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Council adopts medium- to high-density residential zoning changes amid debate about building heights
Summary
On second reading the council approved Ordinance 2275 to create new R7 high-density zoning and revise R3/R5 standards, including an R7 maximum height of 80 feet; council debate focused on mountain views, density, and how height and unit counts align.
The City and County of Broomfield City Council voted 8–2 to approve Ordinance 2275 on second and final reading, revising the municipal zoning code to add and rename medium- and high-density residential districts and to change development standards for multifamily housing.
The ordinance renames the existing R3 district to “medium-low density” and updates it to accommodate townhomes, duplexes, triplexes and clustered cottage products. R5 is to be called “medium-high density,” updated for neighborhood-scale multiunit development. The ordinance creates a new R7 district intended for higher-density multifamily projects and sets a maximum by-right building height of 80 feet for R7; R7 developments will require site-plan review and council approval.
Planning manager Brandon Rowe said the changes update code that dates to 1973 and respond to recent development patterns and the city’s open-space and housing goals: “The R7 District…is intended for higher density, multifamily or multiunit projects,” he said during the hearing.
Resident Carl Buckholtz, who lives in the Lacombeau neighborhood, urged a lower height limit. “I strongly urge council to amend the current proposed R7 height allowance…to 60 feet,” he said, citing concerns about the city’s viewshed and the differences between Broomfield and neighboring jurisdictions.
Council members debated the trade-offs between allowing greater height and encouraging more units. Some members said a higher by-right height creates certainty for developers and can speed approvals, supporting housing production and potential affordability. Others said raising the maximum to 80 feet without adjusting the unit-per-acre ratios created a mismatch and risked harming long-term mountain views for some neighborhoods.
Key provisions and clarifications - R7 (new) established as a high-density district; R7 projects require site-plan and council review. - Council-approved stepbacks and lower height limits where higher-density parcels abut lower-density single-family neighborhoods (examples: maximum 35-foot height within 35 feet of property line adjacent to R1 shown in staff table). - By-right R7 maximum height set at 80 feet; R5 proposed at 50 feet and R6 at 60 feet in staff tables. - Rezoning to R7 is a discretionary public process: rezonings will require neighborhood notification, a Land Use Review Commission hearing, and a council public hearing.
How the vote went - Motion to approve Ordinance 2275 on second reading: moved by Council member Ward; seconded by Council member Wynne. - Final vote: 8 yes, 2 no.
Why it matters: The ordinance updates decades-old zoning and creates a framework for more multifamily housing in Broomfield. The changes are intended to increase housing supply and diversify housing stock, but they also shift the debate about where and at what scale taller buildings will be allowed. Council discussion indicated that future rezoning requests will be evaluated on a site-by-site basis through public hearings.
Next steps: The ordinance is now final; existing parcels are not automatically rezoned. Any property owner seeking R7 or other rezoning must apply and will be subject to neighborhood notification and public hearings.
