If you have been a Denver Metro area resident for more than five or ten years, you can attest to the fact that Denver’s housing situation has become a big issue. Well, it seems everyone and their dog wants to move to Denver from all corners of the nation, which begs the need for high-density, affordable housing in the downtown area. At the center of this issue is how Denver will spend $150 million in funds approved in 2016.
The Denver City Council put together an extensive plan called "Housing an Inclusive Denver," which details how some of that funding will be allocated.1
What are the Different Funding Plans?
The following Denver Council has driven affordable housing project plan funding information was gathered from local news stories:2
- “Denver is at a pivotal point where despite extremely low unemployment (2.2%), high workforce participation (90%+), and tremendous economic growth, housing costs are growing at such a rapid pace that incomes cannot keep up,” according to the draft of the Denver City Council's report.
- The current plan that has been in the works for a few years now, and calls for raising taxes and fees in Denver to raise approximately $150 million over the next 10 to 12 years.
- The plan calls for raising property taxes by an estimated $12 per year for median income households valued at around $300,000. Impact fees will also be collected from new construction development projects, but the rates will vary depending on the size of the project.
- The idea of affordable housing in the Denver area is particularly popular with most folks living in the downtown area, because housing prices and rents have continued to soar making it hard to find low-priced digs.
- The Council's housing project calls for building somewhere in the neighborhood of 6,000 affordable housing units.
- The council members have had some disagreement on the affordable housing plan, with some saying they weren’t sold on raising taxes and fees, while others said the plan needed to be bolder and raise even more money.
- Mayor Michael Hancock’s office seeing the need for immediate affordable housing raised a devoted budgetary goal of city money from nearly $10 million to $15 million to allocate towards the project.
Can the Public Sue the City for Mismanaging a Public Housing Project?
Well, anything is possible in terms of impending lawsuits against the City of Denver over the affordable housing plan. Below is a list of valid concerns citizens have raised over the affordable public housing plan:
- One citizen says the city government has created an urban fiasco of mass transit, high-density living, and now they want the people to pay for their planning mistakes.
- Another claims the city is planning “subsidized housing” under the guise of “affordable” housing.
- Another citizen claims the affordable housing plan is a scam in the form of a tax hike placed on the middle class to pay for housing for welfare recipients and low-income families.
Do you have a group of concerned citizens that want to sue a government entity? Is so, perhaps you should consult with Denver Business Attorney Thomas E. Downey. Since 1983, Thomas Downey and the other legal professionals at Downey & Associates, PC, have been providing legal representation to clients for all kinds of business-related matters, including government litigation, contract negotiations and corporate conflicts.
To set up a meeting with our Denver business attorney today, call (303) 813-1111 or email us using the contact form on this page.
From our law offices in Englewood, we serve clients throughout Colorado and the U.S.
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1"Denver's New Affordable Housing Plan Details How It Might Spend Its $150 Million Fund" published in the Denver Post, Sept. 2017.
2“Denver’s $150M tax-and-fee plan for affordable housing heads to full City Council for debate” published in the Denver Post, August 2016.
