Broomfield staff outlines multi-year planning code updates; council gives preliminary direction on ADU changes required by HB 24-1152

City planning staff reviewed a multi-year work program to update Broomfield's planning and development regulations and asked for council direction on accessory dwelling unit (ADU) changes required by recent state legislation (HB 24-1152).

Deputy Director Lynn Merwin described 2025 priorities including a major comprehensive plan update, an I‑25 subarea rewrite, energy code updates and a fast‑track review for income‑aligned housing. She said several items are driven by state mandates, including ADU code changes, parking minimum updates, transit‑oriented community requirements and landscaping changes to reduce nonfunctional turf.

Senior planner Ted Harburg presented the ADU-specific implications of HB 24-1152. Current Broomfield rules, Harburg said, allow ADUs attached, detached or interior to the principal dwelling; cap ADUs at 50% of the primary dwelling footprint and 800 square feet maximum; require one off‑street parking space per ADU; require owner occupancy of either the ADU or the primary dwelling; and prohibit ADUs from being used for short‑term rentals.

HB 24-1152 requires jurisdictions to allow ADUs…