Affordable Housing · Zoning
77%of Denver's residential land bans apartments, condos and townhomes outright.
I will
Amend Blueprint Denver to allow for rezoning of exclusionary residential zones.
Single-family zoning has racist origins, meant to keep black and brown families out of "white" neighborhoods. The result has been a steadily increasing cost of housing for decades, resulting in our current crisis.
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Action 01 · Zoning
Amend Blueprint Denver to allow for rezoning of exclusionary residential zones.
The problem
Upwards of 77% of Denver's residential areas prohibit the most affordable types of homes. Apartments, condos and townhomes are widely forbidden.
Exclusionary zoning has racist origins, and the map it drew is still the map we live in. It is the single largest lever the city holds over the cost of a home.
What Council can do
Amend the map that legally controls what zonings can happen where, called the "Future Places" map from the Blueprint Denver plan. Once complete, rezonings of exclusionary residential areas can begin.
Day oneAffordable Housing · Co-living
One third to one half of all urban dwellers used to live in "congregational housing" until it was banned in 1956 in Denver.
I will
Legalize congregational housing in Denver.
This extremely affordable style of living was utilized by thousands of Denverites for almost a hundred years, until restrictive zoning laws forced residents onto the streets.
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Action 02 · Co-living
Legalize congregational housing in Denver.
The problem
Congregational housing, today more commonly called "co-living," is where you rent a single room in a house or building with shared bathrooms and shared kitchens. Think dormitories. Before 1956, some estimates put almost half of urbanites in Denver lived in housing like this.
LoDo, now one of the most expensive places to live in Denver, used to be a source of very affordable housing with several boarding houses, residential hotels, and other forms of co-living. In 1956, these buildings were torn down, and expensive housing and office buildings took their place.
What Council can do
A simple amendment to the zoning text, requiring a simple council vote. No ballot measure or even official rezoning required.
Day oneAffordable Housing · Vacancies
34,000apartments sat empty at the end of 2025. We have the highest vacancy rate we've had in 16 years.
I will
Fine owners leaving rental units vacant for 6 months, or longer.
Landlords can afford to keep units vacant as they wait for renters with deeper pockets to come in. Fining vacancies has the natural consequence of lowering rent.
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Action 03 · Vacancies
Fine owners leaving rental units vacant for 6 months, or longer.
The problem
34,000 apartments sit empty in Denver, where we are seeing the highest vacancy rates we've seen in 16 years. Meanwhile, tenants still see their rents raised every year, and locals struggle to find apartments they can afford.
Increased housing supply and reduced demand has had a positive effect on rent prices in Denver, but there is more we can do to ensure these vacancies are rented out to local Denverites instead of customers with deeper pockets that the landlords are waiting for.
What Council can do
Washington D.C., Berkley, Oakland, Melbourne, and Vancouver are just some examples of cities that have implemented vacancy taxes/fines. The current research on these efforts shows this is an often un-tapped lever cities can use to increase housing supply and increase city funding for affordable housing. It's not a silver bullet, but it is a tool in the tool belt.
Ordinance