Denver targets February or March 2027 adoption of first zoning-reform package
The proposed package would change notice, administrative adjustments and height measurements, but remains subject to public review.
Denver officials are targeting February or March 2027 to formally adopt the city’s first package of zoning and development-review changes. The city plans to release draft text for public review in November and hold office hours and focused outreach in November and December.
The package remains a proposal. The Denver City Council’s Community Planning and Housing Committee received an informational briefing Sept. 15 but took no formal action. Staff described the February-or-March date as a target for completing the legislative process.
Proposed changes to notice and approvals
One proposal would remove informational-notice requirements for some uses in some districts where existing zoning limits are considered sufficient to address anticipated impacts. The city has not yet identified which uses or districts would change.
The package also would clarify that an applicant subject to both a zoning permit with special exceptions and a zoning permit with informational notice would go through only the special-exceptions process. Council members cautioned that narrower notice requirements could reduce neighborhood awareness and community input.
Another proposal would create a simpler path for minor administrative adjustments, make allowable variations more consistent and expand administrative authority when an adjustment would produce additional affordable housing. Those changes could reduce the need for some Board of Adjustment reviews, but the briefing did not establish how many projects would qualify.
Height measurements and the review process
For larger buildings and accessory structures, the city is considering measuring maximum height primarily in feet instead of using both feet and stories. House-scale forms, including houses, duplexes and accessory dwelling units, would continue to use both measurements.
Staff said the proposal would not change existing maximum heights or building envelopes, although an additional story could sometimes fit within the same height limit. Story-based setbacks, stepbacks and mass-reduction rules would remain in place.
The broader effort is funded in part by a $4.5 million U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development PRO Housing grant. It follows a 2025 regulatory diagnostic based on stakeholder interviews, focus groups and an online survey with more than 450 responses that produced 70 recommendations. The city’s regulatory-reform presentation identifies these changes as a first package, with larger possible changes such as consolidating zone districts and land-use tables reserved for later phases.
The city’s Unlocking Housing Choices project page provides information about submitting comments and includes project materials, meeting information and recordings. A spring 2026 engagement summary says the team presented to registered neighborhood organizations and industry groups and held focus groups with affordable-housing and other developers.
No provision in the package had been formally adopted as of the Sept. 15 briefing. The February-or-March date is a target, not an adoption vote or effective date; final changes will depend on the public-review and legislative processes.