer goes on, experts say. [CPR]

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Affordable Fun In The Sun: Our Outdoor Swimming Recs

“[Waterworld] is at least a once-a-summer thing for Colorado residents. And I’m gonna follow up with you, Paul, at the end of the year.” — Host Bree Davies

It’s outdoor swimming pool season! Buuut Denver Parks and Rec has a shortened operating schedule and Colorado is facing a lifeguard shortage. Still, there’s plenty of options for swimming in and around Denver. Today on the show, Host Bree Davies chats with Producer Paul Karolyi about what’s up with our pool sitch and how the key to your best poolside summer yet may mean looking outside Denver city limits.

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Get Your Theater On

City Cast Producer and resident theater enthusiast Lizzie Goldsmith is back with another local play rec: “Quixote Nuevo” at DCPA

“Even if you are familiar with the story that inspired this reimagining (Miguel de Cervantes’ classic “Don Quixote”), it still felt like a fever dream at times, a rush of past and present, real and supernatural, music and dance. Once our modern-day knight started his quest across the desert sands of a modern-day Texas border town, and into his own past and imagination, I was all in. Herbert Siguenza was breathtaking in the lead role. I also appreciated how this production brought a new relevance to Cervantes’ classic, incorporating the immigration crisis and its heartbreaking impact on individuals.”

The show closes June 12; find out more and get tickets here. 

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