On May 22, 2020, the Colorado Springs City Planning Department presented 3 separate ADU (accessory dwelling unit) ordinances to City Council. These ordinances will be voted on by City Council on June 9. 2020. Here is a summary of the 3 ordinances: Ordinance 1.1 - Accessory Family SuitesThis ordinance proposes that all single-family zoned properties in Colorado Springs will be permitted to add an Accessory Family Suite (AFS). These units will be required to be attached to the primary structure (an internal connection is required), and will allow homeowners to build a second living unit on their property that contains a kitchen, a bathroom, and sleeping quarters. Previous to this ordinance, homeowners were not permitted to add a second kitchen to their home without signing a "Second Kitchen Compliance Affidavit" stating that they would not use the second kitchen in a unit that would be rented or leased. Adding an AFS to your property will not expand the number of occupants permitted to...

In early 2018, Colorado Springs City Council asked the City Planning Department to explore the idea of expanding the use of ADUs (accessory dwelling units) in Colorado Springs. The Planning/Zoning Department immediately assembled a steering committee and began to research ADUs and outline a plan for how ADUs can be implemented into the Colorado Springs zoning code, in order to best help our community address the encroaching affordable housing crisis in our city. In the Fall of 2018, the committee presented a proposed ordinance for ADUs to several local commissions to receive additional feedback and to refine the ordinance. The community was very accepting of the proposal and, after months of work, a fine-tuned version was presented to the City Planning Commission of December 2019. In the Spring of 2019, the ordinance was presented to City Council for review, at which time City Council determined to host two town halls to allow the community to join in the conversation. These town...