Denver to Employ AI to Cut Project Review Times in Half

The Mile High City has cut the time it takes to review commercial and residential projects by up to a third over the past year — but it’s not fast enough.

The city of Denver will spend $1.3 million to develop an artificial intelligence platform it says could reduce review times by 50 percent or more to handle a potential influx of project applications, the Denver Business Journal reported.

Denver Community Planning and Development will send out a request for proposals in early 2025, with the first AI tools in place as early as the summer.

“Denver wants to be leading the pack, and be a true innovator in this space,” Robert Peek, director of development system performance for the planning department, told the Denver Business Journal.

“We see this as an opportunity to both help our customers and the whole plan review process.”

The AI tools are being developed as the department expects a crush of permit requests.

Homeowners will no longer have to wade through a rezoning process to get approval for accessory dwelling units, but still must file plans before building a granny flat, a self-contained living space on the same property as a main residence.

Average plan review times for residential projects now span one to four weeks, 30 percent quicker than a year ago, Peek said. Commercial projects take two to four weeks, 17 percent faster.

Lopping off half that time through the use of AI could speed housing applications to between a few days and two weeks, and commercial project reviews to one to two weeks.

The city has already developed an AI-powered chatbot named Sunny to improve efficiency for 3-1-1 services. At a Den AI Summit this summer, Mayor Mike Johnston had pledged to promote the use of AI in Denver for civic improvement.

The pending planning permitting wizard would walk applicants through the permitting process by asking guiding questions to make sure applicants meet the criteria for a permit before it’s submitted for review.

The plan review tool would then function as a junior plan reviewer, augmenting the work of plan reviewers by assisting with code cross-references and finding compliance issues like missed signatures and stamps.

When a mistake is identified, the review tool would immediately ask the customer to update and resubmit the permit, a process that now takes days, Peek said.

“We’re working to meet the customer where they’re at, and I feel like our customers expect us to be delivering these types of services,” Peek told the newspaper. “They want options.”

— Dana Bartholomew