Planning Board Public Hearing set for next week

After three years of work and input by thousands of residents, neighborhood groups, local business owners and community leaders, the draft East Central Area Plan is entering its final phase of review, with hearings at the Denver Planning Board next week and City Council later this fall. The hearings follow review of the draft by community members, who provided more than 10,000 comments over three years of collaboration, including 3,000 comments on the draft plans, helping refine and strengthen the vision for these neighborhoods.

Community Planning and Development is grateful to everyone who participated: those who wrote letters, who read through each page of each version of the draft plan, who participated in spirited conversations, who shared a flier with a neighbor or who answered that first three-question kick-off survey way back in 2017. We couldn’t have done it without you!  

The plan addresses key neighborhood needs—supporting the local economy, housing affordability and services, safer streets, historic preservation and quality design, and the impacts of climate change—by providing policy recommendations that will guide city decision-making over the next 20 years. Download the latest draft of the plan, which is the draft Planning Board members will consider.
We also encourage you to visit the plan webpage for more on:
  • Why the plan is needed now
  • An overview of community engagement
  • Revisions and additions made to earlier drafts of the plan in response to feedback
  • Plan appendices including methodology and implementation
Submit comments or sign up to speak at hearing

Planning Board Public Hearing
3 p.m., Wednesday, September 2
Watch live on Denver's Channel 8 or online at www.Denver8.TV.

Interpretation in Spanish will be available for the hearing. If you need interpretation in another language, email planningboard@denvergov.org three business days ahead of the hearing. 

How to participate:

  • To submit written comments, use the board's online comment form. All comments will be forwarded to board members ahead of the meeting.
  • To speak at the hearing, sign up in advance on the Planning Board page. Speaker registration will open at 8 a.m., Monday, August 31. Pre-registration will help us accommodate the high volume of speakers expected. Please download the Zoom platform ahead of time and ensure you have a reliable internet connection and functioning microphone and camera.
  • A computer will be available in the City and County Building for those who wish to speak live, but do not have a computer or internet access. Face coverings and physical distancing will be required. Please note that those testifying in the Webb Building will not be in the same room as Planning Board members. We encourage all those who can use Zoom to do so to facilitate physical distancing.  

On the day of the hearing:

  • The hearing on the East Central Area Plan will be the first of three items on the board's agenda. Speakers will be called in the order they sign up.
  • Only speakers who have signed up to speak virtually will have access to Zoom. To watch the hearing but not speak, please use Denver8.TV.
About the East Central Area Plan
The East Central Planning Area neighborhoods—Capitol Hill, North Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Congress Park, City Park and City Park West—contain a rich mix of amenities, jobs, and housing options, and remain among the most dynamic places in the city. The area’s outdated plans coupled with additional changes on the horizon—including plans to improve City Park, add Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along Colfax Avenue, and new amenities such as Civic Center Transit Station and the Carla Madison Recreation Center—make East Central a top priority for engaging the community in a new plan.

The Neighborhood Planning Initiative provides a great opportunity to establish the community’s vision for maintaining and enhancing the quality of life in these neighborhoods for decades to come. 

For more on how to get involved and stay up to date on plan news: