Loveland council advances housing-code overhaul after debate over R-1 neighborhood impacts

Loveland City Council voted 8-1 Tuesday to approve on first reading Ordinance No. 6847, a sweeping rewrite of the city’s housing standards in the Unified Development Code. The measure is aimed at making smaller lots and a wider range of housing types easier to build citywide while preserving some review steps for certain projects in low-density neighborhoods. Second reading is scheduled for Sept. 1.

The ordinance updates residential zoning rules, accessory dwelling unit standards, parking requirements, clustered housing regulations, outdoor recreation requirements and affordable-housing incentives. Among the most debated changes were those affecting low-density R-1 and R-1e areas, where single-family detached urban lots and duplexes would be allowed by right, while townhomes and multiplexes would be handled as adaptable uses that require a neighborhood meeting and can be appealed to the Planning Commission.

Carrie Burchett of Strategic Planning told council the package was meant to “modernize our housing standards” and align the code with what builders and the market can support. She said the amendments were not mandated by the state but would help Loveland meet its Proposition 123 commitments after the city opted into the program and later adopted a 90-day housing fast-track process. Burchett said the work followed more than 300 hours of public-engagement effort, including surveys, interviews, focus groups, a development summit, a public housing chat and presentations to boards and commissions.

Supporters on the dais and in public comment said the overhaul would expand housing options for residents who are increasingly priced out of Loveland. Kathy Wright, speaking on behalf of Loveland Habitat for Humanity, called it “a really important step toward creating a community where more housing options can be built.” Council Member Laura Light-Kovacs said the city has been “far delayed” in expanding affordable housing and argued that diversifying housing types is one of the known ways to address that problem. Council Member Sarah Rothberg said the current housing mix is “separating families” and that Loveland needs more middle options between apartments and large single-family homes.

The longest debate centered on whether neighbors had been adequately engaged before changing what could be built in low-density zones. Bob Massaro, a Loveland resident and former Planning Commission member, said there is persistent “pushback from a community with R-1” and warned that neighborhood sensitivity around those areas “has to be addressed,” even as he supported broader ADU opportunities. During council discussion, Development Services Director Bob Paulson said staff had done extensive outreach to the development community and city boards but acknowledged that “there were not a large number neighborhood meetings” and that some residents remained concerned.

Paulson and Burchett told council the R-1 portion could be separated from the rest of the package if members wanted more neighborhood-specific outreach. Burchett said council could remove the proposed townhome and multiplex changes in R-1 and R-1e without affecting the rest of the ordinance, and Paulson said that would be his preferred option if council was uneasy about those provisions. Mayor Patrick McFall said he wanted staff to revisit communication around the land-use changes before second reading, but he supported moving the ordinance forward as a whole rather than splitting it.

Council Member Kalina Middleton cast the lone no vote. Middleton said she supports expanding housing choices and simplifying the code, but argued the city should first complete more work on infrastructure capacity, utilities, staffing and finances before making broader land-use changes. Other council members rejected a delay, saying the city can make further adjustments later if needed.

The broader package includes allowing one ADU on any lot with a residential use, eliminating off-street parking requirements for ADUs, keeping minimum parking at two spaces for single-family homes, duplexes and townhomes, and reducing minimums for some multiplex and multifamily housing. It also consolidates affordable-housing and Community First Housing incentives and rewrites clustered-housing rules that staff said had been too rigid to use effectively.

Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval in July, and the Construction Advisory Board voted to send a support letter. Staff has said the ordinance has no direct budget impact, though the city received a $160,000 state planning grant in 2025 to support the housing amendments and Proposition 123 compliance.