Page 43 - Denver, CO Adaptive Reuse Program

In addition to creating an Adaptive Reuse Coordinator position,
improving facilitation also includes the following:
• Coordinating project tracking between departments to more
directly pass small adaptive projects off between departments
for each review step. This includes creating a project tracking
sheet that may include a flowchart or checklist.
• Holding interdepartmental problem-solving meetings to
discuss common problems for adaptive reuse projects and
brainstorm creative solutions that assist the applicant while
still accomplishing the objectives of each department.
• Increase the available information on each departmental
website, and on a webpage specific to adaptive reuse projects
to provide all relevant information in one place. Appendix
B contains a set of screenshots from other communities with
adaptive reuse programs and the accessibility of the informa-
tion. Captions for each screenshot describe how few clicks it
takes to reach the information. Denver’s adaptive reuse pro-
gram should increase accessibility of information for adap-
tive reuse applicants both within an established webpage and
for each department involved in the process.
• Creating the User’s Handbook and routinely updating the
Handbook to ensure all information and links are up-to-date.

Overview of Existing Permitting Facilitation System and
the E-Permit System
Once an application for an adaptive reuse project is submitted, the
applicant often must go through the review process with multiple
departments. While applications submitted in the Site Develop-
ment Plan (SDP) review, as previously described, receive more
specific staff direction, small adaptive reuse projects undergoing
the Commercial Zoning review process must navigate their way
independently through departments and reviews. There is current-
ly no designated person, referral form or department represen-
tative to help guide these projects through the process. While the
permitting review process is digitized for each of the departments,
the process is still complicated further by the differences of the
review process for each department.

The current online system for e-permitting is linked to each
department described below. This overarching facilitation system
provides a “one-stop-shop” for project applicants that are ready to
submit their plans and permits, to pay fees and to schedule inspec-
tions, among other things. The series of short instructional videos
also provides more information that leads an applicant through
the e-permit system, if they wish to learn about it electronically. A
Frequently Asked Questions page also provides a series of ques-
tions and drop downs, most of which include a link or links to
other webpages for more information.

Adaptive Reuse Strategy Paper 39