Westminster council hears implementation plan for new state housing and planning laws; members raise water, staffing and local-control concerns

At a Feb. 3 study session, Westminster planning staff and the city manager briefed the City Council on implementing recently enacted state planning laws that affect parking near transit, housing capacity calculations and required updates to comprehensive and water-supply plans.

Long-range planner Andrew Spurgeon told councilors the presentation focused on three laws staff is tracking: “HB 24 13 o 4,” which preempts some local parking rules for multifamily housing near transit; “HB 24 13 13,” which establishes a formula and reporting process for a city-specific housing opportunity goal (HOG); and “Senate bill 24 1 74,” which prescribes methods and deadlines for housing needs assessments, comprehensive plans and housing action plans. Spurgeon said technical guidance from the state Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) is still pending and that DOLA has told cities they will receive no direct funding to meet the new requirements.

Why it matters: Staff warned the requirements could force substantial changes to Westminster’s zoning map, municipal code and permitting practice and would add multi-year staffing and consultant needs to meet statutory deadlines and ongoing reporting. Councilors repeatedly raised the possibility that local planning priorities, especially water-supply limits and the city’s strategic plan, could be sidelined by statewide deadlines.

Key details

- Deadlines and near-term work: Spurgeon said a…