In Denver on Wednesday, a federal court ruled for the first time that refusing to rent a dwelling to someone because the prospective renter does not conform to gender stereotype norms (e.g., because a person dresses or acts in a way, or is attracted to, married to, and/or has children with someone, that does not conform with stereotype norms associated with that person’s biological gender) constitutes sex discrimination under the Fair Housing Act (“FHA”).
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Local Governments Making Room for Tiny Homes
Earlier this week, Denver approved a temporary zoning permit for a tiny-house community for homeless people, the “Beloved Community Village.” The community will include eleven 8-foot by 12-foot shelters, as well as shared kitchen and bathroom facilities, constructed for about $130,000 on Urban Land Conservancy-owned property at 38th and Walnut Streets in the RiNo neighborhood.
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Hosts of Short-Term Rentals Slow to Obtain Licenses, Face Hefty Fines
Enforcement of Denver’s short-term rental regulations, which were passed in the summer of 2016, started January 1, 2017. However, not all hosts seem to have gotten the message, with only about 18 percent of Denver properties on Airbnb including their license numbers in the listing—a requirement under the new regulations.
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Boulder Approves New, Contentious Co-Op Housing Ordinance
The housing crunch in Colorado, and specifically, in Boulder, is well documented. Last week Boulder’s City Council took a small and controversial step towards easing that crunch within its limits by finalizing and approving a co-operative housing ordinance.
The ordinance allows for the licensing of 10 new co-operatives each year commencing in 2017 year,
Denver City Council Passes Pair of Development Moratoria
As Denver’s housing market continues to thrive, so, too, do the development-related concerns of existing residents. The rapid pace of development in many City-close neighborhoods has at times pitted residents desiring attractive, pedestrian-oriented communities against developers responding to high demand for urban housing options. On Monday, August 22, 2016, the Denver City Council passed a pair of City-wide development moratoria aimed at addressing parking and architectural issues. CB16-0498 concerns use of the City’s small zone lot parking exemption. CB-16-0541 places a one-year moratorium on use of the Zoning Code’s Garden Court Building Form. Both bills passed with a unanimous vote of Councilmembers present and took effect August 25, 2016.
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