The Urban Renewal Process…
Determining Blight
The first step in determining whether or not a proposed redevelopment project is eligible for assistance from DURA is assessing whether or not the area in question is blighted. Blight is a term defined in Colorado State Statute, which spells out 11 factors whose presence is an indicator that an area may be blighted:
- Slum, deteriorated, or deteriorating structures
- Predominance of defective or inadequate street layout
- Faulty lot layout in relation to size, adequacy, accessibility, or usefulness
- Unsanitary or unsafe conditions
- Deterioration of site or other improvements
- Unusual topography or inadequate public improvements or utilities
- Defective or unusual conditions of title rendering the title nonmarketable
- The existence of conditions that endanger life or property by fire or other causes
- Buildings that are unsafe or unhealthy for persons to live or work in because of building code violations, dilapidation, deterioration, defective design, physical construction, or faulty or inadequate facilities
- Environmental contamination of buildings or property
- The existence of health, safety, or welfare factors requiring high levels of municipal services or substantial physical underutilization or vacancy of sites, buildings, or other improvements
In order to determine the presence of these factors, DURA hires an independent consultant to prepare a blight study that indicates how many such factors are present and to what degree. If at least four of the factors are found to be present and Denver City Council finds that their presence “substantially impairs or arrests the sound growth of the municipality, retards the provision of housing accommodations, or constitutes an economic or social liability, and is a menace to the public health, safety, morals, or welfare” then the property is considered blighted and City Council may approve an ordinance forming an urban renewal area. Whenever DURA seeks to form a new urban renewal area, the Authority must notify all existing landowners and tenants in writing before a blight study is undertaken.