Denver Community Planning and Development (CPD) and the Denver Fire Department (DFD) will launch a new, conditional building occupancy program for unpermitted spaces that will ensure life safety, limit displacement, and allow extended deadlines and collaborative solutions to achieve code compliance.
Monday night, City Council voted unanimously to approve the Safe Occupancy Program, designed to incentivize the owners and tenants of unpermitted spaces to come forward and work with the city to make their buildings safe — thereby increasing safety for occupants, visitors, neighbors and the public.
With it, Denver becomes the first city in the country with a law explicitly granting legal occupancy of unpermitted spaces while a building is being brought up to code voluntarily. Life safety hazards must be addressed up front.
While first and foremost ensuring public safety, the program offers three key benefits to users:
- Allows people to remain in place
- Offers an extended deadline for compliance
- Encourages collaboration for creative and potentially cheaper solutions
Denver’s high-priced real estate has driven local artists and others to find affordable, functional space in older buildings. In some cases, as part of repurposing these buildings, work has been completed without permits and not up to the standards of international building and fire codes, putting occupants and the public at risk of fire and other hazards.
The safe occupancy program was designed with creative spaces in mind but is applicable to many other uses of existing buildings.
The council bill had support from several arts and affordable housing advocacy groups.
Learn more at denvergov.org/safeoccupancy.
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