Denver CRE Leaders Welcome City's Efforts To Speed Permitting
Mayor Mike Johnston’s overhaul of Denver’s permitting process has been met with cautious optimism from local developers — but a wait-and-see approach remains among the development community.
At Bisnow’s recent Denver Construction and Development event held at Flatiron Crossing in Broomfield on April 23, developers, general contractors and other commercial real estate players welcomed Johnston’s new 180-day target for permit reviews. They called it a step toward restoring Denver’s competitiveness amid growing national and local pressures.
But they were quick to point out that the problems go deeper than just timelines.
“I’m hopeful this pitch clock helps speed up some of our permitting,” said Riverside Investment & Development Senior Vice President Chris Payne, likening the mayor’s permitting target to the MLB’s recently introduced pitch timer. “When you're competing with cities like Phoenix and Dallas that are high growth and more pro-business, large investors with big checkbooks are going to prioritize ease and certainty.”
Johnston’s first executive order since taking office in April 2024 establishes the Denver Permitting Office, tasked with streamlining coordination across departments and getting major permits approved in six months or less.
The order includes accountability measures such as fee refunds and project reviews by an executive committee if the city misses deadlines — a significant shift from past practices, according to panelists.
“Previously, there was no accountability ... no one in the system wanted to take a risk or exercise any judgment,” City Street Investors principal Joe Vostrejs said during the event.
The permitting changes come at a critical moment: Capital remains constrained, construction costs are elevated and tariffs inject uncertainty into the market. Panelists said it’s never been harder to move a project forward — and that Denver’s sluggish permitting system has only added to the headwinds.
“The supply cliff is definitely real and it affects all aspects of what we've been talking about, from entitlement and permitting in the City and County of Denver all the way through disposition of projects,” Crescent Communities Managing Director Ben Krasnow said. “And so there haven't been transactions, and many haven't been able to get any development deals off the ground. And so I think it’s just persevering in the current environment.”
Turner Construction Business Manager Jeremy Atcheson said his team has started exploring local sourcing, including beetle-kill timber from Colorado, to avoid tariffs on Canadian lumber.
It was among the examples panelists emphasized to illustrate the larger concerns around predictability in material pricing and the approval process.
“The challenge with the tariffs is the uncertainty it creates,” said Confluent Development Managing Director Paul Bergner. “We haven't seen direct impact yet, but that uncertainty creates concern among contractors, equity and debt providers.”
Even panelists focused on national issues like tariffs and high interest rates kept circling back to the city’s permitting headaches and pointed to other troubles.
“We're actively hearing from some people that [they’re] going to take a pass on Denver right now for a variety of reasons,” Vostrejs said. “It's not just this. Some other issues, other regulations, minimum wage, all sorts of things that are making us a little less competitive.”
With the new Denver Permitting Office set to open this month, Johnston has appointed Denver Community Planning and Development Executive Director Jill Jennings Golich as its inaugural director. The mayor’s office framed the move as essential to tackling Denver’s housing crisis and revitalizing downtown.
Industry leaders say the stakes are high but ultimately were optimistic.
Krasnow predicted a rebound in 2026 or 2027 as demand rises and new development remains constrained.
“I expect things are going to pick up in a real, substantial way,” Krasnow said.
