Community Development and Planning Training Opportunities
The Community Development Office provides technical assistance and training services to communities through a series of workshops and recorded webinars related to land use planning, economic development, and sustainable community development.
The Community Development Office provides planning refresher trainings to a limited number of municipalities and counties locally by request. These Planning Refresher sessions provide a general overview for planning commissioners and elected boards, this brief workshop is helpful for both new and long-time officials. The agenda can be tailored to fit your specific needs, but typically includes the following elements:
- Planning Authority and Enabling Legislation
- The Role of the Planning Commission in Relation to Elected Officials and Staff
- Long Range Planning and Implementation Tools
- Effective Meetings and the Decision Making Process
- Legal and Ethical Review (ex parte contacts, conflicts of interest, etc.)
The session usually takes two hours depending on the agenda. View the Virtual Planning Refresher webinar. Please contact KC McFerson with any questions or to request a Planning Refresher workshop in your area.
Housing Strategies Peer Exchange
The Community Development Office is hosting a monthly peer exchange series for local governments working on affordable housing strategies and land use issues. Each month will feature a different topic with presentations from selected Colorado communities, with ample time allowed for questions and discussion.
This interactive virtual series will take place on the third Thursday of each month from 9 to 10 a.m. Register for the series to add the Zoom event to your calendar and receive updates about future scheduled topics. Upcoming and previous events are listed below with links to the videos and presentations.
Upcoming Meetings
Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 9 a.m.
Topic: Effective local financing strategies for affordable housing
Thursday, September 18, 2025 at 9 a.m.
Topic: Proposition 123 Fast Track implementation / adoption panel discussion
Thursday, October 16, 2025 at 9 a.m.
Topic: Affordability and Displacement Mitigation Strategies Directory and resources
July 2025: Accessory Dwelling Units: This meeting featured speakers from Grand Junction and Larimer County discussing their approaches to ADUs as well as a preview of DOLA's new ADU Grant Program.
June 2025: The session scheduled for June 19 was canceled in observance of the Juneteenth holiday.
May 2025: Fast Track Panel Discussion: This meeting featured a roundtable discussion with several communities implementing Fast Track processes.
April 2025: Modular Housing: April's session featured DOLA Deputy Director Maulid Miskell talking about Colorado SB25-002, the “Modular Bill” and how it could help create more consistent guidelines for modular and factory-built homes in Colorado. Gunnison County presented the new Sawtooth project, a modular housing project that opened its doors this month.
March 2025: Water Planning & Housing Strategies: Scott Williamson, Land Use & Water Planner at DOLA's Division of Local Government reviewed the state legislation aimed at water planning and conservation. Mark Lorie, Water Resources Superintendent for the City and County of Broomfield, shared the strategies they are using to encourage water conservation.
February 2025: Regional Collaboration on Proposition 123 & affordable housing. Learn about multi-jurisdictional efforts in different regions of Colorado, where cities, towns, and counties are collaborating on various aspects of Proposition 123.
January 2025: January's session addressed building energy codes, and provided an opportunity for the affordable housing community to engage with the state's work to set minimum energy code requirements to ensure positive outcomes for affordable housing.
January 2025: January's session addressed building energy codes, and provided an opportunity for the affordable housing community to engage with the state's work to set minimum energy code requirements to ensure positive outcomes for affordable housing.
- January Meeting Recording
- January Meeting Slides
- Colorado Energy Code Updates and Affordable Housing Slides
December 2024: December's session was a live virtual networking event and was not recorded.
November 2024: Template Land Development Code
October 2024: Transit and Mobility Outside the Urban Core
September 2024: Fast Tracking Affordable Housing through Zoning Policies recording
August 2024: Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) recording
July 2024: Incentive Programs recording
June 2024: Housing Authorities recording
The Community Development Office has a series of recorded webinars on land use and community planning topics.
2018 Planning for Hazards Webinar Series
Logan Sand (DOLA)
Comprehensive Plan Standards for Sustaining Places: Taking Action in Colorado
Anne Miller, David Morley, Darcie White, and Erin Fosdick
1 hour
Why Planners are Critical to Achieving Resilience
Andrew Rumbach
1 hour and 23 minutes
Chairing and Participating in Public Meetings
Gerald Dahl
20 minutes
Planning for Hazards
Anne Miller &, Tareq Wafaie
42 minutes
Integrating Hazards into the Comprehensive Plan
Logan Sand, Tareq Wafaie, Rachel Bacon, and Karen Berchtold
58 minutes
Planetizen Courses offer a wealth of online planning and community development training topics to choose from. If you want to round out your planning knowledge, this is a good place to start.
Contact Information
Community Development Office
1313 Sherman Street, Room 521
Denver, CO 80203
303-864-7720 (main)
Andy Hill, Community Development Office Director
303-864-7725
andy.hill@state.co.us
Contacts by Team
Planning Team
KC McFerson, Senior Planner
720-557-4661
kc.mcferson@state.co.us
Scott Williamson, Land Use and Water Planner
720-237-1420
scott.williamson@state.co.us
Moira Blake, Strong Communities Program Assistant
720-417-5696
moira.blake@state.co.us
Nicola Donaven, IHOP/IHOI Program Assistant II
720-955-9692
nicola.donaven@state.co.us
Mitch Hendrick, Senior Housing and Land Use Planner
303-548-9364
mitch.hendrick@state.co.us
Robyn DiFalco, Local Planning Capacity Grant Program Manager
720-682-5202
robyn.difalco@state.co.us
Jessica Rupe, Local Planning Capacity Grant Program Assistant
720-557-4902
jessica.rupe@state.co.us
Lisa Loranger, Strong Communities Grant Program Manager
303-565-6200
lisa.loranger@state.co.us
Jason Schaefer, Housing and Land Use Planning Analyst
720-822-5612
jason.schaefer@state.co.us
Main Street Program
Gayle Langley, Main Street Program Coordinator
720-498-0563
gayle.langley@state.co.us
Larry Lucas, Main Street Architect
720-402-9303
larry.lucas@state.co.us
Traci Stoffel, Main Street Specialist
720-467-4327
traci.stoffel@state.co.us