Livable Centers program letter of interest opens October 1- Join the informational webinar!
DRCOG is accepting letters of interest for the Livable Centers Small-Area Planning program. This initiative offers a unique opportunity to plan for your community’s livability with substantial funding and support. Register for the informational webinar to be held 1 p.m., Tuesday, October 14, 2025, to learn more about the program and jump-start your planning efforts.
Project focus: The Livable Centers program supports the development of small-area plans and studies that integrate land use or housing strategies with multimodal transportation strategies in key centers across the region.
Who can apply? County and municipal governments, regional agencies, nonprofits, state offices and public colleges and universities. Non-governmental organizations must have local government support. Due to the funding source, the project must be located in the metropolitan planning organization area.
Key dates:
- Letter of interest solicitation: October 1 - November 15.
- Informational webinar: 1 p.m., Tuesday, October 14.
For more information, please review the call for letters of interest overview.
We look forward to receiving letters of interest and collaborating on projects that will enhance livability and connectivity in the DRCOG area.
What are livable centers?
Livable centers are diverse types of central locations for different communities. They may often be called urban centers, employment centers, activity centers, multimodal centers, historic town centers, station areas, neighborhood centers, transit centers, activity centers, or centers and nodes. Livable centers does not refer to a formal designation in Metro Vision.
Program overview
The Livable Centers Small-Area Planning Program is DRCOG-led technical assistance funded through the fiscal years 2024-2027 Transportation Improvement Program. Small-area planning projects will identify ways to enhance and increase livability in connected multimodal centers. This program can fund a wide range of small-area plans, analyses or studies addressing land use, housing or transportation in a center or node on the region’s multimodal transportation system. The goals of this program are derived from Metro Vision to:
- Increase housing and employment in connected centers.
- Support the investment in multimodal enhancements and transit access along corridors connecting centers.
- Promote investment and reinvestment in existing communities.
- Increase opportunities for diverse housing accessible by multimodal transportation.
- Improve access to and from the region’s developed and emerging housing and employment centers.
- Improve multimodal access to employment, commerce, educational, cultural and recreational opportunities for residents of all ages, incomes and abilities.
Program highlights
- Total funding: $2.5 million is identified as a set-aside in the 2024-2027 Transportation Improvement Program.
- Current cycle: $835,000 available for the 2025-2026 application cycle, which is open from October 1 to November 15, 2025.
- Fully funded: Project sponsors are not required to provide local match. Projects will be fully funded using federal funding and state toll credits, thanks to a partnership with the Colorado Department of Transportation.
- Small-area planning projects: DRCOG will procure consultant services for planning and analysis.
- Project management: DRCOG staff will manage procurement, provide project management support, and maintain the intergovernmental agreement with the Colorado Department of Transportation.
- Collaboration and partnership: Project sponsors and DRCOG staff will work together in close partnership to support community needs and goals.
Call for letters of interest
DRCOG will accept project proposals through a short letter of interest application, available online from October 1 through November 15, 2025. Review the call for letters of interest overview, which includes important information about the process.
Steps to participate
- Review the call for letters of interest overview.
- Join the informational webinar on October 14.
- Reach out to DRCOG staff to discuss project ideas.
- For Livable Centers, schedule a meeting with Kaitlyn Service.
- If the project could fit under multiple DRCOG set-aside programs (Community-Based Transportation, Innovative Mobility, and Livable Centers), schedule a joint meeting with DRCOG staff representing all three programs.
- Prepare the project's proposal. Reference these resources:
Prepare a letter of understanding acknowledging a commitment to attend recurring project meetings, share relevant data, support community engagement, and contribute to future implementation efforts. The letter should also state that the project sponsor will review deliverables, serve as a liaison with local officials, and provide updates to the local board or council. It should be signed by the sponsor’s senior leadership with authority to commit staff time. This partnership with DRCOG will be essential to achieving shared goals and making a positive community impact.
Submit a letter of interest for a set-asides project between October 1 and November 15, 2025.
Projects will be evaluated and prioritized based on the evaluation criteria adopted by the DRCOG Board of Directors.
Stay tuned for project approvals! Projects will be recommended through the DRCOG Transportation Advisory Committee and Regional Transportation Committee and approved by the DRCOG Board of Directors.
Timeline
- Letters of interest solicitation: October 1 - November 15, 2025.
- Informational webinar: October 14, 2025. Register here.
- Project selection and approvals: November 2025 - March 2026.
- Scope development and consultant procurement: Spring and summer 2026.
Projects underway
These projects were identified through the 2024 letter of interest process, based on their alignment with Board-approved evaluation criteria that reflect the goals of Metro Vision. Project selection was approved by the DRCOG Board of Directors at its December 2024 meeting, following review and recommended approval by the Transportation Advisory Committee and the Regional Transportation Committee.
- Arapahoe County: The Florida Corridor Multimodal Improvements project will focus on enhancing transportation options along Florida Avenue in Denver, Aurora, and unincorporated Arapahoe County. The study will improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, connectivity, and access to key destinations, including transit hubs, parks, and commercial areas, while addressing cross-jurisdictional challenges. This project will be closely coordinated with the Florida Corridor Micromobility Hubs project funded through the Innovative Mobility Set-Aside, which will identify potential micromobility hub locations along the Florida Corridor and Four Square Mile area.
- Boulder County: The Mobility Needs Assessment Framework for the Boulder County Housing Authority, also known as the BCHA, will develop a toolkit for evaluating multimodal transportation improvements to enhance connectivity and access to key destinations for residents of housing authority properties. The project will pilot the framework at the housing authority's properties to address current and future mobility needs.
- City of Arvada: The Livable Centers in Transit Oriented Communities project will conduct a land use, housing type diversity, and needs assessment in Arvada's transit areas to enhance housing options and connectivity. The study will inform future planning strategies for diverse and affordable housing in key transit corridors and urban centers.
- City of Aurora: The Fitzsimons Innovative Transportation Solutions Study will assess current transportation conditions and explore strategies to enhance multimodal access to the Fitzsimons Urban Center, improving connectivity for residents, employees, and visitors while reducing traffic congestion. The study aims to develop coordinated transportation and parking solutions to support the area's ongoing growth and ensure efficient use of land and infrastructure.
- City of Centennial: The East Midtown Centennial Small Area Plan will provide a framework for the evolution of the East Midtown area, guiding its development into a cohesive district with housing, commercial spaces, and enhanced multimodal transportation options. The plan will address infrastructure needs, zoning updates, and connectivity to envision a transit-oriented hub within the city.
- City of Edgewater: The Edgewater Livable Center project aims to enhance land use, housing, and transportation strategies to improve livability and multimodal connections. The study will focus on increasing housing opportunities, addressing affordability, and improving pedestrian, bicycle, and transit access.
- City of Sheridan: The City of Sheridan Housing and Transportation Strategies Study will develop policies and strategies to enhance housing opportunities and transportation access, aligning with state requirements. This project will focus on increasing housing around transit corridors, addressing barriers to development, and promoting sustainable growth through infill and redevelopment.
Additional resources
View pages 61-67 of the TIP Set-aside policies for more detail on eligible project types and eligible project locations.
To discuss a Livable Centers project proposal, email Kaitlyn Service, program manager, or schedule a meeting.
Considering multiple DRCOG set-aside programs? Schedule a meeting with DRCOG staff representing three programs (Community-Based Transportation, Innovative Mobility, and Livable Centers) to discuss your project proposal, eligibility, and which program may be the best fit.
Additional Background
The Livable Centers Small-Area Planning Program is part of the DRCOG Board-adopted Transportation Improvement Program Set-Aside Programs for fiscal years 2024-2027, designed to help implement Metro Vision, the region’s long-range growth and development plan. The set-aside uses federal Surface Transportation Block Grant funding to provide technical assistance and small-area planning in communities across the region, with the goal of increasing livability, connectivity, and multimodal accessibility in key centers and corridors.
Unlike traditional surface transportation block grant projects, which typically fund large-scale infrastructure, Livable Centers planning efforts involve smaller dollar amounts ($100,000-$300,000) Due to the significant administrative requirements and federal compliance burdens tied to the grant, many jurisdictions find these smaller planning awards difficult to administer and not cost-effective from a local agency perspective. As a result, many local governments have expressed that pursuing these funds independently is not worth the effort.
To address this, the DRCOG Board authorized DRCOG staff to manage the program centrally. DRCOG holds the contract, procures consultant services and manages the intergovernmental agreement with the Colorado Department of Transportation, helping to streamline the process, remove administrative barriers, and ensure efficient use of federal dollars. This regional approach also eliminates local match requirements, as a result of DRCOG’s coordination with CDOT to apply state toll credits, making these projects fully funded for local partners. This centralized delivery model is also the standard approach across three other Board-adopted set-aside programs (including Transportation Corridor Planning, Community-Based Transportation Planning, and Innovative Mobility).
The program is a strategic, Board-directed initiative to advance regional goals through an efficient, centralized delivery model for federal funds that would otherwise be inaccessible to many communities. By strategically managing the program, DRCOG enables transformational planning efforts to implement Metro Vision and expand the capacity of local government partners.