Denver City Council set to vote Tuesday on changes to city sidewalk fee program

Denver City Council is set to vote Tuesday to make changes to a voter-approved initiative aimed at improving the city's crumbling sidewalks — a program that has seen significant delays due to continuing implementation challenges along with legal questions as to how those repairs will eventually be billed to property owners.

Denver7 has been reporting on the "Denver Deserves Sidewalks" initiative since advocates started pushing for the measure in April of 2022. Our reporting has found the program could cost some homeowners nearly $1,000 or more, and we reported on how some city council members at the time had already been talking about changes to the program even before the ballot initiative passed that year.

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The goal was simple: Improve Denver's sidewalks and make them more accessible, sustainable and all around usable for people. How to make that happen is where city officials and other stakeholders have struggled to find common ground.

The proposal from the city council's Land Use, Transportation and Infrastructure (LUTI) Committe being voted on Tuesday would allow the city to place a lien on a property if homeowners fail to pay a flat rate of $150 annually. Property developers are also looking at an impact fee of $3.50 on top of that base rate for properties with more than 230 linear feet of sidewalk for every foot over that 230 number.

Among the other changes being proposed Tuesday: Offering an affordability program based on income, aligned with DOTI’s solid waste management affordability program , as well as billing property owners by account versus parcel, consistent with the city’s stormwater billing practices.

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Denver officials seek another delay of sidewalk fees

Joe Rubino | The Denver Post

Right now, according to city officials, 40% of Denver's sidewalk network doesn't exist, is in bad condition or is too narrow. That number goes up in low-income areas, to nearly 50%.

Other changes include rebates to help make sure people can afford the costs, creating the ability to change and adjust fees each year to accommodate any labor or supply challenges of the program, and changing the wording of the program's timeline so work can continue if needed beyond the nine-year time frame.

As reported by our partners at The Denver Post on June 5, Denver property owners would not see their first bills for the city’s voter-approved sidewalk repair, replacement and construction program until next year under a second proposed delay of that initiative.

Work is expected to start on Jan. 1, 2025.

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