Associate City Planner - Affordable Housing

City and County of Denver; United States; Hybrid; USD 69,000 - 113,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension Plan for Life

457 (b) Retirement Plan

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

City and County of Denver’s Community Planning and Development seeks an Associate City Planner to join the Affordable Housing Review Team (AHRT). You will review plans for new Affordable Housing projects, interpret construction documents, and ensure compliance with codes.

Strong customer service and teamwork are essential. Requirements include a Bachelor's in a related field and 3 years of planning experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in City or Regional Planning, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Historic Preservation, Engineering, or a related field.
• Three (3) years of entry-level professional planning experience, including developing planning projects, goals, and guidelines and conducting planning studies and research.
• Education and experience equivalency may be substituted for minimum requirements.

Responsibilities

• Maintain exceptional customer service to assist development projects through the review/approval process.
• Provide zoning review and support for development project review.
• Provide Urban Design review and guidance for projects within Design Review Districts.
• Review development permit applications for completeness and conformance with regulations.
• Document decisions, outcomes, and approvals of development proposals.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Customer service

Time management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree (City/Regional Planning, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Historic Preservation, Engineering)

Tools

Bluebeam

AutoCAD

Job description

About Our Job

This is a limited position with an anticipated end date of September 30, 2029. Extension or conversion to a permanent role may be considered (based on funding and organizational needs).

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver (CCD) means seeing yourself working with purpose - for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise.

Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The salary range for this position is $68,773- $113,476/year. New hires are typically brought into the organization with a starting pay between $68,773- $88,000/year, based on education and experience.

• Competitive Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance (effective within 1 month of start date, City pays majority of premiums)
• Pension Plan for Life (Employee contributes 8.45%, Employer matches at 17.95%)
• 457 (b) Retirement Plan (no early withdrawal fee!)
• PTO (over 3 weeks in your first year) and 14 paid holidays
• Merit Increases
• STD, LTD, HSA, FSA, Life Insurance CARE Bank, Family Leave Benefits
• Employee Assistance Program, Employee Volunteer Program
• Tuition Reimbursement (up to $2000/year)
• We Qualify for Student Loan Forgiveness Program
• Learning and Development Opportunities; Courses and Career Development Resources
• EcoPass (unlimited free RTD bus/train rides)

Location & Schedule

This position is located at the Wellington Webb Building, located at 201 W Colfax Ave. Denver, CO 80202.

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. Employees’ physical work location is based upon the position’s job duties and requirements, customer service and responsiveness, team and individual performance, and business needs and requirements. Our current practice requires in-office work for all employees for a minimum of three days per week. Business needs and initial onboarding may require additional days in the office.

Please note: Downtown parking expenses are the responsibility of the employee. We offer a flexible spending account option specifically for parking; if you elect this option, you can use pre tax dollars for parking. We also offer an RTD ‘eco pass’ to all City employees– allowing the use of public transportation for free as a City Employee.

Who We Are & What You’ll Do

BUILDING COMMUNITY: Denver Community Planning and Development is responsible for visionary city planning and ensuring safe, responsible, sustainable building. CPD regulates planning, zoning, development and maintenance of private property in Denver. We're working hard to make Denver a great place to live, work and play! Visit DenverGov.org/CPD.

The City and County of Denver’s Community Planning and Development Department (CPD) is seeking a highly motivated and organized individual with zoning plan review experience to join our Project Coordination Team as an Associate City Planner within the Affordable Housing Review Team (AHRT) program. The Development Services Division of the Community Planning and Development Department coordinates and administers Denver’s building, fire, and zoning codes through review, permitting, and inspection of all new development projects in Denver. Through each of these critical roles, Development Services helps to implement the city’s vision for an outstanding Denver. The Affordable Housing Review Team (AHRT) is a successful program originally funded in the Mayor’s 2022 budget focused on moving affordable housing projects through permitting faster while providing an exceptionally high level of customer service.

This position will be integral to ensuring consistent and excellent service is provided to projects enrolled in the program. Additionally, the AHRT program is implementing a new expedited review process in compliance with State affordable housing regulations (i.e. Proposition 123). This position is intended to expand the current review capacity of the AHRT team and support more projects through due diligence and permitting.

This position was specifically created through a federal HUD PRO Housing grant award.

The Associate City Planner position will review plans for the construction of new Affordable Housing development projects. This responsibility includes reviewing, examining, and interpreting a wide range of construction documents and zoning permit applications for compliance with applicable codes, policies, and standards. This position works in conjunction with the Senior City Planner, providing exceptional customer service and problem solving to ensure that the entire review and approval process is timely, well-coordinated, well communicated, and predictable with the focus on successful project outcomes.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Maintaining a focus on exceptional customer service focused on efficiently assisting development projects through the development review and approval process.
• Providing zoning review and support for development project review.
• Providing Urban Design review and guidance for projects within Design Review Districts Applying relevant codes, focused on successful place-making to create well-designed outcomes through review of development plan proposals.
• Reviewing development permit applications for completeness, accuracy, conformance to applicable regulations and coordination/distribution of applications for review by appropriate section/agencies within established timeframes.
• Documenting decisions, outcomes, and approvals of development project proposals.

What You’ll Bring

We value diversity of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, language, ability, and experience and exemplify this through the makeup of our team at all levels. You'll be right at home here if you cultivate strong relationships and push yourself, your work, the people around you and Denver to the next level.

Our ideal candidate has some or all the following experience, skills, and characteristics:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex information, regulations, and development codes.
• Experience with zoning (highly preferred), development review plan review, or other relevant planning, architecture, design, or development work.
• Knowledge of architectural, site planning, and development principles, practices, and procedures.
• Experience reading and interpreting site plans, blueprints, and construction documents.
• Strong customer service and interpersonal skills, with the ability to explain complex or technical information clearly and constructively.
• Strong organization, prioritization, and time management skills, including the ability to manage competing priorities and compressed deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to learn and apply new codes, processes, systems, or technical information.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to produce accurate work in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team and effectively support internal and external customers.
• Efficiently demonstrates excellent time/work management skills; works well under pressure and able to multitask.
• Experience with Bluebeam, AutoCAD, or similar plan review or drafting software.

Required Minimum Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's Degree in City or Regional Planning, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Historic Preservation, Engineering, or a related field.

Experience: Three (3) years of entry‑level professional planning experience which includes participating and assisting in developing planning projects, goals, and guidelines and conducting planning studies and research in a variety of social, economic, and physical areas.

Education & Experience Equivalency: One (1) year of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post high school education. Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements.

Application Deadline

Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than Sunday, November 8th, 2026, at 11:59pm to ensure consideration.

Everything Else

Job Profile CE2160 Development Project Administrator Associate. To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period.

Position Type Limited (Fixed Term)

Position Salary Range $68,773.00 - $113,476.00 Target Pay $68,773- $88,000/year, based on education and experience

Agency Community Planning & Development Redeployment during Citywide Emergencies. City and County of Denver employees may be re-deployed to work in other capacities in their own agencies or in other city agencies to support core functions of the city during a citywide emergency declared by the Mayor.

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law.

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact [e-mail] with three business days’ notice.

Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S. For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose - for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise.

See yourself experiencing growth and balance. See yourself being respected and valued. See yourself belonging here.

Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.