The Lakewood City Council will break up a nearly 400-page zoning code proposal into four separate ordinances, with elected officials noting the complexity of the task and the need to individually tackle some issues. 

The councilmembers then plan to take up each one individually.

The 2025 changes to the city’s zoning code have been a topic of debate since the beginning of the year, with the initial draft hitting councilmembers’ desks in February. At the regular meeting on Monday, the council decided to break up the significant changes into four separate second readings on individual dates, with hopes of taking a vote prior to the city council election on Nov. 4.

Councilmember Bill Furman proposed the amendment, with the council approving breaking up the ordinances in a 10-1 vote.

“It became apparent to me that there are a lot of outstanding questions that I think need to be resolved before we can move forward and vote on this,” Councilmember Paula Nystrom said, adding that the last time she checked, the council had submitted 58 pages of questions.

“I am for finishing our very important homework on this with this current council of folks who have been studying this for two years and not kicking this to folks that just got elected,” Councilmember Roger Low said. 

The new public hearing dates include the following days:

• Aug. 25 for Articles 6-14

• Sept. 8 for Articles 1, 2, 4 and 5

• Sept. 22 for Article 3

• Oct. 13 for overview of the zoning map

The city also released copy of the new zoning map on its website on Tuesday. 

Changes to the zoning mostly fall in line with new state law requirements, like House Bill 24-1152, which requires Colorado cities to allow 500 to 750-square-foot accessory dwelling units wherever single-family homes are allowed, and House Bill 24-1304, which prohibits cities from requiring minimum parking requirements for multifamily complexes built in the future in areas considered a “transit service area.”

Overall, the proposed zoning code would reconfigure the use of single-family zoning, allowing for multi-family homes to be built in those areas. The change is aimed at boosting affordable housing, according to the council.

The elected body called it the No.1 priority in a December 2024 resolution regarding the upcoming code changes.

The proposal would also reduce minimum lot size rules to allow for more affordable homes to be built. 

Residents have shared their worries with the city’s adherence to the new state laws — Lakewood has been a “home rule” city since 1983. 

“Lakewood has chosen to disregard this principle by waiving its home rule right to exercise local control over zoning,” resident John Mohatt said in an online public comment, adding these decisions were made without adequate notice to citizens. “Lakewood’s proposed high-density zoning measures are unlikely to contribute to housing affordability.”

Others also wondered whether putting multi-family homes in formerly single-family zones would increase parking problems on public streets.