All Forum Posts by: Dorothy Ma

@Matt M. There has been a task force working on this for the last year or so and this is what they came up with. Lot's of complaints in general about bad construction quality and bad design, but I honest don't think the changes in zoning is going to change that. What is will affect is the values of land and what homeowners will be able to sell to developers - so in the end I think it hurts the very people they were trying to help.  Gotta love bureaucracy!

For developers in Denver, City of Denver recently came out with some recommendations for tackling slot homes and rowhomes. Word on the street is the zoning amendments will go into affect sometime next year - the major affects will be on slot homes and row homes. So if you have any interior RH zoned lots or MX and MU zoned lots you were holding on to, better pay attention and get your drawings submitted to the city ASAP! http://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/community-planning-and-development/news/2017/Slot_Home_Strategy_Overview.html

Mike Stephens I'm curious if you're getting crazy offers because you're zoned for multi family or rowhomes? If so, be aware some zoning amendments are coming that will affect the amount of units developers can build on some of these multi family lots - which will affect the max price they are willing to pay for the land value...which could result in a correction in pricing in some of these developer driven transactions. For example if your neighbor for $800k because a developer could build 8 units but with the new code changes slot homes aren't allowed anymore and the max you can build is 5, you're not getting $800k, maybe more like $500k. Just a thought..

Where are you looking at new builds? And are you looking in the $550k price range? I think you could get a new townhome for less than that in some areas - especially with the winter season coming..

Jason Job Like you mentioned, I would personally stay away from condos because of the high HOA fees. At that price point, you can look into a new build townhome since there are so many being built right now near the Sloan's lake, Jefferson Park, Lohi area. I just viewed one earlier this week in lohi for that price range - smaller sq footage but 2 bd/ 2 bath with roof deck and brand spanking new. It would rent in a heartbeat.

Agreed, this sounds like a structural engineer's role - find a structural engineer to inspect the way the footing is built and see if he can provide a letter.

@Luke F., lots of people are over pricing because they think the market is hot. Previous mentions of owner occupy works too in this scenario. I sold my duplex last year for a similar price and I wondered the same thing about how someone could get it to cash flow at that price but we had multiple offers and it got bid up.  In Denver in particular, people are buying a lot of these multi family for land value and redevelopment value, not always cash flow scenario.

@Account Closed mentioned, difference municipalities have different regulations and code. In Denver, it's pretty hard to sub divide land- the current zoning code dictates the process and you have to make an appeal or variance to try to go outside of the code

@Rebecca Baggett - I know you said you found a builder you like, but having a builder that is familiar with the City of Denver process is sooooo important.  Hiring an architect or builder who is not familiar with Denver process could cost you money and time in delays, not to mention plenty of frustration.  @Mike Garrett had some great feedback if you want to tackle this process on your own.  Go to the link I sent you.  Make sure you have a survey, you can always take the survey in to the city and speak to someone at the zoning counter to have them answer these questions and give you a good idea of the process.  Just be aware the wait is usually long and plan on being there for a few hours.  

Your builder should be the one getting the permits through the city. You'll need drawings (plans, elevations, etc) to submit for permit, I would highly recommend you work with an architect or designer rather than the builder for the drawings unless the builder is design/build. Here is the city website that provides all the info for Permitting process for ADU.

https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/denver-development-services/home-projects/building-expanding-a-home/detached-dwelling-carriage-house.html