Arapahoe County planning commission recommends denial of proposed affordable-housing code changes

The Arapahoe County Planning Commission on Aug. 5 recommended denial of proposed amendments to the county Land Development Code intended to incentivize development of affordable housing and streamline multifamily and mixed-use projects.

The recommendation followed a staff presentation from planning staff and roughly an hour of discussion focused on the proposal’s three-tier incentive structure, waivers of neighborhood outreach for the highest tier, and locational criteria that could make some open-space parcels eligible for rezoning. Commissioners split 3–2 on a motion to deny the amendments after an initial motion to recommend approval failed.

Kat Hammer of Arapahoe County planning staff summarized the draft amendments as a package of changes meant to encourage multifamily and mixed-use development. “In December 2023, the Board of County Commissioners asked staff to draft regulations to encourage the development of affordable housing and provide a more streamlined process for development of multifamily and mixed use residential projects,” Hammer said. She described two new zone districts — a multifamily district and a denser mixed-use district — a three-tier incentive chart (minimum affordable-unit…