Arapahoe commission recommends revised rules for group residences
The proposal would set room-size-based occupancy limits and create different zoning pathways for federally protected Group Homes and other group residences.
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The Arapahoe County Planning Commission recommended revised rules for group-living facilities, including occupancy limits based on room size and different zoning pathways for federally protected Group Homes and other group residences. The recommendation is not final county approval; the Board of County Commissioners has a hearing scheduled for Nov. 10.
The commission’s Oct. 6 motion recommended approval of the amendment as presented in the staff report, while allowing staff and the county attorney to correct errors or omissions. The meeting minutes say the proposal would use room-size standards from the International Property Maintenance Code to set residential occupancy limits.
Under the county’s summary of the proposed rules, Group Homes—described as protected under the federal Fair Housing Amendments Act—could operate in residential areas and four business districts. Other Group Residential Facilities, such as shelters and assisted-living facilities, would be allowed in the four business zones; in residential areas, they would need Use by Special Review, which includes a public hearing. The proposed occupancy table would apply to ordinary houses as well as both types of facilities, the county says.
The commission minutes also say daycare provisions were removed from the amendment for further review. The county’s Board hearing notice schedules a Nov. 10 hearing and says the Board would vote afterward.