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County planners outline aggressive schedule to meet state transit‑oriented rezoning goals
Summary
Planning staff briefed commissioners on state strategic-growth and transit‑oriented communities laws and said unincorporated Arapahoe County must add zoning capacity for roughly 19,176–20,000 additional units near transit by Dec. 31, 2026; staff outlined outreach and administrative steps starting Jan. 2026.
Arapahoe County planning staff told the commission on Dec. 2, 2025, that state planning laws require a rapid local response this year and next. Jason Reynolds, planning division manager (participating by phone), summarized two state actions: a strategic-growth requirement (planning elements and a water element) and House Bill 24-1313 (transit‑oriented communities), which requires jurisdictions to calculate a housing opportunity goal around transit areas and provide zoning capacity to meet that goal.
Reynolds said Arapahoe County’s unincorporated housing opportunity goal is approximately 24,463 zoned units near transit, of which only about 5,287 currently are zoned — creating a deficit of roughly 19,176 units that the county must address by Dec. 31, 2026. He noted the duty is to provide zoning capacity (not necessarily to build the units) and described an aggressive schedule that begins in January 2026 with three outreach meetings focused on geographic clusters (a future federal bus rapid transit corridor, the Dry Creek light-rail station area, and the 4‑square‑mile area along Parker and Mississippi). Reynolds cautioned the schedule is ambitious but said the state will issue guidance in January 2026 and that failing to meet requirements could affect eligibility for certain state funding.
Staff also described necessary local actions: adding a strategic-growth element and a water element to the comprehensive plan, adopting administrative approval processes for small multifamily projects in transit centers, and coordinating referral and outreach across jurisdictions. The presentation included an example: the Dayton Station rezoning discussed earlier would help the county toward the required density floors (a minimum of 15 dwelling units per acre for designated transit centers). Reynolds said staff plans to return to the commission with visual overlays of the state tool and proposed rezone areas.
Next steps: staff will begin outreach in January 2026, host multiple public meetings and coordinate subsequent planning and BOCC adoption hearings through 2026 to meet the statutory deadline.
