Denver Planning Board backs rezoning for affordable tandem homes
The recommendation advances Denver Housing Authority and Habitat for Humanity plans for income-restricted homeownership; City Council is scheduled to hold a hearing Oct. 13.
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Denver’s Planning Board unanimously recommended Aug. 19 that the city rezone three Denver Housing Authority properties in Barnum and Barnum West, advancing plans with Habitat for Humanity for tandem homeownership opportunities for households earning up to 80% of area median income.
The rezoning request covers 76 N. Hazel Court, 80–90 N. Yates Street and 4519 W. 3rd Avenue. It would change the properties’ zoning from E-SU-Dx, a single-unit district, to E-TU-C, which permits single- and two-unit homes, including tandem houses, the city staff report says. The change would allow additional housing types but would not approve a specific development or authorize construction.
The homes are part of the first phase of the Housing Authority’s SF+ Affordable Homeownership Pilot Project. A city presentation describes the partnership with Habitat for Humanity and says buyers would need to earn no more than 80% of area median income.
The Community Planning and Housing Committee voted 5-0 on Sept. 1 to advance the bill, according to the committee’s minutes. City planning staff also recommended approval, citing consistency with adopted plans and the neighborhood’s low-scale residential context. City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the rezoning Oct. 13, according to its agenda.
A neighbor, Aaron Madrid Aksoz, opposed the rezoning in an Aug. 27 letter to Councilwoman Jamie Torres, raising concerns about the condition of the existing home at 76 N. Hazel Court and possible construction disruption. The city report also says the Yates Street property may need a zone-lot amendment to support the planned tandem-house configuration.