Lakewood passed zoning updates last year after a two-year community process. Zoning might sound obscure, but it largely shapes our city landscape by defining what can be built where. The zoning code updates aim to help meet our desperate need for more affordable housing. Housing costs are a problem across the entire state, and what is happening in Lakewood will set the tone in many other cities taking up zoning reform, including Denver.
The main change is simple – more strict building size limits in residential areas, while those small buildings are newly allowed to be used in ways that match the types of housing we currently lack. Starter homes like duplexes and townhomes will be allowed on lots where previously only a single-unit detached house could be built.
Height limits and setback distances are unchanged, and a 50 percent green space requirement was implemented for every lot. This flexibility unlocks different home-buying options while the size limits ensure large apartment buildings and McMansions are not mixed in among modest houses where they do not belong…