@maxnardoco.bsky.social
I like plants and work on housing and sustainable land use in Colorado
Lots of middle housing progress in Colorado!
- Lakewood legalized MH citywide in 2025
- Denver developing a policy now
- Boulder exploring the same in comp plan update
+ more
5 recent surveys:
- Lakewood and COS: ~2:1
- Boulder: 70-80% for 3-8 units
- Denver: 58:31 for 6 units | 62% for du/triplex
Big win in Lakewood: middle housing is now legal citywide + smaller lots, parking reform and more!
A win for climate, affordability, and pathways to homeownership, and a model for other Colorado cities. Read about it here π
With CO's Strategic Growth Report due this month, my colleague Caroline wrote about why we need smart growth to tackle climate change and what's on deckπ
20.10.2025 20:01 β π 3 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0New post about how bulk transit passes are incredibly affordable and pair nicely with new parking reform and TOD laws.
New tools in SB25-161 expand this program - let's use them!
Written with James Flattum from @greatdentransit.bsky.social
Great new op-ed from State Rep Stewart on the benefits of Lakewood's zoning code proposal to expand housing choices by legalizing "missing middle housing".
These housing options cost $230k less than single detached homes. They also reduce driving & energy/water use.
coloradosun.com/2025/08/07/o...
After a long night, Denver city council voted 9-3 to eliminate minimum parking requirements for all uses citywide! π
05.08.2025 16:19 β π 4 π 1 π¬ 0 π 1
It's nice to see support for townhomes gaining traction locally. Chart is from Lakewood's 2024 housing plan, text is from Colorado Springs Housing Needs Assessment outreach (reported by KOAA)
01.08.2025 01:39 β π 4 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0Remember those 2024 Colorado land use laws that were a pretty big deal? Wonder how they're working?
We have been documenting city policy updates since then π
Did you know that in Grand Junction you can build 2 ADUs at your house? Learn more local flavors of these policies in our report β¬οΈ
By a vote of 7-0 on 6/23, Wheat Ridge CO eliminated minimum parking requirements for multifamily residential in all areas of the city.
Councilor Hultin: "This is an opportunity to leverage our land use for housing and bring more attainable housing opportunities to the city"
Smart and well researched op-ed by Lukas Hagen with the Neighborhood Development Collaborative
23.06.2025 15:24 β π 4 π 2 π¬ 0 π 0
As Colorado cities consider their next moves, Portland shows how zoning reform can deliver more homes and more choices through gentle incremental housing development.
Check out the blog β¬οΈ
The big concerns? Overdevelopment, neighborhood character, displacement.
The outcomes so far?
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Steady, modest production
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Distributed across neighborhoods
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No overconcentration in areas vulnerable to displacement
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No increase in demolitions, and >2x as many homes built per demolition
Portland legalized smaller homesβlike duplexes, triplexes, and cottage clustersβon most residential lots. 3 years in, this shift has led to hundreds of new homes per year in walkable neighborhoods, selling for $100s of thousands less than single detached houses.
20.06.2025 16:52 β π 2 π 0 π¬ 1 π 0
