Denver 'Tests the Waters' With New Housing Pilot Program

A new two-year pilot program in West Denver would incentivize homeowners to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs), in an effort to promote financial stability for the homeowner, greater housing inventory, and affordable rentals.

“I think it can have a widespread impact,” Erik Soliván, director of Denver's Office of Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere told The Denver Post about the Single Family-Plus program, stating that cities such as Portland, Ore., and Seattle have also looked at ADUs to be part of their affordable housing strategies. Denver’s housing office recently committed about $475,000 to help launch the program.

Carriage houses, garage apartments, granny flats and backyard cottages have been, for decades, part of the fabric of some of Denver’s most established and well-off neighborhoods — offering a place to accommodate family members or to rent out for extra income.

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