New Faces on the Denver City Council Brings New Skepticism Toward Development

"The Denver City Council's next class will take office in mid-July with the most new members in more than a decade and will have up to three new voices questioning development policies," reports Jon Murray.

"In a runoff Tuesday for central Denver's open District 10 seat, Wayne New, who made aggressive development in Cherry Creek North a motivating factor in his campaign, defeated Anna Jones, a community development consultant," according to Murray. Moreover, "New joins councilman-elect Rafael Espinoza, from northwest District 1, and Paul Kashmann, from southeast District 6, as more skeptical voices on the issue."

Despite the unprecedented turnover on the Denver City Council, local political analysts quoted by Murray expect some policies changes regarding development as a result of the new councilmembers, but the city's strong mayoral system should limit the possibility of any drastic institutional change.

Denver's development climate is of particular interest due to the city's strong growth trends. Much of the public narrative about Denver's development in recent years has been devoted to transit oriented development in the urban core, yet development controversies in suburban cities and explosive growth on the city's fringes might be the more impactful trends to watch in the region.