The first phase of the citywide affordable housing zoning incentive project focused on evaluating and learning from the 38th and Blake RTD Station Area pilot project, among other projects and best practices from peer cities.

In the 38th and Blake pilot specifically, the city tested an incentive approach for achieving more affordable housing. The incentive was established in 2018 and was evaluated in early 2020.

Lessons learned from both the drawbacks and positive outcomes of the pilot:

A good incentive system should be simple and predictable, like a straight-forward requirement for a set % of affordable units within a project.

It should promote the construction of affordable homes onsite so Denver has more mixed-income buildings and communities.

To be effective, it should take into account market realities and strike a balance between current and potential entitlements.

Enforcement and longevity is key, so the system must be easy to track and monitor.

The 80% AMI level in the 38th and Blake pilot was good, but not enough. Citywide, affordability must be addressed at deeper AMI levels, where the most need is.

The full evaluation can be read in the Project Background Report (PDF), which also includes additional housing policy information and peer city research – all of which is helping inform and shape the creation of a citywide zoning incentive.