Beginning on March 1, Denver Community Planning and Development will require a new review fee for large development projects within the city.

The large development review fee, or LDR fee, will apply to projects that require Denver’s large development review process, meaning those that are larger than five acres or require substantial new infrastructure.

“Right now, LDR is the only piece of project review and permitting that has been performed free-of-charge for applicants,” said Laura Aldrete, executive director of Community Planning and Development.

Aldrete said the funds from the LDR fee will help the city to recover costs of administering the large development review process.

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This newest review process was established in 2019 to provide direction for large, long-term projects at the early stages, ensuring they meet Denver’s priorities, City Council plans and land use and transportation recommendations.

“By implementing a fee to cover the cost of these reviews, we can continue providing a high level of service to both applicants and residents who depend on detailed city evaluation of proposed new development,” Aldrete said.

The cost of the LDR fee will depend on the complexity of the project under review.

The most common LDR fee will cost $1,500, applying when a City Council-adopted plan already exists to guide development review. For these reviews, the fee will pay only for staff time to conduct the review.

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In rare circumstances, the LDR fee will cost $160,000 or higher if an adopted plan does not exist or is too old to use. In these cases, the fee will cover staff time to conduct the review, professional services and public engagement.

In 2020, seven projects in Denver were subject to large development review. For all seven, an adopted plan already existed so all would have qualified for the $1,500 LDR fee.

Current projects such as the redevelopment of the Loretto Heights campus and the Stadium District’s new neighborhood hub would have required the higher LDR fee; however, projects already underway do not need to pay the new fee.

City officials said they only expect one or two projects per year will require a higher fee.