Has anyone re-zoned in Denver in order to build an ADU?
Hello all!
I'm a first time house hacker and I'm looking at putting in an offer on a 5 bedroom house that I plan to AirBnB the basement portion of while I build a detached garage and ADU in the backyard in 2023. The property meets 90% of my criteria except that it is currently zoned U-SU-C and I would have to apply to have it re-zoned to U-SU-C1. Has anyone been through this process before? Any insights on timing, fees, legal, likelihood of failure to be approved would be greatly appreciated!
Hopefully if it's feasible to re-zone concurrently while having the building plans generated/finding contractors, with a high likelihood of being approved in about a 6-8 month time frame...
Thanks in advance!
What neighborhood?
Sunnyside!
I am not familiar with Denver, but in most cities, "spot rezoning" (meaning rezoning a single parcel to suit a single owner) is never going to happen.
Cities rezone neighborhoods or tracts of land to meet their long term planning and land use goals. Not to suit an individual buyer who wants to convert their basement and add an ADU.
This would be more of a variance request in most municipalities, and it's still very often a long shot, requiring actual support from the neighbors and a long and laborious pile of red tape.
Hey, @Paul Pukurdpol! Echoing what Jeff Copeland said - it will be extremely difficult to get a one-off for re-zoning a property. I would highly recommend finding a property that already has the proper zoning before moving forward with anything - could be a nightmare if you end up in a property that doesn't suit your goals.
Shoot me a DM - would be happy to chat with you about how to go about finding a property that works for you in your preferred location!
Thanks for the replies all! I put an offer in on the property but the seller was stuck in April 2022 anyways, so I'm moving on to options that are already zoned. Thanks for the feedback!