Landmark Preservation Ordinance Update 2018-19
Starting in March 2018, city planners worked with a task force to review and recommend updates to the rules that govern the city’s Landmark Preservation program. The task force met monthly to discuss various aspects of the city’s preservation ordinance and make recommendations on how to improve landmark processes, balancing property rights with city and community goals to preserve of Denver’s history, architecture, culture, and neighborhood character.
After a two-month-long public review period, City Council approved the changes at its meeting Monday, September 30. The changes became effective November 1, 2019.
What Changed?
Along with small tweaks throughout the ordinance to clarify definitions, streamline processes and provide greater consistency, several major changes address specific challenges.
- To highlight Denver’s diversity and distinct cultural history through its landmarks, we expanded the criteria for historic designation to include culture and simplified how potential landmarks can meet the criteria.
- To address conflicts between property owners and community members due to designations submitted during demolition review, we updated the process to encourage collaboration by adjusting key deadlines to give all parties additional time to meet and arrive at a potential compromise.
- To encourage proactive designation by owners, we are exploring incentives to designation, and reducing regulatory barriers once a building is designated.
Ordinance Amendments
- The task force proposed updates to both the Landmark Ordinance (Chapter 30 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code) as well as policy changes. For questions please contact Principal City Planner Kara Hahn (kara.hahn@denvergov.org).
- Summary of Key Proposed Updates (PDF)
- Proposal to update designation criteria to include "culture" (PDF)
- Proposal to update demolition review process (PDF)
- Final redline draft of proposed updates to Landmark Ordinance (Chapter 30 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code) (PDF)
City Council Review
Potential changes to the Landmark Preservation Ordinance are presented to City Council as amendments to Chapter 30 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code. Council members reviewed the proposed updates and voted unanimously (12-0) to approved the updates on Monday, September 30.
Along with the changes mentioned above, the following items were also part of the landmark ordinance update and will help streamline and clarify processes.
Lower Downtown Design Review Board
- Name change to Lower Downtown Design Review Commission
- Adding 2 at-large members
- Changing quorum from 4 of 7 for most projects and 5 of 7 for projects in Special Review Districts, to 5 of 9 for most projects and 6 of 9 for projects in Special Review Districts.
Other Notable Changes and Clarifications
- Noting that the Landmark process is separate and distinct from the zoning power of the city
- Adding or updating definitions for:
- “culture”
- “demolition of a structure for preservation or a structure for a district for preservation”
- “executive director of CPD”
- “significance”
- “temporary sign”
- “temporary structure”
- “historic context”
- “period of significance”
- Clarifying how the Landmark Preservation Commission determines whether a historic district structure is contributing or non-contributing
- Updating notification processes and making them consitent
- Changing name of “Certificate of Non-Historic Status” to “Certificate of Demolition Eligibility”
- Clarifying that the commission does not review temporary structures or signs
- Allowing LPC and LDDRB to manage agendas on first-come, first-served basis
- Limiting demolition approvals to 3 years from date of issuance
- Clarifying what economic hardship entails, how it is demonstrated, and how determinations of economic hardship are made
- Adding appeals language for historic preservation tax credits (per state statute)
- Removing obsolete references
- Clarifying the demolition review process for properties in the Lower Downtown Historic District
- Allowing non-conforming structures in the Lower Downtown Historic District to be reconstructed to match the existing based on Denver Zoning Code requirements
- Removing public hearing requirements for excess parking in the Lower Downtown Historic District
- Allowing reissuance of expired Certificates of Appropriateness if no substantial changes have been made to project and relevant design guidelines have not been changed since original issuance, or if active building or zoning permit issued
About the Landmark Ordinance
Denver Landmark Preservation was created by the Denver City Council through the adoption of Denver's landmark preservation ordinance (Chapter 30 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code) in 1967 to foster the protection, enhancement, perpetuation, and use of structures and districts of historical, architectural, and/or geographic significance. Since then, the ordinance has been updated numerous times, most recently in 2012, to ensure the Denver's preservation program aligns with construction and preservation standards as well as other city processes and policies.
Task Force
The group was made up of 16 members representing a variety of roles, perspectives and constituencies. The task force met monthly from March 2018 to March 2019. Meetings were open to the public, and materials are posted in the archive below.
| Name | Affiliation/title |
|---|---|
| Will Baker | Denver resident |
| Mark Bowman | Building & Residence Denver, broker associate |
| Scott Chomiak | Koelbel Urban Homes, real estate developer |
| Amy Cole | Denver resident |
| Chris Cowan | ARA Newmark, realtor |
| Stephanie Fernandez | Galloway & Company, project lead |
| Kevin Flynn | Denver City Council, District 2 |
| Adam Harding | Roth Sheppard Architects, partner |
| Hayden Hirschfeld | Shames Makovsky, real estate broker |
| Dennis Humphries | Humphries Poli Architects |
| Charles Jordy | Landmark Preservation Commission, Chair Jordy Construction, president |
| Robin Kneich | Denver City Council, At-large |
| Annie Levinsky | Historic Denver, executive director |
| Jeff Pearson |
Denver Resident |
| Tania Salgado | Lower Downtown Design Review Board Chair, Hand Print Architecture Principal |
| Rosemary Stoffel | Denver Resident |
Task Force Meeting #1
2-4 p.m., Friday, March 9
Webb Municipal Building, Room 4.F.6
201 W. Colfax Ave.
Agenda (PDF)
Presentation (PDF)
Summary (PDF)
Task Force Meeting #2
2-4 p.m., Tuesday, April 10
Webb Municipal Building, Room 4.I.5
201 W. Colfax Ave.
Agenda (PDF)
Presentation (PDF)
Summary (PDF)
Task Force Meeting #3
2-4 p.m., Tuesday, May 8
Webb Municipal Building, Room 4.F.6
201 W. Colfax Ave.
Agenda (PDF)
National Trust for Historic Preservation Report (PDF)
Presentation (PDF)
Summary (PDF)
Task Force Meeting #4
2-4:30 p.m., Monday, July 9
Webb Municipal Building, Room 4.I.4
201 W. Colfax Ave.
Agenda (PDF)
Summary (PDF)
Presentation (PDF)
Task Force Meeting #5
3-5 p.m., Tuesday, August 14
Webb Municipal Building, Room 4.I.4
201 W. Colfax Ave.
Agenda (PDF)
Summary (PDF)
Presentation (PDF)
Task Force Meeting #6
3-5 p.m., Tuesday, September 11
Webb Municipal Building, Room 4.I.4
201 W. Colfax Ave.
Agenda (PDF)
Summary (PDF)
Presentation (PDF)
Task Force Meeting #7
3-5 p.m., Tuesday, October 9
Webb Municipal Building, Room 4.F.6
201 W. Colfax Ave.
Agenda (PDF)
Summary (PDF)
Presentation (PDF)
Task Force Meeting #8
3-5 p.m., Tuesday, November 13
Webb Municipal Building, Room 4.F.6
201 W. Colfax Ave.
Agenda (PDF)
Summary (PDF)
Presentation (PDF)
Task Force Meeting #9
1-4 p.m., Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Webb Municipal Building, 201 W. Colfax Ave., Room 1.B.6
Agenda (PDF)
Summary (PDF)
Presentation (PDF)
Task Force Meeting #10
1-4 p.m., Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Webb Municipal Building, 201 W. Colfax Ave., Room 4.I.5
Agenda (PDF)
Summary (PDF)
Presentation (PDF)
Task Force Meeting #11
10a.m. - 12p.m., Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Webb Municipal Building, 201 W. Colfax Ave., Room 1.D.1
Agenda (PDF)
Summary (PDF)
Presentation (PDF)
Lower Downtown Design Review Board Discussion Item
8:30 a.m., Thursday, May 2 (following the design review agenda)
Webb Municipal Building, 201 W. Colfax Ave., Room 4.G.2
Landmark Ordinance Community Update
5:30 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 14
Ford-Warren Library, 2825 High Street
Landmark Ordinance Community Update
10 to 11:30 a.m., Saturday, May 18
Woodbury Library, 3265 Federal Blvd.
Landmark Ordinance Community Update
5:30 to 7 p.m., Monday, May 20
Virginia Village Library, 1500 S. Dahlia Street
Landmark Preservation Commission Discussion Item
1 p.m., Tuesday, June 4 (following the design review agenda)
(NOTE - RESCHEDULED FROM MAY 21st MEETING)
Webb Municipal Building, 201 W. Colfax Ave, Room 4.F.6
Community Drop-In Office Hours
3 to 5 p.m., Thursday, June 6
Blair-Caldwell Library, 2401 Welton Street
Get Involved
Sign up for the Landmark Preservation e-newsletter to stay up to date on this and other landmark news.
Contact Us
For questions on the landmark ordinance update, contact project manager, Principal Planner Kara Hahn (kara.hahn@dnevergov.org). To submit comments, email landmark@denvergov.org.