Denver showed off two housing programs to other big cities this week. Here's how those programs have done, from the city's own records

Housing officials from Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities met in Denver this week for the High Cost Cities Housing Forum, Denver7 reported.

Cole Chandler, Denver's chief housing officer and executive director of the Department of Housing Stability (HOST), told Denver7 that visitors were most interested in two Denver programs: the Affordable Housing Fund, which turned 10 this year and is paid for by property tax and a one-time fee on new development, and the "DHA Delivers for Denver" (D3) agreement with the Denver Housing Authority, which began in 2018. Chandler said he was interested in a "Home Production Fund" model used in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Atlanta, in which government invests directly in affordable housing and takes an ownership stake.

Why it matters: these programs decide how much income-restricted housing gets built in Denver, and both depend on money the City Council approves.

What our records add: how D3 has done

D3 lets DHA borrow against future city property tax money to build and preserve affordable housing faster. In August, DHA briefed the Council's Community Planning and Housing Committee on results and asked for changes to the agreement (meeting, briefing slides). According to the slides:

• DHA-built housing: The target was 1,300 units. DHA delivered 1,161, of which 959 are deed-restricted for households at or below 80% of area median income. DHA said it is 89% of the way to the target.
• Costs ran far over. Actual Sun Valley total development costs and hard costs exceeded the original projections by $148 million and $93 million, the slides say, as interest rates, insurance, labor and operating costs rose after the pandemic.
• One project left out. With D3 money used up finishing Sun Valley, DHA asked to take the redevelopment of Westridge Homes, its 70-year-old public housing in West Colfax, out of the agreement's targets. A DHA official told the committee, "I wish we brought this to you sooner" (meeting).
• Supportive housing: DHA bought 11 properties in six council districts for permanent supportive housing, with a goal of 1,200 units. It projects 1,168, with the final two sites dependent on federal housing vouchers.

Committee members praised the program but raised questions. Shontel Lewis (District 8) asked when DHA knew it had exceeded a 15% per-district spending cap, reaching 41% in her district, according to our meeting summary (meeting).

The vote. The Council approved the amended agreement, 26-1168, on Aug. 31 without opposition. Paul Kashmann was absent (roll call).

The other program, on next week's agenda. A budget companion bill, 26-1644, would state that the main use of the city's fund for fees developers pay instead of building affordable units is repaying the General Fund for permit fee discounts, and would transfer $1,585,299 to the General Fund for 2026. We explained it here. It is on the Finance and Business Committee's consent list for Tuesday.

What's next

• Nov. 3, 10:30 a.m.: Finance and Business Committee, including 26-1644.
• Nov. 9: The Council votes on the 2027 budget, which sets next year's housing spending.
• D3: The supportive housing developments must be finished by Dec. 31, 2031, under the amended agreement, according to the briefing.