An effort to update city plans for Denver’s neighborhoods will be slowed by two years due to recent layoffs at the city.
Through the Neighborhood Planning Initiative, CPD staffers have been developing a cohesive vision for how its 78 statistical neighborhoods will grow over the next 20 years.
The city has been working on three neighborhood plans concurrently since the initiative launched. Before, the city was working on a single small area plan at a time — a process that would have taken 80 years to complete.
The city’s layoffs and budget cuts will delay the estimated completion of the Neighborhood Planning Initiative — but not by 80 years.
Instead, CPD spokesperson Alexandra Foster said completion is estimated for 2035 — two years behind schedule. The department will work on two plans concurrently instead of three.
“Our goal for the initiative has always been to ensure every neighborhood in the city has a plan that is created with community input to guide city decision-making. This change doesn’t affect this goal and still accomplishes it more quickly than our previous model,” she wrote in an email to Denverite.
The Johnston administration laid off about 170 employees over the summer, including 19 in the planning department. The city also closed 40 vacant positions in the department. It was part of a larger effort to close the city’s $200 million budget gap.
Foster said the change won’t affect the three areas set to undergo the planning process next, “just the timing.” Those are the Near Northeast, South Central and Far Northwest areas.
Denver is currently working on plans for the Far Southwest, Southwest and Downtown. Those plans are expected to be finalized later this year.
