YIMBY Denver

Greetings Members, Supporters, and Followers,

YIMBY Denver was founded in the waning months of 2016 by a group of people with the goal of legalizing multi-unit homes citywide. We were concerned that single-family zoning rules that ban new housing in our core neighborhoods were fueling rapidly rising housing prices and encouraging unsustainable suburban sprawl. We saw opposition to infill housing at city council public comment sessions that was unreflective of the desires and needs of our city’s population at large. We knew we needed to fill a desperately needed advocacy void. We had to organize and rally everyone who stands to benefit from housing abundance to counter the NIMBY scarcity mentality and say Yes In My Backyard!

Thanks to the passions and efforts of our dedicated volunteers over the past seven years, we have done so with great volume and vigor, and now in 2024, we are on the cusp of systemic housing policy reform both in Denver and across the state of Colorado.

I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on our achievements and setbacks in 2023 and provide a preview of what is to come in this new year.

We knew going into 2023 that it would be a watershed year for our organization. For the first time in Colorado history, the state government was considering legislation to effectively end single-family zoning statewide. Simultaneously, campaigns for all thirteen Denver city council seats were underway, along with the first wide-open mayoral race in a dozen years. The stakes had never been higher. If we effectively mobilized our base of activists and members, we could tear down barriers to housing production statewide and elect a local government in Denver prepared to face the housing crisis head-on.

The advocacy and educational work YIMBY Denver had done over the years was starting to pay off in a big way. With home prices having doubled since we were founded, and the number of unhoused Denverites being greater than ever, our issues were at the forefront of peoples’ minds. Voters and leaders recognized that we desperately needed more housing where people wanted to live. Instead of being a fringe organization yelling from the sidelines, the powers that be and candidates for office, including Mayor-to-be Mike Johnston, began to solicit our opinions and court our endorsement. It was a busy first six months of the year, with the state legislative session lasting till May, and municipal elections in April and June.

After a candidate questionnaire, Leads voted to endorse (with membership ratification), resulting in endorsements for City Council and Mayor. After a massive door-knocking and phone-banking effort, five of our nine endorsed council candidates won their races, and most excitingly, Mike Johnston won the mayoral race. In the course of these campaigns, we have built strong relationships with all of these newly elected officials. We are already working with them on a robust housing policy agenda for 2024. Maddingly, the Park Hill Golf Course question was rejected at the ballot. Even so, considering the promise of our new local elected officials, I believe the future is bright in Denver.