More unrelated people can now live together in Denver
The change approved by City Council allows up to five unrelated adults to legally live together and expands areas where residential care facilities can open.
Denver City Council adopted a sweeping set of rules Monday for group living after nearly three years of public discussions, meetings and tweaks based on feedback.
The measures passed 11-2 early Tuesday morning after a public comment session that lasted more than five hours. Councilmembers Kevin Flynn and Amanda Sawyer voted against the proposal.
“At the end of the day I think these changes represent very broad input from the community,” said Councilmember Debbie Ortega, who supported the changes.
The changes to the city’s zoning code will allow halfway houses in more parts of the city and increase the number of unrelated adults who can share a home. Up to five unrelated adults will be able to legally live together in homes in Denver, up from two. Residential facilities like homeless shelters, halfway houses, sober living and rehabilitation facilities, and assisted living and nursing homes will be regulated by size rather than by the types of services they offer.
The new rules will provide more spaces for halfway houses in Denver. Before Monday’s City Council vote, halfway homes were only allowed in about 3,210 acres of industrial areas near downtown. Now, they can stretch out to 19,000 acres in commercial corridors throughout the city. The new law will prohibit halfway homes from entering residential areas where only single-family, duplex and row house homes are built, or so-called low-intensity areas.
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