To address challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Denver City Council is considering a bill that would move any action associated with landmark review of demolition and certificate of demolition eligibility (CDE) applications for properties deemed potentially historic to after August 3, 2020.
The intent of the landmark demolition review process is to allow for community dialogue when a potentially historic property faces demolition. The city’s efforts to slow the spread of the virus, including the closure of the Denver Public Library and ongoing limited access to historic resources often used to inform the process, has made meeting that intent increasingly difficult. The bill is part of ongoing efforts by Denver Community Planning and Development to continue its work while making changes and providing additional time where necessary to prioritize community health. Landmark staff estimates that the bill would affect no more than five applications.
What this means:
- Applications for demolition and CDEs will still be accepted and reviewed by landmark staff.
- For properties not deemed potentially historic, landmark would continue to observe the current timeline (10 days from application submission) to approve of the demolition or CDE.
- For properties deemed potentially historic, the timelines and deadlines associated with posting notice to the community, submission of a notice of intent to file a designation application, submission of a designation application and City Council review of a designation application would all be paused and not resume until August 3.
- This pause would apply to all applications received before August 3, including applications currently under review and applications for properties for which notice has already been posted. Timelines for properties in the middle of the process would be paused and not resume until August 3.
