Denver updates plan for restoring downtown: Here’s how to get involved

DENVER ( KDVR ) — Over the next year, the city is updating a plan to revamp downtown and Denver is asking for the community’s help.

Denver’s Downtown Area Plan is a development guideline that involves community members’ ideas in leaders’ decisions on renewing the 2.5-square-mile area of downtown Denver, which the plan says lies between the South Platte River, Park Avenue, Grant Street and Speer Boulevard and Colfax Avenue.

The plan hasn’t been updated since 2007, but in September, progress began toward building a new plan for the coming years.

Building Denver’s Downtown Area Plan

The plan itself takes about a year to create.

Right now, Denver is working on Phase One, which it says includes understanding downtown’s current issues by looking at previous plans, community input and studies of the area. This will soon transition into Phase Two, which the city estimates will begin by October.

Phase Two is all about gathering feedback on the big ideas of the plan, including previous plan recommendations and potential new ideas. This phase will take longer, as the city expects it to run through December.

Phase Three also involves the community, as the city will work to confirm with the planning director and gather community feedback on the priorities of the plan as well as strategies for the projects, policies, programs and partnerships.

Starting around March, Phase Four begins by preparing a draft of the plan for the public’s review, which finishes up toward the summer when the public can review the full plan before it is adopted.

The full plan should be done by the summer or fall of 2025, which is when the city can start to revitalize downtown with new ideas.

If you want to add your input and ideas, the city said you can sign up for their email list on the area plan’s website and keep an eye on the webpage for upcoming events.

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