LITTLETON, Colo. — Last month, a tense Littleton City Council meeting ended with cheers from a room packed with concerned residents.
The council was set to vote on an ordinance that would’ve allowed denser housing options, like duplexes and triplexes, to be built across the city’s residential areas, including zones that currently allow only single-family homes.
Instead, hundreds showed up to show they wanted no part of it. Facing the strong pushback, the city council voted 6-1 to indefinitely postpone the ordinance.
- Watch our initial coverage below
“It was a groundswell of amazing support from a group of citizens who felt honestly blindsided,” said Jane Brennan, a member of the group Save Old Littleton, which rallied the opposition group that night. “We were very pleased that the city took the time to listen to its constituents that evening.”
Brennan and fellow Save Old Littleton member Chip Block say their group keeps growing. They feel city leadership tried to change too much, too quickly.
“I think most concerning was buyers purchase in neighborhoods that are designated single-family residential for a reason, and the blanket rezoning was so sweeping across all of our city,” Brennan told Denver7 Friday. “Many of us moved from Denver urban areas specifically to Littleton to get away from that and have the trees and the yard space… We don't want to destroy that character, quite frankly.”
“We'd like to regain some trust back with some of the city officials, and really stress transparency during this entire process,” Block added. He believes communication could have been clearer during council conversations about the topic last year, before the formal ordinance readings.
Littleton Mayor Pro Tem Steve Barr was the only city council member to vote against the postponement during the Jan. 7 meeting. He spoke with Denver7 outside his home in the Highline Crossing CoHousing Community, which features multiple kinds of housing, including denser options like quadplexes.
“Where I live is formative in how I make decisions, which I think is kind of the case for everyone,” he said.
Barr also works for a nonprofit as an environmental engineer and previously worked on the South Metro Land Conservancy board. He agrees neighborhood character is important, but believes allowing for denser options is even more critical.
“We are trying to accommodate the growth that is happening in the Front Range and try and to mitigate the effects of sprawl that we are continuing to see,” he said, pointing to issues such as increased wildfire risk, more traffic and a strain on services. “I believe that, you know, we're kind of working off of borrowed time in a low-density society."
But both sides now agree they need more time to talk the issue out. Barr said the city will first look at complying with state law regarding accessory dwelling units (ADUs). That will take place this year, followed by talking about zoning changes involving each higher-density housing option, one by one.
“What was decided was to re-approach duplexes as a singular issue, either later in the year or early next year,” Barr said. “We figured we'll take these things one thing at a time, go back to the drawing board in terms of doing the communication and outreach in a more concerted fashion, and see if that education, see if that communication is going to really bring folks along, and see if we can find a meaningful balance.”
“We want to become part of the solution,” Block said of Save Old Littleton. “There's a lot of middle ground here for growth and as well as keeping some of the charm and personality that this community has to offer.”
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