An ADU in the Westwood neighborhood
An ADU in the Curtis Park neighborhood

ADUs in Denver Proposal Advances

Exciting news! The ADUs in Denver text amendment, the culmination of a year-long process working with Denver residents and stakeholders, has been recommended for approval by the Denver Planning Board. The proposed text amendment now moves to City Council's Land Use, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which will review the proposal at its meeting at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, April 18.


Pending approval by the LUTI committee, a final hearing and vote before the full council is tentatively scheduled for Monday, June 5. An updated draft of the text amendment is available for public review and comment.

Download the Updated Strategy Report
Download the 2-Page Summary
Download the Updated Draft Text Amendment
Download the Feedback Summary for Feb 2023 - March 2023

Providing Public Comment

Public comment on both the public review draft and strategy report may be submitted via the project comment form until Thursday, June 1. Feedback received before May 3 will be reviewed by staff and used to fine tune the draft text amendment. Feedback received after May 3 will be forwarded to City Council for their consideration.


The LUTI Committee meeting on April 18 does not involve public participation, but members of the public can observe proceedings live on Denver's Channel 8 or online at Denver8.tv.

What About Properties with Former Chapter 59 Zoning?


The ADUs in Denver text amendment would make zoning code changes to areas of Denver that are governed by the Denver Zoning Code, adopted in 2010. However, there are areas in Denver that are not governed by the Denver Zoning Code and instead are governed by Former Chapter 59 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code. There are rules for building ADUs in Former Chapter 59 that are more restrictive than what is being proposed by this project's recommendations. An additional legislative measure is needed to bring the proposed changes to Former Chapter 59 zone districts that allow ADUs. That measure is called a bridge amendment.


Read the Proposed Bridge Amendment>>>


The bridge amendment will not affect Former Chapter 59 zone districts that don't already allow ADUs.


The map below shows the properties governed by Former Chapter 59 shaded in orange. Some of these properties allow ADUs.

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Get caught up on the project

Watch previous advisory committee meetings
Review all downloads and resources
Why are we doing this work?

In 2019, the Denver City Council adopted Blueprint Denver, a citywide land use plan that was developed based on public input. Thousands of residents helped create the policy recommendations in Blueprint Denver, which includes specific recommendations regarding ADUs:

 

  • that barriers to ADU construction be removed, 
  • that zoning rules be reviewed and adjusted so ADUs fit into a variety of neighborhood contexts. 

 

ADUs can be a great way to increase affordable housing options, keep families living on the same property, and add gentle density to a neighborhood. 

Visit the project webpage for the latest updates
Learn more in the project background report
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