Colorado is known for its sweeping vistas. No wonder homeowners cherish a mountain view nearly as much as the home itself.
But when considering buying a home with a view, it’s important to understand one fact: “If you happen to live in an area where, from your house or from the balcony of your tall building, you have a big view of the mountains, that makes you lucky,” a senior city planner with Denver Community Planning and Development told Denverite. “But…we don’t protect private views.”
Denverite recently interviewed two women who live in a three-story building with a view of Red Rocks and the Rockies – but not for long. A five-story building will soon destroy their line of sight.
It came as a surprise to them—as it would to many—that they have little recourse to stop the view-blocking development.
For this reason, those determined to buy a magnificent view should first consider the views the city does protect: public spaces. Denverite notes that the city prevents “development from blocking vistas from places where people gather, mostly parks.” These are called “view planes.”
The city has 14 view planes:
- Cheesman Park
- City Park
- Civic Center
- Coors Field
- Cranmer Park
- Hirschorn Park
- Old City Hall
- Park at 51st and Zuni
- Ruby Hill Park
- Sloan’s Lake Park
- Southmoor Park
- State Capitol
- State Home
- Washington Park
The view is only protected from a designated point at each place, so homeowners studying such planes should keep that in mind—and realize that there are few guarantees that your cherished view will be permanent when purchasing a home.