Loveland Planning Commission takes no vote on proposed housing code changes

Loveland planning commissioners did not vote Monday on proposed code changes that would allow duplexes by right in R-1 and R-1e neighborhoods and townhomes and multiplexes by right in R-2, but questioned whether residents had been heard, and staff said they would look at shielding existing neighborhoods.

Under the proposal, duplexes in R-1 and R-1e would move from adaptable use to use by right. Townhomes and multiplexes in R-2 would also move from adaptable use to use by right. In R-1 and R-1e, smaller-lot single-family homes would be allowed by right, and townhomes and multiplexes through adaptable use. In R-2, the proposal would allow townhomes and multiplexes by right and multifamily housing through adaptable use.

Staff plan more outreach before a joint work session of the Planning Commission and City Council, set for Feb. 9. Staff said they had not settled on a format for the outreach. Staff agreed to provide an analysis of how the proposed amendments conform to the Comprehensive Plan. The staff response to the commission's concerns says the city committed to further community engagement before City Council's second reading and to give the feedback to Council before final action.

Residents ranked housing affordability and availability as the second most important community issue in the 2026 city survey, behind the city's financial stability. The city's fact sheet gives Loveland's median single-family home sale price as $395,000 in 2020 and $530,000 in 2025. A May 2026 study-session memo lists a 37% increase in rents and a 56% increase in home prices since 2018 among the Housing Needs Assessment findings. Staff said the 2026 survey found that 58% of respondents rated the city fair or very poor on providing a variety of housing options, and 83% rated it fair or poor on affordable housing.

Several residents who spoke opposed the changes for R-1e neighborhoods and asked for earlier involvement. One resident objected to allowing multiplexes and townhomes in R-1 zones subject only to a developer-led neighborhood meeting, calling it "a major land use change without any adequate public engagement." The resident asked the commission to recommend removing those provisions for R-1E neighborhoods until outreach could occur, so the rest of the code changes could proceed.

A Ward 2 resident said duplexes and multiplexes already exist in the resident's neighborhood, with some fitting in and others standing out. The resident opposed allowing more such housing in existing neighborhoods without more communication. Another resident said they had not heard about the public outreach and urged the city to distinguish regulatory changes from zoning changes and involve residents earlier.

Speakers backing the amendments said the changes were needed. The executive director of Neighbor to Neighbor said "More smaller dwellings are desperately needed." The executive director urged the commission not to delay or weaken the changes, and said a single person needs to earn $33 an hour to afford a basic two-bedroom apartment in Loveland.

A Loveland resident who said they were a real-estate developer supported the amendments for new development. The resident said they considered redevelopment of existing homes into multiplexes economically unlikely, though not impossible.

Commissioners raised doubts about the outreach and the survey. One commissioner questioned whether the Housing Chat and the Housing Needs Assessment outreach reached the general public, saying "it's not really the public, it's stakeholders in this process." Another commissioner said the 481 Housing Needs Assessment respondents represented more than 40% of respondents even though Loveland accounted for 20% of the study's population.

Staff said a public Housing Chat was attended by probably 30 or fewer people and that invitations had been sent to about 800. Commissioner Barry Long said the community may not have had a sufficient opportunity to be heard. Long also questioned the suitability of clustered cottages on 2,700-square-foot lots.

Commissioner Kiel Schuett asked whether staff could add a safeguard for existing neighborhoods while keeping a faster process for new development. Schuett asked, "is there any way to, like, maybe add an asterisk, grandfather in existing neighborhoods and say this is for new development only?" A staff member said the R-1 and R-1E zones could potentially be separated, and that staff would examine the option.

A staff member said staff had not previously explored applying the proposed standards only to new development and would look into whether that could be done.

Schuett also asked whether townhomes could be allowed as a conditional use instead of an adaptable use. Staff said that process would send a proposal to the Planning Commission for a public hearing and allow an appeal to City Council, and that every townhome coming in would need a Planning Commission public hearing. "It adds uncertainty and it adds time. It probably does add cost," staff said. Staff added that making every townhome a conditional use would likely prevent townhomes from being an option for some new development.

Staff said the city had not made any amendment changes after the Planning Commission public hearing, and that Council had not directed changes at first reading. A staff member said the amendments had not been changed because Council had not directed staff to revise them. Council's second reading is being held until after the Feb. 9 joint work session.