Fort Collins Code Update Rescinded Due to ADU Opposition

Fort Collins, Colorado is working toward a new land use code, months after repealing a new code approved in November due to a public petition opposing the changes. Molly Bohannon has been following the developing story throughout the twists and turns of the start-and-stop process.

The city of Fort Collins updated its land use code after 15 months of  work on November 1, 2022, adopting the first change to the regulations governing development in the city since 1997. By January 2023, the city had rescinded that approval in response to a citizen-led petition. The council voted 5-2 to approve the land use code in November. The council voted 7-0 to repeal the code in January.

According to an article by Bohannon published in December, the former land use codes was intended “to increase housing capacity, improve affordability, have a more diverse housing stock in the city, and make the code easier to understand and housing development reviews more predictable.” The former land use code allowed the construction of accessory dwelling units in all residential zones, for example.

The opponents leading the petition drive, Preserve Fort Collins, cited a lack of public engagement and concern over the city’s charactering opposing the code update, according to the same article. “Public opposition to the changes stemmed largely from the concern that they would diminish the city’s quality by allowing more dense housing types in historically single-family neighborhoods and that the changes were formed without adequate public engagement,” writes Bohannon in the same article.

Fast forward to the present day, and Bohannon reports that city staff are getting ready to start to work on revisions to the code update, starting with a new round of community engagement. “Staff estimated the cost of this round of engagement to be about $150,000 and said they hope to be able to come back to council in August, but they don't want to rush it,” reports Bohannon in the source article linked below.