Jefferson County updates commissioners on 15-year housing plan and state transit-oriented communities requirements

County planning and transportation officials told Jefferson County commissioners on June 17 that the county faces a sizable housing shortfall and outlined options for complying with a state transit-oriented communities requirement.

Avelma Montoya, director of Development and Transportation for Jefferson County, opened the briefing and introduced a multi-staff presentation on housing need, regulatory tools and next steps. Heather Guthrie Liss, long-range planning supervisor, summarized the county’s recent housing work and the 15-year housing strategic plan that the county adopted in February. Liss said the Denver-region assessment completed by DRCOG in 2024 identified a regional need of about 511,000 housing units; the county’s internal housing needs assessment estimates Jefferson County needs roughly 2,700 units per year (about 41,000 units by 2040), with unincorporated Jefferson County’s share roughly 880 units per year (about 13,200 units by 2040).

Liss said the county has been aligning the 15-year housing strategic plan with updates to the comprehensive plan, a new unified land use code (ULUC) effort, and the transportation mobility plan. She said key regulatory actions under consideration include modifying accessory-dwelling-unit rules, adding land…