Build homes on RTD's empty parking lots? Many RTD board candidates like the idea. Here's where Denver's City Council comes in
As voters pick RTD board members Tuesday, leasing the agency's land for housing and shops has become a popular fix for its budget gap, Denverite reported. RTD says its first such lease, at Central Park Station, could close by year's end. Zoning near stations runs through the Council.
The Regional Transportation District faces what candidates for its board have described as a deep budget hole. One idea has drawn wide agreement among them: lease RTD's land, especially half-empty park-and-ride lots, to developers for homes and stores, Denverite reported Friday.
Denverite interviewed all 10 candidates for the RTD board ahead of Tuesday's election and found that close to half called land leases an obvious step. The idea is that RTD keeps ownership, collects lease payments for decades, and gets more riders living next to its stations. Supporters point to cities such as Copenhagen. Skeptics, including some candidates, noted that the payoff is slow, financing is hard, and local zoning and neighborhood opposition can block projects. Denverite cited the Southmoor station, where neighborhood pushback led to a less accessible design.
RTD has sold land for development before, including around Union Station and in Five Points. A spokesperson told Denverite that RTD is negotiating its first land lease with an affordable housing developer, at Central Park Station on the A Line, with closing expected by the end of 2026, and that a consultant is evaluating several park-and-ride sites.
Why it matters: Denver residents ride RTD and pay its sales tax. And whatever RTD decides to do with its land, building on it in Denver usually requires the City Council's approval of zoning.
What our records add: the Council's role
RTD's board, not the City Council, decides how to use RTD property. But Council votes shape what can be built near stations.
- Rezonings near stations. Many development proposals near transit come to the Council as rezonings. On June 29, the Council voted 13-0 to rezone land at 17671-17675 E. 64th Ave. for a United Airlines flight training center (26-0619). Stacie Gilmore (District 11) said it was the first project for the 61st and Peña transit-oriented development, an area near the A Line planned years ago for walkable hotels and event space, and that the pandemic had stalled it (meeting).
- Public housing near light rail. At an Aug. 11 Community Planning and Housing briefing, the Denver Housing Authority described Westridge Homes, its 70-plus-year-old public housing near a West Colfax light rail station, as "another transit-oriented development opportunity," but said redevelopment there was delayed because funds ran short (meeting).
- Station area plans. Adopted plans guide how land near stations can be zoned, and city staff check rezonings against them. On Jan. 12, the Council voted 11-0 to rezone 8250 E. 40th Ave. in Central Park to fix a 2010 mapping error (25-1991). In presenting it, staff walked through the plans covering the area, including the 2012 Central Park Boulevard Station area plan (meeting).
Our search of Council legislation found no RTD land lease that has come before the Council. A lease on RTD land in Denver could still need city approvals, such as zoning, permits or site plans, depending on the project.
What's next
- Nov. 3: Voters elect RTD board members in several districts. Denverite's reporting covers where candidates stand on land leases.
- By year's end: RTD expects to close the Central Park Station lease, according to its spokesperson.
- January 2027: RTD service changes take effect. See our earlier story.
- Follow rezonings on our legislation page.