What will these changes do?

The proposed UDC changes will:

• Help new housing better reflect today’s housing market (what buyers want and can afford)

• Allow for smaller single-family homes and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)

• Deliver more housing at more affordable prices

• Allow for a wider range of housing types*

• Simplify and modernize housing standards (making the UDC easier to use and understand)

*Remember how I wouldn’t stop talking about missing middle housing on the campaign trail? We have a lot of large single-family homes and a good amount of apartments but not nearly enough small single-family homes, condos, townhomes, triplexes, and multiplexes.

Why are these changes being proposed?

It’s not just Loveland; all of Colorado is struggling with housing costs. According to the World Population Review, Colorado has the sixth-highest median home price, and our “homes are among the nation’s largest, with the average home measuring 2,126 square feet.”

In our most recent community survey, only 17% of respondents said that we have affordable, quality housing available in Loveland. “Most of Northern Colorado’s household growth and housing market is being driven by affluent households,” said the Loveland Affordable Housing Task Force. “Over the past decade, 64% of growth in Larimer and Weld Counties has been households earning more than 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI) – approximately $80,000 for a two-person renter household and approximately $90,000 for a three-person owner household.“

In 2020, the median single-family home sale price in Loveland was $395,000. In 2025, that cost ballooned to $530,000. I don’t know about you, but my job certainly didn’t give me a 34% increase in my salary over those five years.

Expanding our housing options will strengthen our community by allowing Lovelanders to find homes that fit their needs, lifestyles, and budgets. It will also help support our local businesses, schools, and workforce by making it easier for people to live and work in the same city. Right now, many folks have to commute to their jobs in cars because the distance between their home and work is so large. Reducing the number of folks who have to commute by car will improve our traffic and road congestion issues.

What measures are in place to ensure that neighbors get to provide input?

In many instances, multifamily housing, townhomes, and multiplexes would be allowed as an adaptable use. An adaptable use means neighbors will have the opportunity to provide input. More specifically, it means:

• There must be a meeting for neighbors to provide comments

• The director of development services must approve the project, and the director’s decision can be appealed to our Planning Commission

If passed, which areas of Loveland will be the most impacted?

Because our land and housing costs are so high, existing neighborhoods will likely see far less change than areas of new construction. If you do live near a vacant lot or properties with dilapidated houses, those may be where you see a new type of home come in. It is not cost-effective for builders to purchase a perfectly good home, pay to tear it down, and then pay again to build something new. Ideally, we will start seeing vacant lots and lots with uninhabitable houses transition to support a more vibrant city. A better mix of housing allows:

• Older adults to downsize

• Younger adults to purchase starter homes

• Our teachers, nurses, and service industry folks to live here

• Families to stay together (I’ve heard many stories of neighbors whose kids had to move away so they could afford a home or to have kids of their own)

Our housing policies shouldn’t be separating families. Our housing policies shouldn’t block the folks who run our city from living here. But right now they are doing these things. These UDC updates won’t fix all of our problems, but it’s an essential step in the right direction. When you’re tackling a problem as big as housing affordability, there isn’t one decision that can fix it. It takes many small actions in many different areas.

How were these proposed changes created and where are we in this process?

The city hired a land-use firm to work with local builders, developers, and design professionals to understand how our codes are standing in the way of missing middle housing. The kicker here is that many builders and developers want to build homes for all Lovelanders, homes the market is actively asking for, but the rules we have on the books make it difficult to build missing middle housing, ADUs, and even smaller single-family homes.

The firm conducted surveys, personal interviews, site visits, and focus groups. Community engagement opportunities included:

• Workshops with City staff and partners

• A public housing chat

• Meetings with the development community and staff (including a meeting with the Home Builders Association of Northern Colorado)

• Meetings with many city boards and commissions, including study sessions and public hearings

The Planning Commission, which is made up of Lovelanders who volunteer their time to review things like zoning ordinances and planning matters to make recommendations to the City Council, recommended approval of the proposed code changes on July 13, 2026. City Council gave initial approval on Aug. 19, 2026.

What are the next steps?

The second (and final reading) of these proposed UDC changes will be on Nov. 4, 2026, at the City Council meeting. You can always contact council (via email or phone), but you can also sign up to speak during public comment, or provide comment during the comment period for the specific agenda item.

If you want to learn more, visit the city’s affordable housing in Loveland page. If you have any questions, please contact the City Manager’s Office (970-962-2303) or council (ccouncil@cityofloveland.org).