zoning
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Colorado justices wary of expanding rezoning by ballot initiative
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The Colorado Supreme Court appeared wary on Wednesday of allowing rezonings of planned-unit developments to occur through a vote at the ballot box, rather than a municipality’s detailed review process that accounts for specific factors. In contrast to traditional, or “Euclidean,” zoning that separates land uses by type, planned-unit developments are based on negotiated agreements on…
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Lakewood zoning petitions deemed sufficient, may lead to special election
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The year-long quarrel regarding Lakewood’s new zoning code is stretching into the new year, with petition signatures potentially taking the issue to the ballot this spring. A nearly 400-page zoning code update was sent to the City Council in February and was officially approved on Oct. 13. It took effect at the beginning of the year.…
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Lakewood City Council approves zoning map
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Lakewood finalized the last ordinance for its nearly 400-page zoning code proposal on Monday and approved the zoning map, ending a heated process that had sparked controversy in the city since the beginning of the year. The final ordinance of the new Lakewood zoning code was approved with an 8-3 vote during the City Council…
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Appeals court tells Grand County judge to reexamine spat between town officials
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Colorado’s second-highest court directed a Grand County judge last week to conduct further analysis of the defamation claim by two former Grand Lake officials against the ex-town manager. The immediate issue before the Court of Appeals was relatively narrow: Did defendant John Crone act “willfully and wantonly” when he sent a 2021 email to the…
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Federal judge hears religious exercise case of Castle Rock church, with SCOTUS looming in background
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In a case that appears designed to catch the attention of the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority, a federal judge heard arguments on Monday about whether a Castle Rock church’s religious belief that it should house the homeless is enough to let the congregation bypass the town’s zoning restrictions and continue operating temporary shelters in…
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Appeals court rules developer may bring ballot initiative to rezone Telluride neighborhood
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Colorado’s second-highest court on Wednesday clarified that a developer may bring a ballot initiative in Telluride to rezone part of a planned-unit development for affordable housing despite other lot owners’ objections. A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals stressed that the question of whether the zoning change infringes on the rights of homeowners in…
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Denver mayor won’t hold community meeting following successful zoning appeal of Overland Park homeless site
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Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s office won’t conduct another community meeting following a Denver resident’s successful appeal, which disputed the “micro-community” zoning code for the Overland Park neighborhood and forced the city to resubmit the permit request. Craig Arfsten, president and co-founder of Safe and Clean Denver, successfully persuaded the city’s appeals board that a zoning…
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Appeals court sides with Lakewood in Colorado Christian University’s zoning discrimination case
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Even though a recently enacted zoning ordinance only applies to housing operated by Colorado Christian University, the state’s second-highest court last month concluded the city of Lakewood did not unconstitutionally discriminate against the school by forcing it to stop leasing to students in a residential neighborhood next to campus. CCU sued the city over an…
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‘A nightmare:’ Residents demand changes to Denver’s city planning department
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As Mayor-elect Mike Johnston prepares to take office next week, some Denver residents are calling on him to make major changes to city planning. Around 80 people gathered at Carla Madison Rec Center Monday afternoon to share their thoughts on Denver’s Community Planning and Development Department. This was the latest of Johnston’s 28 planned public forums…
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Colorado’s property tax system hangs in balance as state Supreme Court mulls COVID-19 challenges
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Colorado’s Supreme Court justices on Wednesday spent three hours pondering a pair of questions that could open the door to widespread, perhaps even perpetual, property revaluations across the state: Did COVID-19 and the accompanying public health orders in 2020 constitute “unusual conditions” necessitating a reexamination of property values? And did those revaluations need to happen…
