Denver Wants Density
May 1, 2025
A new YIMBY Denver survey reveals strong public support for zoning reform, upzoning near transit, and faster housing permits to solve the city’s crisis.
YIMBY Denver believes increased production of all types of housing everywhere in the city is crucial to solving Denver’s housing shortage, addressing homelessness, and ensuring everyone can afford to live in Denver.
However, some on City Council would characterize this as a minority viewpoint. They see our urgency to reform land use regulations to allow much more housing as an unpopular solution. After all, council members regularly hear from wealthy, politically active homeowners in their districts, who have the time to reach out to council, and their message is often “keep things just as they are.”
After commissioning the services of experienced pollsters who surveyed 297 Denverites, we found that most Denverites share YIMBY Denver’s sense of urgency about fixing the housing crisis.
More than 70% of those surveyed agreed that laws should be reformed to facilitate homebuilding, that all Denver neighborhoods should permit more homes, and that the housing permitting process should be streamlined (something the city has taken an important first step toward). Fewer than one-quarter of those polled opposed these three policies.
We also asked about more focused solutions for housing production, specifically discussing upzonings in various contexts.
- Nearly three-quarters (74%) supported upzoning to permit eight-story apartment buildings within a quarter mile of all RTD rail stations.
- Almost two-thirds (64%) favored upzoning to allow five-story apartment buildings within a quarter mile of all large parks.
- A majority (58%) supported legalizing six-plexes on all lots in Denver, with only 31% of those surveyed opposing six-plex upzoning.
With this data, we strongly urge Denver’s government to adopt these popular measures. City Council should act swiftly to upzone areas surrounding our rail stations, regional parks, and community parks, and expedite upzoning for missing middle housing citywide. These policies would significantly increase the number of homes accommodated in our city without overburdening infrastructure and risking community displacement.
Builders could create family-friendly multi-unit structures similar to Capitol Hill’s converted mansions in Washington Park, Congress Park, and Cheesman Park while establishing vibrant community centers near all our rail stations throughout the city. They can help densify in partnership with homeowners, adding new homes on lots currently occupied by older structures in need of serious repair, offering a new home in the new structure in exchange for development rights.
