For the last year, city planners have been working with a task force to review and recommend updates to the rules that govern the city’s Landmark Preservation program. Starting in March 2018, 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. Now, after a year of work, proposed updates to the ordinance are ready for public review.

What's Changing?

Along with small tweaks throughout the ordinance to clarify definitions, streamline processes and provide greater consistency, several major changes are proposed to address specific challenges.

• To highlight Denver’s diversity and distinct cultural history through its landmarks, we're proposing expanding the criteria for historic designation to include culture and simplifying how potential landmarks can meet the criteria.
• To address conflicts between property owners and community members due to designations submitted during demolition review, we're updating 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're exploring incentives to designation, and reducing regulatory barriers once a building is designated. 

Public Review Draft

• The task force is proposing updates to both the Landmark Ordinance (Chapter 30 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code) as well as policies changes. For questions please contact Kara Hahn (kara.hahn@denvergov.org). Please submit your comments or feedback to landmark@denvergov.org on or before June 14, 2019.
  • Summary of Key Proposed Updates (PDF)
  • Proposal to update designation criteria to include "culture" (PDF)
  • Proposal to update demolition review process (PDF)
  • Redline of Proposed Updates to Landmark Ordinance (Chapter 30 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code) (PDF)

Join Us: Come learn about the ordinance update at a meeting near you

Now that the Task Force's work reviewing the Landmark Ordinance has concluded, Landmark Preservation staff will be sharing proposed updates with the community over the course of the next month. A series of community meetings and office hours coinciding with National Preservation Month in May will give residents, property owners and neighborhood organizations an opportunity to learn about and share feedback on potential changes. 

A sign language interpreter or CART services will be provided upon request, with three business days’ notice. Contact SignLanguageServices@denvergov.org.

Upcoming Events:

• 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
  

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 is 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.