Centennial City Council is playing chess with the State of Colorado regarding zoning control over Centennial’s neighborhoods. March 5, 2024 Centennial was slated to forward its Accessory Dwelling Unit Ordinance 2024-0-03 to a public hearing set for March 19, 2024. Council had been anticipating that at this hearing said ordinance would also be approved and sent forward to be in effect 30 days later. However there were three stated factors that caused them to cease the forwarding of the ordinance, thereby canceling the March 19 public hearing. Factor #1 was the mayor’s assessment that the Colorado legislature has pending legislation that will compete with Centennial’s ADU ordinance in both supremacy and legal enforcement. Factor #2 was that there remains several aspects of the ordinance that really need more serious refining and actual proof that it is a product that has all concerns properly addressed. “Unintended consequences” defined this particular factor. The #3 factor articulated was the fact that several residents have expressed legitimate concerns regarding the impact of this ordinance, as written, and would like to have further input and clarification. Overall, council had to admit that the opposition is quite prevalent. Everything stated here can be verified by going on the Centennial website to the city council March 5 meeting. Find the audio/media link.
The chess game now playing is being won by the State of Colorado. Single-family neighborhoods are the true loser and the mayor and city council are the chess players making feckless moves. At the end of last year’s legislative session the governor floated out an omnibus bill that would have stripped home rule municipalities (and others) of their right to control zoning in their respective communities. All municipalities rose up together and roared foul! The governor smiled and said, OK, I’ll retreat but now you know the power my super majority has.
The present 2024 legislative session has the governor in full attack through the masterful execution of “divide and conquer.” His super majority simply came back with a multitude of separate zoning bills that essentially do what was threatened at the end of the 2023 session. Now all those municipalities who collectively cried foul are fending for themselves all alone. And the state is winning. The state is reshaping “Colorado’s land use” in the fashion characteristic of all super urbanized and super dense cities. Get involved! Question! Write letters! The time is now!
Peter Cooney
Centennial