~ The City of Colorado Springs is making changes to its Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance in order to comply with recent state legislation and increase housing options for its residents. ADUs are independent living units that are smaller in size and located on the same lot as a single-family home.

According to the new state legislation, the City is required to allow ADUs in any location where single-family detached homes are permitted. This also prevents the City from enforcing certain local laws that would restrict ADUs. In response, the City is updating its code to align with these mandates and support its strategic priorities of promoting housing availability and choice for its residents.

The updates to the ADU Ordinance will include allowing ADUs in all zone districts where single-family detached dwellings are permitted, streamlining use-specific standards, and removing owner occupancy requirements. Additionally, homeowners associations or other associations will not be allowed to unreasonably restrict the construction of ADUs.

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City Planning Director Kevin Walker stated, "In response to new state legislation and market conditions, we are looking to make updates to the ADU ordinance. This also provides us with an opportunity to make changes based on feedback from residents that could create more housing flexibility." He also acknowledged the demand for ADUs but recognized that the current code can make it complicated to build them. The City is seeking feedback from residents over the next several months on their proposed changes in order to ensure they have the best updates possible.

To provide more information about these proposed changes and gather feedback from residents, a public meeting will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 5:30 p.m. at the National Cybersecurity Center located at 3650 N Nevada Ave. Residents can also find information about the ADU Ordinance update at ColoradoSprings.Gov/ADUOrdinanceUpdate. The updates are expected to be finalized and adopted in early 2025.

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