Zoning Updates -- Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is zoning and why does it matter?

Zoning is the set of rules that determines how property in Lakewood can be used and developed. It covers where homes and businesses can be located, how tall buildings can be, how far they need to be from the property line and similar items.

These rules shape the look and feel of the city, and they ensure that Lakewood continues to meet the needs of its residents now and in the future. These rules accomplish this by protecting neighborhood character through guiding community changes and addressing the economic, environmental, health and social needs in the city.

2. Why is Lakewood updating its zoning code now?

There are several reasons why Lakewood is updating its zoning code now:

It’s time: The zoning code hasn’t had a major update since 2012. As cities evolve, the policies that govern them must evolve to support the city’s vitality and avoid stagnation and decay.
New state laws: New state laws require cities to make certain changes, like removing limits on unrelated people living in a home and changing parking rules near transit. The proposed changes reflect the new state laws while also creating guardrails in the zoning updates to protect the character of our neighborhoods. See question No. 10 for an outline of the new state laws requiring changes in cities.
Alignment with the Comprehensive Plan: Lakewood recently updated its Comprehensive Plan, which lays out the community’s vision for housing, transportation, sustainability, parks and more for the next 15 years. Zoning is how we put that vision into action.
Council priorities: City Council provided policy direction in 2024 that called for updates to support housing affordability, sustainability and neighborhood character.

3. What are the main changes being proposed?

While the city’s zoning code affects every property in Lakewood, not all properties will experience changes as a result of the zoning updates currently under City Council review. Some of the most significant updates include:

Neighborhood input near parks: Developers must hold community meetings before submitting plans next to large city parks (10-plus acres).
Protecting parks: Buildings next to parks must “step back” upper floors to limit building height next to parks. Buildings taller than 40 feet must also have bird safe glass to help prevent birds flying into windows.
Limiting the size of new homes: New homes will be limited in size to prevent “mega-homes” of up to 18,000 square feet that could otherwise house dozens of unrelated renters under state law. Lowering the maximum size of dwellings to 5,000 square feet or less will help protect neighborhoods from the impact of the new state law. This also helps ensure that new homes fit the size and scale of the surrounding homes.
Encouraging more housing options: Supporting the development of more housing options for the “missing middle” will help young families, seniors, teachers, firefighters, first-time homebuyers and others by providing more affordable housing. These housing options such as duplexes and townhomes already exist in numerous city neighborhoods.
Addressing parking near transit: State law removes the city’s minimum parking requirements for future developments near transit. While this state law eliminates the city government’s requirement for parking near transit, it does not eliminate parking near transit itself. Instead, parking in these areas will be determined by the market and financing requirements for building new projects.
Requiring more space not to be built on within new developments: Future developments in mixed-use zone districts near transit stops would be required to have 10 percent of their property as open, meaning without having a building on it. This would require more public plazas or open common areas in developments.
Reusing older buildings: Vacant or underused commercial buildings can be converted into housing.
Creating incentives for more sustainability: The changes include adding more incentives for developers to create more sustainable housing and buildings with better energy efficiency, water conservation and other items.

4. Are parks and open spaces being rezoned for development?

No. City parks and open spaces are not being rezoned for commercial use. In fact, the updates add new protections such as requiring step-back designs on buildings next to parks and requiring neighborhood meetings to receive public feedback for projects proposed next to large parks.

5. I keep hearing that the changes eliminate zoning for single-family homes. Is that true?

That is not true. The city is not eliminating single-family zoning. It is creating new residential zone districts in which single-family housing is allowed. The proposed updates change nothing with your ability to live in your current single-family home, sell it, or pass it on. In fact, the city is working hard to protect Lakewood neighborhoods from potential impacts from new state laws. Proposed updates to the zoning code that are before City Council will reduce the allowed building size of homes and, therefore, the number of people living in residential neighborhoods. They will ensure new development is consistent in scale to the surrounding homes.

At the same time, it encourages more housing options to be built such as duplexes and townhomes that will be more affordable for first-time homebuyers. The city’s current zone districts often associated mostly with single-family homes already allow several of the following uses: duplexes, group homes, accessory dwelling uses, animal care businesses, bed-and-breakfasts, etc. Lakewood doesn’t currently have a zone district where only single-family home use is allowed. Additionally, current zone districts spread throughout the city also already allow up to a four-plex, and many neighborhoods already actually have duplexes and up to four-plexes that were built decades ago.

6. What about “increased density”? Will that happen in my neighborhood?

“Density” often raises concerns, but here’s what it really means in Lakewood’s context:

State law changes: A new state law eliminates Lakewood’s limit of five unrelated people living in a home. If Lakewood makes no changes to its zoning code now, neighborhoods could see “mega-homes” of up to 18,000 square feet built in single-family neighborhoods and then individual bedrooms in these massive homes occupied by numerous residents. This would both increase the population in the neighborhood and change the character of neighborhoods. Lakewood’s updates respond to this law by adding guardrails — like size limits on new homes — that help protect neighborhood character.
Safeguards for neighborhoods: Lakewood’s proposed updates are responding to the new state law by putting guardrails in place that limit the size of new homes, and thus, the number of people living in neighborhoods. Limiting the size of new homes to 5,000 square feet or less creates a guardrail to ensure new residences fit with the scale of other homes in Lakewood neighborhoods.
More choices, not sweeping change: Over time, new homes built under the proposed changes could include more duplexes, townhomes, or accessory dwelling units (ADUs). These housing types with more than one unit in them already exist in many neighborhoods in Lakewood because the city’s current zoning already allows them. The proposed changes simply encourage them to be built to provide more choices for first-time homebuyers, families, seniors, and essential workers in our city by providing a housing option that is more affordable.

In short, the updates strike a balance: more housing options paired with limitations to keep new buildings in scale with their surroundings.

7. How does home rule affect zoning in Lakewood?

As a home-rule city, Lakewood generally has the power to establish its own zoning and land-use regulations. However, under Colorado law, issues like housing affordability and transit-oriented development are considered matters of statewide concern. That means all cities — including home rule cities — must follow new state housing laws.

For example, state laws now require every city to allow accessory dwelling units, eliminate parking minimums for future developments near transit, and remove limits on how many unrelated people can live together in a residence. If Lakewood makes no changes to its zoning code now, the city won’t have safeguards in place to protect neighborhoods from the impacts of the state laws. Lakewood’s updates are really about addressing the state laws in a way that fits our neighborhoods and reflects the vision our community set in the Comprehensive Plan.

8. Can water and sewer infrastructure serving Lakewood residents handle more development?

Lakewood residents receive their water and sewer services from more than 20 different districts that are separate governments from the city. Each district is responsible for managing infrastructure in its own service area. The city itself only provides water and sanitary sewer service in a small part of north Lakewood.

When new development happens, developers or property owners are required to pay tap fees and the costs of improvements needed to the water and sewer infrastructure (aka, pipes, pumps, etc.). These fees are designed to pay for the improvements needed to support the new development and to have new development pay for itself.

Additionally, water and sewer districts are asked to review proposed developments in their districts during the planning process to assess any issues the development might create and have those issues addressed. This ensures that infrastructure can be scaled to meet the needs of new customers. Each individual water and sewer district must determine whether their infrastructure can handle the new development.

9. Will the changes eliminate horse properties in Lakewood?

No. Lakewood has a very strong equestrian culture and history, and the city’s intention is to continue encouraging that. Keeping livestock such as horses will continue to be permitted in all of the new proposed residential zones. You can watch a video presentation about this.

10. What are the state law changes affecting Lakewood’s zoning update?

Changes to state law require several of significant updates to the city's Zoning Ordinance, and these are outlined here:

HB24-1152: This new state law now requires cities to allow 500-750-square-foot accessory dwelling units (ADUs) wherever single-family homes are allowed.
HB24-1304: This new state law prohibits cities from requiring minimum parking requirements for multifamily complexes built in the future in areas considered a "transit service area." The law defines these transit service areas as within one-quarter mile of bus stops with buses operating on at least a 30-minute frequency or within one-quarter mile of a light rail station.
HB24-1313: This new state law now requires cities to increase the overall density of allowable residential units to 40 units per acre in certain transit service areas. In this law, transit services areas are defined as within one-quarter mile of bus stops with buses operating with at least a 15-minute frequency or within one-half mile of a light rail station.
HB24-1007: State law now prohibits cities from limiting the number of people who may live in a dwelling except based on health and safety as determined by the number of bedrooms and other physical aspects of the home.

11. Why isn’t Lakewood joining the lawsuit against the state over zoning laws?

Lakewood has chosen not to join the lawsuit largely because the city already complies with the items such as increased housing units around transit that are the subject of the lawsuit. Lakewood’s approach is to follow the law while using the zoning updates to create local solutions that balance housing needs with neighborhood protections.

12. How can I share my input?

Public hearings: City Council has public hearings for these zoning updates, with the current schedule shown in the timeline on this project page. You can attend the public hearings in person or participate by providing public comments online at LakewoodSpeaks.org, the City Council’s agenda web portal.