An article from the Denver Business Journal, reports that Denver’s planning department is writing the first major update to the city’s zoning code in more than 50 years. According to the Zoning Code Task Force, a draft of the code is expected this fall, and the final version is expected to go into effect in 2009. Peter Park, manager of the City and County of Denver planning officials, hopes the new form- and context-based code will make zoning in Denver easier and more flexible, and maintain the character of the city’s diverse urban neighborhoods. What a building looks like, instead of how it is used, and how a building fits with the neighborhood around it, are 2 of the major components of the new zoning provisions. Chris Crosby, executive vice president at The Nichols Partnership Inc. development firm of Denver and board member of the Cherry Creek North Business Improvement District said, “I really do feel the planning department has been listening to the development community. … I deal a lot with zoning especially in Cherry Creek North. Our current zoning there is very prescriptive, and it’s important to allow for more flexibility in the future.”
http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2008/07/28/story1.html?b=1217217600^1673815
http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2008/07/28/story1.html?b=1217217600^1673815
