Updated Ordinance Confronts Denver’s Neglected Buildings

By Joel Robert Cox, Sustainability Master’s Candidate at DU

Across Denver, residents have long felt stymied by the city’s inability to act on vacant and deteriorating properties. Abandoned homes and crumbling buildings draw crime, fires and frustration. Neighbors call 311 and played bureaucratic ping pong with various agencies, often to be told, “That’s not our department.”

On July 14, the Denver City Council unanimously passed a sweeping update to the Neglected and Derelict Buildings (NADB) ordinance, sponsored by Councilmembers Jamie Torres, Paul Kashmann and Amanda Sawyer. The measure aims to give the city more tools to address nuisance properties like 1600 East Colfax Avenue, a large abandoned structure that caught fire last year while on the NADB list.

For Tony Frey in West Colfax, the changes were a step toward restoring basic safety in his own neighborhood.

“We can’t have vacant buildings just sitting around,” Frey said. “Any business which is not open or a residence that’s empty poses a risk … The problems that we have are extremely complex and they take forever to solve, but nonetheless, communities need to work together to push the ball down the field.”

Frey, who serves as Safety Committee Chair of the West Colfax Association of Neighbors (WeCAN), doesn’t have to look far to understand the dangers of neglected properties. Just one property over from his home, a vacant house sat unsecured for years, drawing in drug activity, squatters and, eventually, fire.

“There was a fire ignited on this property,” he said. “It was very scary that a property could exist which posed such a safety hazard to the neighborhood, to the extent that a fire could have broken out and burned the entire neighborhood down.”

That property wasn’t unique. “I’ve heard of probably a dozen stories of neglected properties,” Frey said. One lot near Colfax Elementary School drew similar activity: “drugs and everything,” he added, along a route where families walk their kids to school. 

“The community gave me pictures and videos of cars pulling in. You’d see an exchange, and then they’d leave,” he said. “The issue has just come to a head. These lots attract all the unwanted activity you can think of—the drugs, the deals, the encampments. It’s where nonsense gets really comfortable.”

West Colfax, a neighborhood shaped by historic redlining and a growing cultural scene, now sits at the intersection of speculation and neglect. Its proximity to downtown and expanding transit options have brought new investment, yet persistent challenges remain. 

Across the city in Hilltop, a quiet and affluent neighborhood of manicured lawns and stately homes, residents were grappling with strikingly similar frustrations. Neighbors described a single-family home in the heart of their neighborhood that deteriorated over time. 

“The occupants were conducting auto repairs in the street, with cars jacked up and auto parts scattered across the yard and roadway. This created a dangerous situation along the busy bike and pedestrian lane adjacent to the house. There were also environmental concerns, with oil and gas leaking onto the pavement,” said Hilltop resident Mary Morissette. “As we looked further into the history of activity at this property, we discovered reports of fire, theft, suspected drug dealing, and various other alleged illegal actions. There was no accountability for the number of people living in this rental property, which had broken, boarded-up windows.” 

According to Morissette, the turning point for neighbors came when they learned that “there was a baby living in the home.” 

Faced with mounting risks and little city response, neighbors began organizing their own meetings and contacting police, environmental services and enforcement officials. Still, follow-up was rare. 

“People call 311 and it just goes into a black hole,” said fellow Hilltop resident Wende Reoch. “Even if you report something, you never hear back. You don’t know if anything happened.”

“We are not trying to unhouse people. We are not trying to take away anyone’s rights that they have within the city,” Morissette added. “But this property is derelict, and it’s unsafe.”

Residents in both Hilltop and West Colfax described similar frustrations with enforcement and city coordination. The ordinance passed this week introduces a range of changes—from earlier intervention meetings to stronger fines, expanded enforcement to include vacant lots and new legal tools—designed to improve accountability and help departments work together more effectively.

“The old ordinance wasn’t working,” said Owen Brigner, a senior aide in Councilmember Amanda Sawyer’s office. “The back-and-forth process between property owners and the city delayed enforcement. These changes fix that by locking in a plan upfront that is unique to the property’s circumstances, allowing for a more effective approach in bringing these properties into compliance much quicker.” 

When it comes to city coordination, Brigner points to new legal triggers tied to police and fire department activity, annual reporting requirements and enhanced authority for departments to act jointly. “This gives our agencies the tools and structure to work together sooner and actually follow through,” he said.

What’s just as notable as the reforms themselves is the broad support they received. In a city where land use decisions often spark heated debate, the ordinance passed the City Council unanimously.

Letters of support came in from RNOs representing some of Denver’s highest-income neighborhoods, Washington Park and University Park, all the way to one of its most underserved: Sun Valley. Advocacy groups across the spectrum backed the changes. YIMBY Denver, known for its unapologetic push for housing development, endorsed the proposal. And the Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation (INC), the umbrella group representing RNOs citywide, shared a statement noting the ordinance aligns with their zoning and planning platform. 

“Our friends in city leadership have done such a fantastic job of listening,” Frey said, highlighting the work of Councilmember Jamie Torres’ office and her aide, Ayn Slavis. “Now the dots have connected, and this conversation is moving forward.”

Following the passage of the updated ordinance, many residents expressed optimism about what the changes could mean for their neighborhoods. “It’s awesome,” Morissette said. “We’re excited that something’s been done and that people have been listening.” 

For citizens, the legislation is a signal that civic responsibility matters and that communities thrive when neighbors, property owners and the city each do their part.

“When people take ownership of their little slice of the community, they give back,” Frey said. “That makes the community a much better place.”