DENVER – The Denver City Council plans to devote much of its work this year to issues around housing and transportation.
The council identified mobility/transportation and housing/homelessness as its two key focus areas for 2018 at the council’s annual policy planning and budget retreat on Friday, Jan. 11.
Within the transportation focus area, councilors want to work on building out bike and pedestrian infrastructure, encouraging more development along transit lines, increasing right-of-way enforcement, improving intersections and continuing to implement the city’s Vision Zero plan.
The council’s work in the area of housing and homelessness will focus on things like increasing the amount of funding set aside for affordable housing, creating policies that better protect renters and expanding the Denver Day Works program, which provides work opportunities for people experiencing homelessness.
“The Council is committed to creating a beautiful city that is inclusive for all,” Council President Albus Brooks said. “We look forward to working with the mayor and his agencies toward this goal.”
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In addition to the two key focus areas, the council also identified two specific projects that will be priorities in 2018: Creating a new police academy and increasing the number of Denver neighborhoods that have neighborhood plans to guide their development.
Other areas where the council expects to focus its efforts include public safety, sustainability, workforce development and parks and recreation.
The council has handed its list of priorities over to the mayor’s office and other city agencies so that those items may be taken into consideration during the budget-making process.