Broomfield council advances 90-day review plan for affordable housing

Broomfield City Council voted 9-0 on Oct. 27 to approve Ordinance 2315 on first reading, advancing a proposal for a 90-day land-use review of certain affordable housing applications. The council scheduled a public hearing and second reading for Dec. 1; the proposal is not yet adopted. A decision within the proposed period could be an approval, conditional approval or denial—not a guarantee of approval.

Under the city’s summary of the proposed process, a project would qualify if at least half its homes meet the affordability threshold: rental homes for households earning no more than 60% of area median income, or for-sale homes for households earning no more than 120% of area median income. The 90-day clock would start only after the application is deemed complete and sent to city departments and outside agencies.

The proposal sets out two review tracks. Projects in zoning districts that do not require a public hearing could go through an administrative process handled by the Community Development Director. Projects requiring a public hearing would have pre-application steps before the clock starts and one public hearing before City Council.

A developer could request one extension of up to 90 days to resolve comments from an approval agency. Broomfield could also request 30-day extensions for comment resolution; the city summary sets no numerical limit but says extensions should be limited in keeping with the program’s intent. Applicants could opt out of the fast track before a final decision.

City staff told council that the proposed timeline is much shorter than the roughly seven months a process typically takes for projects requiring public hearings. Based on about seven potentially eligible projects over roughly five years, staff estimated the city might receive one or two such applications a year. Staff also cautioned that handling them could require reprioritizing existing work and affect other projects, the council meeting record shows.

The timeline matters because staff said Broomfield has opted into the 2027–29 cycle of Colorado’s Proposition 123 housing program and needs to establish a fast-track process by year-end to remain eligible. Staff described Proposition 123 as optional state funding that redirects existing tax revenue without raising taxes.

At the Oct. 27 meeting, one Ward 4 resident urged council to delay or reject the proposal, citing concerns about scrutiny, staffing and long-term infrastructure costs. Council members also asked about unresolved review comments, whether developers could leave the fast track and potential infrastructure costs.