Help shape Denver's growth at a community workshop Tuesday night

DENVER – Denver is a growing city and that’s not likely to change anytime soon, but what should that growth look like?

City officials will put that question to the public at a community workshop Tuesday night. The workshop is part of Denver’s ongoing Denveright and Blueprint Denver initiatives.

Between 2010 and 2015, Denver grew at a rate of more than 1,000 people per month, according to the city. That growth has brought a number of changes to the area, including increasingly expensive housing and longer commute times.

Want to see more affordable housing in the city? Maybe you want to see more transit options or more open space. Andrea Burns with Denver’s department of Community Planning and Development said the city and county want to make sure that people are involved in shaping the future.

“We want people to know that they have choices,” Burns said. “We as a community have choices.”

The Blueprint Denver workshop will start out with a presentation on some of the growth scenarios and choices facing Denver in the future. Then, participants will break into groups for a board game-style activity in which they’ll place housing units, parks, libraries and other items throughout the city.

Burns said the goal is to have an open conversation about growth and how to manage it in a way that ensures Denver remains a great place to live.

“The choices that we make over the next year as part of this planning process will affect the everyday lives of people in Denver for years to come, in very tangible ways,” Burns said.

The workshop runs from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at West Leadership Academy, 951 Elati St. Food and child care will be available.

For more information on the workshop, log on to denvergov.org/denveright.