Denver's middle-housing plan is citywide again, but only if an old house stays or an affordable unit is built

Denver planners have widened their "Unlocking Housing Choices" zoning proposal back to the whole city, according to materials for a series of public meetings this month. Denverite reported Wednesday that a citywide upzoning is "back on the menu."

Why it matters: almost 40% of Denver's land allows only single-unit homes, the city's presentation says. The proposal decides whether owners in those areas could add duplexes, triplexes or fourplexes, and on what conditions. The City Council has the final say.

How the plan changed

In late September, city staff narrowed the plan to properties within a quarter-mile of the city's transit priority streets and rail stations, Denverite reported at the time.

The November version applies to single-unit (SU) and two-unit (TU) zone districts and their older Former Chapter 59 equivalents everywhere in the city. But it is not a blanket allowance. From the presentation and display boards:

Retention bonus. Keep the existing house, and you can build more homes on the lot. The new homes can be rented or sold on separate parcels.

Affordability bonus. Include at least one income-restricted affordable unit, and you can build more homes even if the old house comes down.

A cap by neighborhood type. Up to four primary homes per lot in the zoning code's Urban and Urban Edge contexts, which have grid streets and alleys. Up to two in the Suburban context, which has curving streets and no alleys.

Limits on big single homes. New single-unit houses would get a cap on above-ground living space, with more allowed as units are added. On a lot of 5,001 to 7,000 square feet, for example, one home could have 3,500 square feet; four or more units could total 5,500. Existing homes over the limit could be rebuilt or remodeled to their current size.

Same height and setbacks. The plan keeps current height, bulk plane and setback rules for the front of a lot and uses backyard-cottage rules for the rear. It also changes the definition of a "half story" to prevent three-story homes and applies rules meant to stop "slot home" developments.

Accessory dwelling units aren't changing, the boards say.

Without a bonus, single-unit districts would stay single-unit. "Areas zoned for single homes (SU) are expected to stay mostly single-unit," a display board says.

The timeline

From the presentation:

• November: Public meetings. Two remain, Nov. 18 at Barnum Recreation Center and Nov. 19 at Harvard Gulch Recreation Center.
• December: Amendment drafting and public review.
• January 2027: Planning Board hearing.
• February: Council's Community Planning and Housing Committee.
• March: Council public hearing and vote.

The project page's FAQ still says Phase 1 would go to the Council "in late 2026." The November presentation puts it in 2027.

What our records add

The Council has been briefed at least four times. After presentations in August and December 2025, city staff briefed members at workshops in March (26-0335, video) and June (26-0933, video). At the June 23 workshop, which also included Planning Board members, the question period ran more than an hour (video). At the March 17 workshop, members asked about property values, lot counts, segregation and infrastructure (video).

Where members stand. Denverite has reported that Council member Kevin Flynn has been one of the plan's main critics, arguing that a citywide change overrides neighborhood plans, and that Darrell Watson has pushed to restore the original, broader version.

No bill yet. The Council's legislative records show only the briefings. An ordinance would be filed after the Planning Board.

What's next

The next public meeting is Nov. 18, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Barnum Recreation Center, 360 Hooker St., according to the city.