What is Denver's 2F?
Here's the verbiage: Shall the voters of the City and County of Denver repeal Ordinance No. 2020-0888, regulating residential care facilities, such as elderly residents and people experiencing homelessness, by size rather than use; allowing community corrections facilities to locate in commercial and mixed-use zoning districts and removing the buffer from residential zones and schools for such facilities; and increasing the number of unrelated adults who can live together in a household from two to five with up to one licensed car per adult plus one additional vehicle per household?
We are voting YES on Denver's 2F in 2021.
We want to repeal this Group Living Amendment that our city pushed through against the wishes of the residents during the pandemic. This amendment was created by developers and investors in collusion with the corrupt Denver's City Council to take over our neighborhoods by outbidding singles, couples and families on every home. This Group Living Amendment will make our Denver housing prices skyrocket even higher. We're not concerned about residents having roommates to make living here affordable, we're concerned about this zoning change paving the way for investors (often, slum lords) to purchase homes to rent out to more people per house, legally. This amendment DOES NOT guarantee any affordability, so slum lord investors will charge as much as they can to pack people like sardines into our former single-family homes. Our neighborhoods are already being consumed by investors outbidding us and then renting out our small historic homes at unaffordable prices. This amendment makes it even easier for them to make more money by warehousing people in our former single family neighborhoods.
There are lots of reasons why we should vote YES on Denver's 2F in 2021... read on.
We thought this was a good read from a reader of the Denver Post on 2F so we wanted to share:
Don’t be fooled; vote “Yes” on 2F
Denver voters are being gaslighted. The city, most media outlets, and the Group Living Amendment’s supporters have cleverly reduced this 180-page bill to just one talking point about increasing the number of unrelated people living together with not a word about the more complex, concerning aspects of the bill.
We are being led blindly into an experiment with no precedent anywhere in the United States, yet by only focusing on the number of people who can live together (people have been doing this here for decades with no evictions), attention has been diverted from this bill’s other more concerning issues for homeowners across the city. Consider the section that allows an unlimited number of related underage children to live with the five unrelated adults, or the six cars allowed to park on each property, with unlimited street parking. And the most controversial part of the bill — the expansion of halfway homes, drug rehabilitation centers, and more into commercial and mixed-use zones adjacent to residential neighborhoods with no protections or enforcement measures at all.
Please vote “Yes” on 2F. The GLA is a Trojan horse. It is not innocent, as the city and its supporters would like you to believe. And it is not merely about the number of people who can live together, which sounds benign. It is one of a number of forthcoming measures intended to ultimately eliminate single-family housing here, as has been done in California. It is a risky experiment that isn’t even designed to increase housing affordability, according to the city’s own public statements.
~ Cynthia, Denver Vote for accountability
Source: Letters to the Editor in Denver Post
More arguments to vote YES on 2F to Repeal the Group Living Amendment from: denvergov.org
The Zoning Code governs every building in Denver and affects every neighborhood.
In February 2020, just before the COVID lockdown, the 180-page Group Living Zoning Code Amendment (GLA) was introduced.
As we struggled to keep our jobs, school our children, and manage our health, this massive amendment entered the legislative phase, grew to over 200 pages, and passed City Council in February 2021. Public record showed 88% opposition.
The GLA was marketed as “just a couple extra roommates.” It’s much more than that. DETAILS MATTER.
The GLA originated in the Mayor’s office and was sponsored by both at-large city councilpersons. The GLA committee was comprised of 40 service providers, who benefited from the ordinance, and 8 neighborhood representatives.
Here are some reasons why Denver voters should vote YES on 2F to repeal the Group Living Amendment in 2021:
It commercializes single-family neighborhoods as service providers and investors buy single-family housing, which means outpricing singles, couples and families from purchasing homes.
The previous Zoning Code also allowed unlimited family members to live together, so a repeal would not affect families.
There are 134,000 single-family homes in Denver and the current owner-occupant-to-investor rate is 50/50.
It allows a 150% increase to occupants in any single-family home
5 adults plus any minor children can occupy any single-family home. Our homes are not one-size-fits-all. Why isn’t this number proportional to the size of the home?
It uses single-family homes to increase density
Density = more congestion, trash, air pollution and parking issues. Why are we compromising the well-being of our neighborhoods?
It allows new 1–10-person 24/7 homeless shelters in all single-family neighborhoods with no buffer zones
It increases halfway house locations by 492% to 19,000 acres throughout the city in mixed-use, multi-unit and commercial corridor zones, which are often adjacent to single-family homes
Denver’s recidivism (re-offense) rate is 41%, which means 4 in 10 will likely re-offend. Shouldn’t improvements be made to rehabilitation programs first?
It removes historical 1,500 foot buffer zones between schools, residences and halfway houses
It redefines housing uses
These uses require services as a condition of residency: halfway houses and shelters;
These uses do not require services: transitional/supportive housing (e.g., transitioning from camp, shelter or halfway house), tiny homes and sanctioned camps.
All of these housing uses serve populations that need services to stabilize and be successful;
Why are services only required for some and not others?
There is no increased budget for neighborhood inspection, fire, and police resources. Currently, there are 24 inspectors for Denver’s 155 square miles.
The GLA Committee charter stated zoning does not and cannot affect housing affordability. This is a huge experiment with our neighborhoods and our lives and no guarantee of affordability.
Similar policies were implemented in Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco. Do we want that for Denver?
Denver neighbors should have a voice and a choice about housing in our neighborhoods. VOTE YES ON 2F!