After nearly four months of deliberations, the Denver City Council’s Land Use, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced a “softer” proposal on Tuesday that will change the city’s zoning rules to raise the number of people who can share a home. 

Over seven presentations between Sept. 1 and Dec. 22, city planners worked with LUTI members to craft legislation that reflects a wide variety of input gathered over roughly three years. The council deliberately slowed down the process in response to fierce opposition from community members, along with the majority of City Council members, who said the plan needed more work. 

The goal, planners have said from the beginning, is to increase flexibility and housing options for residents in Denver, the second-most gentrified city in the country; to streamline permitting processes for providers; and to make it easier for those experiencing homelessness, trying to get sober or who have other special needs to live and access services.

“Opening new opportunities for more housing options is key to addressing our city’s housing needs, and that need for those housing options has only grown more urgent in the wake of COVID-19,” Mayor Michael Hancock said in a statement Aug. 19. “It’s more important than ever that we have a zoning code that reflects how people live now, as well as the values of the more equitable city we want to live in.”

Many residents argue, however, that the change could lead to unsafe neighborhoods, overcrowding, noise, inadequate home maintenance, scarce parking, unfamiliar neighbors and negative impacts on property values.

The latest proposal crafted in committee would allow up to five unrelated adults to live together, instead of the two that are currently allowed in a house. Any number of related adults can continue to live together. Another proposed change would prevent halfway houses from being located where only single-family, duplex and row house homes can be constructed. 

Other measures include expanding the land area available for community corrections from about 3,200 acres largely in industrial areas and downtown, to nearly 20,000 acres throughout the city, “primarily along commercial corridors, where there is better access to transit and jobs,” according to CPD. The city would also cap the number of smaller facilities serving up to 10 people in a single area “to avoid overburdening neighborhoods.”

Senior city planner Andrew Webb also told committee members that the proposal will improve predictability for providers and neighbors by standardizing permitting processes and regulations, such as spacing between facilities, and requiring community information meetings for larger residential care uses to notify and educate neighbors and foster positive relationships.

The full Denver City Council will hold a public hearing and a final vote on the proposed zoning amendments on Feb. 8, 2021. 

Written public comments will be accepted up to and during the final public hearing on February 8. To submit written comments for inclusion in the final staff report, email them to planningservices@denvergov.org. Comments must be received by the Thursday before the public hearing to be included in the staff report. Comments may also be emailed directly to City Council members at dencc@denvergov.org.