Denverites at last night's Swansea Open House

After a year of soliciting feedback from an Advisory Committee, focus groups, neighborhood organizations, and the public, Denver has released draft recommendations to make building accessory dwelling units (ADUs) easier and more responsive to different neighborhood needs. The recommendations won’t rezone any properties to allow ADUs. They will improve flexibility of ADU design and provide different standards for different neighborhood contexts (e.g., different outcomes for urban lots with alleys versus suburban lots without them). Read more in the full strategy report and the 2-page summary.

Public comment on the recommendations will be received through February 24, 2023. Feedback will be used to further refine the recommendations before they are considered by the Denver City Council. There are multiple ways to provided public comment, both in person and virtually, in the coming weeks.

Submit a comment via the comment form

You can submit a comment or question at any time using the comment form.

Attend an open house (in-person or virtual)

There are five upcoming open houses where you can provide feedback and talk with a city planner about the recommendations. Four are in-person and one is virtual. Full event details can be found on the project webpage.

Open House

La Alma Recreation Center

5 - 7 p.m., Thursday, January 26, 2023

1325 W 11th Ave

Denver, CO 80204

Open House

Montbello Recreation Center

5 - 7 p.m., Wednesday, February 1, 2023

15555 E 53rd Ave

Denver, CO 80239

Open House

Virginia Village Branch Library

3:45 - 5:45 p.m., Thursday, February 2, 2023

1500 S Dahlia St

Denver, CO 80222

Open House - Virtual

Virtual meeting via Zoom

5 - 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Open House

Bear Valley Branch Library 

3:30 - 5:30 p.m., Thursday, February 9, 2023

5171 W Dartmouth Ave

Denver, CO 80236

Attend office hours

If you are unable to attend an open house, or you'd prefer more one-on-one time with a city planner, you can sign up for office hours that are either virtual or at the Webb Municipal Building. Sign up for office hours.

In 2019, the Denver City Council adopted Blueprint Denver, a citywide land use plan that was developed based on public input. Thousands of residents helped create the policy recommendations in Blueprint Denver, which includes specific recommendations regarding ADUs:

• that barriers to ADU construction be removed, 
• that zoning rules be reviewed and adjusted so ADUs fit into a variety of neighborhood contexts. 

ADUs can be a great way to increase affordable housing options, keep families living on the same property, and add gentle density to a neighborhood.